Powerful Acts 3 Summary and Study Guide: The Lame Man Healed and the Name of Jesus

“Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee.” With those words Peter lifts a man who has never walked, and a beggar at the temple gate goes leaping into the courts of God. This Acts 3 summary and study guide walks you through the healing at the Beautiful Gate, Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Porch, and what the whole chapter means.

Setting the Stage

Before Jesus returned to heaven He told the apostles to wait for power. “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8). Ten days later the Spirit came at Pentecost, Peter preached, and about three thousand believed.

Luke then notes that “many wonders and signs were done by the apostles” (Acts 2:43). Acts 3 is the first of those signs told in full. The promised power that filled the upper room now meets a lame man at the gate, and the witness Jesus commanded begins in public.

Concise Acts 3 Summary

One Word Summary

• Healing
• Name
• Repentance
• Witness
• Fulfillment
• Restoration

In One Sentence

At the temple gate Peter and John heal a man lame from birth in the name of Jesus, and Peter uses the miracle to preach that the crucified and risen Jesus is the promised Messiah, calling the people to repent and be forgiven.

Theme of Acts 3

Acts 3 is about the power of the risen Jesus working through His name. The miracle is real, but it is also a sign that points past itself to the gospel. Peter takes the crowd’s amazement and turns it into a clear message: the Jesus they crucified is alive, He is the one all the prophets foretold, and forgiveness waits for everyone who repents.

Acts 3 Outline

• Acts 3:1-10: Peter and John heal a man lame from birth at the gate called Beautiful.
• Acts 3:11-16: The amazed crowd gathers at Solomon’s Porch, and Peter credits the name of Jesus.
• Acts 3:17-21: Peter calls the people to repent so their sins may be blotted out and refreshing may come.
• Acts 3:22-26: Peter shows that Jesus fulfills Moses, Samuel, all the prophets, and the promise to Abraham.

Comprehensive Acts 3 Summary

The chapter holds two scenes. First comes the healing at the gate (verses 1-10), a public miracle that no one can deny. Then comes Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Porch (verses 11-26), where Peter explains what the miracle means.

The two scenes belong together. The sign gets the crowd’s attention, and the sermon tells them why it happened. Both point to the same place: the name of Jesus and His resurrection. The healed man is the evidence; the risen Christ is the message.

Acts 3 Summary Verse by Verse in Table

Peter’s Sermon at Solomon’s Porch

Peter’s second recorded sermon takes the miracle and preaches Christ. It moves in clear steps:

• He gives God the credit (vv. 12-13a): Not our own power or holiness; the God of the fathers glorified His Son Jesus.
• He names the crime (vv. 13b-15): You denied the Holy One and the Just, asked for a murderer, and killed the Prince of life, but God raised Him.
• He explains the healing (v. 16): It was His name, through faith in His name, that made this man whole.
• He offers mercy (vv. 17-18): You acted in ignorance, and God used it to fulfill what the prophets said about a suffering Christ.
• He calls for repentance (vv. 19-21): Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out and times of refreshing may come.
• He proves it from Scripture (vv. 22-25): Moses, Samuel, all the prophets, and the covenant with Abraham all point here.
• He makes the offer (v. 26): God sent the risen Jesus to you first, to bless you by turning you from your sins.

Observations from Acts 3

The Power Is in the Name

Peter says it plainly twice. The man rises “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” (v. 6), and his healing comes “through faith in his name” (v. 16). The miracle is not about Peter; it is about Jesus. This sets up the words of the next chapter, that “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Peter Refuses the Credit

When the crowd stares at the apostles, Peter pushes the attention away from himself: “why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?” (v. 12). The servant steps aside so the Master can be seen.

From Outside the Gate to Inside the Temple

The man had been carried daily and laid at the gate (v. 2). After he is healed he enters the temple “walking, and leaping, and praising God” (v. 8). He goes from begging outside to worshipping inside, a picture of what comes to a person whom Jesus restores.

Rejected by Men, Raised by God

Peter sets two things side by side. The people “delivered up,” “denied,” and “killed” Jesus (vv. 13-15). God “hath glorified his Son” and “raised” Him “from the dead” (vv. 13, 15). The same Jesus the crowd rejected is the one God vindicated.

Christ Connection

The whole chapter runs on the risen, reigning Jesus. His name heals the man, His resurrection is the heart of the sermon, and His coming is the hope Peter holds out. The miracle is a doorway, and Christ is what stands on the other side of it.

