Dear Friends,
Greetings in Christ!
In this post, we pick back up with the story of Cornelius, Peter, and the visions that God used to bring them together.
Acts is the great turning point in Scripture. From Genesis 25 through the Gospels and the beginning of Acts, the focus of Scripture is on Israel. There is much for the heathen nations as well — like the occasion when Jonah tried to take a boat from Joppa to Tarshish, only to end up on a mission trip to Nineveh — but the focus is on Israel.
Then in Acts, the focus starts shifting to the church, a body of believers made up of both Jews and Gentiles. In Acts 10 in particular the Gentiles start coming in to the church.
Later in Acts, Paul will tell the philosophers in Athens that God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth. That’s a good message for the ‘philosophers’ of our day too. If someone has a problem with the way God made your skin tone, tell them to take it up with Him. We all have the same Creator and we all need the same Saviour. (Acts 4:12; 17:26)
The Letters that follow Acts focus mostly on the Gentiles. James addressed his Letter to the twelve tribes that are scattered abroad, and there is also the Letter to the Hebrews; yet, overall, the focus of the church age has been the Gentiles. This change started in Acts 10.
This transition continued through the first century, as the gospel is to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Gentile). Paul in his Letter to the Romans demonstrates how this transition was foretold in Scripture:
8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. [II Sam 22:50; Ps 18:49]
10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. [Deut 32:43]
11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. [Ps 117:1]
12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. [Isa 11:10]
Romans 15:8-12
Yet later in Revelation 7, God calls 12,000 Jewish believers from each of the twelve tribes, 144,000 in total. At this point (in the not-too-distant future), not only will the church age be over, but the times of the Gentiles will be wrapping up as well. When Jesus comes back, the leader of the free world will be Jewish and Jerusalem will be the capital. This is God’s plan for Israel. (Rom 11:25)
Hence, we have a watershed moment here. Before Acts 10, none of the apostles were preaching to Gentiles. The Ethiopian eunuch and the diverse crowd in Acts 2 were all either Jews or Jewish proselytes, but Cornelius is a Roman Gentile. Let’s see what happens.
Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit as we read your word. Give us understanding. We pray these sayings will sink down into our souls and bear fruit in our lives, as well as the lives of others. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Acts 10:19-48
19 ¶ While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
I love how the Spirit speaks directly to Peter here. Throughout the Bible, God speaks to his people. Christianity is not a religion. It’s a relationship, and in a healthy relationship, people talk to each other. If you’re not hearing Him, read your Bible more and remember to always pray before you read your Bible. (Also as you’re reading it.)
21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
Cornelius was a man who gave God his best, like the woman who poured her precious spikenard on Jesus’ head before He went to the cross. In our last post, we read that Cornelius gave much alms to the people. (Matt 25:40)
23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
Peter is being obedient to the vision he had in the first part of the chapter (see here) by inviting the Romans in and letting them stay in the same house with him.
24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
Cornelius was an evangelist even before receiving Christ. Peter has a nice-sized audience waiting to receive him. It reminds me of the party Matthew threw to receive Jesus. (Matt 9)
25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
Notice Peter does not tell Cornelius to kiss his ring, much less his toe. When I was recently in St Peter’s Basilica, I watched as someone went past the velvet rope and kissed the toe of Peter’s effigy — famously worn down from centuries of kissing and touching.
Rather, Peter sets Cornelius straight and tells him to stand up.
27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
This is Peter’s first time in a Gentile home. He explains to them how God showed him that he has to accept them. As I said in the last post, the unclean beasts in Peter’s vision were not just meant to signify food — the Romans themselves are the unclean animals in the vision. God said he had cleansed them and not to call them unclean. I don’t know how they ever got that idea in the first place, as I do not find that in the law of the Old Covenant. Jesus did not think going to the house of Cornelius(?) was breaking the law in Luke 7:6, but traditions passed down by the scribes and Pharisees came to be accepted more or less as law.
29 Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me?
Peter makes Cornelius spell it out for him.
30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.
