And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
Peter spoke to the men of Israel in the temple after the healing of the man lame from birth to show the miracle came not by human power or holiness but through faith in the name of the risen Jesus. He charged them with delivering up and denying the Holy One and the Just in Pilate's presence when Pilate was determined to let Him go, and desiring a murderer instead to put the Prince of life to a cruel death on the cross. The title means Jesus is the source, giver, author and ruler of life, the Son of the living God, the Messiah, Redeemer of the world and Captain of salvation. They did it through ignorance as God had shown by all His prophets that Christ should suffer, yet their ignorance did not excuse them because they refused strong evidence and would not have killed Him had they known Him. But God raised Him from the dead on the third day, of which the apostles were bold witnesses in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the terrible charge was given in mercy as another call to repent and be converted that sins may be blotted out through faith in His blood.
Sermon Setting and Context
Peter spoke these words to the men of Israel in the temple after the healing of the man lame from birth, to answer their amazement at where the disciples obtained power to work miracles after Jesus had been crucified. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had glorified His Son Jesus, yet the people had delivered Him up and denied the Holy One and the Just in the presence of Pilate when Pilate was determined to let Him go and testified He was innocent, and had desired a murderer to be granted instead.
The power to make the lame man walk and be strong came not by the apostles' own power or holiness but through faith in the name of the risen Jesus. The cure of the cripple was done in Jesus' name and through His merits, with all honor to Him, as a continuation of the same work Jesus did when with them. Jesus, whom they had rejected and crucified, was the source of the healed man's strength and complete soundness, and His name healed the sick; His death did not end the power at work through His disciples, because He lives again and His work and truth continued and had not been stopped.
The apostles spoke as witnesses that Jesus, whom their opponents killed, was raised from the dead, and their testimony to His resurrection was given with boldness and the power of the Holy Spirit. It was spoken after His crucifixion and resurrection and ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, when the Jews thought the disciples would be discouraged and hopeless, yet they preached the gospel with all fervor and with power. Peter spoke this truth plainly before hostile religious leaders despite the disfavor it could bring, with firm, bold testimony assuring others that Jesus was the Son of God, the Son of the Infinite God.
Because Christ was in them as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life their witness could not be repressed, but rang out clear and distinct like a trumpet giving a certain sound. They declared the hearers had denied the Holy One and the Just and desired a murderer, and they proved the resurrection by the healing where His name through faith in His name made the lame man strong with perfect soundness before them all. Under the testimony of the Holy Spirit the very accusers of Christ were themselves accused.
Preaching that killing and resurrection in a single discourse led thousands to believe in the resurrection and ascension of Christ, with many who heard believing to about five thousand men. It enraged the chief priests and elders and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees, who had slain Jesus to turn the minds of the people to themselves but found the matter worse than before, and who were grieved that the apostles taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. For these words Peter and John were seized and laid hands on and held until the next day, and the leaders would gladly have put them to death but dared not for fear of the people, openly exposed as murderers and unable to determine how far these things would grow or how the people would regard them. His healing power and exaltation drew people to believe in Him, while His killers feared that many would turn to Him and accuse them of His murder.
The verse marks the change from Peter's earlier self-confidence and denial to faithful witness after Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, showing his restoration as Christ's witness. Before conversion he was the self-confident, boasting Peter who vowed to go to prison and death yet denied Jesus thrice in humiliation in the judgment-hall with cursing and swearing, and was broken by Jesus' grieved look. After the crucifixion and resurrection he boldly declares the rulers guilty before them, proving the power of conversion and the Holy Spirit to make fearful deniers faithful witnesses.
Title Prince of Life
The title Prince of life means Jesus is the source and giver and author and ruler of life, the Son of the living God and Son of the Infinite God, the Lord of life and glory. The man the Jews crucified is this Prince, whom God raised from the dead, and the apostles as His representatives and witnesses gave firm and bold testimony to His resurrection and Sonship after His resurrection and ascension. They did in His name the same works He had done when with them, declaring their works were not by their own power but a continuation of His work, and their humility in pointing from themselves to the unseen Majesty of heaven still working through them increased rather than diminished their influence.
The title also identifies Him as the Messiah, the promised Deliverer, the Redeemer of the world, the rightful heir to David's throne, the Holy One of God, the Captain of salvation, King and Redeemer and Light of the world. The people recognized His divine power and regarded Him as the promised Deliverer and rightful heir, though He did not seek their applause or claim kingship for Himself, and their plan to make Him king shows they expected a temporal ruler rather than understanding the work He came to do. The disciples proclaimed Him as the promised Messiah, and even the powers of darkness acknowledged Him as the Holy One of God. He is the long-expected Messiah promised as the coming Saviour to ancient Israel, God's highest pledge that the gates of hell would not prevail against His commandment-keeping people and that the church could not perish, the One through whose power all who receive Him are saved, the same Christ who spoke to Israel enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, so that loyalty to all His words would have made them triumphant over all enemies, and He is the author of true religion from the days of Adam and the origin and foundation of the Jewish sacrificial system whose death fulfilled the types and vindicated God's law and truth in fulfillment of prophecy.
This teaching about Jesus as the Prince of life was the alarming doctrine Saul believed he had a duty to stamp out, mistakenly believing that faith in Jesus repudiated God's law and sacrificial service and zealously persecuting the church. Christ's revelation of the risen Jesus to him showed him that the Jesus he opposed was the world's Redeemer, and that opposing Jesus meant opposing the world's Redeemer.
As Prince of life and Prince of heaven He laid aside His royal robe and crown, clothed His divinity with humanity, and came into the sinful world as a helpless babe born in Bethlehem to parents in very humble circumstances. Though accustomed to honor and absolute power in heaven and Himself the Creator of the world, He took the nature of weak, erring humanity, was brought up in poverty, labored with His own hands at the carpenter's bench as a common day laborer to help meet the wants of the family, and came not as a Prince with myriads of angels but poor, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, to bring mercy, uplift the cast down, renew the waste places, obtain life for every person, and give an example of perfection of Christian character and of what humanity could and should be. He had to remain at the level of humanity by contract with the Father as man's probationer, which was as difficult as it is for fallen people to rise above depraved nature to share the divine nature, yet because He endured hardship, poverty and humiliation He has tenderest sympathy for those struggling to obtain knowledge under difficulties, and His life shows the poor in humble position can still become missionaries for God, trusting implicitly in Him and becoming powerful agents by the divine Spirit and simple living faith to win souls, with no need to be sad or discouraged, while God sent Him that believers might receive a life that measures with the life of God and His glory will fill the whole earth and His dominion endure through all generations.
He came without outward display, concealing His glory and divine claims under the humanity He assumed, so the Jewish nation did not acknowledge Him. Beneath His humble, travel-worn appearance was divine love, and His mercy and divine power were shown in works no human could do, healing people and restoring God's moral image in them, yet lack of piety and godliness and blindness by sin kept men from recognizing Him. The Scriptures and prophecies were to show how He would come, testifying of the manner of His coming by which He was to be recognized as the only begotten Son of God with the Father from eternal ages, the first Great Teacher sent as the Light of the world, the likeness of God in whom the Father was represented. The concealment was necessary, for had He displayed the glory He had with the Father men would have taken Him by force and made Him king and thwarted His pathway to the cross, where He was to close His life by a solemn oblation of Himself in which type reached antitype, His whole life of obedience living the law in humanity being a preface to His death, by perfect obedience redeeming Adam's transgression and failure as a sample to all men.
As Prince of life He has authority over death, and by the power of His word He released Moses from death's hold and raised him from the tomb, His glory driving back Satan and his angels when they claimed Moses' body, so that Moses was carried to heaven. His own resurrection was confirmed by witnesses, including people raised from their graves who testified that He had risen. Those raised with Him were a pledge of the future resurrection of the righteous dead, whom Christ will call to immortal life, only a part of believers proving that He took captives to heaven and guaranteeing that when He comes again with power and great glory He will open the prison house of the graves and bring the dead forth to glorious immortality as Substitute and Surety for those who overcome, having by dying accomplished the death of Satan the prince of darkness and author of death, and by rising taken power over death, grasped His power and scepter, opened the graves and brought up a multitude of captives as a specimen of what will be and as trophies presented to heaven and the created worlds, testifying that He rescued the captives of death and that death and the grave will not hold them, prevailing at infinite cost wherein His triumph is salvation.
