Doctrine Analysis
11 Doctrine Analysis — Acts 1–28
English → Filipino | Acts | Language Package
Purpose: Full-book doctrine matrix for Acts, chapter-by-chapter coverage confirming no chapter is silently omitted, followed by the master doctrine risk matrix. This document is CONSISTENT with assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json — same 32 doctrines, same risk tiers, same review routing. It extends but never contradicts the baseline Romans Language Package.
Core passage: Acts 2:1–41 (Pentecost) is the theological anchor of this curriculum but not its scope; full coverage of Acts 1–28 follows below.
Part A — Chapter-by-Chapter Doctrinal Coverage (Full-Book Mandate)
Every chapter of Acts is reviewed below. Chapters are tagged with the doctrine(s) from the master matrix (Part B) that they carry. Where a chapter’s content is already fully accounted for by doctrines documented in an earlier chapter and introduces no new term, nuance, or risk, this is stated explicitly rather than omitted.
| Ch. | Content Summary | Doctrines Present | Coverage Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ascension; promise of the Spirit; “to the end of the earth” (1:8); replacement of Judas by lot after prayer | Great Commission Fulfilled; Mission to the Nations; Election and Divine Calling; Prayer and Intercession; Apostolic Authority and Miracles (apostleship reused from baseline) | Reviewed — establishes 1:8 as the programmatic verse fulfilled in ch. 28 |
| 2 | Pentecost; tongues; Peter’s sermon; repentance and baptism call (2:38); salvation formula (2:21); church community (2:42-47) | Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Repentance and Baptism; Salvation; Messianic Promise; Church as Community; Christian Fellowship; Thanksgiving | Core passage chapter — highest doctrinal density in the book |
| 3 | Healing of the lame man; Peter’s temple sermon; “God’s servant Jesus”; call to repent (3:19) | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Deity and Sonship of Christ; Messianic Promise; Repentance and Baptism | Reviewed — introduces the Isaianic Servant title, carried forward in ch. 4 |
| 4 | Peter and John before the council; boldness; “no other name” (4:12); shared possessions; corporate prayer; grace (4:33) | Salvation; Persecution and Bold Witness; Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Church as Community; Grace; Prayer and Intercession; Providence (4:28) | Reviewed — 4:12 is a salvation-formula verse requiring the same rigor as Romans 10:9 |
| 5 | Ananias and Sapphira; fear on the church; apostolic miracles; arrest; “we must obey God” | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Persecution and Bold Witness | Reviewed — reinforces doctrines already established in chs. 3–4; no new term |
| 6 | Appointment of the Seven; Stephen full of the Spirit; growing persecution | Church as Community (deacon-type service); Church Leadership Offices (precursor); Persecution and Bold Witness | Reviewed — introduces diakonia office language ahead of full elder/overseer treatment in chs. 14–20 |
| 7 | Stephen’s speech and martyrdom | Persecution and Bold Witness (witness narrows toward martyrdom); Messianic Promise (prophecy survey) | Reviewed — the book’s paradigm case of “witness” culminating in death |
| 8 | Philip in Samaria; Simon Magus; Ethiopian eunuch’s baptism; laying on of hands | Apostolic Authority and Miracles (sorcery collision); Repentance and Baptism; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (transitional, Samaritans) | Reviewed — Simon Magus is the text’s own negative case study against anting-anting-style power-seeking |
| 9 | Saul’s conversion; healing of Aeneas; raising of Tabitha; “saints” at Joppa | Conversion of Paul; Sainthood; Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Resurrection of Christ (typological miracle) | Reviewed — 9:13 “saints” requires the Critical-risk teaching note |
| 10 | Cornelius; Peter’s vision; “common or unclean”; Spirit falls on Gentiles | Gentile Inclusion and God’s Impartiality; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Repentance and Baptism | Central Gentile-inclusion chapter |
| 11 | Report to Jerusalem; Gentile inclusion accepted; church at Antioch; believers first called “Christians” | Gentile Inclusion and God’s Impartiality; Christian Identity as “the Way”; Mutual Edification; Christian Fellowship | Reviewed — introduces the “Christian” designation |
| 12 | Peter’s imprisonment and angelic release; church’s earnest prayer; Herod’s death | Providence; Prayer and Intercession; Persecution and Bold Witness | Reviewed — angel of the Lord language recurs from baseline providence doctrine |
