12 February 2025
At the end of the Gospels and in the Book of Acts we have the earliest evangelism narratives. Those who were spreading the good news of Jesus Christ were Hebrew people speaking within a Hebrew frame of reference. That means they did not say what it appears they were saying in most English translations.
Our Hellenized western minds assume that words mean certain things, that they indicate something that would have never occurred to Hebrew minds. We have an obsession with the nature of things, and we associate instrumentality in a way that Hebrew people never imagined.
When the Apostles told their audience to "believe in/on the name of Jesus" it was not a reference to embracing an opinion. Rather, it was the call to a trusting commitment, a feudal allegiance to Jesus as Lord. When they said "be baptized for the remission of sins" it referred to a common Jewish practice of ritual washing to declare afresh one's allegiance to God. In so doing, it was mending any breakage in one's covenant commitments. It was not the matter of getting wet, but the public declaration "in the name of Jesus" that you were claiming Him as your king.
Even less obvious was the worldview that serious disciples held at that time. They took seriously the promise God made to restore His nation under a Son of David, bringing back not only the lost Ten Tribes of Israel, but a host of Gentiles. They knew that Election ("being Chosen") referred to the true Sons of God that would populate this Messianic Kingdom, and that it would surely exclude some people born as Jews.
Granted, most of them still harbored a literal understanding of this, but it became rather obvious within a few decades that the Kingdom was spiritual, not literal. But this did not change the focus of calling on people to embrace Jesus as Lord. They never gave a moment's thought to the mechanism of soteriology, nor the divine/human nature of Christ. To them, it was enough to act on claims offered with little explanation. They knew the message would not work on anyone who was not moved by the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the only proof there could be for any part of the gospel message. Their methods presumed there was nothing they could do beyond simply proclaiming and urging people. There was no expectation that everyone would buy into it. The sifting of hearts was not their job. Their job was to raise the flag and see who came to it.
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