Though killed, God raised Him from the dead and exalted Him to His right hand and to royal majesty in heaven, where He now is as Saviour, to whose divinity the apostles boldly witnessed despite the threats of those who had crucified Him. After His resurrection He ascended to the heavenly courts to hear from God Himself that His sacrifice was accepted and His atonement for the sins of men was ample, so that through His blood all might gain eternal life, refusing the homage of His people until He knew His sacrifice was accepted. All power in heaven and on earth was given to Him as the Prince of life, and He returned to His followers in a world of sin to impart to them His power and glory. He poured out His precious blood on the cross as an atonement for sin, and by His obedience to death brought in everlasting righteousness, which gives reason for joy and hope and eternal life to those who receive and believe, while bringing God's judgment on those who reject His mercy; there is no other name wherein to trust eternal interests, but in Christ full implicit reliance is safe, for He does not save because a person is perfect but because the needy imperfect person has trusted in Him even with feeble faith.
Killing the Prince
Those confronted delivered Him up and denied the Holy One and the Just in the presence of Pilate when Pilate was determined to let Him go and testified He was innocent, and they desired a murderer and robber Barabbas to be granted instead. Placed before the people beside Barabbas for choice between light and darkness, righteousness and sin, truth and falsehood, they refused the sinless One bearing the seal of heaven and full of goodness, mercy and truth, crying not for Him but for Barabbas and demanding that He be crucified, showing they preferred the society of a murderer to His. In His place they chose a robber and a heathen king, shouting for Caesar with no king but Caesar, and by that choice withdrew from the divine theocracy and chose a heathen ruler. The killing put the Prince of life, the Son of God in spotless purity, to a cruel death on the cross as a disturber of peace and customs. He bore the contradiction of sinners against Himself, was betrayed, mocked and derided, dragged from tribunal to tribunal on false testimony, given up to malice, scourged, spit upon, made to faint under the cross, then lifted on the cross with a crown of thorns while soldiers quarreled over His garments and priests and rulers taunted Him, amid unnatural darkness, rending rocks, thunder, lightning and shaking earth.
He was laid as a prisoner in Joseph's new tomb in the darkest hour before daybreak on the first day, with the great stone in place and the Roman seal unbroken and Roman guards watching, the darkest night the church had ever known. His death was opposed by unseen watchers, hosts of evil angels gathered about the place under the prince of darkness who would have kept the tomb forever sealed if possible, while a heavenly host surrounded the sepulcher and angels that excel in strength guarded it and waited to welcome Him at His raising by God. He entered the grave as Sin-bearer to open a grave for the sins of all who accept Him, paying the redemption price for a fallen world and offering the sacrifice for sin, bringing triumph in heaven, and He died the shameful cursed death for sinners so the world should not perish but all who believe should have everlasting life. The act was done through ignorance by the people and their rulers, fulfilling what God had shown by the mouth of all His prophets that Christ should suffer, yet it was a great sin and grave crime.
Their ignorance did not excuse them, because they had strong evidence and chose not to seek or accept it, making them guilty of rejecting and killing the Son of God. They neglected God's word and the word of life and failed to search the Scriptures, misinterpreted the Scriptures testifying of Him, and did not know who He was because they refused every evidence given them that He was the Messiah. Had they known He was the Prince of life and Lord of glory they would not have killed Him. The priests and rabbis did not perceive Him though they had studied the prophecies and claimed wisdom worthy of confidence and competency to teach and expound doctrine, because they were ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God, and the learning of the world's great men does not open the mysteries of redemption. They hated Him because His pure and holy character rebuked their selfishness and corruption and exposed their evil ways and hypocrisy and shame, though they could not convict Him of sin, and their rejection despite light stands as warning that refusing greater light and reproof brings greater guilt and retribution.
Satan first blinded their eyes so they would not receive Jesus as Saviour, then through envy at His mighty works led them to desire His life, and entered one of His own followers and led him to betray Him into the hands of His enemies to crucify Him. Satan worked through disobedient people to oppose God's work and sought to extinguish the light reaching the world from God, with Jewish priests and rulers as His agents in stirring the murderous crowd against the King of kings and Lord of lords. He worked through bigotry and prejudice in the religious element, while Christ's principles condemned all guile, policy for supremacy, and unholy practice, with Pilate proclaiming Him innocent yet yielding to enmity and Pilate and Herod becoming friends in crucifying Him. In the vineyard parable the beloved son sent by God as the final appeal to Israel represents Jesus, and the husbandmen's decision to seize and kill Him reveals the leaders' murderous purpose and fulfills the pattern of rejecting and killing God's messengers. Israel rejected the Holy One of Israel and became responsible for His crucifixion, His life among them exposing their selfishness and refusal to honor God's rightful claims, and their treatment of Him brings the vineyard's unfaithful tenants under judgment.
He came to His own people to give them life, on a mission of mercy to save the world not to condemn it, calling all to behold Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He was refused, scorned as a deceiver and hunted from place to place as a pretender, yet human rejection did not make Him one. He was put to death by the very people He came to save, as champions of righteousness are opposed by Satan and his angels confederated with evil men who strive to counteract their testimony and destroy them. The One who came to give them life and whom they put to death in the crucifixion is the same Angel who led Israel through the wilderness guiding their journey from Egypt to Canaan, and His sufferings were shown to Moses in panoramic scenes on Pisgah's summit while the nation appealing to the law and the Father said they would have nothing to do with Christ and cried away with Him.
Raised by God
Those addressed killed Him, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day, calling Him forth from the tomb where He had proclaimed Himself the resurrection and the life, of which the disciples are witnesses. He is the Prince of life, whom they denied and killed while asking for a murderer to be given to them, and the charge comes with striking force as a call to repent and be converted that sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. The killing was done through ignorance by the people and their rulers, fulfilling what God had shown by the mouth of all His prophets that Christ should suffer, yet it was a great sin and grave crime from which hearers were not to despair, since salvation, forgiveness of sins, and turning from sin come through God's mercy and faith in the One they crucified. Faith in His name gives strength and perfect soundness, as the cure of the cripple was done in Jesus' name and through His merits, not by the apostles' own power, and the risen Christ remains in heaven until God sends Him again at the times of restitution of all things spoken by all the holy prophets since the world began.
The resurrection was confirmed by many witnesses: He appeared to His disciples and to more than five hundred people at once, and people whom He raised with Him appeared to many and declared that He had risen. Reports from people who saw and spoke with those raised at His resurrection testified that He had risen, confirming the truth of His resurrection and His claim to be the divine Son of God. These resurrected people were a pledge of the future resurrection of the righteous dead, whom Christ will call to immortal life.
Because He lives again, the miracles did not cease with His death, for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob glorified His Son Jesus whom the people delivered up and put to death. The power to make the lame man walk and be strong came not by the disciples' own power or holiness but through faith in the name of the risen Jesus, and Jesus whom they had rejected and crucified was the source of the healed man's strength and complete soundness. A miraculous healing and the apostles' preaching in His name showed that His work and truth continued and had not been stopped by His death.
Call to Repentance
The terrible charge that they had killed the Prince of life was given in mercy even after the crucifixion, as another call to repent and be converted that sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. It came with additional evidence in works done through the apostles, with Jesus present by the Holy Spirit in the assembly, and with the risen Christ remaining in heaven until God sends Him again at the times of restitution of all things spoken by all the holy prophets since the world began. It was spoken after the crucifixion and resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, when opponents expected the disciples to be discouraged and hopeless, yet they preached with fervor and power because Christ was in them as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life and could not be repressed. The testimony rang out clear and distinct like a trumpet giving a certain sound, declaring they had denied the Holy One and the Just and desired a murderer, and proving the resurrection by the lame man's perfect soundness through faith in His name before them all. The call astonished and grieved the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees that the apostles taught the resurrection through Jesus, so that they laid hands on them until the next day, yet many who heard believed to about five thousand men.
The hearers were not to despair, for though the killing was a great sin and grave crime, they had acted in ignorance as had their rulers, fulfilling what God had foretold by all His prophets that Christ should suffer. There was no hope apart from the mercy of the Christ they had crucified, but through faith in Him alone their sins could be canceled by His blood. Salvation, forgiveness of sins, and turning from sin come through God's mercy and faith in the One they crucified.
