Chapter
Verse

Acts 3:16

ESV And his name — by faith in his name — has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
NIV By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
NASB And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
CSB By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.
NLT Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed — and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.
KJV And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
NKJV And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

What does Acts 3:16 mean?

As Peter and John go to the temple to pray, they come upon a beggar who has been lame from birth. Instead of alms, Peter gives him the gift of healing (Acts 3:1–8). A crowd swarms around them as they leave the gate and settle in Solomon's Portico (Acts 3:9–11). Peter takes advantage of the attention and shows the connection between the man's healing and the people's need for Jesus.

Often, a person's faith was key to their healing. Jesus told the woman with an issue of blood, "Daughter, your faith has made you well" (Mark 5:34). But, sometimes, that faith wasn't necessary. That's certainly true for those who were raised from the dead like Lazarus (John 11:38–44) and Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:35–43). There's no reason to think Peter's mother-in-law knew what Jesus was up to (Mark 1:29–31). In this case, it appears that the faith is that of Peter. That's consistent with Mark 9:14–29. Jesus, Peter, John, and James descend the mountain after the transfiguration to find the other disciples in a struggle with a demon who has captured a little boy. Jesus doesn't condemn the boy's faith but the disciples' (Mark 9:19). Still, some will say that the man reacted to Peter's use of Jesus' name by having the faith to take Peter's hand and stand (Acts 3:6–7).

"Faith in his name" doesn't mean that Peter used the spoken words "Jesus Christ of Nazareth" as a magical spell. In the culture, one's "name" was one's reputation and character. Jesus' name includes the idea of His sovereignty, power, and authority. The healing was possible because of faith in Jesus, Himself.
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