6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
3:6
Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you:
It must have been a jolt to the beggar to hear that Peter and John had no money to give him. The beggar’s immediate need was not money but physical healing.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Peter pointed to the fact that it was Jesus who healed and not the apostles. Jesus healed by His own authority; Peter healed by Jesus’ authority or “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.” The idea of a “name” is more than an appellation. To invoke the name of Jesus was to call upon His authority.
3:7
And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
As a physician, Luke took note that the lame man received instantaneous strength in his feet and ankle bones.
PRINCIPLE:
The Lord Jesus Christ gave authority to the apostles and prophets to heal, by which the miracles were accredited as authentic.
APPLICATION:
The proof of an apostle (technical use of the word) of Christ was the performance of signs, wonders, and miracles (Acts 2:43; 2 Cor 12:12). God confirmed His Word through the apostles (He 2:3-4). Since the close of the canon of the New Testament, the technical sense of an apostle is no longer necessary because the New Testament is complete. We determine authentic messengers of God by how faithful they are to the Word of God.
The early church did not embark on a gigantic social ministry. The social implications were tertiary or secondary to the proclamation of the gospel, the reality of Christ, and what He did for mankind. The church’s primary goal is not to offer “silver and gold” to the world, but the gospel. Neither does the Christian message rest on social programs of government; the Bible depicts the need for government to protect its citizens and provide services that other aspects of society cannot provide, such as roads, safe medicines, etc. Civil law cannot do what the regeneration of the individual can do.
