Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Confirming the souls of the disciples. Whatever may be pleaded in favour of Episcopal Confirmation of the young, it would be absurd to take the term here employed in any such technical sense: 'Establishing' in the Faith is clearly the sense; as appears, indeed, from what follows.
Exhorting them to continue in the faith. The "and" of our King James Version prefixed to this clause injures the sense; for the historian does not say that they 'confirmed firmed their souls and exhorted them,' but "confirmed their souls (by) exhorting them to continue in the Faith" which they had before embraced,
And (warning them) that we must through, much tribulation, х dia (G1223) polloon (G4183) thlipseoon (G2347)] - or 'through many troubles,' "enter into the kingdom of God."