If you are studying the New Testament, you might find yourself wondering: Who wrote Acts in the Bible? The book of Acts tells the stories of the early church and the Apostle Paul’s ministry which prompted the spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. But who was the author of the Book of Acts? Was it the author of the third Gospel or someone else?
Who wrote Acts in the Bible?
It has been commonly believed in Christian tradition that the author of Acts was Luke. Yes, that is Luke, the follower of Jesus who authored the Gospel of Luke. It is also St Luke, a well-known figure in the birth of the church. It is interesting that Luke was not a disciple of Jesus, yet his account of Jesus’ life and ministry is so similar to that of the other Gospels.
Luke was probably one of the Gentile Christians. This means he was likely a Roman citizen and not one of the Jewish Christians. He witnessed the story of Jesus from a distance as we can see in his former account, the Gospel of Luke. Then, after the ascension of Jesus and the day of Pentecost, Luke joined in with missionary journeys. It is unclear when exactly he converted to become a follower of the Lord Jesus.
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Luke’s name is only mentioned in the Bible 3 times.
Colossians 4:14: “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.”
2 Timothy 4:11: “Luke alone is with me.”
Philemon 1:24: “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my coworkers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
The Bible was written by people, but they were inspired by God. I did not come from themselves.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
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“We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.“
Reasons why scholars believe Luke wrote Acts in the Bible
The earliest external evidence that Luke authored both books appears in the Muratorian Canon. The statement is explicitly made that Luke was the author of both the third Gospel and the “Acts of All the Apostles”. Around the year 325 Eusebius also listed information from various sources to claim that Luke was the author of Luke-Acts.
Now, onto the internal evidence:
1: Luke’s Gospel and the Book of Acts begin with a dedication to Theophilus
The deliberate action to name Theophilus has shed a lot of light on the authorship of Luke. The name Theophilus means ‘Friend of God’, but we don’t know much more about his identity.
Luke 1:3-4
With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Acts 1:1-2
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teachuntil the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
2: The word choice, vocabulary, and writing styles of the 2 books are similar
Luke’s Gospel differs from the other Gospels because of a few reasons:
accurate historical details
literary excellence
dramatic descriptions
objective account
effective use of speeches
3: Some medical terms are used in Acts and Luke was a doctor by vocation
The use of medical terms sets Luke’s Gospel apart from the other Gospels. This sheds some more light on the question about the authorship of Acts. For instance, see how Dr Luke describes the following miracle:
Acts 28:5-6
But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
Colossians 4:14
Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.
4: The author of Acts identifies themselves as Paul’s companion on his travels
The fact that the author of Acts uses ‘we’ language is possible evidence that they were a friend of Paul.
Acts 16:10 (as an example from Acts 16:10-17)
After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave…
Acts 20:8 (as an example from Acts 20:5 – 21:18)
…in the upstairs room where we were meeting.
Acts 27:8 (as an example from Acts 27:1 – 28:16)
We moved along the coast…
(and Luke was a traveling companion of Paul)
Seeing that Luke was one of the travel companions of Paul sheds some light on the author of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Much like the Gospels that were written by the disciples of Jesus, the book of Acts had to be written by someone who was there. So it had to be one of Paul’s friends or someone who watched him closely.
2 Timothy 4:11 (Paul is writing from prison)
Only Luke is with me.
The effects of seeing Luke-Acts as one book that Luke wrote
The New Testament begins with 4 eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus, namely the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, and the Gospel of John. These books are not arranged in chronological order but they are parallel to each other since they are 4 retellings of the same story. There are overlaps between them and also a few minor differences.
If we say the author of the Gospel of Luke also wrote Acts, this would make the Book of Acts a sort of sequel to the Gospel of Luke. This makes Luke-Acts quite a remarkable book of the Bible. It is no longer just a Gospel, because it also stretches on and includes the world of the first believers.
After the book of Acts in our Bibles, Paul’s letters (the Epistles) follow. It tells us more about the spread of Christianity in those early days.