Putting the Son of God to death alone did not cut them off from salvation, for they could have been pardoned if they had yielded to the Holy Spirit and submitted. What cut them off was persistence in rejecting light and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, stifling conscience, refusing to yield, and choosing continued opposition and rebellion afresh every day. By allowing minds to be molded by another power until they became blind and hardened, arming themselves with the attributes of Satan, abusing the men through whom God was testifying, and preparing to reap what they had sown, they were left rejecting God.
Some believed that He had risen but still refused to acknowledge it or repent. Rejecting Christ insults the Prince of life and puts Him to shame before the synagogue of Satan and before the heavenly universe, and refusing the invitation of mercy repeats the same error as the Jewish people who in rejecting Him committed the unpardonable sin. Refusing to listen to His delegated messengers and listening instead to the agents of Satan who would draw the soul away from Christ is that insult to the Prince of life, and so long as one does this there is no hope or pardon, until in the end all desire to be reconciled to God is lost.
Their blindness came from neglecting the word of life and failing to search the Scriptures, neglecting eternal truth for lesser things that occupy the mind, which also leaves people spiritually wanting. Slighting, refusing, and rejecting heaven-sent light puts men in the same position as those Jews at great peril to their souls, for heaven-sent light must be appreciated and cherished and failure to appreciate it will be condemnation. Those who killed Him did not know who He was because they refused every evidence given them that He was the Messiah, and the same pattern holds for professed Christians today who refuse light upon truth and despise and ridicule those who receive it. When they rejected Him, God took the kingdom from them and gave it to others, showing that responsibility may be removed from an unfaithful people and entrusted to others.
Atonement and Salvation
Acts 3:15 calls Jesus the Prince of life who gave Himself even to death so that people might receive salvation and eternal life. While He was seeking the lost, Israel's leaders put Him to death, yet His death was a freewill offering for sin expressing God's love to a rebellious world, opening mercy to the world for all who believe in Christ. He suffered in this world, the just for the unjust, to save men from death and misery, manifesting the love of God to man. Remembering what He endured gives courage to trust God's omnipotent rule and faithful care when suffering wrongfully. His death is the supreme act of self-sacrifice to save the world and calls for gratitude and a life devoted to glorifying Him.
Wicked hands took Him and slew Him on the cross as a disturber of the peace and customs of the people. He lay in Joseph's new tomb, having descended into the grave as Sin-bearer and bearer of sin to open a grave for the sins of all who accept Him as personal Saviour. His death paid the redemption price for a fallen world and offered the sacrifice for sin, bringing triumph in heaven, though the night following the crucifixion was the darkest night the church had ever known.
Christ as the Prince of life gave Himself as an atoning sacrifice and died in behalf of the human family to take the penalty of Adam's transgression. Adam's disobedience brought the human family under the death penalty, but by taking fallen humanity's place and suffering the penalty of transgression Christ's death gives men a probation to see the evil of sin and makes it possible for sinners perishing in sin to return to allegiance to God. That probation sets before all a choice of leader between the apostate who was expelled from heaven and the Prince of life, that all might return to loyalty. His sacrifice of His blood makes it possible for people to keep God's commandments and calls them to give God their allegiance with full purpose of heart.
He is the author of true religion from the days of Adam, the Redeemer of the world, and the origin and foundation of the Jewish sacrificial system to which the sacrifices pointed. His death fulfilled the sacrificial types and vindicated God's law and truth in fulfillment of prophecy. He is the only begotten Son of God with the Father from eternal ages, the first Great Teacher sent as the Light of the world, the likeness of God in whom the Father was represented, whose divine glory and personal claims to deity were concealed under human form without outward display. The Jewish nation did not acknowledge Him because He came without outward display, though the Scriptures and prophecies testified of the manner of His coming by which He was to be recognized. The concealment was necessary, for had He displayed the glory He had with the Father men would have taken Him by force and made Him king and thwarted His pathway to the cross, where by solemn oblation of Himself type reached antitype, His whole life of obedience living the law in humanity being a preface to His death and by perfect obedience redeeming Adam's transgression and failure as a sample to all men.
Now at the Father's right hand He poured out His precious blood on the cross as an atonement for sin, and by His obedience unto death brought in everlasting righteousness, which gives reason for joy. There is no other name wherein to trust eternal interests, but in Christ full, implicit reliance is safe. He does not save because a person is perfect, but because the needy, imperfect person has trusted in Him, even with feeble faith. He is deeply interested in people's salvation and His death was not in vain, and a life that honors Him shows appreciation for what He has done.
A living connection with Him brings salvation and membership among the company described in Revelation 14:1-5. He is one of two heads over all people, the other being the prince of darkness, under whom every human agent is merging character so that all national, denominational, sectarian, rank and caste distinctions are lost. Those who receive Christ as the Prince of life are given power to become loyal sons of God who keep His commandments and receive the blessing of right to the tree of life and entrance through the gates into the city. Those who refuse remain under the prince of darkness as commandment breakers left outside.
Victory Over Satan
The title Prince of life sets Jesus in direct opposition to Satan as prince of darkness, prince of evil, prince of the world, author of sin and death, while Christ Himself is the author of salvation, and their long controversy beginning with sin climaxed at the cross. His death on the cross looked like Satan's victory, and Satan with his angels wrongly believed they had won, for he had worked to have Christ crucified. In truth that death practically ended the great conflict, exposed Satan's character and rebellion to the heavenly universe, sounded the death-knell of his power, and secured the unfallen worlds against him. Christ entered that conflict to free humanity from the captivity brought by Adam's sin, giving Himself as humanity's ransom and Substitute at great cost to maintain truth and redeem transgressors, while Satan met Him with falsehood and deception. The universe witnessed the death and saw God's justice and love displayed, His law vindicated and His government shown secure, and saw that Father and Son were willing to deny themselves for the good of others.
In the wilderness He defeated Satan's temptations on the very ground where Adam fell, enduring every test Adam failed to endure and every test fallen humanity meets. He undertook to clothe divinity with humanity, though honored in the heavenly courts and familiar with absolute power, contracting with the Father to remain a probationer at the level of humanity. Satan tried to delude Him into a bold display of divine power to prove His right to confidence as Saviour, showing knowledge of the weak points of the human heart and putting forth utmost power to exploit the weakness of the humanity Christ had assumed. To have used miraculous power to relieve Himself from difficulty and peril would have broken that contract, and keeping humanity's level cost Him the closest test requiring the strength of all His faculties to resist using His power to triumph over the prince of darkness. That victory reversed Adam's failure, brought salvation within reach, made all heaven rejoice at the enemy's defeat, and provides strength through His name for people to resist temptation, elevating the work of God for the human family.
Though He came as a man in the likeness of sinful flesh, He was pure, holy and uncontaminated, and His pure character condemned sin and was hated by the world. He fought evil on humanity's behalf from birth until the cross, meeting the prince of darkness as man's Champion, with fallen angels watching every stage of that humiliation, and every victory exalted, elevated and ennobled humanity. He was fully human, hungry, thirsty, weary, sustained by food, refreshed by sleep, full of natural affection, weeping in sympathy and lamenting over Jerusalem, tempted in all points like men are that He might help the tempted. By joining humanity to God He linked earth with heaven, and while bearing human nature He was dependent on the Omnipotent for life, laying hold of divinity and doing nothing that human nature may not do by partaking of the divine nature. His suffering and death place life in and through Him on an eternal basis of security, and His death, though Satan sought to destroy Him by having Him smitten, caused living streams of salvation to flow to all who thirst, like water from the smitten rock in the wilderness.
The two princes met again on the field of battle in the healing of the demon-possessed boy, Christ fulfilling His mission to preach deliverance to the captives and set at liberty the bruised, while Satan sought to hold his victim under his control. Angels of light and hosts of evil angels pressed near unseen to behold that conflict. The same opposition appeared in His healing of the sick and raising of the dead, showing His work of restoring life and taking humanity from Satan's power. In His human life He strengthened Himself through prayer and communion with the Father, praying earnestly in distress, and as Prince of life He had power with God and prevailed.
By dying He accomplished the death of Satan, who is the author of death, and by rising He took power over death, grasped His power and scepter, opened the graves and brought up a multitude of captives. Those raised were presented as firstfruits and trophies to heaven and the created worlds, a specimen of what will be, testifying that He rescued death's captives and that death and the grave will not hold them. That triumph, won at infinite cost, is salvation, and He stands as Substitute and Surety for those who overcome. It guarantees that when He comes again with power and great glory He will open the prison house of the graves and bring the dead forth to glorious immortality.
