Acts 5:42

And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

And daily in the temple, and in every house, [ kat' (G2596) oikon (G3624)] - rather, 'and privately' (see the note at Acts 2:46).

They ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ - Jesus as the Messiah.

Remarks:

(1) How refreshing is the contrast here presented between the impotent rage and embarrassment of these Jewish ecclesiastics-intent only on preserving their own status, with all their traditional prejudices, and steeled against whatever evidence was fitted to overthrow it-and that lofty heroism which in those simple men gave such grand utterance to unwelcome truth, and which, without anything of unseemly defiance, calmly announced their inability to refrain from testifying to their Lord! But "this is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). This faith-bright and burning in Peter's breast, through the power of the Holy Spirit resting upon him-made him at once victorious and calm. Nor has it lost anything of its power through lapse of time. Yet, though the highest of all the forces by which humanity is or ever shall be moved, it lives only in those who receive "all the words of this life;" and what goes under its name-in the language of that transcendental, intuitional, unbiblical Christianity, with which some are now intoxicated-is but an impotent caricature of it.

(2) The apostle's way of representing the glorified Saviour's occupation in heaven confirms the view given of it in our comments upon the opening words of this book-namely, that His work in heaven is but the continuance of His work upon earth, and that all which is done by the instrumentality of men in gathering sinners under His wing, and planting, upholding, and extending His Church throughout the world, is strictly His own doing, to whom, for this intent, is given all power in heaven and in earth, and who, for this end also, hath the residue of the Spirit. The express design for which God hath exalted Him, says the apostle, is to "give repentance to Israel and the remission of sins;" not only to open the way for these, and invite men to them, but Himself to dispense them; because nothing short of this is a satisfactory sense of the apostle's language. 'We have already (says Olshausen) found this "repentance" in conjunction with the "remission of sins," as the great object of the preaching of the Gospel.' But here there is a more precise intimation in the word "to give" - namely, that this "repentance" is not a thing which can be produced by the will of man, but must be effected by grace. All Pelagian modes of conception, therefore, stand in most decided opposition to this passage. But that repentance as well as forgiveness is strictly a work divine and gracious, though it be clearly conveyed in this passage, is not the precise truth of which we now speak. It is that Jesus, as the glorified Administrator of the new covenant, is not merely the Channel but the Dispenser of all spiritual blessings. "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand." This is the proper Regal Activity of Jesus, and will be until all things are put under His feet, and the ends of the Mediatorial Economy have been fully accomplished.

(3) The mode in which Gamaliel proposed that the new Faith should be dealt with is based upon a stable principle of the divine government-that falsehood in religion, as in everything else, is destined to come to nought, despite of all attempts to prop it up; while truth, however resolutely and perseveringly opposed, will eventually triumph. Religious persecution, if we look to its permanent results, is a mistake no less than a crime. As a means of extinguishing error it is superfluous, and against truth it is vain.

(4) The joy with which the apostles tasted their first sufferings for Jesus' sake is intelligible only to those to whom His name is dear. But such have in every age felt the love of Christ constraining them, as a principle of all-subduing power-bracing them up in times of persecution to heroic endurance; in times of peace prompting them to self-sacrificing efforts to spread His name, and habitually impelling them to walk worthy of Him, and adorn His doctrine.