3:1-16 Whose faith got this man healed?

It was Peter and John's faith that got this man healed. It had nothing to do with the man himself (CP V6-8 with V11-16). The man's faith was not an issue - he was a beggar who expected Peter and John to give him money.

He was not looking to be healed, as V5 clearly proves. Many in the contemporary church teach that it is sheer audacity for Christians today to think that they could just walk up to somebody in the same predicament as the beggar, and get them healed like Peter and John did here. Yet Peter and John did no more than what Jesus has given every baptized with the Spirit believer in the New Testament church the mandate - the authority - to do in His name (CP Mt 21:18-22 (also Mk 11:12-14, 19-24); Mk 16:15-18; Jn 14:12-14; 16:7, 23-24).

There is a clear teaching for the church in what Peter and John did with the beggar. They did not ask him if he wanted to be healed - they just exercised their faith in God to perform His word like Jesus promised He would.

The man got healed and God was glorified (CP Jn 15:7-8 with Ac 3:8-10). The disciples had the mandate to do what they did, and we have too (CP Lu 24:49; Ac 1:1-8). To be God's witnesses in the world includes not only preaching His word, but also demonstrating the outworking of His power in us (CP Ac 8:4-8; 1Cor 2:4-5; 2Cor 12:12; 1Th 1:5).

Over five thousand souls got saved as a result of the beggar being healed in Ac 3 (CP Ac 4:1-4). New Testament believers should never sit under any teaching in the church that may suppress their faith to believe that they have the same mandate to do what Peter and John did. We should never be afraid to exercise our faith anywhere, anytime, in the name of Jesus, for God's glory (CP 2Cor 1:19-20).

See also comments on Mt 21:17-22; Mk 16:17-18; Jn 14:12-14, 15:7, Ac 5:14-18; 2Cor 1:19-20; 1Jn 5:14-18 and author's studies Faith, Confessing God's Word, and Healing in his book Foundational Truths of the Christian Faith, Signs and Wonders in God's Redemptive Plan in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1), and Making the Impossible Possible in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2).

We also learn from what Peter and John did with the beggar in Ac 3 never to just leave people to their own devices after praying for their healing (CP V7-8). We must challenge them to act out their healing in faith. Peter did not wait for the man to rise up of his own volition - he pulled him up and made his mind up for him. Jesus also gave us a good example of how to challenge someone to act out their healing in faith (CP Mk 8:22-25).

When complete healing for the blind man did not manifest itself immediately here Jesus kept challenging him until it did. Scriptures say He asked the blind man in V23 if he saw anything. The literal English rendering is that Jesus kept asking him, "…do you, possibly, see anything?" and laid hands on him again, and made him look up until his eyesight was completely restored. This is the only record in scripture of Jesus healing someone in two stages, and it should encourage us to also persevere as He did if complete healing does not manifest itself immediately for whomever we are believing it. (See also comments on Mk 8:22-26 and Ac 4:4).

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