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Thread: It Ain't Necessarily So

  1. #1

    It Ain't Necessarily So

    "It Ain't Necessarily So" is a popular song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song comes from the Gershwins' opera Porgy and Bess (1935) where it is sung by the character Sportin' Life, a drug dealer, who expresses his doubt about several statements in the Bible. (wiki)

    I was introduced to the song in 1965 when Australia's "King of Pop" Normie Rowe released it. The chorus is:

    It ain't necessarily so
    It ain't necessarily so
    The things that you're liable
    To read in the bible
    It ain't necessarily so

    It came to mind when I came across this article today, "Preaching God's Love in Acts?"

    Here's a summary.

    What was the emphasis in the evangelistic preaching of the Apostles as recorded in the book of Acts? Does the record of Acts support the notion that the central focus of Christianity is one's love relationship with God and personal life enhancement? Or did these disciples of Christ focus on something else?


    The list below includes every instance of evangelistic preaching in the book of Acts, (a summary of content, well it did, I deleted that bit for a shorter post ...FFO), and an analysis of emphasis.


    1. Pentecost, Acts 2:14-39

    The emphasis is on forgiveness of sin by Jesus the Messiah. There is no mention of God's love or a relationship with Him.


    2. Peter at the Gate Beautiful, Acts 3:12-26

    The emphasis is on forgiveness of sin by Jesus the Messiah. There is no mention of God's love or a relationship with Him.


    3. Peter before the High Priest, Acts 4:8-12

    The emphasis is on forgiveness of sin by Jesus the Messiah. There is no mention of God's love or a relationship with him.


    4. Peter's Defense a Second Time before the Council, Acts 5:29-32

    There is no mention of God's love or any kind of tender relationship with Him.


    5. Stephen's Defense before the Council, Acts 7:1-60

    Emphasis is on the guilt of the Jews. There is no mention of God's love.


    [Note: When God speaks to Saul about his future during the events surrounding Saul's conversion (Acts 9), there is no mention of an intimate relationship, only that Paul would suffer much for the sake of Christ.]


    6. Peter's Message to the Household of Cornelius, Acts 10:34-43

    The emphasis is on Jesus, the prophesied Messiah who either brings judgment or forgives of sin. There is no mention of God's love.


    7. Paul's Message to the Jews in the Synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, Acts 13:16-41

    Paul proclaims Jesus the prophesied Messiah crucified and resurrected. His emphasis is on forgiveness amidst warning.


    8. Paul at the Areopagus in Athens, Acts 17:22-31

    Emphasis is on the nature of God, and the reality of judgment. There is no mention of relationship or God's love.


    9. Paul's Defense before the Jews in Jerusalem, Acts 22:1-21

    Emphasis is on Paul's personal encounter with Christ, his own forgiveness from sin, and his subsequent mission. There is no offer of personal relationship with God or mention of God's love.


    10. Paul's Defense before the Sanhedrin, Acts 23:1-6

    There is no mention of the love of God.


    11. Paul's Defense before the governor, Felix, Acts 24:10-21

    There is no mention of God's love or even of forgiveness.


    12. Paul before Felix and Drusilla, Acts 24:24-25

    There is no mention of God's love or of a personal relationship with Him.


    13. Paul's Defense before the Agrippa, Acts 26:1-29

    Emphasis is on the resurrection of Christ, prophetic fulfillment and forgiveness, and Paul's responsibility to preach the Gospel. There is no mention of love or a relationship with God.




    The love of God is never mentioned a single time in the entire book of Acts. (emphasis mine)



    And that's why I thought of that song. I suspect that most people would assume that love and a relationship with God are mentioned. But apparently they aren't.

    The things that you think
    Are written in the Bible
    Ain't necessarily so

  2. #2
    Senior Member Cardinal TT's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FunFromOz View Post
    The love of God is never mentioned a single time in the entire book of Acts. (emphasis mine)


    Nooooooooooooo......say it ain't so....the apostles didn't preach the love of God

    How could the church get it so wrong

  3. #3
    John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

    1 John 4:8 - He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

    1 John 4:19 - We love him, because he first loved us.


    38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
    39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    1 John 4:20 - If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

    John 13:34 - A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

    Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

    1 John 4:7 - Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

    Galatians 2:20 - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

    1 Corinthians 13:13 - And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.

    1 John 4:10 - Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

    Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

    John 15:13 - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

    Jeremiah 31:3 - The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, [saying], Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

    1 John 5:3 - For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

    Romans 8:39 - Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by LionHeart View Post
    John 3:16 - and 14 other NT (and one OT) Scriptures about God's love NONE OF WHICH WERE FROM ACTS
    Yes God's love is mentioned a lot in the Gospels and Epistles but LionHeart, what has that got to do with the fact that in the evangelistic preaching of the Apostles as recorded in the book of Acts one's love relationship with God and personal life enhancement are NEVER mentioned?

    The Gospels tell us about the ministry of Jesus. The Epistles are instruction to believers. But the evangelistic preaching of the Apostles is to unbelievers, and in that preaching to unbelievers it is never about love, but there's a lot about sin and judgement, which is a problem the unbelieve has and which needs to be dealt with.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Cardinal TT View Post
    Nooooooooooooo......say it ain't so....the apostles didn't preach the love of God
    We shouldn't add to the Bible TT. If it ain't there it ain't there.

    Quote Originally Posted by Cardinal TT View Post
    How could the church get it so wrong
    Look at Church history.

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