Acts 3:15 - Is the Prince of Life the Almighty Creator?

Acts 3:15 -- and the Prince of the life ye did kill, whom God did raise out of the dead, of which we are witnesses. -- Young's Literal.

Acts 3:15 -- You killed the author of life, the very one whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses of this. -- Common English Bible.

Acts 3:15 (CSB) And you killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this. -- Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Some offer Acts 3:15 as a proof of the trinity. It has been claimed that Jesus is the Creator of the universe and thus this is alleged to prove that Jesus is God Almighty, and therefore one of the person of the alleged triune God. Evidently, the phrase "Prince of Life" is being assumed to mean the absolute source of all life, and thus that this would mean that Jesus is God who created the universe.

The word rendered "prince" above is a compound word that roughly means chief or first leader. It can refer to the chief source. It is used again in Acts 5:31 regarding how the one person who is God exalted Jesus. It is used again in Hebrews 2:10, designating Jesus as the first, the pioneer or chief over salvation. It is also used in Hebrews 12:2 in reference to Jesus as being the pioneer and perfecter of the faith of those who belong to Christ. In none of these instances, however, does the usage of this word of Jesus designate Jesus as being his God, Jehovah, or as being a person of his God, Jehovah.

We should note that throughout Acts 3, the word "God" refers to only one person, and Jesus is distinguished from being "God". Indeed, even in Acts 3:15, "God" is referring to only one person. Peter identified Jesus, not as being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but as being the servant whom Jehovah raised up as the prophet like Moses. -- Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Acts 3:13-26.

Furthermore, there is no indication that those Jews to whom Peter spoke thought that Peter was speaking of God Almighty. God Almighty does not die! Yet Peter said that the Jews had killed Jesus. Did those Jews kill God Almighty, who does not die? Thus, it would be implausible to think that Peter would be telling the Jews to whom he was speaking that they had killed God Almighty!

Jesus, however, was the first man to live his life in full obedience to God. As such he was the pioneer in bringing life and incorruptibility to light. (1 Timothy 1:10) Since Jesus proved his faithfulness and has been highly exalted by his God, Jehovah (Micah 5:4; Ephesians 1:3,17-23; Philippians 2:8,9), and since God has given to Jesus the authority and power to give life to others, then Jesus became the source of life for redeemed mankind -- he became the life-giving spirit. -- Matthew 28:19; John 5:19-21,25; 11:25; 14:6; 17:2; 20:31; Romans 5:12-19,21; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22,45; 1 Peter 3:19; 1 John 4:9. 

Jesus' being God's instrument in salvation, of course, does not remove Jesus' God (Micah 5:4: Ephesians 1:3) from being the ultimate source of all life. (1 Timothy 6:13; 1 John 5:11) It was Jesus' God, Jehovah (Micah 5:4), the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Acts 3:13), who raised Jesus from the dead, as reported not only in Acts 3:15, but also in Acts 2:24,32,26; 4:10; 10:40; 13:30,33,37; 17:31; Romans 4:24; 8:11; 10:9; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:15; Galatians 1:1; Colossians 2:11,12; 1 Thessalonians 1:9,10; 1 Peter 1:21; 3:18; see also Hebrews 5:7.

As is true with all the scriptures trinitarians present as being alleged proof of their trinity doctrine, there is nothing that says that God Almighty is more than one person, or that He is three persons. There is nothing in Acts 3 that means that we need to imagine and assume that God is more than one person and that Jesus is a person of Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, etc.

Exodus 29:45,46 - Did Jehovah Say He Would Become a Man?

Exodus 29:45 - And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
Exodus 29:46 - And they shall know that I am Jehovah their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Jehovah their God. 

Exodus 29:45,46 has been presented as proof that supposedly Jehovah (Yahweh) had promised to come to earth and live among his people. Evidently, the thought is that Jesus is "Jehovah" who is speaking in these verses, and thus that Jehovah Jesus came to earth to dwell among Israel in the first century.  This is being imagined and assumed in order to support the trinitarian concept that Jehovah (Yahweh) is three persons, and that Jesus is a person of Jehovah.

We definitely find nothing in Exodus 29 that presents Jehovah as being more than one person, or that the promised Messiah would be a person of Jehovah. There is definitely nothing in Exodus 29:45,46 that says that Jehovah will become a human being with a glory lower than the angels.  -- Psalm 8:4,5; Hebrews 2:7,9.

Additionally, there is definitely nothing in these verses that warrant any conclusion that "Jehovah" here is not the same one person who is Jehovah in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. Jehovah, instead of saying that He will come and live on the earth as man, said that he would raise up a prophet like Moses. Peter identifies Jesus, not as being Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but as being the one whom Jehovah raised up to be a prophet like Moses.  (Acts 3:13-26) The default reasoning is that Jehovah in Exodus 29 is the same one person who is the Messiah's God in Isaiah 61:1,2 and Micah 5:4.

How did Jehovah dwell among the children of Israel? The earlier verses tell us:

Exodus 29:41 - And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meal-offering of the morning, and according to the drink-offering thereof, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
Exodus 29:42 - It shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations at the door of the tent of meeting before Jehovah, where I will meet with you, to speak there unto thee.
Exodus 29:43 - And there I will meet with the children of Israel; and the Tent shall be sanctified by my glory. -- See also Exodus 25:22.

From this, we can see that Jehovah was speaking of meeting with his people in the tent. He did not become flesh in order to meet with the children of Israel in the tent, 

Benson:

I will dwell among the children of Israel — As a proof of this the Shechinah, or symbol of his peculiar presence was among them. I will be their God — I will watch over them as a nation, by a peculiar providence, and show myself to be, indeed, that all-powerful and merciful God who delivered them in so miraculous a manner from Egyptian bondage.

Gill:

And I will dwell among the children of Israel,.... In the tabernacle ordered to be built for him, and which, when built, was placed in the midst of the camp of Israel; and here Jehovah dwelt as a king in his palace, near at hand to help, protect, and defend his subjects, and supply them with all things needful for them; see Deuteronomy 4:7.

Indeed, we haven't found any published Biblical commentator that claims that Exodus 29:45,46 is speaking of Jehovah becoming flesh and living upon the earth. To imagine and assume such would be a gross misuse of scripture.

References:
(We do not necessarily agree with all statements given by these authors)
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Benson's Commentary on Exodus 29
Gill's Exposition on Exodus 29

Related Studies:

The Tabernacle (Herald, November/December, 2002)
Three Days Journey (Daniel Kaleta)
The Sanctuary (David Stein)
God's Dwelling Place
Exodus, by Brother Frank Shallieu