| 13 | Barnabas and Saul sent out; sermon at Antioch; justification preview (13:38-39); election (13:48); light for the Gentiles (13:47) | Mission to the Nations; Justification apart from the Law; Election and Divine Calling; Messianic Promise; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Reviewed — 13:38-39 directly anticipates the Jerusalem Council of ch. 15 |
| 14 | Miracles at Lystra; mistaken for gods; persecution; kingdom of God (14:22) | Idolatry and Apologetic Engagement; Persecution and Bold Witness; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Reviewed — first full idolatry-collision episode, model for ch. 17 |
| 15 | Jerusalem Council; grace vs. the “yoke”; Gentile practical-holiness requirements | Justification apart from the Law (doctrinal core); Grace; Church Leadership Offices (elders act corporately) | Reviewed — the book’s central soteriological resolution |
| 16 | Lydia’s conversion; Philippian jailer’s salvation (16:31); exorcism of a divining spirit; baptisms | Election and Divine Calling; Salvation; Spiritual Warfare and Exorcism; Repentance and Baptism; Persecution and Bold Witness | Reviewed — 16:31 is a salvation-formula verse parallel to 2:21 and 4:12 |
| 17 | Areopagus speech; “unknown god”; universal call to repentance; resurrection mocked | Idolatry and Apologetic Engagement; Providence (17:26-28); Resurrection of Christ; Messianic Promise | Reviewed — model text for respectful-engagement-then-correction |
| 18 | Paul’s Nazirite-type vow (18:18); Priscilla and Aquila; church planting; grace (18:27) | Devotional Vows and Ritual Practice; Grace; Mission to the Nations | Reviewed — first occurrence of the highest-syncretism-risk term in the book |
| 19 | Ephesus; baptism of John insufficient; tongues/prophecy; sons of Sceva; magic books burned | Repentance and Baptism; Holy Spirit and Pentecost (repeated filling); Spiritual Warfare and Exorcism | Reviewed — sons of Sceva episode is the definitive negative case against ritual-formula power |
| 20 | Eutychus raised; Miletus farewell speech; elders/overseers charged to shepherd; whole counsel of God | Church Leadership Offices (doctrinal core); Grace; Sanctification; Persecution and Bold Witness (warnings ahead) | Reviewed — the definitive elder/overseer/shepherd passage |
| 21 | Prophecy of Agabus; Paul’s purification vow (21:23-26); arrest in the temple | Devotional Vows and Ritual Practice; Persecution and Bold Witness | Reviewed — second and fuller occurrence of the vow/panata collision |
| 22 | Paul’s defense before the crowd; conversion retold; baptism (22:16); “the Way” (22:4) | Conversion of Paul; Repentance and Baptism; Christian Identity as “the Way” | Reviewed — retelling reinforces ch. 9 without new doctrinal content |
| 23 | Paul before the Sanhedrin; Pharisee/Sadducee dispute over the resurrection; protective providence | Resurrection of Christ; Providence | Reviewed — resurrection-of-the-dead debate; guards against a cyclical/reincarnation misreading |
| 24 | Paul before Felix; “the Way”; righteousness, self-control, coming judgment; faith | Christian Identity as “the Way”; Faith; Universal Human Accountability (baseline-reused doctrine) | Reviewed — reinforces existing doctrines, no new term |
| 25 | Paul before Festus; appeal to Caesar | Providence; Apostolic Authority and Miracles (Paul’s continuing authoritative witness) | Reviewed — narrative continuation; no new doctrinal content |
| 26 | Paul before Agrippa; fullest conversion retelling; “opened eyes… from darkness to light” (26:18); hope of resurrection | Conversion of Paul (fullest statement); Messianic Promise; Sainthood (26:10); Resurrection of Christ | Reviewed — 26:18 is the fullest single-verse conversion summary in the book |
| 27 | Shipwreck; angelic assurance; Paul’s leadership; thanksgiving (27:35) | Providence; Thanksgiving | Reviewed — providence under extreme circumstance, paired with baseline’s rejection of bahala na |
| 28 | Malta; healing; mistaken for a god; arrival in Rome; kingdom of God proclaimed “unhindered” (28:31) | Idolatry and Apologetic Engagement; Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Great Commission Fulfilled (capstone) | Capstone chapter — 28:31 closes the 1:8 program with unqualified boldness |
Part B — Master Doctrine Risk Matrix
This matrix is identical in doctrine set and risk tier to assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json. “Translation Risk” gives the specific, grounded reason for the assigned tier; “Review Routing” mirrors the registry’s review_routing field.
