12
ACCEPTANCE
ACCEPTANCE
the abyss was conceived of as the proper home of the devil and his angels, in the centre of which was a lake of tire reserved as the place of their final punislnnent.
The previous history of the word explains its use in the NT. In Ko 10", where he is referring to Dt 30^^, St. Paul uses it simply as the abode of the dead, Sheol or Hades— a sense equivalent to that of Ps 70 (11)-^'. In Lk 8^' the penal aspect of the abyss comes clearly into view ; it is a place of confinement for demons. In Rev. we are in the midst of the visions and images of apocalyptic eschatology. In 9^* ^ • the pit of the abyss' sends forth a smoke like the smoke of a great furnace. The abyss has an angel of its own whose name is Abaddon (q.v.) or Apoll- yon (v."). From it 'the beast' issues (IF 17^), and into it ' the old serpent which is the Devil and Satan ' is cast for a thousand years (20^"^).
Literature. — The Commentaries and Bible Dictionaries ; art 'Abyss' in EHE. J. C. LAMBERT.
ACCEPTANCE.— The noun itself is not found in the AV of the NT, though we come very near it in ■acceptation' (clttoooxv), 1 Ti P^ 4*. Instances of the verb and adjective are frequent, and are mostly equivalents of oexo/j-ai and its derivatives, as the following list shows: S^xo^ai, 2 Co 6> 8'^ 11^; oeKTds, Pli 4^* ; dTroSeKTos, 1 Ti 2^ 5'^ ; ■n-poaS^xoiJi.o.L, He 1P5 . ei/7rp6(r5eKros, Ro \b^^- ^i, 2 Co 6'^ 8^2, 1 P 2^. We also hnd Xafx^dvo:, Gal 2" ; evapearos,* Ro 12'" - 14'8, 2 Co 5^ Eph 5'«, Fh 4'^ Col 3-», Tit 2^, He IS^i, and (vapiarws.* He 12-'* ; x'^P'^i 1 P 2-" ; and x^f'-'^^'^y Eph l*". It should be noticed that in the RV the adjective ' well-jileasing ' often takes the place of the AV ' acceptable ' ; and that in Eph P the familiar expression ' (his grace) wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved ' gives place to the more correct ' which he freely bestowed upon us,' etc. See the conmientaries of Westcott and Arniitage Robinson, in loc.
2 Co 8" (Titus 'accepted the exhortation') and He IP^ ('not accepting deliverance') do not call for comment. With 2 Co IP on the non-accept- ance of another gospel than that of Paul, compare 1 Ti P and 4^, 2 Ti P^ 4i» ; see also for the ' accepted time' (the day of opportunity for accepting the Divine message) 2 Co 6'-"'^ (cf. Lk 4^«). In Ro lo^i St. Paul hopes that the collection for the Jerusalem poor may be acceptable to the saints ; and, refer- ring to the same project in 2 Co 8^^, lays down tlie principle that contributions are acceptable in pro- portion to the willingness with which they are given.
We are now left with the passages which speak of God's acceptance of man. Christians are ' child- ren of light,' are to ' prove what is acceptable (or well-pleasing) to the Lord' (Eph 5'» ; cf. Col 3'-"), to test and discern the Lord's will (Ro 12^). They are ' to make it their aim,' whether living or dying, ' to be well-pleasing to him ' (2 Co 5®).
What then are the principles and practices that ensure tliis hap[)y consummation ? We may Hrst notice the familiar negative projiosition set forth in Gal 2'' and Ac lO^'* ' God accepteth no man's person ' (i.e. the mere outward state and presence) ; and over against it the comprehensive declaration of Ac 10^' ' In every nation he that feareth God ■ md workcth righteousness is acceptable to him.' This furni-hes a starting-point for a detailed enum- eration of tiie courses which are 'well-pleasing' to God, and which may be set forth as follows: the ottering of our bodies as a living sacrifice (Ro 1'2'-) ; the serving of Ciirist by not putting stumbling- blocks before weaker brethren (14'*) ; missionary work — the ' ottering up " of the Gentiles ( 15"*) ; the gift of the Philippian Church to St. Paul in prison
* On the use of these words in inscriptions see A. Deissmann, liible Slndieg, 21if. The use of apeo-rov, 'pleasing,' and the verb apiuKui in the NT should also be noted.
(Ph 4'8 ; cf. Mt 2531-^s) ; filial aff"ection to a widowed mother (1 Ti 5'') ; supplication and intercession for all men (1 Ti 2=*) ; undeserved suttering patiently endured (1 P 2'-"). All these may be looked upon as examples of the 'spiritual sacrifices' (1 P 2^), the offering of ' service with reverence and awe ' (He Fi-** ; cf. 13'''), which are 'acceptable' to God. He it is who ' works in us that which is well-pleas- ing in his sight through Jesus Christ ' (He 13-').
It is interesting and instructive to comiiare the grounds of ' acceptance ' in the circle of OT thought with those in the NT. In the former these grounds are partly ceremonial (Lv 22-'*), and partly ethical (Is I'-'i", Jer 6'-'* etc.), though here and there a higher note is struck (cf. Pr''2P, Mic 6^, Dt 10-*) ; in the latter the ceremonial association has entirely vanished except in a metaphorical sense, and be- come purely ethico-spiritual, as the above references prove. It was largely due to the prophets that the old ceremonial ground was gradually ethicized ; and, though it never died out under the earlier ' dispensation ' (which, indeed, reached its most rigid and mechanical development in the degener- ate Pharisaic cult of NF times), the way was ertectually prepared for the full proclamation of the spiritual message of the gospel by Jesus, who was Himself the perfect embodiment of ali thiit was acceptable and well-pleasing to God (cf. Mk P^, Mt 17^ JnS^^etc).