Why were the believers in Acts 3 still confining the gospel to the Jews only?
They had not yet heard or comprehended the Gospel of Grace, so they did not understand that Messiah’s death, burial, and resurrection was now intended for the Gentile world. God was still dealing with Israel under the Old Testament program begun with John the Baptist, and the temple and Law remained in practice.
Les teaches that the Jerusalem Jews in Acts 3 had not yet heard the Gospel of Grace as we know it. They had not comprehended that their Messiah’s death, burial, and resurrection was now intended to go out to the Gentile world. Therefore they were still properly and correctly confining the message only to the Jew. Coming out of chapter 2 into chapter 3, nothing had changed: it was still an extension of the Old Testament program. The Messiah they should have and could have accepted as King in His earthly ministry they had crucified; God raised Him, called Him back to glory to sit at the Father’s right hand, but He was still dealing with the nation of Israel under the same circumstances begun with John the Baptist. Peter addressed “ye men of Israel,” with Gentiles not even mentioned. In chapter 3 Peter and John went to the temple, not a church; the temple had not been closed, and they were still practicing the Law.