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The Acts of the Apostles
and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking
and praising God: and they knew that it was he which sat for alms at
the Beautiful Gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and
amazement at that which had happened.”
“And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the
people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s,
greatly wondering.” They were astonished that the disciples could
perform miracles similar to those performed by Jesus. Yet here was
this man, for forty years a helpless cripple, now rejoicing in the full
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use of his limbs, free from pain, and happy in believing in Jesus.
When the disciples saw the amazement of the people, Peter asked,
“Why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though
by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?” He
assured them that the cure had been wrought in the name and through
the merits of Jesus of Nazareth, whom God had raised from the dead.
“His name through faith in His name,” the apostle declared, “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 apostles spoke plainly of the great sin of the Jews in rejecting
and putting to death the Prince of life; but they were careful not to
drive their hearers to despair. “Ye denied the Holy One and the Just,”
Peter said, “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 now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye
did it, as did also your rulers. But those things, which God before had
showed by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He
hath so fulfilled.” He declared that the Holy Spirit was calling upon
them to repent and be converted, and assured them that there was no
hope of salvation except through the mercy of the One whom they had
crucified. Only through faith in Him could their sins be forgiven.
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted,” he cried, “that your sins
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may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the
presence of the Lord.”
“Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which
God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed
shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God,