Act 3:14-16 “But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”
The lame man which begged alms at the temple had been miraculously healed. Now, Peter is standing in Solomon’s porch preaching the gospel to those who had witnessed the power of God in the name of His son Jesus. He tells them plainly that they delivered Jesus up to be crucified. They shouted Pilate down when he would have let Jesus go.
I am sure that some who heard Peter’s declaration that they had rejected (denied) the Holy One scoffed. Some were probably angered at such an accusation. Others were touched in their hearts and made sorrowful for their part in the rejection of the Just One. This is still typical of the varied reactions of those of us today who are first made aware that Jesus died for us.
Our carnal nature does not care about things that are holy and just. Unless the Holy Ghost has begun a work in us, we are more enamored of those who seem to have power than we are of those who walk holy and justly. If we look around, it is easy to see that men still prefer that which is criminal behavior in the eyes of God. We are wondrously blessed if we have come to desire the Holy One and Just over the temporary glamour of this world.
It is difficult to face the truth that Jesus came and died because of our sins. Yet, to truly understand His grace and love, we must first understand that we are as guilty as those that Peter was directly addressing that day in Solomon’s Porch. But glory to God, this Prince of life whom we killed was raised by God victorious over death! Even though we are unworthy, we are made witnesses of His glory.
They were faced that day with undeniable proof that there was power in the name of Jesus. The crowd knew the lame man, and they knew that this was no trick or show. He was strong in His praise of God just as his ankles had been made strong. The authority (name) of Jesus, through the avenue of faith in the authority of Jesus, had made this man strong.
The faith which is by (through) Jesus made the lame man whole. This was done in a public setting as a testimony to the power of God and the Holy One whom they had denied. The faith that is through Jesus (not of ourselves) is still making us whole today. It is that faith that causes us to be strong enough to walk and leap and praise God.
May God give us the grace to know that denying the Holy One and Just does not diminish Him in any way: He is still today holy, just, and mighty to save!