That controversy still goes on in the world and wages more sharply today than at any period of history. Wherever plans are set in operation to advance God's cause, Satan is on hand to counteract if possible the workings of the merciful heavenly Father, coming with temptations and using every advantage to control minds. He followed Christ with temptations seeking to exhaust God's forbearance toward humanity and ruin everyone, while the heavenly universe watched, and after Christ left the world the same conflict was taken up by His disciples. Believers are therefore to work and carry the plan of battle after Christ's devising, after the pattern, imitating the example of Jesus in obedience. Christ came also to represent the Father and reveal His love, countering Satan's false picture of God as the cause of human distress and suffering, and His sinless purity and perfect representation of God exposed Satan's falsehoods and stirred intense hatred, so that the enmity prophesied in Eden was displayed with special force when He lived on earth.
Following the Prince
All people are ranging under two leaders, Christ the Prince of life, Prince Emmanuel, and Satan the prince of darkness, prince of this world, in deadly opposition to Him. Every inhabitant of earth is urged by one or the other into service and must decide whether to obey God's law, with national, denominational, sectarian, rank, caste and worldly distinctions lost as character merges under one of the two heads. The decision reveals the loyalty of the heart and bears on salvation, for those who receive Christ as the Prince of life are given power to become loyal sons keeping His commandments with right to the tree of life and entrance through the gates, while those who refuse remain as commandment-breakers outside under the prince of darkness. In this great conflict now waged, not merely man against man, Jesus stands as man's substitute and surety against the prince of darkness and fallen angels under his command, and believers cannot without involving principle connect themselves with those not loyal to God because their principles are diverse from the ungodly.
To stand with Him is to volunteer as faithful soldiers in His army under His blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel, in contrast to those ruled and controlled by the prince of darkness. Continuing to stand requires constantly looking unto Him for orders, never being disloyal nor untrue, and inviting every soul to stand under it with earnest effort to continually increase His ranks. No one can be His soldier while engaging with the confederacy of Satan and helping his side, for that makes him an enemy of Christ, betrays sacred trusts, and forms a link through which Satan works to steal away the hearts of Christ's soldiers. The conflict between Him and the prince of darkness calls for constant vigilance from His soldiers, directing weapons against evil and not against fellow believers.
His life on earth showed He came not for wealth, status or worldly honor but to serve the suffering and needy, taking the place of the lowly, oppressed and suffering and sharing humanity's poverty and grief. Though He had divine power to supply a hungry multitude, He accepted the hardships of poverty to understand the needs of the poor, began His work in poverty and humiliation born to parents in very humble circumstances, labored with His own hands at the carpenter's bench as a common day laborer to help meet the wants of the family, and became poor that others might be made rich. His life rebukes self-seeking and makes plain the character of God's law and the nature of His service, showing that neglecting or mistreating the poor is neglecting Him while pity and benevolence toward them are accepted as shown to Him. Because He endured hardship, poverty and humiliation, He has tenderest sympathy for those struggling to obtain knowledge under difficulties, and His life shows the poor in humble position can still become missionaries trusting implicitly in Him and becoming powerful agents through the divine Spirit and simple living faith to win souls, with no need to be sad or discouraged, while His sacrifice far surpasses any self-denial people undergo to gain eternal life and immortal glory.
Though He held the exalted place of Governor of the heavenly host and Creator of the world, He humbled Himself as a man, came in human form in a humble place, obeyed every law of God and passed through human trials and temptations without sin. His life of self-denial, self-sacrifice and ministry expressed truth and blessed humanity through words and deeds, laying aside His royal position, becoming poor and giving His life to remove hindrances for those seeking God's kingdom. He is an example for those who take His name and are filled with His Spirit to learn meekness and lowliness of heart, to reject vanity and become self-denying, self-sacrificing workers with God, to deny self, take up the cross and follow Him, and to practice self-denial and support God's work with means in hope of immortality and glory, which enlarges understanding of eternal life.
In human flesh as representative of the human family He was fully human, hungry, thirsty, weary, sustained by food, refreshed by sleep, full of natural affection, weeping in sympathy and lamenting over Jerusalem, tempted in all points like men are that He might help the tempted. While bearing human nature He was dependent on the Omnipotent for life, laying hold of the divinity of God, and did nothing that human nature may not do by partaking of the divine nature. In Him divinity and humanity were combined so that in His humanity He could lay hold of humanity and by His divinity bring power, health and grace, laying off royal robe and crown to come as a helpless babe educated under heavenly angels and working at the carpenter's trade to give children a life measuring with the life of God. Thus human beings may stand on new ground through His grace, partake of the divine nature, escape corruption and overcome hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and be sanctified, purified, ennobled and one with Christ as Christ is one with the Father, while His suffering and death place life in and through Him on an eternal basis of security after meeting the prince of darkness on the very ground where Adam fell and overcoming every temptation that can be brought against fallen humanity.
As Prince of life and peace He is Helper, King and Saviour who never loses interest in people, under whose rule believers are to order their lives and homes, with sons and daughters to come under His sway. Looking to Him brings victory amid Satan's opposition, for people are not left to struggle alone and heavenly angels guard them, in the continuing battle against the prince of this world in which He seeks to preside in families and shape children's characters for good. In early childhood while character is pliable the mother is to choose Christ as co-worker, with love as the key to children's hearts making His influence welcome in the home. Parents are largely accountable for the power they exercise in the family to fit children for His rule whatever their business calling, and giving this fitting is the highest possible education, done by correctness in speech and habits in the home, acting His example before children, and preventing all peevishness of speech and querulous complaint.
He is to be made known through church members who actively work and show His self-sacrificing spirit, revealing His saving truth in character and seeking to save perishing souls, for He is the Friend of publicans and sinners who came from heaven to earth, bore insult, mockery and death, and whose reign in glory is being prepared in heaven to be proclaimed to every nation, language and people. Workers must remain connected with Him and recognize Him as authority for their actions. He is to be uplifted before those suffering and subdued by affliction through medical-missionary work, so that as hearts are softened by grace they listen to the gospel, see its claims, and give ear to the last message of mercy calling them to come.
Though He had power to heal the sick and raise the dead, in human life He strengthened Himself through prayer and communion with the Father, praying earnestly in distress, and as the Prince of life without sin He had power with God and prevailed for His people. Though killed, God raised Him, and He now stands before the throne to receive believers' petitions and present them to the Father as Redeemer and Mediator. His authority extends over the whole universe and fallen humanity, having paid the ransom so all may be saved through Him by obeying, believing, receiving and living, defending them against Satan, subduing their enemies, making them more than conquerors, guarding them by angels and giving victory to those looking to Him.
As Saviour and perfect educator He chose humble fishermen as disciples and co-workers because they welcomed His teaching, rather than learned Jewish leaders who were proud of worldly wisdom and self-righteousness and felt no need of a Redeemer and would not follow Him. Education itself is not opposed to Him, for the highest culture is acceptable when guided by love and fear of God, and He refined His disciples through His teaching. His love and the knowledge of Him with Scripture history including the history of Jesus belong in every part of education and in every plan and organization as essential knowledge for students.
As Prince of life and Captain of salvation He threw down the walls of Jericho without the touch of a human hand. Those who enlist under His banner and come under subjection to Him have Him with them with every provision made, and He arms them with sufficiency, power and grace to walk through the fiery trials and temptations the enemy prepares, having taken humanity to bless humanity, come close to humanity and encircle them in everlasting arms so believers can be partakers with Him in His suffering. Though supreme in power He allowed those who struck and insulted Him to challenge Him to prophesy when He could have stopped them but did not, and He endured being falsely spoken of and condemned. Those who reproach His faithful followers should not cause them to turn aside from truth to escape judgment, but to meet it with patience and good conduct.
He watches those who have received great light and knowledge to see whether they practice what they have learned and help fellow workers walk in the light as He does. Following deceptive scientific theories makes Christ, who is God, into nothingness. At His birth as the world's Redeemer the angels expected people to honor Him because of His character and the dignity of His mission, yet no preparation welcomed Him, setting His title against failure to recognize Him. Satan contested Him, and those who claim superiority over Christ repeat that opposition.
