The Acts of the Apostles

Everyman's Bible Commentary

by Charles C. Ryrie, Anonymous

The book of Acts is a thrilling account of the early church discovering what it means to be Christian. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they lived out a triumphant faith in the face of opposition and persecution, established order for the growing movement, and took the gospel to the ends of the earth. It’s an exhilarating story, and there are even more treasures lying underneath the surface. Encounter the beautiful depth of Acts through enlightening verse-by-verse commentary from Charles Ryrie that’s both straightforward and insightful. You’ll You don’t have to go to seminary to encounter God in exciting, new ways through His Word. Discover how much more enjoyable your personal study will be with understandable, quality Bible commentary for everyday life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian

127 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Charles Caldwell Ryrie (born 1925) was a Christian writer and theologian. He graduated from Haverford College (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., Th.D.) and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (Ph.D.). For many years he served as professor of systematic theology and dean of doctoral studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and as president and professor at Philadelphia College of Bible, now Philadelphia Biblical University. He was a premillennial dispensationalist, though irenic in his approach. He was also the editor of the popular Ryrie Study Bible.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, yet very simple overview of the book of Acts.

[Dr. David Steele]

Acts: Everyday Bible Commentary by Charles C. Ryrie is written with the laymen in mind. The author provides a good birds-eye view of the book of Acts in this devotional commentary. The content is easy to digest for the novice but will also prove to be valuable for more advanced Bible students, as well.

Ryrie’s gift for organizing large portions of Scripture is evident throughout and his ability to provide a clear outline of the textual flow will enable readers to gain a deeper appreciation for the book of Acts. Technical language is not found in this work, yet theological depth is never compromised. This commentary demonstrates an allegiance to the authority, inspiration, infallibility, and inherency of Scripture and will encourage and edify budding Bible students.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book by Moody Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

God's ways are amazing. Our pastor announced we were going to be studying the book of Acts. I had just requested and received this book a day or two before. This led my husband and I too take our time and use this as a devotional. It opened discussions and help us to see answers to some of our questions from this Bible book.

The book is broken down into 19 parts and within each chapter it is broken down further to help in the exploration. I have been amazed.

I highly recommend this book to others who would like to look into the book of Acts further.

[Read1000books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Normally I like and recommend everything by Charles Ryrie and in the Everyman's Bible Commentary series, but this volume was simply lacking, mainly because it is so short. Only 121 pages for a 28 chapter book as important as The Acts Of The Apostles is just not enough. In this case the reader would find much more help and explanatory text in "Jerusalem To Rome: Studies In Acts" by Homer A. Kent Jr..

[Josh John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very simplistic commentary on Acts. I wouldn’t necessarily consult this work for preaching preparation, but Ryrie does well in giving a concise and meaningful explanation of the text.

[Philip Tadros · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful outlines

Helpful book showing divisions of passages in Acts to guide the reader and encourage for deeper study of the word.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acts (Everyday Bible Commentary series)- Charle C Ryrie

This book is a simple commentary on the book of Acts. A lot of christians are intimidated by a commentary, as they tend to be full of footnotes, hebrew script and often prove difficult to follow.

However, this commentary can be read like a book. It flows easily from chapter 1 to the end with no breaks. It is divided into convenient sections, which serve to provide the outline of the book, and then further subdivided by topic headings with chapter and verse marking where the section begins and ends. The book works through Acts chronologically.

I fund that reading each section first in my bible then reading the matching section in the commentary was the best method for myself.

The book basically tells the story of Acts, but small details are added within the text which clarify points. These include background on major characters, geographical details and explanations of the intent of the text where it is implied but not written.

These points are very useful, but never so much that the straightforwardness of the text is disturbed.

If you are wary of using a commentary, this is the series to begin with. It is easy to read and helps expound the text in a simple clear way.

My only complaint is the total lack of footnotes. These would have been useful at the points where the author expressed his personal opinion, as the text is not completely clear. As it is, it may be difficult for a young christian to realise where these points are and automatically assimilate the authors opinions as fact.

[C. Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slim commentaries are not necessarily a bad thing, but this one makes the too-frequent mistake of being mostly a restatement of what the book (Acts) says rather than actually commenting on it in substantial ways. Where commentary is made, defense of the position taken or consideration of alternate interpretations is generally lacking. Not surprisingly for anyone aware of the author's prominent defense of dispensationalism, some of the interpretations are assertions of his points of view regarding the nature and destiny of the Christian church that would be questioned by many scholars. The layout of the book is pleasing, but the content is quite thin. Two stars since this is a worthy topic and the book is readable, but lacking much in the way of a serious commentary.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This slim book basically summarized (in the author's own words) what happened in each group of verses. There's no point in reading this with Acts as you pretty much just get want's in the book of Acts. The author did include some background information about the book of Acts (when it was written, by whom, etc.) and occasionally included small bits of background information in the "commentary" on the verses. Still, it seemed more an overview of what happened in Acts rather than author comments and insights into the verses.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acts Is about just that - Is just that- Acts. I love finding out all I can about The Bible. It tells you about the fundamental 1st like who wrote the book - so, who wrote the book? It was - nah I don't want to ruin it for you - if you don't know who it is then when was it was written or where it was? You are missing out on a bunch of great information that's very interesting. Then it goes into detail of the Scriptures. I will say that this would be geared more towards someone who has some familiarity with the Scriptures but that's just my opinion.

[Evalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acts
This is an excellent study aid for the layperson as well as for small groups and Bible Study groups. The author does an excellent job presenting text in narrative form and providing necessary background information to the reader.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book and the thoughts expressed are my own.

[Dr Author O Wright, PhD, MinD, ThD, DD · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent commentary on the book of Acts, presented especially for the beginner