“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.”
God, having raised up his servant, sent him first to you to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness. — the restatement in verse 26 emphasizes God's initiative and grace: God raised Jesus as the servant (pais theou, servant, child), and God sent him to Israel first. The mission is blessing (eulogia, blessing, spoken favor, benediction) conditioned on turning (apostrophe, turning away, conversion) from wickedness (poneria, evil, malice, depravity). The covenant priority and the call to repentance are inseparable.
Church Fathers on Acts 3:26
in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. Acts 3:26 Now let us consider again more minutely what has been read out. (Recapitulation.) In the first place, he establishes the point that the miracle was performed by them ; saying, Why marvel ye? And he will not let the assertion be disbelieved: and to give it more weight, he anticipates their judgment. Why look ye, he says, so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?…
Read all 3 entries in the readerNicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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