The Word Came to the Gentiles

Introduction

When did Christianity begin? What is its origin? Do the characters and stories of the Old Testament belong to New Testament Christians?

Does your concept of Christianity begin with the Apostles?

…maybe it begins with the establishment of Christianity in the context of the Roman empire?

…or maybe the strange Medieval expressions of Christianity?

…or how about the Protestant Reformation?

Or maybe your concept of Christianity begins with your own experiences as a child or teenager.

Do you realize that all of the Apostles and all of the earliest Christians thought of themselves as having the same origins and history as the people of God throughout the Old Testament?

In fact, the book of Acts provides us with the rationale and the description of how the people of God (the people who worship and serve the God of the Bible) transitioned from being one ethnic group in the world to encompass all ethnicities and geographies.

During our time, studying through the book of Acts, we’ve seen the word and the kingdom of Christ advance quickly and powerfully… as at least an inaugural fulfillment of all the blessings God had promised throughout the Old Testament.

First, we saw the word of the gospel and the kingdom of Christ publicly established in Jerusalem; Peter preached that Jesus Christ was and is the Messiah of old, and that everyone should repent and believe or trust in Him… and at least a few thousand did just that (Acts 1:12-6:7).

Then, we saw the word advance into Judea and Samaria, and Christ again - by His Spirit and through the preaching of the gospel - added to His kingdom or His Church (Acts 6:8-9:31).

Remember that all of Acts is the outworking of Christ’s commission in Acts 1:8… “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

So, as readers of Acts, we expect that the next advance of the word or gospel of Christ and the next addition to His kingdom will be those who are counted among “the end of the earth.”

Luke began his third section of the Acts storyline (9:32-12:25) by focusing the reader back on the Apostle Peter and also by reminding the reader of the Apostolic witness, which came with miraculous power… Peter healed a paralytic man and a lady who had died.

The promise of the gospel is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of old, who has come to usher in God’s perfect kingdom on earth… which is here now, and yet will be manifest or displayed in full when Christ comes again.

God’s kingdom does now and will only admit perfectly moral, holy, and upright people. So Jesus has suffered and died in the place of sinners, and He offers forgiveness in His name to all who will repent and believe.

Furthermore, God’s kingdom will be perfect joy and peace; therefore, every result of the curse has been and is being and will be reversed (sickness is healed, sorrow is comforted and dispelled, and even death must give way to life). This is the meaning of the Apostolic signs or miracles; the momentary healings signal the greater healing that is to come.

But the emphasis of our passage today is not in the profound depths of God’s promises in the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is the worldwide extent of those promises. Not only is Jesus ushering in God’s perfect kingdom on earth, He is also bringing those ones which the Mosaic covenant called “unclean” into God’s pure and holy kingdom.

Therefore, we are to learn today that inclusion in God’s kingdom, inclusion in the blessings of the New Covenant, inclusion in the eternal and profound promises of the gospel do not depend upon ethnic descent or family lineage! But rather, everything hangs on (1) God’s calling, (2) the hearing of the word of the gospel, and (3) the powerful and effectual work of the Holy Spirit.

May God help us to savor the truths we see revealed in this passage today, and may He grant us great comfort and hope because of them.

Let’s read Acts 10 together...

Scripture Reading

Acts 10:1–48 (ESV)

1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.

3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.”

4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?”

And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.

12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”

15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate 18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there.

19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”

21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?”

22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”

23 So he invited them in to be his guests.

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.

Main Point

The promises of the gospel are available to all those God calls to Himself, who hear the word of the gospel, and are renewed by the effectual work of the Holy Spirit.

Message Outline

The Emphatic and Dramatic Gospel-Expansion

Two Visions

Two Divinely Arranged Welcomes

Two Explanations of Divine Revelation

Two Confirmations of Conversion

Four Takeaways for us Today

Message

1) The Emphatic and Dramatic Gospel-Expansion

Our passage today is a major event in the storyline of the Bible.

Luke includes two full narrations of the story:

one, telling the reader what happened (Acts 10:1-48), and two, telling the reader how Peter explained what happened to the Jewish Christians back in Jerusalem (Acts 11:1-18).

Luke also tells us that the conversion of Cornelius - as well as those gathered with him to hear “all that [Peter, the messenger of God] had been commanded by the Lord” (v33) - was THE critical argument to show that God did in fact include Gentiles [i.e., non-Jews] in the New Covenant (Acts 15:1-21, especially v6-11).

