Acts 3:26

My Notes

What Does Acts 3:26 Mean?

Acts 3:26 is Peter's closing appeal in his second sermon — and the word order carries the theology. "Unto you first" — humin prōton. First — prōton, before anyone else, with priority, as the initial recipients. The gospel goes to Israel first. Not because Israel earned it. Because the covenant established the sequence. God made promises to Abraham, and Abraham's descendants get first access to the fulfillment.

"God, having raised up his Son Jesus" — ho theos anastēsas ton paida autou. Raised up — anastēsas can mean both "raised from the dead" and "raised up as in appointed/commissioned." Both readings work: God raised Jesus from death and raised Him up as the agent of blessing. Paida — servant or son, echoing the Servant Songs of Isaiah. Jesus is God's servant-son, raised and sent.

"Sent him to bless you" — apesteilen auton eulogounta humas. Sent — apesteilen, commissioned, dispatched with authority. The purpose: to bless — eulogeō, to speak good over, to pronounce favor upon. The risen Christ was sent to bless. Not to condemn. Not to punish. To bless. The first mission of the resurrected Jesus was benediction, not judgment.

"In turning away every one of you from his iniquities" — en tō apostrephein hekaston apo tōn ponēriōn humōn. The blessing has a specific mechanism: turning (apostrephō — to turn away, to redirect, to cause someone to face a different direction) every one (hekaston — each individual, personally) from their iniquities (ponēria — wickedness, moral corruption). The blessing isn't prosperity or comfort. It's liberation from the thing that's destroying you. The greatest blessing God can give isn't what He adds. It's what He turns you away from.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Have you been defining God's blessing as something added, when it might be something turned away from?
• 2.What specific iniquity might Jesus be trying to turn you away from right now?
• 3.How does 'unto you first' — priority for the people who rejected Him — redefine how God distributes grace?
• 4.What does it mean that the blessing is individual (each one) rather than generic?

Devotional

God sent Jesus to bless you. And the blessing is being turned away from the thing that's killing you.

Peter's closing appeal redefines blessing in a way that most people wouldn't choose. The risen Christ — raised from death, commissioned by God, sent with authority — comes to bless. And the blessing isn't health, wealth, or comfort. It's repentance. Being turned — apostrephō, redirected, rotated to face a different direction — from your iniquities. The greatest gift the risen Jesus delivers is liberation from the wickedness you've been living in.

"Unto you first." Israel gets first access. Not because they're more deserving — Peter has just told them they killed their Messiah (v. 15). But because the covenant established the order. The promises were made to Abraham. His descendants are first in line. The same people who rejected Christ are the first ones offered Christ's blessing. The priority isn't merit-based. It's covenant-based.

The blessing is individual: hekaston — each one. Not a national blessing that covers everyone generically. Each person, turned personally from their own specific iniquities. Your pattern. Your wickedness. Your particular version of the corruption that's been ruining you. Jesus was sent to address that — specifically, individually, in your case.

If you've been waiting for God to bless you — and imagining the blessing as something added to your life — Peter says the blessing might be something subtracted. The iniquity you've been carrying. The pattern you've been stuck in. The wickedness you've normalized. The greatest blessing isn't getting something you want. It's being turned away from the thing that's destroying you. And that turning is what the risen Christ was sent to do.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture