God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - the God of our Fathers

ACTS 3 COMMENTARY ◄
Acts 3:8-12 Praising God

Acts 3:13-21 God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

ACTS 3:13 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Son Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.

Who are "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (Acts 3:13)?
Jacob is the man whose twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel. Isaac was Jacob's father, and Abraham was Isaac's father and Jacob's grandfather. God chose Abraham, who was originally named "Abram" and born in Ur in what is Iraq today, and covenanted to turn his descendants into a mighty nation (see Genesis 15 commentary), so the Jews revered Abraham, as well as Isaac and Jacob, as the "fathers" (Acts 3:13) of their nation.

Is it true that Pilate had been "determined to let" (Acts 3:13) Jesus go?
See Pontius Pilate and Crucify Him.

ACTS 3:14-16 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

What "murderer" had they asked "to be granted to" (Acts 3:14) them?
See Barabbas.

To whom does Peter attribute the healing of the lame man?
"Jesus... the Prince of life... His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong" (Acts 3:13,15,16).

What is Peter doing?
Preaching a sermon to those gathered.

ACTS 3:17-21 17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

What had they done "in ignorance" (Acts 3:17)?
Call for the crucifixion of Jesus.

To which "rulers" (Acts 3:17) is Peter referring?
Members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of Israel that includes the chief priests and Pharisees.

Who "had foretold... that Christ would suffer"?
"All of His prophets," including David, who described in precise detail a thousand years in advance how Christ would suffer on the cross: see Psalm 22. Also see Isaiah 53.

What is Peter saying about Jesus in Acts 3:20-21?
That He will be in "heaven" until His second coming

Was Peter's statement, "You denied the Holy One and the Just... and killed the Prince of life" (Acts 3:14) at the start of this sermon directed at the entire crowd or just a few people in the crowd?
The entire crowd

What does that indicate?
The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus were such universally supported and recognized events, respectively, in Jerusalem that 50+ days later Peter saw no need to exempt anyone from having called for His death or to talk about the evidences for His resurrection.

Is this sermon still applicable today?
It was our sins as well that "killed the Prince of life," for which we must "repent therefore and be converted, that" our "sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19).

Which word in Acts 3:19 is often omitted in 'alter calls' from many pulpits today?
"Repent" (Acts 3:19)

What does that raise?
The number of false converts who bring their unrepented sins into the church.

Whose fault is that?