Our passage is the definitive and pivotal expansion of God’s covenant, which includes everyone who repents and believes (or trusts in or clings to) Jesus Christ.

Before Acts 10, there were Jews [i.e., the people of God] and there were Gentiles [i.e., pagans and idolaters], with only sporadic exceptions when Gentile “God-fearers” were allowed to live as second-class citizens among the Jewish people of God’s covenant.

Notable examples are the many Egyptians who came out of Egypt with Israel, Ruth, and the Ethiopian official.

Emphasizing the importance of this event, the structure of our passage is systematic.

Two visions (v1-16):

Cornelius and Peter both receive divine revelation from God about what is happening and what is going to happen.

Two divinely arranged welcomes (v17-29):

Peter welcomes men from Cornelius, and then Peter himself is welcomed by Cornelius and many other Gentiles.

Two explanations of divine revelation (v30-43):

Both Cornelius and Peter explain their visions to one another, and Peter’s explanation includes an exposition… Peter tells Cornelius what all this means.

And finally, there are Two confirmations of conversion (v44-48):

First, God Himself confirmed the conversion of those “who heard the word” (v44); and then, Peter and the Jewish Christians with him confirmed their conversion as well.

Let’s consider each of these pairs as Luke describes them, and then let’s take note of what all this means for people like us today.

2) Two Visions (v1-16)

Cornelius

Cornelius was “a centurion” (v1), which means he was captain over 100 soldiers.

He was a “devout man who feared God” (v2), which likely means that he was a Gentile aiming to live - as much as possible - within the boundaries of the Mosaic covenant.

Cornelius was probably much like the Ethiopian official who “came to Jerusalem to worship” (Acts 8:27), but was not fully included among God’s covenant people since he was a gentile (and in his case, he was also unfit because he was a eunuch).

Luke described Cornelius’s devotion by saying that he “gave alms generously” and he “prayed continually to God” (v2).

Peter

Peter was an Apostle of Jesus Christ, and one of Jesus’s closest disciples during His earthly ministry.

Peter was also a Jewish man, a descendant of Abraham, who had lived according to the Mosaic covenant all his life.

Among those disciplines most common to any Mosaic covenantal Jew were the dietary and social laws, which both fell under the broader category of ceremonial laws, governing the way in which God’s people were supposed to serve and worship God.

Certain kinds of animals and certain kinds of people (particularly Gentiles or non-Jews) were “unclean” or “impure” or unholy or defiled (v14).

Even to touch an unclean thing or person would result in - at least for a time - becoming unclean or impure yourself… which meant unwelcome before the Lord.

The two visions

Cornelius’s vision:

Through a “messenger” or “angel” (v3), God revealed to Cornelius that there was a man, “one Simon who is called Peter…” who was “lodging with [another] Simon… by the sea” in Joppa (v5-6).

God’s messenger told Cornelius to “bring” Peter to Caesarea, where Cornelius and his people were staying (v5).

The angel didn’t tell Cornelius all the details, but it was clear that Cornelius was under God’s blessing and not His curse.

Peter’s vision:

Through a “voice” (v13, 15) and a picture (“something like a great sheet… [containing] all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds” [v11-12]), God revealed to Peter that God “has made clean” that which was once “unclean” under the Mosaic covenantal laws.

In typical fashion, Peter objected to this revelation (v14); but “the voice” from God “came to him again a second time, [saying], ‘What God has made clean, do not call unclean or common’” (v15).

And to ensure that the message was clear and definitive, we’re told that “this happened three times” before the vision concluded with “the thing [being] taken up…to heaven” (v16).

Again, there isn’t much in the way of details, but it was clear that God was making “unclean” stuff - according to the Mosaic laws - “clean.”

Each of these visions alone are interesting, but as the story progresses, these visions become monumental and ground-shifting.

3) Two Divinely Arranged Welcomes (v17-29)

Peter welcomed “two...servants and a devout soldier” (v7).

v17-18 tells us that while Peter was still “perplexed” about “what the vision…might mean… the men who were sent by Cornelius… stood at the gate [of the house where Peter was staying]… and [they] called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there.”

Before Peter heard about the men himself, “the [Holy] Spirit” revealed to Peter that He [God’s Spirit] had “sent them” (v20) and that Peter was to “accompany them without hesitation” (v20).

Side note: We don’t have time today to get deeply into the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, but let me simply point out here that God is arranging events and people in the world - especially in the salvation of sinners - by or through the Holy Spirit.

As we shall see, it is the work of the Spirit to convert (or more specifically to regenerate or to renew) sinners… and here, we even see that it is the work of the Holy Spirit in arranging this whole encounter!

So, when Peter met the Gentile men from Cornelius, and when they told Peter about who Cornelius was and what he had been told by an angelic messenger from God, Peter “invited them in to be his guests” (v23).

Cornelius welcomed Peter, and Peter “came without objection” (v29).

v23 tells us that Peter “went away” with the Gentile men on “the next day,” and “some of the brothers [i.e., Christians, Jewish Christians] from Joppa accompanied him.”

When Peter and the entourage (both Jew and Gentile) arrived in Caesarea, v24 says, “Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends” to meet and hear from this man called Peter whom the Lord had sent to them.

Cornelius was ready to “worship” Peter (v25), since (in Cornelius’s mind) Peter was personally known to and sent from God, but Peter immediately rejected such a thing, saying, “I too am a man” (v26)… In other words, Peter was not God, and, therefore, he was not worthy of worship… only God is worthy of worship (Rev. 19:10).

After their initial greeting, Cornelius took Peter into his house (or maybe a house where he was staying a while in Caesarea). There, Peter “found many persons gathered” to meet and to hear him (v27).

Interestingly and notably, the Gentiles were all happy to welcome the Jewish messenger from God… but Peter had to clear the air a bit before he accepted their welcome.

Peter said, “28 You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation [the social and religious boundaries had been clear in numerous ways throughout society], but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean [Peter was interpreting his vision to mean more than just a change in Mosaic covenantal dietary laws]. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection...”

Peter and Cornelius both must have had eager anticipation for what would happen next, and so would we if we felt the weight of the Mosaic covenantal laws and if we didn’t already know what God did to bring Gentiles into His covenantal blessings… if we didn’t already know some of the profound newness of the New Covenant in and through the Lord Jesus Christ!

Let’s see how it unfolds in the passage...

4) Two Explanations of Divine Revelation (v30-43)

Cornelius answered Peter’s question, “I ask then why you sent for me” (v29).

Cornelius explained what he had seen and heard from an angelic messenger just “four days ago” (v30).

And now, Cornelius and everyone close to him were gathered “in the presence of God to hear all that [Peter] have been commanded by the Lord” (v33).

Peter then answered Cornelius’s implied question, “What have you been commanded by the Lord to tell us?!” (v33).

Peter began by expressing his new understanding that “God shows no partiality [in His invitation to participate in the New Covenant], but in every nation anyone who [using language familiar to the Bible] fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (v34-35).

In other words, God is making it clear through this whole arrangement and encounter that national heritage and ethnic lineage are not factors at all in God’s judgment of anyone’s acceptability before Him.

What, then, makes someone (anyone) acceptable to God?

In basic biblical terms: “fear” God and “do what is right” (v35).

In clear New Testament terms:

“repent” and “turn to God” and perform “deeds in keeping with…repentance” (Acts 26:20);

or “repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15);

or in Peter’s words recorded in our passage today, “everyone who believes in him [Jesus Christ] receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (v43).

And, how will anyone believe in Jesus, unless they have a preacher tell them about Him (Rom. 10:9-17)?

Well, that’s what Peter did… he preached the gospel to them… the “good news of peace [with God] through Jesus Christ” (v36).

v38 "Jesus of Nazareth” was “anointed” or set apart by God with “the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all… for God was with him.”

v39 Peter and the rest of the Apostles were “witnesses of all that [Jesus] did...” even to the murderous act of Pilate and the Jewish leaders, who “put [Jesus] to death by hanging him on a tree...”

v40 “but God [declared Jesus innocent and righteous and also confirmed that His sacrifice was acceptable when He] raised [Jesus] on the third day...” And, v41, the resurrected Jesus appeared “to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who [even] ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.”

v42 Finally, Jesus “commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that [1] he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead… [and 2] that [v43] everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name”

The promises of the gospel are:

One, that Jesus Christ will judge all unrighteousness, all sin, every injustice, and every wrong… There is coming a day when the prayer of Psalm 94 will be answered in full.

Psalm 94 - “1 O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! 3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? 4 The pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. 5 They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage. 6 They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, ‘The LORD does not see; …God… does not perceive.”

But, the psalmist goes on, “8 Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? 9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?”

Indeed, He sees and hears everything… even those things that are invisible and those that make no sound… And He will soon bring vengeance upon all sinners through the man Jesus Christ.

The second promise of the gospel is that Jesus Christ will save or spare from His vengeance everyone who “believes in him” (v43).

In fact, there is not only the promise of escaping judgment… there is the promise of full inclusion in the benefits of grace:

Total absolution or pardon of guilt

The full credit of perfect righteousness

The merciful and joyous restoration into God’s own presence

Gracious adoption into full sonship

And many others…

As one song describes it, “Your blood has washed away my sin… The Father’s wrath completely satisfied… Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table… Jesus, Thank You… By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near… Your enemy You’ve made Your friend… Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace… Your mercy and Your kindness know no end.”

So, what happened when Peter preached the gospel at this divinely arranged meeting, where God was revealing the expansion of the kingdom of Christ to include all sorts of repenting and believing sinners?

5) Two Confirmations of Conversion (v44-48)

Those who heard and believed were converted!

We know they were converted because they “received the Holy Spirit,” just as the Jewish believers had on the day of Pentecost (v47).

We know they were converted because they were “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” by Peter and those Jewish Christians who had come along with him from Joppa to Caesarea (v48).

And each of these is a demonstration of two distinct confirmations.

God confirmed the conversion of “all who heard the word” by baptizing them with/by “the Holy Spirit” (v44).

Only God can grant the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Anyone who has the Spirit of God has spiritual life, has been renewed or regenerated, and has been brought into eternal fellowship with God and with all Christians everywhere.

In fact, it is precisely this argument that Peter made, when he wanted to do his part in confirming the conversion of those believing Gentiles.

The Jewish Christians with Peter confirmed the conversion of “the Gentiles… who have received the Holy Spirit” (v45, 47).

Peter asked, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (v47).

This is the right way for Christians to think about baptism… it is to be given to anyone with a credible profession of faith.

Someone hears and understands and believes the gospel, and then he or she begins living in keeping with that new faith or belief.

Those who are already publicly recognized Christians in the world (i.e., a congregation of baptized believers already in fellowship with one another) hear of this new convert’s profession of faith…

they observe that the convert has the evidence of spiritual life…

(speaking in other tongues or languages provided evidence in the earliest days of Christianity, but since then Christians have looked for the fruit of the Spirit and a general willingness to obey Christ as Lord)

and then they proceed to baptize this new convert “in the name of Jesus Christ” (v48) or as a public association of this convert with Christ and with His people.

6) Four Takeaways for us Today

We must believe or trust or cling to the only Jesus who saves!

If Abrahamic decent and obedience to the Mosaic covenant wasn’t enough to save first century Jews, then no family heritage or good works of your are going to do it.

Be honest with yourself about your sin, throw off your pride, and throw yourself on the mercy of the only savior God has given for guilty sinners like us.

We ought to proclaim the gospel promiscuously!

We don’t get divine revelation today about who God has chosen to save, but we do know that “God shows no partiality” (v34) and Jesus Christ makes “forgiveness of sins” available to “everyone who believes in him” (v43).

We don’t decide who is more savable and who isn’t… we proclaim the gospel, we call all sinners to repentance and faith, and we let God do the converting.

We ought to proclaim the message of the gospel!

Notice that it wasn’t merely Peter’s life or example or piety… or even his decision to be associated with those Gentiles that resulted in their conversion.

Notice also that Peter didn’t just tell them to “Believe the gospel!” or “Accept Jesus!” or “Say this prayer with me...”

No, he told them a bunch of facts about Jesus and what those facts mean! …He proclaimed the message of the gospel!

We must trust in the effective power of the Holy Spirit!

Notice how this entire passage emphasizes the power, the intentions, and the effective work of God’s Spirit.

“the Spirit” sent the Gentile men from Cornelius to Peter (v19).

The idea conveyed is that God’s Spirit was working in every aspect of this divine encounter between Peter and Cornelius.

“the Holy Spirit” empowered Jesus to do the work of His earthly ministry (v38).

“the Holy Spirit” “fell on” or “came upon” or “pressed upon” those “who heard the word,” and brought them from spiritual death to life (v44).

We too must understand that the Holy Spirit is at work all the time… and only He can open the hearts and minds and eyes of those with whom we share the gospel.

We must trust in God’s Holy Spirit to renew and work effectively… according to His gracious plans.

The promises of the gospel are available to all those God calls to Himself, who hear the word of the gospel, and are renewed by the effectual work of the Holy Spirit

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and Henry Beveridge. Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010. Print.

Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Polhill, John B. Acts. Vol. 26. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992. Print. The New American Commentary.