Peter spoke to the men of Israel in the temple after the healing of the man lame from birth to show the miracle came not by human power or holiness but through faith in the name of the risen Jesus. He charged them with delivering up and denying the Holy One and the Just in Pilate's presence when Pilate was determined to let Him go, and desiring a murderer instead to put the Prince of life to a cruel death on the cross. The title means Jesus is the source, giver, author and ruler of life, the Son of the living God, the Messiah, Redeemer of the world and Captain of salvation. They did it through ignorance as God had shown by all His prophets that Christ should suffer, yet their ignorance did not excuse them because they refused strong evidence and would not have killed Him had they known Him. But God raised Him from the dead on the third day, of which the apostles were bold witnesses in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the terrible charge was given in mercy as another call to repent and be converted that sins may be blotted out through faith in His blood.
Sermon Setting and Context
Peter spoke these words to the men of Israel in the temple after the healing of the man lame from birth, to answer their amazement at where the disciples obtained power to work miracles after Jesus had been crucified. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had glorified His Son Jesus, yet the people had delivered Him up and denied the Holy One and the Just in the presence of Pilate when Pilate was determined to let Him go and testified He was innocent, and had desired a murderer to be granted instead.
The power to make the lame man walk and be strong came not by the apostles' own power or holiness but through faith in the name of the risen Jesus. The cure of the cripple was done in Jesus' name and through His merits, with all honor to Him, as a continuation of the same work Jesus did when with them. Jesus, whom they had rejected and crucified, was the source of the healed man's strength and complete soundness, and His name healed the sick; His death did not end the power at work through His disciples, because He lives again and His work and truth continued and had not been stopped.
The apostles spoke as witnesses that Jesus, whom their opponents killed, was raised from the dead, and their testimony to His resurrection was given with boldness and the power of the Holy Spirit. It was spoken after His crucifixion and resurrection and ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, when the Jews thought the disciples would be discouraged and hopeless, yet they preached the gospel with all fervor and with power. Peter spoke this truth plainly before hostile religious leaders despite the disfavor it could bring, with firm, bold testimony assuring others that Jesus was the Son of God, the Son of the Infinite God.
Because Christ was in them as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life their witness could not be repressed, but rang out clear and distinct like a trumpet giving a certain sound. They declared the hearers had denied the Holy One and the Just and desired a murderer, and they proved the resurrection by the healing where His name through faith in His name made the lame man strong with perfect soundness before them all. Under the testimony of the Holy Spirit the very accusers of Christ were themselves accused.
Preaching that killing and resurrection in a single discourse led thousands to believe in the resurrection and ascension of Christ, with many who heard believing to about five thousand men. It enraged the chief priests and elders and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees, who had slain Jesus to turn the minds of the people to themselves but found the matter worse than before, and who were grieved that the apostles taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. For these words Peter and John were seized and laid hands on and held until the next day, and the leaders would gladly have put them to death but dared not for fear of the people, openly exposed as murderers and unable to determine how far these things would grow or how the people would regard them. His healing power and exaltation drew people to believe in Him, while His killers feared that many would turn to Him and accuse them of His murder.
The verse marks the change from Peter's earlier self-confidence and denial to faithful witness after Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, showing his restoration as Christ's witness. Before conversion he was the self-confident, boasting Peter who vowed to go to prison and death yet denied Jesus thrice in humiliation in the judgment-hall with cursing and swearing, and was broken by Jesus' grieved look. After the crucifixion and resurrection he boldly declares the rulers guilty before them, proving the power of conversion and the Holy Spirit to make fearful deniers faithful witnesses.
Title Prince of Life
The title Prince of life means Jesus is the source and giver and author and ruler of life, the Son of the living God and Son of the Infinite God, the Lord of life and glory. The man the Jews crucified is this Prince, whom God raised from the dead, and the apostles as His representatives and witnesses gave firm and bold testimony to His resurrection and Sonship after His resurrection and ascension. They did in His name the same works He had done when with them, declaring their works were not by their own power but a continuation of His work, and their humility in pointing from themselves to the unseen Majesty of heaven still working through them increased rather than diminished their influence.
The title also identifies Him as the Messiah, the promised Deliverer, the Redeemer of the world, the rightful heir to David's throne, the Holy One of God, the Captain of salvation, King and Redeemer and Light of the world. The people recognized His divine power and regarded Him as the promised Deliverer and rightful heir, though He did not seek their applause or claim kingship for Himself, and their plan to make Him king shows they expected a temporal ruler rather than understanding the work He came to do. The disciples proclaimed Him as the promised Messiah, and even the powers of darkness acknowledged Him as the Holy One of God. He is the long-expected Messiah promised as the coming Saviour to ancient Israel, God's highest pledge that the gates of hell would not prevail against His commandment-keeping people and that the church could not perish, the One through whose power all who receive Him are saved, the same Christ who spoke to Israel enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, so that loyalty to all His words would have made them triumphant over all enemies, and He is the author of true religion from the days of Adam and the origin and foundation of the Jewish sacrificial system whose death fulfilled the types and vindicated God's law and truth in fulfillment of prophecy.
This teaching about Jesus as the Prince of life was the alarming doctrine Saul believed he had a duty to stamp out, mistakenly believing that faith in Jesus repudiated God's law and sacrificial service and zealously persecuting the church. Christ's revelation of the risen Jesus to him showed him that the Jesus he opposed was the world's Redeemer, and that opposing Jesus meant opposing the world's Redeemer.
As Prince of life and Prince of heaven He laid aside His royal robe and crown, clothed His divinity with humanity, and came into the sinful world as a helpless babe born in Bethlehem to parents in very humble circumstances. Though accustomed to honor and absolute power in heaven and Himself the Creator of the world, He took the nature of weak, erring humanity, was brought up in poverty, labored with His own hands at the carpenter's bench as a common day laborer to help meet the wants of the family, and came not as a Prince with myriads of angels but poor, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, to bring mercy, uplift the cast down, renew the waste places, obtain life for every person, and give an example of perfection of Christian character and of what humanity could and should be. He had to remain at the level of humanity by contract with the Father as man's probationer, which was as difficult as it is for fallen people to rise above depraved nature to share the divine nature, yet because He endured hardship, poverty and humiliation He has tenderest sympathy for those struggling to obtain knowledge under difficulties, and His life shows the poor in humble position can still become missionaries for God, trusting implicitly in Him and becoming powerful agents by the divine Spirit and simple living faith to win souls, with no need to be sad or discouraged, while God sent Him that believers might receive a life that measures with the life of God and His glory will fill the whole earth and His dominion endure through all generations.
He came without outward display, concealing His glory and divine claims under the humanity He assumed, so the Jewish nation did not acknowledge Him. Beneath His humble, travel-worn appearance was divine love, and His mercy and divine power were shown in works no human could do, healing people and restoring God's moral image in them, yet lack of piety and godliness and blindness by sin kept men from recognizing Him. The Scriptures and prophecies were to show how He would come, testifying of the manner of His coming by which He was to be recognized as the only begotten Son of God with the Father from eternal ages, the first Great Teacher sent as the Light of the world, the likeness of God in whom the Father was represented. The concealment was necessary, for had He displayed the glory He had with the Father men would have taken Him by force and made Him king and thwarted His pathway to the cross, where He was to close His life by a solemn oblation of Himself in which type reached antitype, His whole life of obedience living the law in humanity being a preface to His death, by perfect obedience redeeming Adam's transgression and failure as a sample to all men.
As Prince of life He has authority over death, and by the power of His word He released Moses from death's hold and raised him from the tomb, His glory driving back Satan and his angels when they claimed Moses' body, so that Moses was carried to heaven. His own resurrection was confirmed by witnesses, including people raised from their graves who testified that He had risen. Those raised with Him were a pledge of the future resurrection of the righteous dead, whom Christ will call to immortal life, only a part of believers proving that He took captives to heaven and guaranteeing that when He comes again with power and great glory He will open the prison house of the graves and bring the dead forth to glorious immortality as Substitute and Surety for those who overcome, having by dying accomplished the death of Satan the prince of darkness and author of death, and by rising taken power over death, grasped His power and scepter, opened the graves and brought up a multitude of captives as a specimen of what will be and as trophies presented to heaven and the created worlds, testifying that He rescued the captives of death and that death and the grave will not hold them, prevailing at infinite cost wherein His triumph is salvation.