| # | Doctrine | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Risk | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 1:5,8; 2:1-4,17-18,33,38; 4:31; 10:44-46 | Critical | Espiritu Santo must never collapse into anito/kaluluwa; “filled” must never read as sinapian (spirit-possession); the 2:1-11 “other tongues” must stay anchored to real, intelligible languages, not later glossolalia practice | Human theologian |
| 2 | Repeated Spirit-Filling for Bold Ministry | 4:8,31; 9:17; 13:9,52 | High | Must signal recurring personal indwelling/empowerment, not a recurring trance state assimilated to folk-spiritist categories | Human theologian |
| 3 | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 2:5-11,39; 10:1-48; 11:1,18; 13:46-48; 15:7-19; 28:28 | High | Full unqualified “every nation” scope must not be quietly regionalized to an in-group or Filipino-only application | Human theologian |
| 4 | Gentile Inclusion and God’s Impartiality | 10:14-15,28,34; 10:44-47; 11:8-9,17-18 | High | Ceremonial “common/unclean” must stay distinct from moral kasalanan; “no partiality” must retain full ethnic/social force without regional or class softening | Human theologian |
| 5 | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38; 3:19; 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:31-33; 19:3-5; 22:16 | Critical | Pagsisisi must be distinguished from repeatable sacramental Kumpisal; bautismo must be distinguished from binyag as mechanically securing salvation apart from faith | Human theologian |
| 6 | The Church as Community | 2:42-47; 4:32-35; 6:1-6; 11:26; 14:23; 20:17,28 | Medium | Breaking of bread names simple shared meals, not developed Eucharistic sacramental theology; property-sharing is Spirit-prompted generosity, not a mandated economic system | Native speaker review |
| 7 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2:22,43; 3:6,16; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:9-24; 13:3; 19:6,11-16 | High | Miracles authenticate God’s specific redemptive message under Christ’s authority; must never read as free-floating supernatural spectacle akin to anting-anting | Human theologian |
| 8 | Persecution and Bold Witness | 1:8; 4:13,29,31; 7:51-60; 8:1; 9:16; 11:19; 14:22 | Medium | Katapangan is Spirit-produced courage, not natural bravado; saksi must not be conflated with venerated mga martir invoked for intercession | Native speaker review |
| 9 | Conversion of Paul | 9:1-19; 22:3-16; 26:9-18 | High | Must remain a decisive, sovereignly initiated transfer of allegiance, not gradual self-improvement; hinirang na kasangkapan must never read as swerte/kapalaran | Human theologian |
| 10 | Justification apart from the Law | 13:38-39; 15:1-11,19-20,28-29 | Critical | The Council’s rejection of the “yoke” of Law-observance as a salvation-requirement must never be softened; practical holiness guidelines must stay clearly distinct from and additional to grace-alone salvation | Human theologian |
| 11 | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 1:8; 13:47; 28:23,31 | High | 28:31’s “unhindered” (walang humahadlang) must be retained without qualification and rendered identically wherever cited, per cross-document consistency rule | Human theologian |
| 12 | Salvation (Acts usage) | 2:21,40,47; 4:12; 11:14; 16:30-31; 27:34; 28:28 | Critical | Kaligtasan carries the baseline’s sacramental-mechanism risk; 2:21, 4:12, and 16:31 are salvation-formula verses requiring the same unqualified precision as Romans 10:9 | Human theologian |
| 13 | Grace (Acts usage) | 4:33; 11:23; 13:43; 14:3,26; 15:11,40; 18:27; 20:24,32 | High | Biyaya must stay distinct from utang na loob, especially at 15:11’s Council-resolving formula “we are saved through grace” | Human theologian |
| 14 | Faith (Acts usage) | 3:16; 6:5,7; 11:24; 13:8; 14:9,22,27; 15:9; 16:5; 20:21 | Medium | Object of faith (Christ specifically) must remain recoverable from context in every occurrence | Native speaker review |
| 15 | Lordship of Christ (Acts usage) | 2:21,34,36; 10:36; 11:17,20; 16:31; 28:31 | High | Panginoon must retain exclusive, supreme Lordship, especially the composite confession of 2:36, without dilution by devotion shared with Mary and the saints | Human theologian |
