Acts 15:8

Act_15:8-9

God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness.

Gods sovereignty

It is the sovereigns stamp which settles the question as to the right of a coin to be counted current among loyal subjects of that sovereign. When God puts His stamp of approval on a man, or on a woman, or on a movement, that fact ought to weigh beyond any individual opinion as to the original propriety of such an approval. It may seem to us that the elder and more imposing Eliab is far better suited to the kingship than the youthful rustic David; but when God decides in favour of the latter, it is time for us to reverse our opinion on this point. So, also, as to preachers and methods of preaching, as to denominational peculiarities and modes of working, as to special agents and agencies in Christian endeavour; not what we thought God would approve, but what we find God has approved, ought to weigh most with us in deciding the question of our accepting or belittling that instrumentality or undertaking. Gamaliels warning is as timely for our day as it was for his, in many a matter of treating Christian work and Christian workers. In opposing those who claim to stand for God, while they differ with us, we may be found to be fighting against God. (H. C. Trumbull, D. D.)

Purifying their hearts by faith.--

Purity of heart

I. Its nature.

1. By the heart we must understand the inner, as opposed to the outer, man--the spirit and not the flesh. Circumcision--indeed any external ceremony, even Christian baptism can only affect the outer man. The text, therefore, in opposition to mere ceremonial purity speaks of purity of heart.

2. It is implied that the heart of man is by nature impure (Rom_1:28-32). Perish then the delusion that the human heart is good!

3. It is to the purification of the heart that the text calls attention. Things are commonly said to be pure when they are simple and unmixed; and purity of heart implies sincerity and simplicity, as opposed to the base mixtures of hypocrisy and deceit The work of Christian purity is commenced in regeneration There is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. There are new views, principles, feelings. But these things are at first immature (1Jn_2:13). The law of progress is stamped on the whole economy of Christianity. Perfect purity is the goal at which it aims. This implies--

(1) A complete deliverance from sin--its pollution and power. This is obviously implied in the word pure. And here arises the difficulty, whether a perfectly pure state of heart is possible in the present life. Many contend only for the subjugation of sin, and not for its destruction, affirming that whilst the spirit remains in the flesh sin must remain in the spirit. But this is to ascribe some moral power to the flesh which it does not possess; sin is spiritual (Mar_7:21-22). Now Divine grace either can or cannot counteract this fearful state of things. If it cannot, then the work of human redemption, professedly effected by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, was inadequate. But if the grace of God can counteract the influence of sin, the question is settled. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Christ loved the Church … that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. But, say some, the work cannot be completed till death. Now, if this mean by death, it destroys itself, for death is an enemy whose office is simply to separate the soul from the body; if it mean at death, it may soon be exposed--for if Divine grace can purify the heart a moment before death, why not an hour? why not a month? why not a year? why not twenty, or even fifty years? why not now?

(2) And because all sin is destroyed, love fills the heart. Hence obedience results from purity; this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. Every spring of feeling, and all the arcana of thought are sanctified by its magic touch. The wandering eye, the listening ear, the loquacious tongue, the busy hands, the willing feet are all actuated by the ruling principle of love to God.

II. Its author. The Holy Ghost, as Peter elsewhere says. Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit first convinces of the necessity of purity; for it is by His inward illumination that we discover the corrupt state of the heart. If we welcome this discovery we shall sorrow for and hate this indwelling sin. The same Spirit will create a strong desire for deliverance, which if cherished will express itself in earnest, wrestling prayer. This will be followed by the encouraging excitement of humble hope, and the filial confidence that the desire shall be granted. Whoever thus cooperates with the Holy Spirit, the Divine Author of purity of heart, will eventually be brought to the exercise of that faith which casts out sin and purifies the heart. The reason that so few Christians obtain this great salvation will now be manifest. They do not obey the truth, whereas the law of the Spirit is that we are sanctified through the truth. Ye have purified your souls, in obeying the truth through the Spirit.

III. Its means. By faith. All salvation is obtained by faith.

1. Its warrant is the promises, (see Eze_36:25-29; Deu_30:6; 2Co_6:16). These are the believers fulcrum. They do actually supply to him what Archimedes once boasted as his only deficiency to rival Omnipotence. Give me a place on which to stand and I will move the world. But the promises of God supply the believer with a fulcrum by which he may move both earth and heaven.

2. The object of faith is the precious blood of Christ (Act_26:17-18).

IV. Its scope. It is offered to all. Whatever differences or distinctions men may make, God makes none. There is no difference with respect to--

1. Our need of this great change. Throughout the world human nature is the same. There is none righteous, no, not one.

2. The mode of purification. In every case it is by faith. (H. J. Booth.)

Faith purifying the heart from

I. Pride.

1. This is setting up the honour of self above the honour of God. It is self-worship, and refuses to recognise any righteousness but self-righteousness.

2. What is the very prime object of faith! What do I receive into my heart if I realise Christs work for me? Is it not this, that the mighty God, He who is greater than the greatest, higher than the highest, laid aside all His glory, and came down into the very depth of humiliation for me? If I live Christ, how can I worship self? When faith has once entered, what room is there for pride? Where is the boasted glory of man before the Eternal Word, who became flesh, and by the very hiding of His glory manifested it--through Him humiliation entered into His exaltation? Where is human merit, when once the fulness of the rich stream of Gods unmerited grace is shed over the soul? No; the life of faith is the death of pride.

3. But does faith substitute nothing for self thus dethroned? Far from this. With the sense of a mans own worthlessness comes the sense of his Redeemers worth--comes love to God, the true answer and return of Gods love to him. This last, faith apprehends; that other, faith renders. The humility of those who are born of the Spirit is exactly in proportion to their appropriation of the work of Christ. As He increases in a mans esteem, self decreases. And thus humility is the true work of faith.

II. Covetousness--the inordinate valuing of created objects--the esteeming self not by self alone, but by the things wherewith self is surrounded and enriched.

1. We have in man all degrees of this sin, from the ambition which grasps empires to the miserly greed which hoards the farthing. And the secret of the sin is the same throughout all--the creature, not the Creator; my own possessions, not Gods gifts; my position my promotion, my increased income--not my stewardship before God; it is in every case a direct consequence of the substitution of self for Him.

2. And in every case faith in Christ is as directly opposed to it. If my inner regards are really fixed on Him who gave all He had, yea, Himself, for me, where is there room in me for covetous desires? Will not he whose life is hid with Christ in God be laying up treasures in heaven rather than on earth--be enriching his home rather than his tent in the wilderness?

III. Self-indulgence--the love of pleasure--the inordinate valuing of our own delights in created objects. How does faith deal with this all but universal tendency? Who is its object? Is it not He who has solemnly told us that none can be His disciple without daily self-denial? Can a man be justified by faith in Him and disregard these His words? Understand me: the Christian who lives by faith in Christ can and does enjoy life in the best and highest sense; but he cannot be a seeker of pleasure--cannot surrender his noble privilege of self-denial for the bondage in which he sees the children of the world fettered. (Dean Afford.)

Faith purifying the heart

Peter was enabled through his experience to answer those who said that unless a man was circumcised he could not be saved. There is nothing like practical work for Christ to teach us Christs truth. For the most part heretics are a set of theorisers. They do nothing, and then criticise those who are doing hard and successful service. Give a man practical work for Jesus and keep him at it, and he will, like Peter, learn as he goes on, and, like a river, filter as he flows. Peter could not continue to believe in restricting the gospel to the Jews after the conversion of Cornelius. His actual service refined his theory. If those who ruled botanical science never saw a flower, would you wonder if they ran into gross heterodoxies of belief? Let us consider the point upon which Peters argument depends.

I. The agent of heart purification--faith. There was nothing but faith in the case of Cornelius, faith born of hearing, and resting alone on Jesus.

1. Faith purified directly, not by month after month of contemplation; for, to the astonishment of the circumcised believers, the Holy Ghost fell upon them there and then.

2. Water baptism did not aid therein. The Lord will not permit us to mix up even His own ordinances with the work of His Spirit in purifying the heart by faith alone, and God forbid we ever should fall into such an error.

3. Do not, then, be looking for pure hearts within yourselves before you come to Christ by faith. Do not look for the fruits before you have the roots, but look by faith to the great Purifier, however impure you feel your heart to be.

II. The secret of its power. Believing other things does not purify the soul; why does believing the gospel? I answer, because--

1. God works by it (Act_15:8). You know the old story of the sword of Scanderbeg, with which he used to cleave men in twain from the crown of the head downwards. As one looked at it he declared that he saw nothing about it to make it so fatal a weapon; but the other replied, You should have seen the arm which was wont to wield it. Now faith looked at of itself appears to be contemptible; but who shall resist the everlasting Arm that wields it? This greater than Hercules careth little for the weakness of the instrument; but, behold, He cleanseth the Augean stable of our nature with no other agency than childlike faith.

2. God is at work in the heart by His Holy Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit comes as a heavenly fire to consume sin, as a flowing stream to cleanse away evil, and as a rushing mighty wind to chase away all that is foul and polluted in the stagnant air of the soul. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of holiness, and as He always dwells with faith, being its Author, its Strengthener and Guardian, where faith comes the heart will speedily be purified.