The chapter names several connections, each rooted in the text and confirmed elsewhere in the New Testament:

• The Prince of life raised from the dead (v. 15): Jesus is the source of life, alive after the grave (cf. John 11:25; Hebrews 2:10).
• The name that saves (vv. 6, 16): The name that heals this man is the name that saves all who call on it (Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9-10).
• The Holy One and the Just (v. 14): Titles of the sinless Messiah (cf. 1 John 2:1).
• God’s Son and Servant, glorified (vv. 13, 26): This echoes the suffering Servant of Isaiah 52:13-53:12, who is exalted after His suffering.
• The prophet like Moses (vv. 22-23): Peter quotes Deuteronomy 18:15, and the New Testament applies that promise to Jesus (cf. Acts 7:37).
• The seed of Abraham who blesses all nations (v. 25): The promise of Genesis 22:18 finds its yes in Christ, the promised Seed (Galatians 3:16).

When, Where, and Why

• When: Soon after Pentecost, early in the life of the Jerusalem church, around AD 30 to 33. The scene unfolds at the ninth hour, the afternoon hour of prayer and sacrifice.
• Where: The Jerusalem temple. The healing happens at the gate called Beautiful, a temple gate whose exact identity is uncertain, and the sermon happens at Solomon’s Porch, a covered colonnade where people gathered and teachers spoke (John 10:23).
• Why: Luke records the first named apostolic miracle to show that the risen Jesus is still at work through His witnesses by the Spirit. The healing also gives Peter a platform to preach the gospel to Israel, advancing the book’s theme that salvation is found in the name of Jesus.

Key Verses

Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

This verse holds the whole chapter in one line. The church has no money to give, but it has the name of Jesus, and that is enough.

Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Peter states the gospel in a sentence. They killed the author of life, and God raised Him, and the apostles saw it.

Acts 3:16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know.

Here is the explanation of the miracle. The power was never in Peter; it was in the name of Jesus received by faith.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

This is the call of the sermon. Turn back to God, and find forgiveness and relief.

Acts 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.

Peter shows that Jesus is the prophet Moses promised, the one every Israelite was bound to hear.

Key Lessons from Acts 3

• The church’s true power is the name of Jesus, not silver and gold (v. 6).
• A single act of mercy can open the door to share the gospel (vv. 11-12).
• Give God the glory, and refuse the credit that belongs to Him (v. 12).
• Repentance brings real relief, sins blotted out and times of refreshing (v. 19).
• Jesus is the one the whole Bible was pointing toward, from Moses to the prophets (vv. 22-25).
• Sin done in ignorance still needs repentance, and God still offers mercy (vv. 17-19).

To go deeper into the lessons from this chapter, read our full study: Lessons from Acts 3.

Bible Study Questions

1. What did Peter say the healing proved, and who did he say healed the man (vv. 12, 16)?
2. Why do you think the man went into the temple “walking, and leaping, and praising God” (v. 8) instead of quietly leaving?
3. What does Peter mean by “times of refreshing” in verse 19, and how does it connect to repentance?
4. Peter says the people acted “through ignorance” (v. 17), yet still calls them to repent. What does that teach about guilt and mercy?
5. Where are you tempted to look for power or answers instead of looking to the name of Jesus (v. 6)?
6. How does the truth that Jesus is “the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead” (v. 15) change how you face your own fears?

Acts 3 Paraphrased

One afternoon Peter and John went to the temple at the time of prayer. A man who had never been able to walk was sitting at the gate called Beautiful, where his friends laid him every day so he could beg. When he saw Peter and John going in, he asked them for money.

Peter looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.” The man looked up, hoping for a gift.

Peter said, “I have no money. But I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk.”

Peter took his right hand and pulled him up. At once the man’s feet and ankles grew strong. He jumped up, stood, and walked. Then he went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.

All the people saw him. They knew he was the beggar from the gate, and they were amazed. While the man held on to Peter and John, the crowd ran to them at a place called Solomon’s Porch.

Peter spoke to them.

“Why are you surprised? Why stare at us as if we did this by our own power? The God of our fathers honored His Son Jesus. You handed Him over and turned against Him, even though Pilate wanted to let Him go. You said no to the Holy and Right One and asked for a murderer instead. You killed the one who gives life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we saw Him.

“It is faith in His name that made this man strong, as you can all see. I know you and your leaders did this without understanding. But God had already said through the prophets that His Christ would suffer, and that is what happened.

“So turn back to God and change your hearts, and your sins will be wiped away. Then times of rest will come from the Lord, and He will send Jesus back. Heaven must keep Him until the time when God makes all things right, just as the prophets said long ago.

“Moses said God would raise up a prophet like him, and that everyone must listen to Him. Anyone who refuses will be cut off. All the prophets from Samuel on spoke of these days. You are the children of those prophets and of the promise God made to Abraham, that through his family every nation on earth would be blessed. God raised up His Son Jesus and sent Him to you first, to bless you by turning you away from your sins.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Acts 3, The Full Text (KJV)

Read the full chapter below for reference.

1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.

11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

12 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?

13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

16 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.

17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.

18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.

23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.