33 Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.
Perhaps at this time Peter remembered the great commission. Jesus commanded him (and us!) to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Now, taken together with Cornelius’ vision and his own vision, Peter knows what to say:
34 ¶ Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Verse 35 cannot be used to promote universalism; it says ‘every nation’, but with a qualifier: in every nation he that feareth him [Jesus], and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
There Peter goes again, preaching on the resurrection. Why does he keep playing the same song? Because that is the heart of the gospel. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important part of our faith as Christians. (Rom 4:25; 10:9; I Cor 15:14-19)
Peter’s preaching shows that a simple message is all that is needed to win souls. (I Cor 1:17) I recall hearing about one new Christian who only knew John 3:16, yet she was an effective evangelist. You can play a song on one string, and it only takes three chords to jam.
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick [living] and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Peter is offers a slice of John 3:16 here; you’re either a whosoever will or a whosoever won’t. This is a crowd of whosoever wills:
44 ¶ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
I believe “they of the circumcision … as many as came with Peter,” probably heard the Romans speaking Hebrew. I once heard a Hebrew scholar, who was by no means Pentecostal, say that he saw a lady receive Christ on the Bayou in Louisiana and immediately start speaking Hebrew. I suspect that is the reason Peter’s friends were astonished. The Jews who accompanied Peter to Caesarea would have never believed these Romans were their brothers in Christ without this compelling evidence.
47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
Verse 47 destroys the false teaching of baptismal regeneration. They were already saved and had received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized.
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Acts 10:19-48
Peter may have made some big mistakes (haven’t we all), but he is really starting to get his sea legs now. Yet Peter is still just a man, the same as the rest of us.
When I was in Rome, the exaltation of Peter could be seen everywhere. The basilicas and shrines throughout the city often feature colossal statues of Peter and the other apostles, making them seem like gods. The vaulted ceilings in these shrines are very high and far away, making God seem far away. The decorations and artwork in these places are very lavish, often decked with silver and gold.
Yet the Bible shows Peter as he really was, full of flaws yet fully accessible to the common people. Peter always directed people to the word of God and away from corruptible things like silver and gold. (I Pet 1:18-2:3)
Wiersbe said that Peter used the keys of the kingdom (Matt 16:19) to open the door of faith to the Jews (Acts 2), the Samaritans (Acts 8) and finally, the Gentiles (Acts 10). That is one possible interpretation, but even that sounds like a bit of a stretch to me. In Matthew 18:18, Jesus told the other apostles pretty much the same thing He told Peter in Matthew 16:19. I tend to think that what Jesus meant when He said the keys of the kingdom was the word of God and the faith to believe it, keys that are available to us all. (Matt 7:7; cf Luke 11:52) The ‘Church’ claims that the keys of the kingdom were passed from pope to pope, giving them their authority. That sounds nice, but it’s not in the Bible. (Neither are prayer beads, confession booths, nor a celibate priesthood. In fact, Peter himself was married.) Therefore, it is another gospel they are preaching in Rome. (Gal 1:6-9)
It is not my intention to insult anyone, but I thank God for my Christian friends who were not afraid to challenge my Catholic faith. I pray all who read this will put their faith in the word of God as I have, and not in the Church.
In closing, at this point in the book of Acts, not only have we seen the gospel go out from Jerusalem to Samaria and beyond (Acts 1:8), but we have seen the gospel received by the three major people groups in Genesis 10: Shem (Acts 2), Ham (the Ethiopian Eunuch), and Japheth (Cornelius from Italy). I wonder what Dr Luke, the Gentile, was thinking while he was writing about the conversion of Cornelius?
For the next couple of chapters in Acts, we will continue to see both Peter and Saul, before the focus shifts away from Peter towards Saul and his missionary journeys.
Father, thank You for the open door You have set before us. Thank You that all are welcome, no matter what we may have done, however terrible it may have been. Thank You for the precious blood of your Son that washes away all our sins. Thank You that He is risen from the dead and that He is coming back again for us soon. Thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen.
