The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Peter took some of the believers from Joppa with him to Caesarea. When they arrived the following day, Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Cornelius met Peter, he fell down and worshipped him, but Peter got him up and corrected his understanding of worship, that people should worship the Creator, not the creature (Rom 1:18-23). As he entered Cornelius’s house, he saw the large group Cornelius had gathered. Cornelius hadn’t even heard the gospel yet but gathered everyone he knew in anticipation of hearing something from God. Why do we, who know the gospel, battle to tell others about it? When Peter said it was unlawful for a Jew to associate with a Gentile, he wasn’t speaking about any Old Testament law, because there isn’t one, but of a cultural prohibition that arose from the possibility of a ceremonial compromise that might arise from such contact. But God had shown Peter, in the vision of the sheet of animals, that he should not call any person common or unclean, and that is why he had come without objection. When Peter asked why he had been called, Cornelius again explained his prayer time, the vision, the angel’s instructions, and their expectation that Peter was going to share a message from God.
Peter affirmed that God shows no partiality and that God looks favourably on anyone who fears Him and does what is right. This does not mean that anyone can earn their salvation, which is always by faith alone (Eph 2:8-9). It also doesn’t negate the fact that all have fallen short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23; Isa 64:6). Righteousness is living in alignment with God’s character and commandments whether the person has heard them or not (Rom 2:14). When people seek after God, He will grant them the additional revelation they need in order to receive justification by faith (Heb 11:6). Peter explained that God sent His message of peace to Israel through Jesus Christ, though He is in fact Lord of all. Jesus’ ministry was from his baptism in Galilee under the power of the Holy Spirit, doing good and healing all to show that God was with Him. Peter explained that he was a personal witness of Jesus’ ministry, his death on a tree, and his resurrection on the third day. Jesus appeared to witnesses who ate and drank with Him after he rose from the dead which testified to His physical resurrection and His continuing humanity. God has appointed Jesus as the one to judge the living and the dead. Peter concluded with the essence of the gospel message—everyone who believes in Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins through His name. Belief in Jesus grants us forgiveness of all sins (Col 2:13) and grants us once-for-all salvation from the penalty of death. Repentance grants us forgiveness from past sins (1 John 1:7-9) and brings us back into fellowship with God. The Jews of Jesus’ day did not begin their new life with fellowship forgiveness (Acts 2:38), they still needed to repent of their involvement in Jesus’ death. The Gentiles, and all future believers, began the Christian life with both positional and relational forgiveness with God.
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on those in Cornelius’s house who heard [and believed] the word. This is a great testimony to the fact that nothing more than faith is needed in order to receive God’s gift of eternal life, sealed by His Spirit. God confirmed they had received the Holy Spirit with a similar manifestation as at Pentecost and all the believers who had gone with Peter were amazed that the Holy Spirit had been poured out on Gentiles as well. Having believed, Peter saw no reason why they too should not be baptised and so they were baptised in Jesus’ name. Then Peter stayed with them to build them up in their new faith.
Belief is all that’s needed for eternal salvation. Repentance is needed for an ongoing abiding relationship with God. Have you confused the two? Are you confident in the knowledge that your salvation is secure in the promise of Jesus to save all who believe in Him? When you find yourself falling back into patterns of sin, are you quick to repent and draw near to God for the abiding relationship that will help you to conquer that sin?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Living Separate as Christians: 2 Corinthians 5-6