| 16 | Deity and Sonship of Christ (Acts usage) | 3:13-14,26; 9:20; 13:33 | High | ”The Holy and Righteous One” and “God’s servant Jesus” (Isaianic Servant) must not flatten to a generic filial/honorific reading | Human theologian |
| 17 | Resurrection of Christ (Acts usage) | 1:22; 2:24-32; 4:2,33; 17:18,32; 23:6,8; 24:15,21; 26:23 | Medium | Pagkabuhay na mag-uli must never suggest reincarnation or an ongoing cycle, especially in the Pharisee/Sadducee dispute of ch. 23 | Native speaker review |
| 18 | Sainthood (Acts usage) | 9:13,32,41; 26:10 | Critical | Mga banal must be taught as every ordinary believer, not an elite canonized class venerated with feast days and novenas | Human theologian |
| 19 | Election and Divine Calling (Acts usage) | 2:39; 9:15; 13:2,48; 16:14; 22:14 | High | Pagkahirang/tinawag must never reduce to swerte/kapalaran; God’s sovereign initiative must precede and produce, not follow, the human response | Human theologian |
| 20 | Providence (Acts usage) | 2:23; 4:28; 12:7,23; 17:26-28; 27:23-24 | Medium | Kalinga ng Diyos must never reduce to bahala na; God’s plan behind both the crucifixion and Paul’s deliverance must be personal, active governance | Native speaker review |
| 21 | Sanctification (Acts usage) | 20:32; 26:18 | Medium | Must remain the Spirit’s ongoing work received through faith, not ritual purification or self-directed moral improvement | Native speaker review |
| 22 | Prayer and Intercession (Acts usage) | 2:21; 4:24-31; 12:5,12; 16:25 | Critical | Every corporate/intercessory prayer occurrence needs a note affirming direct prayer to God in Christ’s name, with no additional intercessory figure required | Human theologian |
| 23 | Devotional Vows and Ritual Practice | 18:18; 21:23-26 | Critical | Highest cultural-syncretism risk in the book; panata must be anchored strictly to the OT Nazirite-type ritual, never read as endorsing image-directed devotional vow practice (Panata sa Poong Nazareno) | Human theologian |
| 24 | Spiritual Warfare and Exorcism | 8:9-24; 13:6-11; 16:16-18; 19:12-20 | High | Authority over evil spirits belongs to Christ alone through genuine faith, never ritual object, incantation, or formula (contrasted with the sons of Sceva); reinforces baseline’s anting-anting rejection | Human theologian |
| 25 | Church Leadership Offices (Elders and Overseers) | 11:30; 14:23; 15:2,4,6,22-23; 20:17,28 | High | Presbyteros/episkopos must not be equated with Catholic presbitero/obispo exercising sacramental or hierarchical authority; avoid those loanwords entirely | Human theologian |
| 26 | Idolatry and Apologetic Engagement | 14:11-18; 17:16,22-31; 28:6 | High | Model respectful engagement with existing devotional sentiment (santos, folk deification) followed by clear doctrinal correction and an unqualified call to worship God alone | Human theologian |
| 27 | Christian Identity as “the Way” | 9:2; 11:26; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22; 26:28 | Medium | Ang Daan is a quasi-proper noun distinct from generic “daan”; Kristiyano is a well-established, low-risk loanword | Native speaker review |
| 28 | Messianic Promise (Acts usage) | 2:29-36; 3:18-25; 13:22-23,32-37; 17:3 | High | Teaching task is connecting Mesiyas to its OT roots (Davidic covenant, Deuteronomy 18), since no rival messianic figure exists in Filipino tradition | Human theologian |
| 29 | Mission to the Nations (Acts usage) | 1:8; 13:2-4; 22:21; 26:17 | Medium | Misyon carries colonial-era friar-order associations; keep focus on Spirit-directed proclamation by ordinary believers, not institutional enterprise | Native speaker review |
| 30 | Thanksgiving (Acts usage) | 27:35; 28:15 | Low | Standard term; minimal doctrinal risk | Automated review |
| 31 | Christian Fellowship (Acts usage) | 2:42,44-46; 20:7 | Low | Shared participation in Christ and one another; minimal doctrinal risk beyond the higher-risk sacramental distinction flagged under Church as Community | Automated review |
| 32 | Mutual Edification (Acts usage) | 11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 16:40; 20:1-2 | Low | Building one another up through encouragement (pasiglahin); minimal doctrinal risk | Automated review |
Risk Summary (Consistent with doctrine_risk_registry.json)
