Was the begger healed because of the Apostle's faith or because his own faith ?
Acts 3:16
ESV - 16 And his name - by faith in his name - has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
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Asked March 05 2015
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T. OBrien
Supporter
Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.
Deon A
Supporter
The first thing to realize is that we should not overhype what is define as faith in many circles. We should not attribute intrinsic power to faith. Faith can only be as 'powerful' as God's response to it, and that was why Peter was silent about his faith or the lame man's faith. God was the one who did it for the definite purpose of drawing the temple goers to the Gospel. Historically, Jesus Himself passed thought that gate, and if we consider that the lame man had been doing business there for years, that means Jesus Himself did not heal the man. But now it was time for that miracle, and God was the one who determine it. Peter did what He did because he was led by God. If God did not arrange that event, His 'faith' could not have worked. Faith for miracles is not something we manually stir up in us. It is God's imparted gift, and a fruit of righteousness. "The just shall live by faith", yet this faith is "the faith of the Son of God", not our faith. Paul made it clear: "The life that I live, I live by the faith of the Son of God." (Read Gal. 2:20-21.). The lame man did not exercise any faith as far as we can tell from the passage. Peter exercised faith, but that faith was not something that belonged to him in the way we think, or he would have healed all lame men in Palestine. It was not Peter's faith, but like Peter himself pointed out, "Faith in His name."
Frederick Thomas
Supporter
My opinion is this: Peter was just responding to the leading of the Spirit because it was at that time God’s will (Luke 5:17) to accept the man’s faith. Acts 3 verse 5 says the man was “expecting to receive something.” We must have faith in God at all times but God will determine distribution as He won’t feed greed (James 4:3) or anything that will be harmful to you. Even a good thing can be harmful if given at the wrong time. God knows all things past, present and future. Whose faith? The norm is the faith of the beggar, sick, lame, poor and all who are weary and heavy laden Mat 11:28 and all those with anxiety. (1 Pet 5:7) There was another instance where the sick person was maybe unable to have faith (Mark 2:5) his friend’s faith counted and another where the person was dead Mt 9:18 the friends and families faith was accepted and another where the preacher or prayer giver’s faith was counted (John 11:38) because the person was dead. All this is subject to our All Knowing God's will (1 John 5:14)
Jeffrey Johnson
Supporter
Was the beggar healed because of the Apostle's faith or because of his own faith? Acts 3 presents the healing as the direct result of Christ's power being exercised through His name, not as an outcome of the disabled man's expectation or any spiritual capacity within Peter. Peter immediately rejects the idea that the miracle arose from human ability or holiness (Acts 3:12), and later affirms that the man's restoration came through the effectiveness of Jesus' name, which brought strength and wholeness before the gathered crowd (Acts 3:16). The narrative shows that the man anticipated material help, not divine intervention (Acts 3:5), underscoring that the initiative belonged entirely to God. Peter's words point away from himself and toward the risen Lord, whose authority accomplishes what human effort cannot. The healing therefore stands as a witness to Christ acting through His servants, demonstrating that divine mercy moves independently of human merit or expectation. Summary: Acts 3 reveals a moment where Jesus' sovereign power brought renewal to long‑standing infirmity, making clear that the miracle flowed from His command. Peter's declaration in verse 6 highlights that the name of Jesus carries the ability to restore, and verse 16 confirms that this faith—rooted in Christ alone—produced the man's complete recovery. The event shows God working freely and purposefully so that all who witnessed it would recognise the living Christ still active among His people. The account ultimately teaches that the authority of Jesus, not human anticipation, is the source of healing, and that divine power operates wherever His name is invoked according to His will. Acts 3 reminds us that Christ meets us with restoring power even when we are not looking for it, turning moments of ordinary need into places where His grace lifts us and reveals His living presence.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
Good question, T. O'Brian! First see the big picture of this part of Acts 3 by Harold Wilmington: II. THE MESSAGE (Ac 3:12-26) A. Peter's explanation (Ac 3:12-16) 1. He speaks of restoration (Ac 3:12-13a, 16): The apostle says that God healed this man to bring glory to his Son, Jesus. 2. He speaks of rejection (Ac 3:13b-15a): Israel, however, crucified its own Messiah! 3. He speaks of the Resurrection (Ac 3:15b): God brought his Son back from the dead! B. Peter's exhortation (Ac 3:17-26) 1. The divine plea (Ac 3:17, 19) a. Why Israel rejected Jesus (Ac 3:17): This was done out of ignorance! b. Why Israel should now receive Jesus (Ac 3:19): So that they might experience redemption and cleansing. 2. The divine program (Ac 3:18, 20-26) a. The prophets (Ac 3:22-25): God spoke through Moses, Samuel, and all the Old Testament prophets in regard to this plan of the ages. b. The prophecies involved (Ac 3:18, 20-21, 26) (1) Jesus' crucifixion (Ac 3:18) (2) Jesus' resurrection (Ac 3:26) (3) Jesus' present ministry (Ac 3:21) (4) Jesus' second coming (Ac 3:20) The healing was not because of the beggar’s own faith. He is never credited with any. It was instrumentally because of the Apostle's (Peter's) active faith in the name of Jesus. But ultimately, looking at all my favorite cross-rerences (Eph 2:8, Rom 4, 1 Tim 4:10), it was entirely the grace of God working through Peter's gift of faith, applied to the beggar. This happened so that "in the presence of you all" (Acts 3:16), God alone would receive the glory. It was not Peter's piety, and it was not the beggar's merit. AI assisting with https://classic.net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Faith
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