Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
The day after healing the lame man, Peter stood as a prisoner with the healed man beside him before the rulers and elders of Israel, the Sanhedrin including Annas, Caiaphas and the priests, in the very place where he had denied his Lord. To be filled with the Holy Ghost was to be empowered from heaven and not by human authority, with God giving him the message to proclaim. He was no longer the impulsive, self-confident disciple who had shamefully denied Christ from fear, but converted, distrustful of self and firm as a rock, now redeeming his former cowardice and honoring the name he had once disowned. Filled with the Spirit he spoke respectfully yet with holy boldness, declaring the cure was done by the name of Jesus of Nazareth whom they crucified and God raised, a miracle they could not refute though they sought to silence it.
Trial Before Jewish Rulers
The healing of the man born lame led to arrest, so that on the day after Peter stood as a prisoner in defense of the apostles before the rulers and elders of Israel. The tribunal was the Sanhedrin, made up of Annas and Caiaphas with priests and other temple dignitaries gathered against the disciples. It met in the very room and before the very men where Peter had denied his Lord, placing him face to face with those who had condemned Jesus. Beside him stood the healed man himself, whose presence joined Peter's address to the rulers and elders. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter spoke to that court with a boldness that belonged to the disciples' witness to Jesus and reflected the words and works of their Teacher.
Christ set His seal upon Peter's words through the miracle itself, and the healed man standing beside him added powerful testimony that could not be answered. The rulers could not refute that a notable miracle had been done, for the evidence stood before them in the man made whole. Yet with the fact admitted they remained determined to stop the teaching of the disciples and to silence their proclamation of Jesus.
Peter Transformed By Spirit
To be filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 4:8 is to speak by power from heaven and not by human authority, for God Himself gave the disciples the message to proclaim before the council. The bold testimony Peter bore before Israel's rulers and elders came from that power, and therefore he continued proclaiming it despite their opposition and threats. His filling belongs to the Spirit's wider work in the apostles' gospel witness and in the generosity and unity of the early believers, and it stands as a sign of Jesus' approval and blessing upon him. Empowered in this way after the healing of the man born lame, he declared that Jesus had risen and charged the people with rejecting and killing Him.
Peter who speaks here is widely different from the impulsive, self-confident, proud-boasting disciple who had shamefully denied Christ in His greatest need out of fear and wicked cowardice. He has been converted, has become distrustful of self and modest rather than self-confident, and under the power of the Holy Spirit has become firm as a rock, courageous yet modest. The Spirit's power replaced his former pride and self-confidence with self-distrust, resolve and courage, so that his fearless conduct reflected Jesus' own conduct when persecuted. His ardor remained naturally impetuous, hasty and zealous, and after denying and repenting of his denial of Christ it needed only mild caution to keep that zeal in check.
With that denial distinctly in mind, Peter now had the opportunity to redeem his former wicked cowardice. He was given to remove the stain of his apostasy by honoring the name of Jesus he had once disowned and dishonored. Now converted and filled with the Spirit, he had the chance to honor before the rulers and elders the name he had denied out of fear.
Bold Witness To Christ
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter stood before Israel's rulers and elders and spoke with holy boldness, courage and firmness, yet respectfully and with modesty and energy, his countenance illuminated and the seal of Christ upon his words. He did not magnify himself but magnified Christ, and his fearless bearing reflected the words and works and conduct of his Teacher when persecuted. The Spirit gave him resolve and power to speak, replacing pride and self-confidence with self-distrust while making him firm.
He declared that the cure of the impotent man, the man born lame, had been wrought by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom the rulers had crucified and whom God had raised from the dead. In that same testimony he charged the people with rejecting and killing Jesus and proclaimed that He had risen.
That Spirit-given witness was spoken with power, not by human authority, and it continued despite the opposition and threats of the leaders, which could not silence it. His zeal and courage in defending the cause of Christ helped deliver the apostles from difficulty and silence their enemies. His later life of service and sacrifice bears witness to the power of God's grace.