| Tier | Count | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 7 (Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Repentance and Baptism; Justification apart from the Law; Salvation; Sainthood; Prayer and Intercession; Devotional Vows and Ritual Practice) | Human theologian, every occurrence |
| High | 14 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 8 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 3 | Automated review |
Note on the registry’s summary field: doctrine_risk_registry.json’s risk_summary.Critical field records 8; per-doctrine tagging in the registry itself yields 7 Critical-tier doctrines as enumerated above. This matrix reflects the per-doctrine tiers exactly as assigned in the registry (the authoritative source for routing); the discrepancy in the aggregate count is flagged here for correction in a future registry version and does not affect Phase 2 routing, which operates per-doctrine, not on the aggregate.
This document extends the baseline Romans doctrine analysis. All Critical and High risk doctrines require human theologian review per occurrence in Phase 2 Step 17. See 12_ai_translation_requirements.md (Acts edition, to follow) for the corresponding AI instruction set.
Critical Risk Doctrines
Devotional Vows and Ritual Practice
Filipino name: Mga Panata at Ritwal na Kaugalian
Key terms: vow, purification rites, Nazirite-type observance
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: this is the single highest cultural-syncretism risk introduced by the Acts curriculum. Panata in Filipino devotional culture refers overwhelmingly to a vow made to a saint or holy image, most visibly the Panata sa Poong Nazareno (Black Nazarene devotion, Quiapo), involving barefoot processions and physical penance for favors. Every occurrence must be anchored strictly to the OT Nazirite-type ritual (temporary, law-based, no salvific merit) practiced by Paul out of cultural sensitivity toward Jewish believers — never as endorsement of image-directed devotional vow practice as a means of securing divine favor.
The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Filipino name: Ang Espiritu Santo at ang Pentekostes
Key terms: Holy Spirit, Pentecost, filled with the Holy Spirit, tongues, poured out
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: Espiritu Santo must never be rendered with anito (ancestral/nature spirit) or bare kaluluwa (wandering soul), and ‘filled’ must never be rendered as sinapian (spirit-possession), a live folk-animist category. Additionally, the specific ‘other tongues’ of Acts 2 are verifiable, intelligible human languages understood by hearers of many nations — given the scale of Filipino Pentecostal/Charismatic practice of glossolalia (pagsasalita sa dila), every occurrence needs a note anchoring this text to intelligible, cross-cultural gospel proclamation rather than adjudicating later devotional practice.
Justification apart from the Law
Filipino name: Pagpapawalang-Sala Hiwalay sa Kautusan
Key terms: everyone who believes is justified, yoke, grace of the Lord Jesus, forgiveness proclaimed through this man
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: the Jerusalem Council’s explicit rejection of the ‘yoke’ (pamatok) of circumcision/Torah-observance as a salvation-requirement must never be softened; the accompanying practical holiness guidelines (avoiding idol-offerings, blood, sexual immorality) must be taught as pastoral/relational requirements for Jewish-Gentile fellowship, clearly distinct from and additional to the settled point that salvation is by grace alone — conflating the two risks reintroducing works-based salvation.
Prayer and Intercession (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Panalangin at Pamamagitan
Key terms: the church prayed, earnest prayer, call upon the name of the Lord
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: pamamagitan ng mga santo (intercession of the saints and Mary as a go-between) remains a central, extremely common devotional practice in the Philippines; every occurrence of corporate or intercessory prayer in Acts needs a teaching note affirming that believers pray directly to God/the Lord in Christ’s name, with no additional intercessory figure required.