These books like Acts in the Bible, are the closest thing Christians can find to a manual for how to practically live out the faith. The 21 epistles (letters) and the Book of Acts are the only things that can answer the question: Who can teach us how to live?
The central theme of Acts in the Bible
Acts picks up where the Gospel of Jesus Christ ends. It is the account of the things that happened after the resurrection of Jesus.
In the pages of this book, we see the spreading of the Christian tradition and the Jesus movement as the Kingdom of God crashed into Earth. New believers boldly proclaimed the Gospel message despite facing personal catastrophe and persecution. The Book of Acts tells the story of the growth of the church. It gives the history of the church and shows how Jesus’s followers lived out their faith in fresh ways in those early days.
The power of the Holy Spirit of God in Acts
The Holy Spirit is one of the most prominent characters in the Book of Acts that Luke wrote. Let’s discover what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. It is noteworthy that Pentecost happens right at the beginning of the Book of Acts. The Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus first. This was what he said:
Acts 1:4-5
“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized withthe Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 2:1-4
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
Everything that they continued to do, was empowered by the Spirit!
Acts 4:8
“Then Peter, filled with the HolySpirit, said to them…”
Acts 7:55
“But Stephen, full of the HolySpirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 9:31
“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the HolySpirit, it increased in numbers.”
The Book of Acts plays a crucial role in the Bible!
So, it matters who wrote Acts in the Bible.
“Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There can be no life without the life-giver, no understanding without the Spirit of truth, no fellowship without the unity of the Spirit, no Christlikeness of character apart from His fruit, and no effective witness without His power. As a body without breath is a corpse, so the church without the Spirit is dead.” ― John Stott, The Message of Acts: To The Ends Of The Earth
Key Bible verses Luke wrote in the Book of Acts in the Bible
Here are some key Bible verses from the Book of Acts in the New International Version (NIV):
The Great Promise of the Holy Spirit of God
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The miraculous moment of Pentecost in Acts
Acts 2:4 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
Peter shares the Gospel in one sentence
Acts 2:38 “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
How the Early Church lived
Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Who gives salvation in the Bible?
Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Living for an audience of 1
Acts 5:29
“Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!’”
Stephen’s glimpse of heaven
Acts 7:55–56 “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’”
Paul’s first encounter with Jesus
Acts 9:3–4 “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’”
God welcomes all people
Acts 10:34–35 “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.’”
Families repent together
Acts 16:31 “They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.’”
Testing for yourself
Acts 17:11 “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
My life is worthless
Acts 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
How long does it take to share the faith?
Acts 26:28–29 “Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?’ Paul replied, ‘Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.’”
Paul’s rented house
Acts 28:30–31
“For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!”
A Prayer thanking God for the Book of Acts in the Bible
Dear God, thank You for giving us the Book of Acts.
I wondered who wrote Acts in the Bible, and I’ve found my answer now.
Thank You for inspiring Luke, the doctor, by Your Holy Spirit to write God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:6) words in this book.
Acts in the Bible is such a good example for me of how to live a life of wholehearted surrender before You, Father.
Thank You for leading me in my reading of Your Scripture.
May I grow in wisdom and understanding as I read so that my life may be changed and transformed?
Give me the desires of the Kingdom of Heaven and guide me to let go of the things that hold me back.
Let there be nothing separating me from You. When You were on that cross and that curtain torn You removed the separation so that I can come near. Would You fill me with Your Holy Spirit afresh right now?
So that You can abide in me as I dwell in You.
May my whole life be a pleasant offering to You God.
Thank you for the wonderful testimonies and lessons from the Book of Acts in the Bible. I know that You are the one who wrote this book, through Luke.
Eljoh Hartzer is combining theology and art to nurture faith journeys across generations. She is a Masters-level Practical Theologian with the University of Stellenbosch. She is also a writer and editor in the niche of Christianity and children's content and she illustrates children's books. Eljoh resides in the Swartland area in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
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