Though killed, God raised Him from the dead and exalted Him to His right hand and to royal majesty in heaven, where He now is as Saviour, to whose divinity the apostles boldly witnessed despite the threats of those who had crucified Him. After His resurrection He ascended to the heavenly courts to hear from God Himself that His sacrifice was accepted and His atonement for the sins of men was ample, so that through His blood all might gain eternal life, refusing the homage of His people until He knew His sacrifice was accepted. All power in heaven and on earth was given to Him as the Prince of life, and He returned to His followers in a world of sin to impart to them His power and glory. He poured out His precious blood on the cross as an atonement for sin, and by His obedience to death brought in everlasting righteousness, which gives reason for joy and hope and eternal life to those who receive and believe, while bringing God's judgment on those who reject His mercy; there is no other name wherein to trust eternal interests, but in Christ full implicit reliance is safe, for He does not save because a person is perfect but because the needy imperfect person has trusted in Him even with feeble faith.
Killing the Prince
Those confronted delivered Him up and denied the Holy One and the Just in the presence of Pilate when Pilate was determined to let Him go and testified He was innocent, and they desired a murderer and robber Barabbas to be granted instead. Placed before the people beside Barabbas for choice between light and darkness, righteousness and sin, truth and falsehood, they refused the sinless One bearing the seal of heaven and full of goodness, mercy and truth, crying not for Him but for Barabbas and demanding that He be crucified, showing they preferred the society of a murderer to His. In His place they chose a robber and a heathen king, shouting for Caesar with no king but Caesar, and by that choice withdrew from the divine theocracy and chose a heathen ruler. The killing put the Prince of life, the Son of God in spotless purity, to a cruel death on the cross as a disturber of peace and customs. He bore the contradiction of sinners against Himself, was betrayed, mocked and derided, dragged from tribunal to tribunal on false testimony, given up to malice, scourged, spit upon, made to faint under the cross, then lifted on the cross with a crown of thorns while soldiers quarreled over His garments and priests and rulers taunted Him, amid unnatural darkness, rending rocks, thunder, lightning and shaking earth.
He was laid as a prisoner in Joseph's new tomb in the darkest hour before daybreak on the first day, with the great stone in place and the Roman seal unbroken and Roman guards watching, the darkest night the church had ever known. His death was opposed by unseen watchers, hosts of evil angels gathered about the place under the prince of darkness who would have kept the tomb forever sealed if possible, while a heavenly host surrounded the sepulcher and angels that excel in strength guarded it and waited to welcome Him at His raising by God. He entered the grave as Sin-bearer to open a grave for the sins of all who accept Him, paying the redemption price for a fallen world and offering the sacrifice for sin, bringing triumph in heaven, and He died the shameful cursed death for sinners so the world should not perish but all who believe should have everlasting life. The act was done through ignorance by the people and their rulers, fulfilling what God had shown by the mouth of all His prophets that Christ should suffer, yet it was a great sin and grave crime.
Their ignorance did not excuse them, because they had strong evidence and chose not to seek or accept it, making them guilty of rejecting and killing the Son of God. They neglected God's word and the word of life and failed to search the Scriptures, misinterpreted the Scriptures testifying of Him, and did not know who He was because they refused every evidence given them that He was the Messiah. Had they known He was the Prince of life and Lord of glory they would not have killed Him. The priests and rabbis did not perceive Him though they had studied the prophecies and claimed wisdom worthy of confidence and competency to teach and expound doctrine, because they were ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God, and the learning of the world's great men does not open the mysteries of redemption. They hated Him because His pure and holy character rebuked their selfishness and corruption and exposed their evil ways and hypocrisy and shame, though they could not convict Him of sin, and their rejection despite light stands as warning that refusing greater light and reproof brings greater guilt and retribution.
Satan first blinded their eyes so they would not receive Jesus as Saviour, then through envy at His mighty works led them to desire His life, and entered one of His own followers and led him to betray Him into the hands of His enemies to crucify Him. Satan worked through disobedient people to oppose God's work and sought to extinguish the light reaching the world from God, with Jewish priests and rulers as His agents in stirring the murderous crowd against the King of kings and Lord of lords. He worked through bigotry and prejudice in the religious element, while Christ's principles condemned all guile, policy for supremacy, and unholy practice, with Pilate proclaiming Him innocent yet yielding to enmity and Pilate and Herod becoming friends in crucifying Him. In the vineyard parable the beloved son sent by God as the final appeal to Israel represents Jesus, and the husbandmen's decision to seize and kill Him reveals the leaders' murderous purpose and fulfills the pattern of rejecting and killing God's messengers. Israel rejected the Holy One of Israel and became responsible for His crucifixion, His life among them exposing their selfishness and refusal to honor God's rightful claims, and their treatment of Him brings the vineyard's unfaithful tenants under judgment.
He came to His own people to give them life, on a mission of mercy to save the world not to condemn it, calling all to behold Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He was refused, scorned as a deceiver and hunted from place to place as a pretender, yet human rejection did not make Him one. He was put to death by the very people He came to save, as champions of righteousness are opposed by Satan and his angels confederated with evil men who strive to counteract their testimony and destroy them. The One who came to give them life and whom they put to death in the crucifixion is the same Angel who led Israel through the wilderness guiding their journey from Egypt to Canaan, and His sufferings were shown to Moses in panoramic scenes on Pisgah's summit while the nation appealing to the law and the Father said they would have nothing to do with Christ and cried away with Him.
Raised by God
Those addressed killed Him, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day, calling Him forth from the tomb where He had proclaimed Himself the resurrection and the life, of which the disciples are witnesses. He is the Prince of life, whom they denied and killed while asking for a murderer to be given to them, and the charge comes with striking force as a call to repent and be converted that sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. The killing was done through ignorance by the people and their rulers, fulfilling what God had shown by the mouth of all His prophets that Christ should suffer, yet it was a great sin and grave crime from which hearers were not to despair, since salvation, forgiveness of sins, and turning from sin come through God's mercy and faith in the One they crucified. Faith in His name gives strength and perfect soundness, as the cure of the cripple was done in Jesus' name and through His merits, not by the apostles' own power, and the risen Christ remains in heaven until God sends Him again at the times of restitution of all things spoken by all the holy prophets since the world began.
The resurrection was confirmed by many witnesses: He appeared to His disciples and to more than five hundred people at once, and people whom He raised with Him appeared to many and declared that He had risen. Reports from people who saw and spoke with those raised at His resurrection testified that He had risen, confirming the truth of His resurrection and His claim to be the divine Son of God. These resurrected people were a pledge of the future resurrection of the righteous dead, whom Christ will call to immortal life.
Because He lives again, the miracles did not cease with His death, for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob glorified His Son Jesus whom the people delivered up and put to death. The power to make the lame man walk and be strong came not by the disciples' own power or holiness but through faith in the name of the risen Jesus, and Jesus whom they had rejected and crucified was the source of the healed man's strength and complete soundness. A miraculous healing and the apostles' preaching in His name showed that His work and truth continued and had not been stopped by His death.
Call to Repentance
The terrible charge that they had killed the Prince of life was given in mercy even after the crucifixion, as another call to repent and be converted that sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. It came with additional evidence in works done through the apostles, with Jesus present by the Holy Spirit in the assembly, and with the risen Christ remaining in heaven until God sends Him again at the times of restitution of all things spoken by all the holy prophets since the world began. It was spoken after the crucifixion and resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, when opponents expected the disciples to be discouraged and hopeless, yet they preached with fervor and power because Christ was in them as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life and could not be repressed. The testimony rang out clear and distinct like a trumpet giving a certain sound, declaring they had denied the Holy One and the Just and desired a murderer, and proving the resurrection by the lame man's perfect soundness through faith in His name before them all. The call astonished and grieved the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees that the apostles taught the resurrection through Jesus, so that they laid hands on them until the next day, yet many who heard believed to about five thousand men.
The hearers were not to despair, for though the killing was a great sin and grave crime, they had acted in ignorance as had their rulers, fulfilling what God had foretold by all His prophets that Christ should suffer. There was no hope apart from the mercy of the Christ they had crucified, but through faith in Him alone their sins could be canceled by His blood. Salvation, forgiveness of sins, and turning from sin come through God's mercy and faith in the One they crucified.
