Acts 3:15

And killed the Prince of life,.... Or author of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal; who not only is the living God, and has life in himself; and as man, had such a power over his own life, as no man ever had; but he is the author of a spiritual resurrection from the death of sin, to a life of grace, and has procured eternal life for his people, and gives it to them. Now this Lord of life and glory they crucified.

And killed the Prince of life - The word rendered “prince” denotes properly “a military leader or commander.” Hence, in Heb 2:10, it is translated “captain:” “It became him ...to make the “Captain of their salvation” perfect through sufferings.” As a captain or commander leads on to victory and is said to obtain it, so the word comes to denote one who is the “cause,” the “author,” the “procurer,” etc. In this sense it is used, Act 5:31, “Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel,” etc. In Heb 12:2 it is properly rendered author, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” The word “author,” or “giver,” would express the meaning of the word here.

why marvel at this?--For miracles are marvels only in relation to the limited powers of man. as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk--Neither the might nor the merit of the cure are due to us, mere agents of Him whom we preach.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

PETER does not conceal the death of Christ—he is not ashamed of the fact that his Lord was crucified. God forbid that any of us should be ashamed of the Cross—may we speak of it without a blush! Peter does not flatter his hearers but he declares that they "killed the Prince of Life." This was literally true and it was necessary that they should know and feel it.

PETER does not conceal the death of Christ—he is not ashamed of the fact that his Lord was crucified. God forbid that any of us should be ashamed of the Cross—may we speak of it without a blush! Peter does not flatter his hearers but he declares that they "killed the Prince of Life." This was literally true and it was necessary that they should know and feel it. There is no Gospel without the Cross and no useful preaching which does not appeal to the conscience—yes, there must be the Cross for doctrine and honest rebuke as the trumpet to awaken men's hearts. You ministers take note of this! Mark well that in the same sentence in which he testified to the Lord's death, Peter bears witness to His Resurrection. The verse is very short and yet contains the two greatest events of human history—"You killed the Prince of Life, whom God raised from the dead." The Crucifixion and the Resurrection come close together. There are no intervening words in Peter's speech, as there was scarcely an interval as a matter of fact. Our Redeemer is laid in the grave Friday evening and He rises from it early Sunday morning. It is called "three days" by Oriental custom, but, as a matter of fact, the interval only consisted of parts of two days and one whole day. God has a way of handling time which makes a day as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day—and in this case He compressed into the smallest space the three days during which the Great Hostage remained in the grave. Beloved, I wish you would learn a lesson here—never draw out sorrow and dread beyond the shortest necessary period.

And killed the Prince of life - Τον αρχηγον της ζωης, The author of this life: not only implying that all life proceeds from Jesus Christ as its source, but that the life-giving influence of that religion which they were now proclaiming came all through him. Αρχηγος signifies a prime leader or author, a captain, from αρχη, the beginning, head, or chief; and αγω, I lead. In Heb 2:10, Christ is called Αρχηγος της σωτηριας, the Captain of salvation. He teaches the doctrine of life and salvation, leads the way in which men should walk, and has purchased the eternal life and glory which are to be enjoyed at the end of the way. So the Jews preferred a son of death, a destroyer of life, to the Author and Procurer of life and immortality! Whereof we are witnesses - They had now wrought a most striking miracle in the name of Christ, and immediately proposed themselves as witnesses of his resurrection from the dead; the miracle which they had thus wrought being an unimpeachable proof of this resurrection.