What is the meaning of Acts 4:7? They had Peter and John brought in • The previous day, Peter and John healed the man at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:1-10), preached Christ, and were arrested at evening by the temple guard and Sadducees (Acts 4:1-3). • Now the Sanhedrin—the highest religious court—summons them. This fulfills Jesus’ words, “They will lay hands on you and persecute you, delivering you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors on account of My name” (Luke 21:12-13). • The scene highlights the clash between earthly authority and the risen Christ’s authority (compare Acts 5:28-29). • God uses these forced appearances as platforms for witness, just as He promised (Luke 12:11-12). and began to question them: • Interrogation, not conversation; the council intends to intimidate. • Yet the apostles stand calm, echoing promises like, “The Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you should say” (Luke 12:12). • Peter, previously fearful (Luke 22:54-62), now boldly faces the same rulers—evidence of the Spirit’s power received at Pentecost (Acts 2:4; Acts 4:8). • Believers today can draw courage from this moment when we are “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks” (1 Peter 3:15). “By what power or what name did you do this?” • Jewish leaders link miracle and message, demanding to know the source of authority. In Scripture, “name” means character, authority, identity—so they’re really asking, “Who authorized this?” • The question sets the stage for Peter’s confession: “By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 4:10). • The apostles consistently credit Jesus’ name: the lame man was healed “by faith in His name” (Acts 3:16); salvation is found in “no other name under heaven” (Acts 4:12). • Throughout Acts, miracles validate the gospel and exalt Jesus’ exclusive authority (compare Matthew 28:18; Philippians 2:9-11). • The Sanhedrin’s question unwittingly spotlights the core issue: every work of the Church must rest on Christ’s power and His name alone (Colossians 3:17). summary Acts 4:7 captures a courtroom moment that pits human authority against Christ’s authority. The rulers summon Peter and John, attempt to intimidate them, and demand an explanation. Their question—“By what power or what name?”—opens the door for the apostles to declare that the risen Jesus is both the source of power and the only name that saves. The verse reminds us that whenever believers act in Jesus’ name, they carry divine authority that no earthly power can overturn. |
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