Boldness in Truth: Acts Chapter 4

The book of Acts is an encouraging read. Acts follows the proceeding years after Jesus ascended to Heaven and the Holy Spirit becomes the “helper” predicted by Christ in John 16. The apostles take the mantel of leadership, teaching about the resurrection and performing miracles. In chapter 4 Peter and John get arrested by the Sadducees (religious leaders) for preaching.  But a significant amount of men, around five thousand, believed the message and it bothered the Sadducees. They tried to convince Peter and John not to speak by threatening them. Of course they refused and went on performing miracles anyway, healing in the name of Jesus.

Boldness is emphasized in this passage, Peter’s boldness in the face of opposition. Peter and his companions pray for boldness as well “Now Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word…” (verse 29).

 Boldness is critical for two reasons. First, it suggests moral clarity from the speaker, especially one “uneducated and untrained”. This was exactly what the Sadducees noticed in Peter before they shut him down. Peter was a fisherman from Galilee, a hick. Jerusalem was a cosmopolitan city, home to merchants and traders. A country boy like Peter would naturally feel out of place, unqualified to speak with authority on anything. He addresses the bigshots first “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel…” (verse 8). 

This is like the intern addressing the CEO “Excuse me Mr. President and staff, I'll need everyone's attention. I have something to say!”

It’s crazy. It’s improper. It’s bold.

Only a person who answers to a higher authority takes that kind of risk. Peter reacted to the truth right in front of him and the Holy Spirit did the rest.

 The second reason boldness is critical is body language, a practical need. People pick up on body language cues and presentation. A bold stage actor doing Macbeth is impossible to look away from. Their movements and voice attract the eye. Not that every act of boldness requires a demonstrative display, courage can be quiet and unassuming. But speaking to crowds demands a certain confidence in the message. If the speaker isn’t sure about what he is saying, why bother to stop and listen?

Boldness bridges the gap between our ignorance and God’s eternal truth.

We always think that boldness means doing some great act. History is full of examples of bravery in the face of persecution, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn exposing Soviet brutality in the labor camps, Martin Luther King championing equal rights in the South, and William Tyndale for translating a non-approved Bible into English. Most of the time though truth in boldness is closer to home. Honesty in job interviews or on resumes is a small act but one we easily blow off. Being honest with a family member or friend when you know the truth will alienate them. It’s tough to tell the truth because there is usually a measurable cost to standing up.

A belief in traditional marriage was never a courageous act, but as the culture changes so does tolerance for opposing views. Brendan Eich was forced to resign from Mozilla in 2014, a company he co-founded, because of his support for Prop 8 (pro-traditional marriage) in California. The board was so offended by his support for the bill and gave him a choice, renounce the donation and make amends with the gay community or risk having droves of users abandon the Firefox browser. He chose to resign. He stuck to the truth and accepted the consequences.

I watched a speech from Andrew Klavan where he told about a request from large book sellers in the U.K. to re-write characters in his books to hide their Christianity. Doing re-writes for different countries isn't that unusual but this particular request was too much for him. He denied the request and missed having his book sold in large book sellers in the U.K. 

So not having your book sold in certain markets isn't exactly like being burned at the stake. Still, if we can't tell small truths we won't tell big ones.   

The costs aren’t the end of the story though. Anyone who battles hard for truth eventually secures victory. Solzhenitsyn saw his novel published, Martin Luther King Jr. did see some victories in desegregation before being assassinated. Tyndale’s Bible was eventually printed (80% of it) after his death. The boldness that Peter showed was the first move toward igniting a movement that continues today, the spread of the gospel.

 Speaking truth in a climate of fear always costs something. Peter and John were thrown in jail, threatened and would forever be identified by the Sadducees as Christian sect nuts. But through their speech they influenced thousands and funded their ministry through the generosity of the multitude “Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles feet;” (verse 34-35).

God had a plan for them that required a difficult first step.