Repentance and Baptism
Filipino name: Pagsisisi at Bautismo
Key terms: repent, be baptized, forgiveness of sins, baptism of John
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: pagsisisi must be distinguished from the folk-Catholic sacrament of Confession (Kumpisal), where contrition precedes priestly absolution in a repeatable cycle; bautismo must be distinguished from binyag understood as mechanically securing salvation apart from personal faith. In Acts, repentance and baptism consistently follow genuine faith and precede or accompany forgiveness, with no priestly mediation and no automatic ritual guarantee.
Sainthood (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Pagtawag na Maging Banal
Key terms: saints, holy ones
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: mga banal is the same term used for canonized Catholic saints venerated with feast days, images, and novenas; every Acts occurrence (e.g., 9:13’s ‘saints at Jerusalem’) needs a teaching note clarifying that this word designates every ordinary believer, not an elite canonized class distinct from the general church.
Salvation (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Kaligtasan
Key terms: saved, salvation, call on the name of the Lord, believe and be saved
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: kaligtasan carries the same folk-Catholic risk documented in the baseline — salvation mechanically secured through sacraments (baptism, confession) apart from genuine faith. Acts 2:21, 4:12, and 16:31 are single-verse salvation formulas (‘call on the name of the Lord’; ‘no other name’; ‘believe… and you will be saved’) that must be rendered with the same unqualified precision demanded of Romans 10:9 in the baseline, with an explicit teaching note that salvation is received by faith-filled appeal to Christ, not guaranteed by ritual performance.
High Risk Doctrines
Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Filipino name: Awtoridad ng mga Apostol at ang mga Himala
Key terms: signs and wonders, in the name of Jesus Christ, laying on of hands, sorcery
Review routing: Human theologian
Apostolic miracles must be anchored to authenticating God’s specific redemptive message under Christ’s authority — never treated as free-floating supernatural spectacle. This directly collides with the baseline’s forbidden substitution anting-anting (folk-Catholic amulets believed to grant power); Simon Magus (ch.8) and the sons of Sceva (ch.19) are the text’s own negative case studies against exactly this confusion.
Church Leadership Offices (Elders and Overseers)
Filipino name: Mga Katungkulan sa Pamumuno ng Iglesia
Key terms: elders, overseers, shepherd the church
Review routing: Human theologian
Presbyteros and episkopos name the same plural, local, functional congregational office in Acts and must not be equated with the Catholic clerical offices of presbitero (priest, sacramental/mediatorial authority) or obispo (bishop, hierarchical apostolic succession over multiple parishes); recommended renderings (mga matanda, tagapangasiwa) deliberately avoid these loanwords to prevent conflation.
Conversion of Paul
Filipino name: Pagbabalik-loob ni Pablo
Key terms: chosen instrument, why do you persecute me, scales fell from his eyes, opened eyes, turned from darkness to light
Review routing: Human theologian
Paul’s conversion must be preserved as a decisive, sovereignly initiated transfer of allegiance (from persecuting Christ to being his chosen instrument), not gradual self-improvement; hinirang na kasangkapan ties to the baseline’s High-risk pagkahirang (election) and must never be rendered with swerte/kapalaran (folk-fatalistic luck or fate).
Deity and Sonship of Christ (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Pagka-Diyos at Pagka-Anak ni Kristo
Key terms: Son of God, God’s servant Jesus, the Holy and Righteous One
Review routing: Human theologian
The composite title ‘the Holy and Righteous One’ and ‘God’s servant Jesus’ (echoing Isaiah’s Suffering Servant) must not be flattened to a generic filial or honorific reading; risk is devotional dilution through disproportionate attention to Mary or particular saints rather than outright denial, consistent with the baseline’s assessment for this doctrine.
Election and Divine Calling (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Pagkahirang at Pagtawag ng Diyos
Key terms: called, chosen instrument, appointed to eternal life, the Lord opened her heart
Review routing: Human theologian
Pagkahirang and tinawag must never be reduced to swerte/kapalaran (folk-fatalistic luck or fate); Acts 13:48’s ‘appointed to eternal life’ and 16:14’s ‘the Lord opened her heart’ both require God’s sovereign, personal initiative to be preserved as preceding and producing the human response, not the reverse.
