Acts 2:47 Meaning and Explanation
“Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The first church grew because the Lord Himself was the one adding to it, day after day.
The Context of Acts 2:47
The closing line of Luke's portrait of the earliest believers in Jerusalem, just after Pentecost (Acts 2:42-46). These are people who had recently watched Jesus die and heard that He was raised, now living a shared life of teaching, prayer, and bread broken house to house.
What Does Acts 2:47 Mean?
Luke gathers up the life of the first believers in a few warm words. They are praising God, and the watching city has come to like them, a small community whose joy spills over into goodwill. Then comes the quiet center of the sentence: the growth was not their own doing. The Lord added to the church daily, and He added the very people who were being saved. The numbers rose because God was at work, gently and steadily, one heart at a time.
It is the risen Jesus who builds His church here, just as He had promised He would. The believers praise and share and welcome, but the increase belongs to Him. That takes a great weight off every gathering of His people since. We are not asked to manufacture life that only God can give. He is still the one who draws and saves, adding to His own family day by day, and He has lost none of that tenderness.
Acts 2:47 in the Original Language
prostithemi (προστίθημι), 'added' -- to place alongside, to join one thing to another; here the Lord joins new believers to His people.
How to Apply Acts 2:47 Today
We can let this lift the pressure of trying to grow God's work by our own strength. Our part is to praise Him and live in a way that wins quiet goodwill; the saving and the adding are His. When His family grows, even by one, we can recognize the Lord at work and give the thanks back to Him.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 2:47
What does Acts 2:47 mean?
The first church grew because the Lord Himself was the one adding to it, day after day.
What is the context of Acts 2:47?
The closing line of Luke's portrait of the earliest believers in Jerusalem, just after Pentecost (Acts 2:42-46). These are people who had recently watched Jesus die and heard that He was raised, now living a shared life of teaching, prayer, and bread broken house to house.
How can I apply Acts 2:47 today?
We can let this lift the pressure of trying to grow God's work by our own strength. Our part is to praise Him and live in a way that wins quiet goodwill; the saving and the adding are His. When His family grows, even by one, we can recognize the Lord at work and give the thanks back to Him.