Matthew Henry Commentary Acts 3:22-26

"Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me. To him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you. And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. Yea and all the prophets from Samuel and them that followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days. Ye are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Servant, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." — Acts 3:22-26 (ASV)

Here is a powerful address to warn the Jews of the dreadful consequences of their unbelief, in the very words of Moses, their favorite prophet. Out of a pretended zeal for him, they were ready to reject Christianity and to try to destroy it. Christ came into the world to bring a blessing with him.

And he sent his Spirit to be the great blessing. Christ came to bless us by turning us from our iniquities, and saving us from our sins. We, by nature, cling to sin; the design of Divine grace is to turn us from it, so that we may not only forsake it, but also hate it. Let no one think that they can be happy by continuing in sin when God declares that the blessing consists in being turned from all iniquity.

Let no one think that they understand or believe the gospel if they only seek deliverance from the punishment of sin but do not expect happiness in being delivered from sin itself. And let no one expect to be turned from their sin except by believing in, and receiving Christ the Son of God, as their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.