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The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 10:34-11:18 The Gospel Preached 10.34 - 35. Then Peter started speaking: "I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is welcomed before him. By the vision he had received and the fact that God had sent him to give the gospel message to the Gentiles Peter realizes that God is not only the God of the Jews but of the Gentiles also. That God has no partiality, that is, shows no favouritism and does not discriminate or treat one person better than another (Deut. 19:17, Romans 12:11). God's grace is available to all and He wants everyone no matter what race or colour to hear the gospel and believe 2 Peter 3:9). He accepts whoever believes that He is (Heb. 11:6) and has a reverential fear of Him. 10.36. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all) — The Word that God sent to His chosen people Israel is Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14) and He came preaching peace by the reconciliation that He accomplished by dying on the cross (Eph. 2:14-16): He is indeed Lord of All (1 Cor. 15:27). 10.37. you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John announced: Here Peter refers to the ministry of the Lord that began after His baptism in the river Jordan by John the Baptist and after His temptations in the desert his audience was well aware of this (Luke 4:14). 10.38. with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.
This same Jesus was the anointed One of God upon whom the Holy Spirit descended and remained (Luke 3:22). He was given power and authority fulfilling what the scriptures said of Him healing and delivering all who were oppressed by the power of the devil because God was with Him (Isaiah 61:1-
3). In saying this Peter was showing Cornelius and his household that Jesus is the Son of God. The acceptance of this is essential for being saved. 10.39 - 40. We are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen, The disciples who were with Jesus during His earthly ministry that included Peter witnessed the many things He did and taught also His crucifixion and resurrection. These also are two essential things necessary for being saved believing that He died for our sins and was raised for our justification (1 Cor. 15:3-4; Rom. 4:25; Rom. 10:9). 10.41. not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. It was only to those whom God had chosen that Jesus showed Himself after His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5-8). 10.42. He commanded us to preach to the people and to warn them that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. Peter was in fact fulfilling this verse that refers to the commission Jesus had given in Mark 16:15 by preaching the gospel message to Cornelius. 10.43. About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." He ends his gospel message by stating that all the prophets bore the witness and pointed to Jesus Christ and that it is only by calling upon and believing on His name can forgiveness of sins be obtained (Acts 4:12).
The Gospel Received 10.44. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the message. Before Peter finished his sermon all those who were present accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and the Holy Spirit fell upon them and they were all filled without the laying on of hands. 10.45 - 46. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were greatly astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, The Jews who had come with Peter from Joppa could not get over the fact that Gentiles were being filled with the Holy Ghost. How did they know that they were? Because they heard them speaking in tongues that was the sign on the Day of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit had taken up His abode within the believers. 10.47. "No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?"
On witnessing this Peter was convinced that these Gentiles were saved and therefore ask the Jews that were with him if they could give any justifiable reason why they should not be baptized in water as they had experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit just the same (Acts 2:4). 10.48. So he gave orders to have them baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for several days. So they were all baptized in water in the Name of the One who had saved them
God's Grace Defended 11.1 - 2. Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him, When the Church in Jerusalem heard that the Gentiles had responded to the gospel they were not overjoyed about it and when Peter returned they found fault with him and became hostile opposing and disputing with him because he had gone to the Gentiles and even ate with them. 11.4 - 14. But Peter began and explained it to them point by point, saying, "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, an object something like a large sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me. As I stared I looked into it and saw fourfooted animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds. I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!' But I said, 'Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!' But the voice replied a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!' This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven again. At that very moment, three men sent to me from Caesarea approached the house where we were staying. The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house. He informed us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, who will speak a message to you by which you and your entire household will be saved.' In these verses Peter precisely explains the vision that he had and that he had responded in obedience to God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. 11.15 - 16. Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, as he used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' He ends this by telling them how the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles just as it did upon them at Pentecost. When he saw this happening he remembered what Jesus had said to concerning the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). 11.17. Therefore if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God?"
He ends by asking what power or authority did he have to interfere or forbid this happening and thus withstand against God? 11.18. When they heard this, they ceased their objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted the repentance that leads to life even to the Gentiles." The Jewish Christians at Jerusalem had no answer for this and so they now rejoice and praise God that by His grace salvation was for the Gentiles as well as the Jews (Isaiah 42:1; Rom. 10:12-13). © Derek Williams 2014 Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org