"And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ."
Acts 17:2-3
Part 2
Yesterday: Paul’s Gospel Preaching was to the Jew First
“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them.”
“And three sabbath days reasoned with them.”
“Out of the scriptures.”
Today: Paul did not only Preach the Word, but He also Discussed It
Paul relied on the Word of God as he preached the Gospel. He knew that “the power of God unto salvation” was contained in it.
“Opening and alleging.”
These two thoughts help us to understand how Paul taught the Word to the unconverted.
“Opening.”
Paul was “explaining or unfolding” the “good news” for them. He lays out the truth by opening the scriptures and letting those words do their work in those listening hearts and minds. Paul is teaching from the scriptures. He is not speaking and then adding a Bible verse as a proof text for what he said.
“Opening the Scriptures, Luke means, as made plain by the mission and message of Jesus”[1] (Robertson).
This same word is used of the Lord when He taught. The disciples who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus said of His teaching,
“And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32).
And in the upper room that night of Jesus’ resurrection,
“Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45).
Unfortunately, theologians often tend to confuse us with their “intellectual” language in their teaching. The best compliment to any preacher’s preaching is, “I could understand what the Bible said. You have made it clear for me.” Jesus’ teaching was always clear to His intended audience, for He was teaching sheep, not giraffes![2]
This is the style of Bible exposition that Jesus and Paul used as they preached and taught the Word. The scriptures can open people’s hearts and minds.
“And Alleging.”
“Paul was not only ‘expounding’ the Scriptures, but he was also ‘propounding’[3] (the old meaning of ‘allege’), his doctrine or setting forth alongside the Scriptures…, quoting the Scripture to prove his contention which was made [during many conflicts]…”[4] (Robertson).
The word alleging used in the text, very early on meant, setting food before a person to eat. A teacher might set information before a student to be taught and to be explained to them.[5] When Paul set the name “Jesus Christ” in front of them, you can imagine their response. So as he was “opening and alleging that Christ must suffer” this was so offensive to them that there was no way he could teach them the truth, for they would not hear it!
Paul had laid his doctrine alongside the Bible text, in this case, the Old Testament Scriptures, for he was preaching to the Jews, telling of Jesus Christ. His preaching in Thessalonica was described as being done through “much contention” (1 Thessalonians 2:2). But Paul stood by the scriptures, and his preaching of Christ became “a stumbling-block” to the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:23).
Sadly, the Lord Jesus Christ is the “sticking point” with most sinners who will not accept Him or His Gospel.
Quote: “The Old Testament contains over 300 references to the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Computations using the science of probability on just 8 of these prophecies show the chance that someone could have fulfilled all 8 prophecies is 10 (to the 17th power), or 1 in 100 quadrillions”[6] (Fritz Ridenour).
[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] In our preaching classes at HBBC, the men were encouraged to be good preachers to children. For “if you can preach to a child, and he or she understands the Word, you can preach the Word clearly to anybody!”
[3] “Propounding” is from a Latin word meaning “to display.” In English, it means “to offer for discussion or consideration.” “Propound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propound. Accessed April 6, 2021. I would imagine when Paul “propounded” his Gospel message to these Jewish synagogue leaders, it was like tossing a match into a barrel of gunpowder!
[4] A.T. Robertson, ibid.
[5] See Thayer. J.H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
[6] Ridenour’s quote Downloaded: Wednesday, April 7, 2021. From: https://alwaysbeready.com/apologetics-quotes/.