And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? Acts 3:12
A great miracle had occurred! A man who everybody who frequented the temple knew as the beggar at the Beautiful gate had come into the temple. And he had done so on his own strong legs. They all knew he was lame, and had to be carried each day to his begging post. They had all contributed to his beggar’s cup now and then, perhaps some of them earlier that very day. And now the man is no longer lame! He is walking and leaping, and praising God. No wonder the people were astonished. No wonder they all looked at Peter and John with amazement. These two men were apparently responsible for the transformation of a lame beggar into a leaping worshiper. What great power did these men possess? What other great wonders might they perform? Peter wastes no time in letting them know that this transformation was not of his doing, that this great display of power was not from him. We also need to keep this blessed truth ever before us, to make sure that we do not allow any pride to creep into our testimony for God.
Peter knew that he did not have the power to make that lame man walk, although he had access to the power. It is the same with us when it comes to any of our service for God. We have no power to save sinners, or to even cause them to be interested in God’s salvation. But we do have access to the Gospel, the only message that God can use to bring sinners to repentance and faith in Christ. We do not have the power in ourselves to live as the Word of God teaches that Christians should live. But we do have the Holy Spirit within, enabling and encouraging us to have victory over sin and grace in trying times. It is never our power, but God’s power, that is evident in the lives of believers.
Nor is it our holiness that makes the difference between ourselves and the unregenerate world around us. We can never make the claim to be ‘better than them’ when we compare ourselves with others. Only the grace of God has saved us and has cleaned up our lives, or we would be as bad as many and worse than most. But we do have access to that grace, which has not only transformed us from vile sinners into thankful saints but can also transform us into the image of God’s Son. We are called to be holy, even as God is holy, but we are not called upon to display our own holiness but the holiness of Christ.
Although we will not be involved in such miracles as Peter and John experienced that day, we can be involved in faithful service for our Lord, not in our power and holiness but in His. -Jim MacIntosh