A Study in Acts Week 10

Acts Chapter 10

Verses 1-8 – Cornelius was the captain of a Roman unit (about 600 men). He was a gentile, but he worshiped God. With all of his good marks to his credit, he is not saved and these works do not make him a Christian. He got a visit from an angel who told him to send some men to get Simon Peter. Cornelius was the first real Gentile that joined the church.

Verses 9-16 – Peter was a Jew. Jews believed that God did not care about Gentiles. They thought that God only cared about Jews. Jews refused even to enter a Gentile’s house, even if the Gentile worshiped God. It would be very difficult for Peter to visit Cornelius.

God sent an angel to Peter to tell him of Cornelius. Peter was reluctant, so God sent a sheet with unclean animals on it and commanded Peter to eat from it.

The lesson of these verses is two-fold: 1) under the New Covenant, the Laws of the Old Covenant have been fulfilled and no longer have a hold on us; 2) In God’s sight, all men are equal. He has endowed them as such. As a nation, we memorialized this thought in the Declaration of Independence.

Verses 17-33 – While Peter thought about all of this, the Holy Spirit spoke to him. The Spirit said, ‘Simon, three men are here and they are looking for you. So, get up and go downstairs. I have sent them. So, do not hesitate and do not worry. Go with them.’

He ate a meal with Gentiles, who had not received circumcision. They slept in the same house. Before the vision, Peter would not have done this. But now, he was beginning to understand that God accepted Gentiles. God did not think that Gentiles were unclean. So, Peter, too, should accept Gentiles.

Cornelius kneeled at Peter’s feet as if Peter was a god. Peter was bringing God’s message. At that time, some people very much respected any person who brought God’s message. They believed that such a person also had the same qualities as a god. But immediately Peter made Cornelius get up. He told Cornelius that he (Peter) was only human.

Verses 34-43 – Jews believed that they were God’s favorite people. They are God’s chosen people, but that just means He chose them to introduce Messiah to the world.

Peter’s vision showed to him that God loves everyone, people from every nation in the world. Where you were born does not matter to God. It does not matter to God what color your skin is. His salvation is a gift. He offers that gift by means of Jesus to all people.

Verses 44-48 – Peter had told the people about salvation by means of Jesus. There can be no doubt that the Gentiles present believed immediately. So, the Holy Spirit came down onto them.

After believing, and after the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were baptized.

Verse 45 deserves special attention. The word translated “tongues” is the plural of our old friend from Acts 2, glossa, meaning languages. These people were from all over, just like the people in the crowd in Acts 2. Notice that Peter and his cadre understood these Gentiles and “heard them…praising God.” They knew what they were saying.

They were enjoying great fellowship, and they did not want to break up the party. They asked Peter and his friends to hang around a while.

True fellowship can only be had between people who have a relationship with God through faith in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.