Acts 18:25-28 - Explaining the way of God more adequately

18:25

“He has been instructed in the way of the Lord”. This is an interesting verse, and this is an interesting statement. First we read that Apollos had been instructed well. “In the way of the Lord” presumably means in the teachings of Jesus, and if we did not have the rest of the verse (about John’s baptism) would undoubtedly assume this included teachings about justification by faith. Indeed, the next part of the verse, “he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus” means we have to assume Apollos knew what he was talking about. But then we get the end of the verse, “he knew only the baptism of John”.  This could mean he had actually been baptised by John, or, perhaps more likely, he knew only about the baptism of John, a baptism of repentance. I think we have to draw the conclusion that what he did know and teach was true and accurate, and repentance is certainly a key part of the gospel (and a part sadly and misguidedly ignored by much of the church today), but it is incomplete. I do not think we are justified in seeking to build a whole “baptism in the Spirit” theology on this, but the gospel is about repentance and transformation, repentance and being born again of the Spirit.

18:26

Apollos was, like Paul, speaking boldly. It seems that Priscilla and Aquila detected some deficiencies in what he was saying. Unfortunately we don’t know exactly what he said. Earlier it says he taught accurately, but clearly they detected something missing. Whatever it was, they took him aside and “explained the way of God more accurately”. It is worth noting that both Priscilla and Aquila were involved in teaching him, and Priscilla is mentioned first, so it seems unlikely that se was a passive partner in the exercise.

18:27,28

Apollos then wanted to cross to Achaia. The believers in Ephesus wrote a letter of commendation. This was quite a common practice in those days. For the people in Achaia could not Google Apollos to see what he was about! When he arrived there he was a great encouragement to those “who believed by grace”. His knowledge of the Old Testament was a great help in refuting the Jews who opposed the gospel. He was able to prove that Jesus was the Christ. So we see how God used a man of great learning, as indeed He did with Paul.