III. The seat of its action--the heart. Faith changes the current of our love, and alters the motive which sways us: this is what is meant by purifying the heart. It makes us love that which is good and right, and moves us with motives free from self and sin: this is a great work indeed. Hence the change which faith produces is--

1. Radical and deep. It is a small matter to wash the outside of the cup and of the platter.

2. Thorough and complete. Rend your hearts and not your garments. Faith lays the axe at the root, and heals the stream at the fountain head.

3. Operative throughout the whole life. A diseased heart means a sickly man all over. Neither can you have the heart right without its telling upon the entire nature.

4. Permanent. Restrain appetites which still remain, and the dog returns to his vomit; purify externals and leave the nature untouched, and the sow that was washed goes back to her wallowing in the mire.

5. Acceptable with God, who searcheth the heart. Man judgeth according to the outward appearance, but God looketh at the heart.

IV. The mode of its operation.

1. Faith believes in sin as sin, and sees the horror of it as an offence against a holy and gracious God.

2. Faith delights to set Christ before the heart and to make it gaze upon His side pierced by sin, and therefore hates the sin which slew its best Friend.

3. Faith delighteth much in the Person of Christ, and therefore she sets before the soul His incomparable loveliness, as the well-beloved of saints. Thus is enkindled a vehement flame of love to Him, and this becomes a powerful purifier, for you cannot love Christ and love sin.

4. Faith has a wonderful art of realising her gracious privileges. What manner of persons then ought you to be?

5. Faith has yet further a wondrous power of bringing near the things to come. What could more effectually purify the heart than the vision of heaven which faith presents to us?

6. Power is gained by faith through pleading the promises of God. Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

7. Faith daringly lays hold upon the power of God Himself. How she smites the Philistines then!

8. Faith brings us real power to conquer sin by applying the blood of Christ. The blood of Jesus is the life of faith and the death of sin. All the saints overcome through the blood of the Lamb.

9. Faith gives us power against sin by mixing herself with all gospel ordinances--with hearing, communions, prayer, Bible study. Faith will enable you to draw nourishment out of ordinances, and make you vigorous against sin. 10. Faith rouses the new man to intense resistance of sin. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 15:8. Ὁ καρδιογνώστης, who knoweth the hearts) who looks to the heart, not to the flesh.—ἐμαρτύρησεν αὐτοῖς, bare them witness) Two verbs, each with a participle: ἐμαρτύρησε, δούς· καὶ οὐδὲν διέκρινε, καθαρίσας. Αὐτοῖς, the Dative, as ch. Act 10:43.—αὐτοῖς, to them) He testified, by giving them the Holy Spirit, that they are pleasing to Him: Gal 3:5.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act_15:8-10. God who knows the heart, who thus could not be deceived in the matter (comp. Act_1:24), has, in reference to this their admission effected by my instrumentality into the fellowship of the gospel and of faith (Act_15:7), done two things. He has (a) positively borne matter-of-fact witness for them (to their qualification for admission) by His giving to them the Holy Spirit, as to us (comp. Act_10:44, Act_11:15 ff.); and (b) negatively, He made in no way distinction between us and them, after He by faith, of which He made them partakers through the gospel, had purified their hearts. God would have made such a distinction, if, after this ethical[26] purification of the heart effected by faith, He had now required of them, for their Christian standing, something else, namely, circumcision and other works of the law; but faith, by which He had morally purified their inner life, was to Him the sole requisite for their Christian standing without distinction, as also with us. Observe on (a), that δοὺς αὐτοῖς κ.τ.λ. is contemporaneous with ἐμαρτύρησεν, expressing, namely, the mode of it; and on (b), that τ. π. καθαρίσας is previous to the οὐδὲν διέκρινε. This is evident from the course of the speech, as the faith must have been already present before the communication of the Spirit (comp. Act_11:17).

Act_15:10. Accordingly as the matter now stands (νῦν οὖν).

ΤΊ ΠΕΙΡΆΖΕΤΕ ΤῸΝ ΘΕΌΝ;] i.e. why do ye put it to the test, whether God will abandon His attestation of non-observance already given to the Gentiles, or assert His punitive power against human resistance? Apostrophe ad Pharisäos et severus elenchus, Bengel.

ἐπιθεῖναι] with the design to impose, etc.

ζυγόν] comp. Gal_5:1, and Chrysostom in loc.: τῷ τοῦ ζυγοῦ ὀνόματι τὸ βαρὺ τοῦ πράγματος (of the complete observance of the law) ΑὐΤΟῖς ἘΝΔΕΊΚΝΥΤΑΙ. Contrast to this yoke: Mat_11:29-30.

