1. Acts 14:9–10 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does it mean for the man to have faith to be healed?

Acts 14:9–10 (ESV)

9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,

Paul’s first public miracle in Acts is the same as that of Peter (Acts 3:8), the healing of a lame man.1 The crippled man has heard Paul’s preaching over a number of days and/or weeks. In this time, he has come to a place where he recognises that Jesus is the Christ and believes the good news about what he has done. As a result, the man understands that Jesus has the power to heal him and he is hoping that such a healing might take place for him.2