Dedicated to You
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen. …
Both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts are addressed to Theophilus, a name that means “friend of God.” Luke calls him “most excellent” Theophilus, a description Paul also uses for the Roman governors Felix and Festus (Luke 1:3; Acts 23:26; 24:3; 26:25). The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown commentary concludes that it is “likely, therefore, that ‘Theophilus’ was chief magistrate of some city in Greece or Asia Minor.”
Whoever Theophilus was, it is interesting to consider that these books were addressed personally. Since God preserved these books to share with you today, why not put your name there? God had these books recorded and preserved with you in mind.
For more about how we should approach the Bible, see our article “How to Study the Bible.”