οἱ πατέρες ἡμ.] since the time of Moses.

[26] Weiss, Petr. Lehrbegr. p. 321, thinks that it is in the ceremonial sense, so that the idea only allusively passes over into that of ethical cleansing. But τὰς καρδίας points only to the moral sphere. Comp. Weiss himself, p. 274 f. This moral cleansing presupposes, moreover, the reconciliation appropriated by faith; see 1Pe_1:18.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 15:8 . ὁ καρδιογνώστης , Act 1:24 , where the same word is used by St. Peter; cf. Jer 17:10 . ἐτάζων καρδίας , and cf. St. Peter’s words in Act 10:34 . καθὼς καὶ ἡμῖν , Act 10:44 , Act 11:15 .

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

God, which knoweth the hearts--implying that the real question for admission to full standing in the visible Church is the state of the heart. Hence, though that cannot be known by men, no principle of admission to church privileges which reverses this can be sound.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 8. And God which knoweth the hearts] Ο καρδιογνωϚης Θεος. We had this epithet of the Divine Being once before; see Ac 1:24, and the note there: it occurs no where else in the New Testament.

Bare them witness] Considered them as proper or fit to receive the Gospel of Christ. It is properly remarked by learned men, that μαρτυρειν τινι, to bear witness to any person, signifies to approve, to testify in behalf of. Here it signifies that, as God evidently sent the Gospel to the Gentiles, and, by the preaching of it, conveyed the Holy Spirit to them who believed, and as he can make no improper judgment of any who knows all hearts and their secrets, therefore what he had done was right: he saw that it was time for them to receive the Gospel; and he saw that they might be safely trusted with this heavenly deposit; and the experience of eighteen hundred years has justified the conduct of God.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(8) God which knoweth the hearts.—We note the recurrence of the epithet as characteristic of St. Peter. (See Note on Act_1:24.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. which knoweth the hearts] The word is only here and in Act_1:24, and on both occasions it is St Peter who uses it. Such witness could admit of no appeal; and God had put the uncircumcised on the same level with the circumcised by giving to them the same gifts of the Spirit.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And God which knoweth the hearts,.... Of all men; he being omniscient, the searcher of the hearts, and the trier of the reins of the children of men, knew with what sincerity Cornelius sent for Peter; and with what vehement desire and longing expectation he and his family and friends waited for his coming; and with what earnestness, diligence, and affection they attended to what he said:

bore them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; God bore a testimony, and showed his well pleasedness in the whole of this affair, by bestowing upon them not only the regenerating and sanctifying grace of the Spirit; but his extraordinary gifts, such as speaking with divers tongues, even in like manner as these were bestowed on the apostles themselves, on the day of Pentecost, though they were uncircumcised persons; for the drift of Peter's oration is to show, that circumcision was not necessary to salvation.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And God, which knoweth the hearts - Act 1:24. God thus knew whether they were true converts or not, and gave a demonstration that he acknowledged them as his.

Giving them the Holy Ghost ... - Act 10:45-46.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Which knoweth the hearts; God knew the desires of the Gentiles, that they did sincerely desire to please God, and to see this salvation. This great attribute David improved, 1Ch 29:17, and highly recommended his son Solomon to consider of, 1Ch 28:9; which, if believed, would make us also to serve God with a perfect heart and a willing mind. Giving them the Holy Ghost; God himself was a witness for these Gentiles beyond all exception, when he gave them the ordinary and extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost; by which he testified, that they belonged to Christ, whose Spirit this was. Thus the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, Rev 19:10; and the Spirit, according to our Saviour’s promise, Joh 15:26, doth testify of him.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Heart for hearts, A.V. (kardiognwsthv). Bare them witness; i.e. set the mark of his approval upon them, vouched for their sincerity (see the use of the verb marturew in Luk_4:22; Joh_3:26; Act_6:3 Act_10:22, etc.)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

God bare them witness - That he had accepted them, by giving them the Holy Ghost.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

See notes on verse 7

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. αὐτοῖς after δοὺς omitted with אAB. Vulg. only represents the pronoun once, though having ‘dans illis.’

8. ὁ καρδιογνώστης, which knoweth the hearts. καρδιογνώστης is only here and in Act 1:24, and on both occasions it is St Peter who uses it. Such a witness could admit of no appeal. God himself had put the uncircumcised on the same level with the circumcised by giving to them the same gifts of the Spirit.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Which knoweth the heart [καρδιογνωστης] . Only here and ch. 1 24.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.