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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have been using Peterson on Acts for several weeks now. It was not available when I first started preaching through Acts and I was relying heavily upon Bock and Stott and others. The others are good but Peterson is outstanding. He does not get bogged down. He keeps working through the material in the most helpful way. He not only accurately and succinctly explains the text, but he is also not afraid to say what it means. It is very inspiring and helpful to one who wants to apply as well as understand God's Word. Especially helpful is his explanation of the early church as the "new Israel". I highly recommend this valuable new commentary.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Worth its weight in gold! This is a serious commentary of over 700 pages, but the information is accessible and readable. High quality scholarship of one who believes what he writes and ideal for writing expository styles sermons.
12 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
On p 141 Peterson correctly moves to show that 'the last days' began with the advent of Christ. 'The sending forth of Christ marks to Paul the 'fullness of time' (Gal 4:4), a phrase which certainly means more than that the time was ripe for the introduction of Christ into the world: the fulness of time means the end of that aeon and the commencement of another period.' Geerhardus Vos, Redemptive History & Biblical Interpretation, ed. Richard Gaffin Jr, p 93 Vos saw in the eschatological acts of Christ grounds to develop the Pauline conception of the new eschatological age of the Spirit. This approach countenances the view of the Christ-event as a series of events which had been set in motion by the incarnation of the second Person of the Trinity, the Son. With the sending of the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, Peterson prefers to attach ecclesiological worth which is inclined to call in doubt the absence or variation of eschatological fulfilment: 'The promise is most obviously the promise of the Spirit about which Jesus spoke during His earthly ministry (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4).' p 156 Although it is certainly true, this should not evacuate Pentecost of its redemptive-historical significance, an important aspect of eschatological expectation created by the OT (Joel 2:28-32). The Jews had forever been divided over the incessant pretenders to the Messiah's throne. But they could not mistake the fulfillment of prophecy when the Holy Spirit was poured out as the sign and confirmation of God's promise to their fathers and the Son's enthronement in heaven; hence so many Jews coming to the faith at Pentecost. Peterson's weak teleological scope of Peter's pentecostal promise 'to those afar off' has the inherent danger of presenting a two-tier gospel - one for Jews and another for gentiles.
'Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the gentiles.' Acts 14:27 The modern trend which dares to flout the call to attend worship services, and claims to do so on biblical grounds, lacks any real justification, as it is based on a distorted view of the church's mandated mission, and is entirely discounted by the precedent set by Paul: 'In particular, what God had done through them was to bring many to faith, so that churches were planted and patterns of leadership established over a wide area. A key aspect of this is described in terms of God opening a door of faith to the gentiles.' p 416 Thus Paul's first missionary journey ended, and, as one theologian observed, 'God confirmed that it was not through circumcision and the like that people would enter in and be called by His name, but simply through the door of faith.' David John Williams, Acts p 255
An interesting development which had its origin within the narrative of the Jerusalem Council and therefore in the apostolic church is that of church dogma. Against better judgment, Peterson insists that due to the lack of a clearly defined authority structure they represented limited powers, 'hortatory' (p 424). But the apostles did not view themselves simply as an advisory committee, but as a deliberative body which expected the churches to abide by their ruling. We see textual evidence that as its officers their leadership was exemplary and stamped with applications in accordance with the prophetic Word. However, David Peterson is right to insist that 'Luke has not claimed anywhere in the account so far that any of the speakers was particularly directed by or filled with the Holy Spirit.' p 438 He reads their acknowledgement that 'it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us' to mean that no more than illumination occurred, which still intends to convey the conviction that the Council's decision had been reached under the guidance of the Holy Spirit through Scripture, as 'known to God from eternity are all His works' (15:18). In his A New Systematic Theology Of The Christian Faith, Robert L Reymond further renders accurately the historical development of the Acts 15 Council when they delivered the resultant decision collectively as a church decree [Gk: ta dogmata] in 16:4, reached unanimously by the apostles and elders, which, together with the institution of elders in every church (14:23), set a precedent in church governance. Reymond then cites John Murray: 'It is all the more striking that the church should have resorted to such deliberation, and to this method of resolving an issue, since it was the era of special revelation.' Collected Writings 2:344
I aver that the author of this commentary is clearly more Reformed in approach, and not Arminian. See his excellent treatments on 2:23; 4:28; 13:48; and 16:14. A great example: in 4:28 Peterson's notes Luke's recurring emphasis on God's sovereignty: 'Once in each chapter of Acts so far, Peter has expressed the confidence that God is able to carry out His purpose even through rebellious human beings who do not accept His revealed will (1:16-20; 2:23-36; 3:13-15).' p 201
One could argue that he does the Reformed community a service in not pressing a Calvinistic interpretation with an abundance of quotes from John Calvin; instead he sticks to the close exegesis of the text to establish what he believes is the right conclusion: Acts has that high view of God's sovereign plan of salvation that was later characteristic of the theology of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Cranmer, etc. (I mention Cranmer because Peterson stands very much in the evangelical Anglican tradition.) One of the better aspects of the commentary is its redemptive-historical approach to interpretation enabling us to see how God works out His unique purposes in history.
'Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the gentiles.' Acts 14:27 The modern trend which dares to flout the call to attend worship services, and claims to do so on biblical grounds, lacks any real justification, as it is based on a distorted view of the church's mandated mission, and is entirely discounted by the precedent set by Paul: 'In particular, what God had done through them was to bring many to faith, so that churches were planted and patterns of leadership established over a wide area. A key aspect of this is described in terms of God opening a door of faith to the gentiles.' p 416 Thus Paul's first missionary journey ended, and, as one theologian observed, 'God confirmed that it was not through circumcision and the like that people would enter in and be called by His name, but simply through the door of faith.' David John Williams, Acts p 255
An interesting development which had its origin within the narrative of the Jerusalem Council and therefore in the apostolic church is that of church dogma. Against better judgment, Peterson insists that due to the lack of a clearly defined authority structure they represented limited powers, 'hortatory' (p 424). But the apostles did not view themselves simply as an advisory committee, but as a deliberative body which expected the churches to abide by their ruling. We see textual evidence that as its officers their leadership was exemplary and stamped with applications in accordance with the prophetic Word. However, David Peterson is right to insist that 'Luke has not claimed anywhere in the account so far that any of the speakers was particularly directed by or filled with the Holy Spirit.' p 438 He reads their acknowledgement that 'it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us' to mean that no more than illumination occurred, which still intends to convey the conviction that the Council's decision had been reached under the guidance of the Holy Spirit through Scripture, as 'known to God from eternity are all His works' (15:18). In his A New Systematic Theology Of The Christian Faith, Robert L Reymond further renders accurately the historical development of the Acts 15 Council when they delivered the resultant decision collectively as a church decree [Gk: ta dogmata] in 16:4, reached unanimously by the apostles and elders, which, together with the institution of elders in every church (14:23), set a precedent in church governance. Reymond then cites John Murray: 'It is all the more striking that the church should have resorted to such deliberation, and to this method of resolving an issue, since it was the era of special revelation.' Collected Writings 2:344
I aver that the author of this commentary is clearly more Reformed in approach, and not Arminian. See his excellent treatments on 2:23; 4:28; 13:48; and 16:14. A great example: in 4:28 Peterson's notes Luke's recurring emphasis on God's sovereignty: 'Once in each chapter of Acts so far, Peter has expressed the confidence that God is able to carry out His purpose even through rebellious human beings who do not accept His revealed will (1:16-20; 2:23-36; 3:13-15).' p 201
One could argue that he does the Reformed community a service in not pressing a Calvinistic interpretation with an abundance of quotes from John Calvin; instead he sticks to the close exegesis of the text to establish what he believes is the right conclusion: Acts has that high view of God's sovereign plan of salvation that was later characteristic of the theology of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Cranmer, etc. (I mention Cranmer because Peterson stands very much in the evangelical Anglican tradition.) One of the better aspects of the commentary is its redemptive-historical approach to interpretation enabling us to see how God works out His unique purposes in history.
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