The day after healing the lame man, Peter stood as a prisoner with the healed man beside him before the rulers and elders of Israel, the Sanhedrin including Annas, Caiaphas and the priests, in the very place where he had denied his Lord. To be filled with the Holy Ghost was to be empowered from heaven and not by human authority, with God giving him the message to proclaim. He was no longer the impulsive, self-confident disciple who had shamefully denied Christ from fear, but converted, distrustful of self and firm as a rock, now redeeming his former cowardice and honoring the name he had once disowned. Filled with the Spirit he spoke respectfully yet with holy boldness, declaring the cure was done by the name of Jesus of Nazareth whom they crucified and God raised, a miracle they could not refute though they sought to silence it.
Trial Before Jewish Rulers
The healing of the man born lame led to arrest, so that on the day after Peter stood as a prisoner in defense of the apostles before the rulers and elders of Israel. The tribunal was the Sanhedrin, made up of Annas and Caiaphas with priests and other temple dignitaries gathered against the disciples. It met in the very room and before the very men where Peter had denied his Lord, placing him face to face with those who had condemned Jesus. Beside him stood the healed man himself, whose presence joined Peter's address to the rulers and elders. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter spoke to that court with a boldness that belonged to the disciples' witness to Jesus and reflected the words and works of their Teacher.
Christ set His seal upon Peter's words through the miracle itself, and the healed man standing beside him added powerful testimony that could not be answered. The rulers could not refute that a notable miracle had been done, for the evidence stood before them in the man made whole. Yet with the fact admitted they remained determined to stop the teaching of the disciples and to silence their proclamation of Jesus.
Peter Transformed By Spirit
To be filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 4:8 is to speak by power from heaven and not by human authority, for God Himself gave the disciples the message to proclaim before the council. The bold testimony Peter bore before Israel's rulers and elders came from that power, and therefore he continued proclaiming it despite their opposition and threats. His filling belongs to the Spirit's wider work in the apostles' gospel witness and in the generosity and unity of the early believers, and it stands as a sign of Jesus' approval and blessing upon him. Empowered in this way after the healing of the man born lame, he declared that Jesus had risen and charged the people with rejecting and killing Him.
Peter who speaks here is widely different from the impulsive, self-confident, proud-boasting disciple who had shamefully denied Christ in His greatest need out of fear and wicked cowardice. He has been converted, has become distrustful of self and modest rather than self-confident, and under the power of the Holy Spirit has become firm as a rock, courageous yet modest. The Spirit's power replaced his former pride and self-confidence with self-distrust, resolve and courage, so that his fearless conduct reflected Jesus' own conduct when persecuted. His ardor remained naturally impetuous, hasty and zealous, and after denying and repenting of his denial of Christ it needed only mild caution to keep that zeal in check.
With that denial distinctly in mind, Peter now had the opportunity to redeem his former wicked cowardice. He was given to remove the stain of his apostasy by honoring the name of Jesus he had once disowned and dishonored. Now converted and filled with the Spirit, he had the chance to honor before the rulers and elders the name he had denied out of fear.
Bold Witness To Christ
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter stood before Israel's rulers and elders and spoke with holy boldness, courage and firmness, yet respectfully and with modesty and energy, his countenance illuminated and the seal of Christ upon his words. He did not magnify himself but magnified Christ, and his fearless bearing reflected the words and works and conduct of his Teacher when persecuted. The Spirit gave him resolve and power to speak, replacing pride and self-confidence with self-distrust while making him firm.
He declared that the cure of the impotent man, the man born lame, had been wrought by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom the rulers had crucified and whom God had raised from the dead. In that same testimony he charged the people with rejecting and killing Jesus and proclaimed that He had risen.
That Spirit-given witness was spoken with power, not by human authority, and it continued despite the opposition and threats of the leaders, which could not silence it. His zeal and courage in defending the cause of Christ helped deliver the apostles from difficulty and silence their enemies. His later life of service and sacrifice bears witness to the power of God's grace.