Albert Barnes Commentary Acts 14:22

"confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God." — Acts 14:22 (ASV)

Confirming. Strengthening—episthrizontev. The expression "to confirm" has in some churches a technical meaning, denoting "to admit to the full privileges of a Christian by the imposition of hands."—Johnson. It is hardly necessary to say that the word here refers to no such rite. It has no reference to any imposition of hands, nor to the thing usually supposed to be denoted by the rite of "confirmation." It means simply that they established, strengthened, made firm, or encouraged by presenting truth and the motives of the gospel.

Whether the rite of confirmation, as practiced by some churches, is founded on the authority of the New Testament or not, it is certain that it can receive no support from this passage.

The truth was that these were young converts. They were surrounded by enemies, exposed to temptations and dangers, and still had only a slight acquaintance with the truths of the gospel. It was therefore important that they should be further instructed in the truth and established in the faith of the gospel.

This was what Paul and Barnabas returned to accomplish. There is not the slightest evidence that they had not been admitted to the full privileges of the church before, or that any ceremony was now performed in confirming or strengthening them.

The souls. The minds, the hearts; or the disciples themselves.

Disciples. They were still scholars, or learners, and the apostles returned to instruct them further in the doctrines of Christ.

And exhorting them to continue in the faith (Acts 13:43).

In the faith. In the belief of the gospel.

And that we must. kai oti—dei. This means it is fit or proper that we should, and so on. It is not that this is fixed by any fatal necessity; rather, such is the nature of religion, and such is the wickedness and opposition of the world, that it will happen. We are not to expect that it will be otherwise. We are to anticipate it when we become Christians. Why it is proper, or fit, the apostle did not state. But we may remark that it is proper:

1. Because such is the opposition of the world to pure religion that it cannot be avoided. Of this they had received a striking demonstration in Lystra and Iconium.

2. It is necessary to reclaim us from wandering and to keep us in the path of duty (Psalms 119:67, 71).

3. It is necessary to wean us from the world and to keep before our minds the great truth that we have here no continuing city and no abiding place. Trial here makes us long for a world of rest. The opposition of sinners makes us desire that world where the wicked will cease from troubling and where there will be eternal friendship and peace.

4. When we are persecuted and afflicted, we may remember that this has been the lot of Christians from the beginning. We tread a path that has been watered by the tears of the saints and made sacred by the shedding of the best blood on earth. The Savior trod that path, and it is enough that the disciple be as his master, and the servant as his lord (Matthew 10:24–25).

Through much tribulation. Through many afflictions.

Enter into the kingdom of God. To be saved. To enter into heaven. (See the notes on Matthew 3:2).

(Compare "that we must through...", Romans 8:17.)