Digital Logos Edition
This commentary is designed to help the student of Scripture gain a mastery of the Book of Acts so that its content may master his soul and make him a better witness to the power of Jesus. Dr. Custer has written a commentary that is scholarly yet practical, comprehensive without being cumbersome, and one that remains doctrinally sound. It tackles solutions to the alleged “discrepancies,” and gives practical applications to strengthen the believer in his faith. The commentary, besides providing historical background and interpretation to the text, draws upon the reverent comments of preachers and writers of the past, from the Homilies of John Chrysostom to contemporary authors
“There are three very clear qualifications for the office. They must be living the Christian life; people in the community must be able to testify to their character. They must be full of the Holy Spirit; they will fail without His illumination and enabling power. And they must be full of wisdom; they need good, practical common sense to deal with financial and material problems.” (Page 77)
“Philip is a good example of the obedient servant of the Lord. It takes real grace for any man to leave a prosperous ministry and to go out into the middle of nowhere on an unknown mission. Many preachers would be willing to argue with the Lord that they are needed more in the prosperous work. Philip does not thus argue with the Lord.” (Page 111)
“They were asking, the imperfect tense, indicates a stern session of grilling. ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ The word order in Greek puts the you at the very end of the sentence for scornful emphasis (‘people like you,’ F. F. Bruce, Acts, NIC, p. 99).” (Page 48)
“The Ethiopian eunuch is a contrast to Simon the sorcerer. Simon had mental reservations and no heart submission to the truth. The Ethiopian gave complete heart submission to the truth about Christ and was prepared to obey all he had learned.” (Page 114)
“Acts provides the historical background necessary to understand the teachings of the Epistles that will follow. Acts is the central link that connects the history of Christ in the Gospels with the doctrinal explanations of the Epistles.” (Page xix)
[This] commentary reveals a rare balance between the intellectual and the practical. It will prove to be a tremendous help to the serious student of the Word of God. I heartily recommend this commentary to anyone desiring to have a better understanding of the Book of Acts.
—Ernest D. Pickering