Gentile Inclusion and God’s Impartiality
Filipino name: Pagsali ng mga Hentil at Kawalang-Kinikilingan ng Diyos
Key terms: common or unclean, God shows no partiality, the Holy Spirit fell on all
Review routing: Human theologian
Ceremonial-purity language (‘common/unclean’) must be kept distinct from moral impurity (kasalanan) so the text is not misread as a general statement about sin; ‘God shows no partiality’ must retain full ethnic and social force without any softening toward regional (Luzon/Visayas/Mindanao), class, or denominational favoritism.
The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Filipino name: Ang Mabuting Balita para sa mga Judio at Hentil
Key terms: Gentiles, every nation, light for the Gentiles, no distinction
Review routing: Human theologian
Requires OT/NT background teaching to avoid a narrow ethnic or regional reading; mga Hentil is an established, low-ambiguity term, but the doctrine’s full force (God’s saving purpose reaching every nation without qualification) must not be quietly regionalized to a Filipino-only or in-group application.
Grace (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Biyaya
Key terms: grace, great grace, saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus
Review routing: Human theologian
Biyaya must continue to be distinguished from utang na loob (the Filipino social debt-of-gratitude framework requiring reciprocal repayment), especially in Acts 15:11’s Council-defining formula ‘we are saved through grace’ — this is the same forbidden-substitution risk the baseline documents for Romans, now recurring as the explicit resolution of the Jerusalem Council’s law-versus-grace debate.
The Great Commission Fulfilled
Filipino name: Ang Dakilang Utos na Natupad
Key terms: to the end of the earth, kingdom of God proclaimed with all boldness, unhindered
Review routing: Human theologian
Acts 28:31 functions as this book’s capstone thesis-statement, parallel in cross-document weight to Romans 1:16-17; ‘unhindered’ (walang humahadlang) must be retained without qualification, and this verse’s rendering must remain identical across every future Acts curriculum document per cross-reference consistency rules.
Idolatry and Apologetic Engagement
Filipino name: Idolatriya at Paglalahad ng Katotohanan
Key terms: unknown god, idols, gods made with hands, God commands all people everywhere to repent
Review routing: Human theologian
Paul’s Athens speech models respectful engagement with existing religious sentiment followed by clear doctrinal correction and an unqualified universal call to repentance; requires pastoral sensitivity given Filipino Catholic devotional use of images (santos) and folk deification impulses (Lystra, ch.14; Malta, ch.28), taught with care rather than blunt polemic, while preserving that God alone is to be worshiped.
Lordship of Christ (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Pagka-Panginoon ni Kristo
Key terms: Lord, Lord Jesus, believe on the Lord Jesus
Review routing: Human theologian
Panginoon must retain exclusive, supreme Lordship in every Acts occurrence — especially the composite confession of Acts 2:36 (‘God has made him both Lord and Christ’) — without dilution by devotional attention shared broadly with Mary and the saints, consistent with the baseline’s Romans 10:9 rule.
Messianic Promise (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Pangako ng Mesiyas
Key terms: Christ, Messiah, the Prophet like Moses, seed of David
Review routing: Human theologian
Filipino Catholic tradition has no rival messianic figure, so the teaching task remains connecting Mesiyas back to its OT roots (Davidic covenant, Deuteronomy 18’s promised prophet) rather than guarding against a competing concept; Peter’s and Paul’s sermons in Acts are the primary texts doing this connective work.
Repeated Spirit-Filling for Bold Ministry
Filipino name: Paulit-ulit na Pagpupuspos ng Espiritu para sa Paglilingkod
Key terms: filled with the Holy Spirit, power, boldness
Review routing: Human theologian
Establishes that Spirit-filling recurs beyond the single unrepeatable Pentecost event; napuspos ng Espiritu Santo must consistently signal personal divine indwelling and empowerment for witness, not a recurring ecstatic or trance state assimilated to folk-spiritist experience categories.
Spiritual Warfare and Exorcism
Filipino name: Espirituwal na Digmaan at Pagpapalayas ng Masamang Espiritu
Key terms: evil spirits, sorcery, magic books burned
Review routing: Human theologian
Authority over evil spirits belongs to Christ alone and is exercised through genuine faith in his name (contrasted with the failed formulaic imitation of the sons of Sceva, 19:13-16) — never through ritual object, incantation, or purchased power; this directly reinforces the baseline’s rejection of anting-anting framing and is highly relevant given ongoing Filipino folk practices of exorcism/spirit-appeasement through albularyo.
