Acts 5:30

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

Acts 5:30 (KJV)

Context

Peter and the other apostles stand before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, after being arrested for preaching and performing miracles in Jesus’ name. In the previous verse they declare, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Now Peter directly addresses the council, identifying the God of Israel as the one who raised Jesus from the dead.

Meaning

The phrase “The God of our fathers” anchors the apostles’ message in the historic faith of Israel. They are not introducing a foreign religion but proclaiming the long-awaited fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This continuity shows that the God revealed in Jesus Christ is the same God who acted throughout the Old Testament.

“Raised up Jesus” refers primarily to the resurrection, the central fact of apostolic preaching. The contrast is stark: while the religious leaders condemned and executed Jesus, God the Father vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead. The description “whom ye slew and hanged on a tree” deliberately recalls the ancient law that declared a man suspended on a tree bears God’s curse (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). This highlights the humiliation of Christ’s sacrifice—He bore the ultimate penalty and curse of sin.

Biblical connections

This verse echoes Peter’s earlier words in Acts 3:13, where he speaks of “The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers” glorifying His servant Jesus. The same imagery of the curse appears in Galatians 3:13, where Paul writes that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. The immediate context continues in Acts 5:31, where Peter declares that God exalted Jesus to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins.

Application

This confrontation forces a recognition of the gravity of human sin—which required such a severe death—while pointing to the victorious power of the God who raises the dead. It stands as a timeless reminder that no earthly opposition can thwart the redemptive purposes of God. The same Jesus whom men killed, God raised up, and that resurrection is the foundation of the gospel.

Reflection

How does the reality that God raised Jesus from the dead shape your confidence in His promises today? The God of our fathers is still at work, reversing human judgment and bringing life out of death.