Compiled from Salvation History by Dr Scott Hahn and Jeff Cavins, December 2, 1998
Updated May 18, 2000
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The Book of Acts:
Acts is divided into 3 main
sections and fulfills GOD's plan for worldwide salvation for all
people.
The first covenant was the Adamic Covenant - Marriage, Gen
3:16-19.
The second was the Noahic - the Family, Gen 9:8-17.
The third
was the Abrahamic - the Tribal, or uniting of many families, Gen 17:1-8.
The
fourth was the Mosaic - many tribes united in a National Covenant, Gen 19:4-6.
The fifth was the Davidic - the National Kingdom Covenant - many nations,
2Sam 7:14-16,23:5.
You can see the pattern here, each covenant
encompassed a larger and larger group of people, so the next covenant must
include more than many nations.
The sixth - the New Covenant... 2Cor
3:6, Worldwide, Universal, all encompassing, Catholic.
It is the evolution of
the Catholic Church, and of the rules it must follow for all
time.
All of the covenants preceding this one were for GOD's
chosen people, the Hebrews and Jews.
Now, Gentiles enter into salvation
history for the first time.
This all begins to unfold in Acts 1:8, "..but
you shall receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be
witnesses for me in Jerusalem (local), and in all Judea and Samaria (spreading
out), and even to the very ends of the earth (worldwide, Universal, Catholic).
These are the three main sections of Acts...
Acts 1:1 to 8:5 is about the
Church in Jerusalem.
Acts 8:5 to 13:1 is about the Church spreading to Judea
and Samaria.
Acts 13:1 to 28:31 is about the Universal Church of GOD, the
Catholic Church.
The Apostles preached to the Gentiles (Act 14:20) but met with opposition for
doing this
(Acts 15:1-5), so they called the first Church Council, the
Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:6) to deal with the matter.
Then in Acts
15:7-11, Peter voiced his authority, and after, "The whole meeting quieted down
(Acts 15:12). This was the first example of "Rome has spoken, The matter is
settled."
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