Putting the Son of God to death alone did not cut them off from salvation, for they could have been pardoned if they had yielded to the Holy Spirit and submitted. What cut them off was persistence in rejecting light and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, stifling conscience, refusing to yield, and choosing continued opposition and rebellion afresh every day. By allowing minds to be molded by another power until they became blind and hardened, arming themselves with the attributes of Satan, abusing the men through whom God was testifying, and preparing to reap what they had sown, they were left rejecting God.
Some believed that He had risen but still refused to acknowledge it or repent. Rejecting Christ insults the Prince of life and puts Him to shame before the synagogue of Satan and before the heavenly universe, and refusing the invitation of mercy repeats the same error as the Jewish people who in rejecting Him committed the unpardonable sin. Refusing to listen to His delegated messengers and listening instead to the agents of Satan who would draw the soul away from Christ is that insult to the Prince of life, and so long as one does this there is no hope or pardon, until in the end all desire to be reconciled to God is lost.
Their blindness came from neglecting the word of life and failing to search the Scriptures, neglecting eternal truth for lesser things that occupy the mind, which also leaves people spiritually wanting. Slighting, refusing, and rejecting heaven-sent light puts men in the same position as those Jews at great peril to their souls, for heaven-sent light must be appreciated and cherished and failure to appreciate it will be condemnation. Those who killed Him did not know who He was because they refused every evidence given them that He was the Messiah, and the same pattern holds for professed Christians today who refuse light upon truth and despise and ridicule those who receive it. When they rejected Him, God took the kingdom from them and gave it to others, showing that responsibility may be removed from an unfaithful people and entrusted to others.
Atonement and Salvation
Acts 3:15 calls Jesus the Prince of life who gave Himself even to death so that people might receive salvation and eternal life. While He was seeking the lost, Israel's leaders put Him to death, yet His death was a freewill offering for sin expressing God's love to a rebellious world, opening mercy to the world for all who believe in Christ. He suffered in this world, the just for the unjust, to save men from death and misery, manifesting the love of God to man. Remembering what He endured gives courage to trust God's omnipotent rule and faithful care when suffering wrongfully. His death is the supreme act of self-sacrifice to save the world and calls for gratitude and a life devoted to glorifying Him.
Wicked hands took Him and slew Him on the cross as a disturber of the peace and customs of the people. He lay in Joseph's new tomb, having descended into the grave as Sin-bearer and bearer of sin to open a grave for the sins of all who accept Him as personal Saviour. His death paid the redemption price for a fallen world and offered the sacrifice for sin, bringing triumph in heaven, though the night following the crucifixion was the darkest night the church had ever known.
Christ as the Prince of life gave Himself as an atoning sacrifice and died in behalf of the human family to take the penalty of Adam's transgression. Adam's disobedience brought the human family under the death penalty, but by taking fallen humanity's place and suffering the penalty of transgression Christ's death gives men a probation to see the evil of sin and makes it possible for sinners perishing in sin to return to allegiance to God. That probation sets before all a choice of leader between the apostate who was expelled from heaven and the Prince of life, that all might return to loyalty. His sacrifice of His blood makes it possible for people to keep God's commandments and calls them to give God their allegiance with full purpose of heart.
He is the author of true religion from the days of Adam, the Redeemer of the world, and the origin and foundation of the Jewish sacrificial system to which the sacrifices pointed. His death fulfilled the sacrificial types and vindicated God's law and truth in fulfillment of prophecy. He is the only begotten Son of God with the Father from eternal ages, the first Great Teacher sent as the Light of the world, the likeness of God in whom the Father was represented, whose divine glory and personal claims to deity were concealed under human form without outward display. The Jewish nation did not acknowledge Him because He came without outward display, though the Scriptures and prophecies testified of the manner of His coming by which He was to be recognized. The concealment was necessary, for had He displayed the glory He had with the Father men would have taken Him by force and made Him king and thwarted His pathway to the cross, where by solemn oblation of Himself type reached antitype, His whole life of obedience living the law in humanity being a preface to His death and by perfect obedience redeeming Adam's transgression and failure as a sample to all men.
Now at the Father's right hand He poured out His precious blood on the cross as an atonement for sin, and by His obedience unto death brought in everlasting righteousness, which gives reason for joy. There is no other name wherein to trust eternal interests, but in Christ full, implicit reliance is safe. He does not save because a person is perfect, but because the needy, imperfect person has trusted in Him, even with feeble faith. He is deeply interested in people's salvation and His death was not in vain, and a life that honors Him shows appreciation for what He has done.
A living connection with Him brings salvation and membership among the company described in Revelation 14:1-5. He is one of two heads over all people, the other being the prince of darkness, under whom every human agent is merging character so that all national, denominational, sectarian, rank and caste distinctions are lost. Those who receive Christ as the Prince of life are given power to become loyal sons of God who keep His commandments and receive the blessing of right to the tree of life and entrance through the gates into the city. Those who refuse remain under the prince of darkness as commandment breakers left outside.
Victory Over Satan
The title Prince of life sets Jesus in direct opposition to Satan as prince of darkness, prince of evil, prince of the world, author of sin and death, while Christ Himself is the author of salvation, and their long controversy beginning with sin climaxed at the cross. His death on the cross looked like Satan's victory, and Satan with his angels wrongly believed they had won, for he had worked to have Christ crucified. In truth that death practically ended the great conflict, exposed Satan's character and rebellion to the heavenly universe, sounded the death-knell of his power, and secured the unfallen worlds against him. Christ entered that conflict to free humanity from the captivity brought by Adam's sin, giving Himself as humanity's ransom and Substitute at great cost to maintain truth and redeem transgressors, while Satan met Him with falsehood and deception. The universe witnessed the death and saw God's justice and love displayed, His law vindicated and His government shown secure, and saw that Father and Son were willing to deny themselves for the good of others.
In the wilderness He defeated Satan's temptations on the very ground where Adam fell, enduring every test Adam failed to endure and every test fallen humanity meets. He undertook to clothe divinity with humanity, though honored in the heavenly courts and familiar with absolute power, contracting with the Father to remain a probationer at the level of humanity. Satan tried to delude Him into a bold display of divine power to prove His right to confidence as Saviour, showing knowledge of the weak points of the human heart and putting forth utmost power to exploit the weakness of the humanity Christ had assumed. To have used miraculous power to relieve Himself from difficulty and peril would have broken that contract, and keeping humanity's level cost Him the closest test requiring the strength of all His faculties to resist using His power to triumph over the prince of darkness. That victory reversed Adam's failure, brought salvation within reach, made all heaven rejoice at the enemy's defeat, and provides strength through His name for people to resist temptation, elevating the work of God for the human family.
Though He came as a man in the likeness of sinful flesh, He was pure, holy and uncontaminated, and His pure character condemned sin and was hated by the world. He fought evil on humanity's behalf from birth until the cross, meeting the prince of darkness as man's Champion, with fallen angels watching every stage of that humiliation, and every victory exalted, elevated and ennobled humanity. He was fully human, hungry, thirsty, weary, sustained by food, refreshed by sleep, full of natural affection, weeping in sympathy and lamenting over Jerusalem, tempted in all points like men are that He might help the tempted. By joining humanity to God He linked earth with heaven, and while bearing human nature He was dependent on the Omnipotent for life, laying hold of divinity and doing nothing that human nature may not do by partaking of the divine nature. His suffering and death place life in and through Him on an eternal basis of security, and His death, though Satan sought to destroy Him by having Him smitten, caused living streams of salvation to flow to all who thirst, like water from the smitten rock in the wilderness.
The two princes met again on the field of battle in the healing of the demon-possessed boy, Christ fulfilling His mission to preach deliverance to the captives and set at liberty the bruised, while Satan sought to hold his victim under his control. Angels of light and hosts of evil angels pressed near unseen to behold that conflict. The same opposition appeared in His healing of the sick and raising of the dead, showing His work of restoring life and taking humanity from Satan's power. In His human life He strengthened Himself through prayer and communion with the Father, praying earnestly in distress, and as Prince of life He had power with God and prevailed.
By dying He accomplished the death of Satan, who is the author of death, and by rising He took power over death, grasped His power and scepter, opened the graves and brought up a multitude of captives. Those raised were presented as firstfruits and trophies to heaven and the created worlds, a specimen of what will be, testifying that He rescued death's captives and that death and the grave will not hold them. That triumph, won at infinite cost, is salvation, and He stands as Substitute and Surety for those who overcome. It guarantees that when He comes again with power and great glory He will open the prison house of the graves and bring the dead forth to glorious immortality.