Medium Risk Doctrines
Christian Identity as ‘the Way’
Filipino name: Pagkakakilanlang Kristiyano bilang ‘Ang Daan’
Key terms: the Way, Christians, why do you persecute me
Review routing: Native speaker review
Ang Daan should be rendered as a quasi-proper noun distinguishing this technical, recurring self-designation from the generic word for ‘road’; Kristiyano is a well-established, non-controversial loanword across Filipino Christian traditions with minimal risk.
The Church as Community
Filipino name: Ang Iglesia bilang Komunidad
Key terms: fellowship, breaking of bread, held all things in common, elders, overseers
Review routing: Native speaker review
The breaking of bread describes simple, frequent, home-based shared meals (likely including the Lord’s Supper), not the developed sacramental theology of the Catholic Eucharist/Banal na Misa; voluntary property-sharing must be presented as Spirit-prompted generosity in a specific historical community, not a mandated economic system.
Faith (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Pananampalataya
Key terms: faith, believed
Review routing: Native speaker review
Well-established term with comparatively low ambiguity risk; the object of faith (Christ specifically) must remain recoverable from context in every Acts occurrence, consistent with the baseline’s requirement.
Mission to the Nations (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Misyon sa mga Bansa
Key terms: set apart for the work, sent by the Holy Spirit, to the end of the earth
Review routing: Native speaker review
Misyon carries some historical association with Spanish colonial-era friar orders; teaching should keep the focus on Spirit-directed proclamation by ordinary believers and appointed missionaries (Barnabas and Saul, 13:2-4), not an institutional or colonial missionary enterprise.
Persecution and Bold Witness
Filipino name: Pag-uusig at Matapang na Pagpapatotoo
Key terms: witness, boldness, persecution, resist the Holy Spirit
Review routing: Native speaker review
Katapangan must be presented as Spirit-produced courage rooted in prayer and gospel certainty, not natural bravado; saksi must not be conflated with the Catholic devotional category mga martir venerated with feast days and invoked for intercession — Acts uses this word for ordinary testimony to Christ, later narrowing toward death for that testimony (Stephen, ch.7).
Providence (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Kalinga ng Diyos
Key terms: definite plan and foreknowledge of God, angel of the Lord, God works all things
Review routing: Native speaker review
Kalinga ng Diyos must never be reduced to bahala na (fatalistic resignation); God’s sovereign, purposive plan behind both the crucifixion (2:23) and Paul’s deliverance (27:23-24) must be presented as personal, active governance, not passive letting-things-happen.
Resurrection of Christ (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Muling Pagkabuhay ni Kristo
Key terms: raised, resurrection
Review routing: Native speaker review
Already clearly affirmed in Filipino Catholic catechesis, including the widely observed Easter tradition; comparatively low doctrinal risk, though pagkabuhay na mag-uli must never be rendered with a term suggesting reincarnation or an ongoing cycle, especially in the Pharisee/Sadducee dispute of Acts 23.
Sanctification (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Pagpapabanal
Key terms: sanctified by faith, an inheritance among those sanctified
Review routing: Native speaker review
Well-established term with comparatively low syncretism risk; must be kept as the Spirit’s ongoing work received through faith in Christ, not ritual purification or self-directed moral improvement.
Low Risk Doctrines
Christian Fellowship (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Pagsasamahang Kristiyano
Key terms: fellowship, breaking of bread, together
Review routing: Automated review
Shared participation in Christ and with one another; minimal doctrinal risk beyond the higher-risk sacramental distinction already flagged under ‘Church as Community.‘
Mutual Edification (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Pagpapatibay sa Isa’t Isa
Key terms: exhorted, strengthened, encouraged the disciples
Review routing: Automated review
Building one another up in faith through encouragement (pasiglahin); minimal doctrinal risk, consistent with the baseline’s assessment for this doctrine.
Thanksgiving (Acts usage)
Filipino name: Pasasalamat
Key terms: gave thanks, thanksgiving
Review routing: Automated review
Standard term; minimal doctrinal risk, consistent with the baseline’s assessment.
Referenced passages