That controversy still goes on in the world and wages more sharply today than at any period of history. Wherever plans are set in operation to advance God's cause, Satan is on hand to counteract if possible the workings of the merciful heavenly Father, coming with temptations and using every advantage to control minds. He followed Christ with temptations seeking to exhaust God's forbearance toward humanity and ruin everyone, while the heavenly universe watched, and after Christ left the world the same conflict was taken up by His disciples. Believers are therefore to work and carry the plan of battle after Christ's devising, after the pattern, imitating the example of Jesus in obedience. Christ came also to represent the Father and reveal His love, countering Satan's false picture of God as the cause of human distress and suffering, and His sinless purity and perfect representation of God exposed Satan's falsehoods and stirred intense hatred, so that the enmity prophesied in Eden was displayed with special force when He lived on earth.
Following the Prince
All people are ranging under two leaders, Christ the Prince of life, Prince Emmanuel, and Satan the prince of darkness, prince of this world, in deadly opposition to Him. Every inhabitant of earth is urged by one or the other into service and must decide whether to obey God's law, with national, denominational, sectarian, rank, caste and worldly distinctions lost as character merges under one of the two heads. The decision reveals the loyalty of the heart and bears on salvation, for those who receive Christ as the Prince of life are given power to become loyal sons keeping His commandments with right to the tree of life and entrance through the gates, while those who refuse remain as commandment-breakers outside under the prince of darkness. In this great conflict now waged, not merely man against man, Jesus stands as man's substitute and surety against the prince of darkness and fallen angels under his command, and believers cannot without involving principle connect themselves with those not loyal to God because their principles are diverse from the ungodly.
To stand with Him is to volunteer as faithful soldiers in His army under His blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel, in contrast to those ruled and controlled by the prince of darkness. Continuing to stand requires constantly looking unto Him for orders, never being disloyal nor untrue, and inviting every soul to stand under it with earnest effort to continually increase His ranks. No one can be His soldier while engaging with the confederacy of Satan and helping his side, for that makes him an enemy of Christ, betrays sacred trusts, and forms a link through which Satan works to steal away the hearts of Christ's soldiers. The conflict between Him and the prince of darkness calls for constant vigilance from His soldiers, directing weapons against evil and not against fellow believers.
His life on earth showed He came not for wealth, status or worldly honor but to serve the suffering and needy, taking the place of the lowly, oppressed and suffering and sharing humanity's poverty and grief. Though He had divine power to supply a hungry multitude, He accepted the hardships of poverty to understand the needs of the poor, began His work in poverty and humiliation born to parents in very humble circumstances, labored with His own hands at the carpenter's bench as a common day laborer to help meet the wants of the family, and became poor that others might be made rich. His life rebukes self-seeking and makes plain the character of God's law and the nature of His service, showing that neglecting or mistreating the poor is neglecting Him while pity and benevolence toward them are accepted as shown to Him. Because He endured hardship, poverty and humiliation, He has tenderest sympathy for those struggling to obtain knowledge under difficulties, and His life shows the poor in humble position can still become missionaries trusting implicitly in Him and becoming powerful agents through the divine Spirit and simple living faith to win souls, with no need to be sad or discouraged, while His sacrifice far surpasses any self-denial people undergo to gain eternal life and immortal glory.
Though He held the exalted place of Governor of the heavenly host and Creator of the world, He humbled Himself as a man, came in human form in a humble place, obeyed every law of God and passed through human trials and temptations without sin. His life of self-denial, self-sacrifice and ministry expressed truth and blessed humanity through words and deeds, laying aside His royal position, becoming poor and giving His life to remove hindrances for those seeking God's kingdom. He is an example for those who take His name and are filled with His Spirit to learn meekness and lowliness of heart, to reject vanity and become self-denying, self-sacrificing workers with God, to deny self, take up the cross and follow Him, and to practice self-denial and support God's work with means in hope of immortality and glory, which enlarges understanding of eternal life.
In human flesh as representative of the human family He was fully human, hungry, thirsty, weary, sustained by food, refreshed by sleep, full of natural affection, weeping in sympathy and lamenting over Jerusalem, tempted in all points like men are that He might help the tempted. While bearing human nature He was dependent on the Omnipotent for life, laying hold of the divinity of God, and did nothing that human nature may not do by partaking of the divine nature. In Him divinity and humanity were combined so that in His humanity He could lay hold of humanity and by His divinity bring power, health and grace, laying off royal robe and crown to come as a helpless babe educated under heavenly angels and working at the carpenter's trade to give children a life measuring with the life of God. Thus human beings may stand on new ground through His grace, partake of the divine nature, escape corruption and overcome hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and be sanctified, purified, ennobled and one with Christ as Christ is one with the Father, while His suffering and death place life in and through Him on an eternal basis of security after meeting the prince of darkness on the very ground where Adam fell and overcoming every temptation that can be brought against fallen humanity.
As Prince of life and peace He is Helper, King and Saviour who never loses interest in people, under whose rule believers are to order their lives and homes, with sons and daughters to come under His sway. Looking to Him brings victory amid Satan's opposition, for people are not left to struggle alone and heavenly angels guard them, in the continuing battle against the prince of this world in which He seeks to preside in families and shape children's characters for good. In early childhood while character is pliable the mother is to choose Christ as co-worker, with love as the key to children's hearts making His influence welcome in the home. Parents are largely accountable for the power they exercise in the family to fit children for His rule whatever their business calling, and giving this fitting is the highest possible education, done by correctness in speech and habits in the home, acting His example before children, and preventing all peevishness of speech and querulous complaint.
He is to be made known through church members who actively work and show His self-sacrificing spirit, revealing His saving truth in character and seeking to save perishing souls, for He is the Friend of publicans and sinners who came from heaven to earth, bore insult, mockery and death, and whose reign in glory is being prepared in heaven to be proclaimed to every nation, language and people. Workers must remain connected with Him and recognize Him as authority for their actions. He is to be uplifted before those suffering and subdued by affliction through medical-missionary work, so that as hearts are softened by grace they listen to the gospel, see its claims, and give ear to the last message of mercy calling them to come.
Though He had power to heal the sick and raise the dead, in human life He strengthened Himself through prayer and communion with the Father, praying earnestly in distress, and as the Prince of life without sin He had power with God and prevailed for His people. Though killed, God raised Him, and He now stands before the throne to receive believers' petitions and present them to the Father as Redeemer and Mediator. His authority extends over the whole universe and fallen humanity, having paid the ransom so all may be saved through Him by obeying, believing, receiving and living, defending them against Satan, subduing their enemies, making them more than conquerors, guarding them by angels and giving victory to those looking to Him.
As Saviour and perfect educator He chose humble fishermen as disciples and co-workers because they welcomed His teaching, rather than learned Jewish leaders who were proud of worldly wisdom and self-righteousness and felt no need of a Redeemer and would not follow Him. Education itself is not opposed to Him, for the highest culture is acceptable when guided by love and fear of God, and He refined His disciples through His teaching. His love and the knowledge of Him with Scripture history including the history of Jesus belong in every part of education and in every plan and organization as essential knowledge for students.
As Prince of life and Captain of salvation He threw down the walls of Jericho without the touch of a human hand. Those who enlist under His banner and come under subjection to Him have Him with them with every provision made, and He arms them with sufficiency, power and grace to walk through the fiery trials and temptations the enemy prepares, having taken humanity to bless humanity, come close to humanity and encircle them in everlasting arms so believers can be partakers with Him in His suffering. Though supreme in power He allowed those who struck and insulted Him to challenge Him to prophesy when He could have stopped them but did not, and He endured being falsely spoken of and condemned. Those who reproach His faithful followers should not cause them to turn aside from truth to escape judgment, but to meet it with patience and good conduct.
He watches those who have received great light and knowledge to see whether they practice what they have learned and help fellow workers walk in the light as He does. Following deceptive scientific theories makes Christ, who is God, into nothingness. At His birth as the world's Redeemer the angels expected people to honor Him because of His character and the dignity of His mission, yet no preparation welcomed Him, setting His title against failure to recognize Him. Satan contested Him, and those who claim superiority over Christ repeat that opposition.