Author: Charlie Garrett

Restroom sign, Utah capitol.

Friday, 7 October 2022

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

Peter is in the middle of his explanation to Cornelius about the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. He continues now with, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth.”

In these words, there are a couple of intentional connections to the previous verses. The word “anointed” is the Greek word chrió. It is the root of the word Christos (Christ) used in Acts 10:36. Thus, Peter is making a verbal confirmation that Jesus is the Christ because he was anointed by God as such. Further, Ellicott notes the grammatical parallel between the words “Jesus of Nazareth” in this verse and “word” in verses 10:36 and 10:37 –

The word [logos, divine utterance] which God sent
That word [rhéma, the contents of the utterance] you know
Jesus of Nazareth

The utterance of God and the meaning that it conveys is parallel with the Person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Again, as has been seen in previous verses in Acts, the location is affixed to His name because Jesus was not an uncommon name. To define who is being referred to more explicitly, the name of His town, Nazareth, is affixed as a part of the title

Of the anointing received from God by Jesus of Nazareth, it was “with the Holy Spirit.” In the Old Testament, the act of anointing a priest or a king or even an object (such as the pillar Jacob raised in Genesis 31) was accomplished to signify being set apart to God. It would also typologically anticipate the spiritual anointing of God upon Christ.

In the prophets, the noting of being anointed becomes a point of messianic anticipation as the words obviously point to One who was yet to come and who would accomplish marvelous things or fulfill promises made by the Lord to the people. This is the idea that carried on to the time when Jesus came and fulfilled those prophecies, such as –

“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. ¹⁷ And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
¹⁸ ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
¹⁹ To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’
²⁰ Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹ And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’” Luke 4:16-21

The gospels clearly tie the baptism of Christ in with this anointing. He was already holy and sinless, but the act of baptism became the visible and explicit act of God acknowledging Him as the One especially set apart and anointed to fulfill the messianic promises.

With this noted, Peter continues with, “and with power.” The power here obviously refers to more than just something a person might be born with or that a person might develop through exercise. It is referring to abilities that are clearly divine in nature, being bestowed by God, such as healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, and even raising the dead. With this anointing, and with this power, Peter next says, “who went about doing good.”

The words “went about” are literally “went through.” It signifies the scope of His ministry, going through the land in order to do that which was for the benefit of those whom He encountered. There was never a secondary agenda to profit, gain fame, or wield authority over others. Rather, He carefully demonstrated an attitude of selfless care for those around Him, tending to them as a Shepherd over His flock. Also, Peter says, “and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.”

The layout of the words is explained by Vincent’s Word Studies, saying, “The and (καὶ) has a particularizing force: doing good, and in particular, healing.” In other words, the healing was a particular point of the “doing good” that highlights the ministry of Jesus. And this is well described throughout the gospels.

Peter’s note of the healings being for those “oppressed by the devil” shows that the troubles of this life find their root in his crafty works against man. The word translated as “oppressed” is found only here and in James 2:6. It is a word that signifies “powerfully bringing someone down (denying them the higher position or blessing they should enjoy)” (HELPS Word Studies).

The point is that if the devil has the ability to oppress man, and Jesus has the ability to heal them, then Jesus has power over the afflicter of man, meaning the devil. This now ties the thought of Jesus’ baptism into His anointing. At the time Jesus was baptized, it said in Luke –

“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. ²² And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’” Luke 3:21, 22

After that was recorded, the genealogy of Jesus, going all the way back to Adam, and then to God who created Adam, was given. Thus, it was a confirming note that this Person was to be the One to restore what was lost through the devil’s cunning, but who was promised at that time (see Genesis 3:15). Immediately following that, in Luke 4, the account of the devil tempting Christ was given as is recorded in Luke 4:1-13.

The devil could not defeat the resolve of Christ Jesus the way he had done to Adam. Christ had gained mastery over the devil and was thus able to heal those oppressed by the devil, as Peter next notes, “for God was with Him.” This is exactly what is recorded by Luke –

“Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ² being tempted for forty days by the devil.” Luke 4:1, 2

God’s Holy Spirit filled Jesus, demonstrating God’s approval of Him and His being with Him. Peter is clearly revealing the interactions of the Godhead in his presentation of who Jesus is.

Life application: The power that man needs to be free is found in Jesus. The devil already has authority over all people as is stated in Scripture. But Jesus overcame the devil, defeating Him for any and all who will simply come to Him by faith. It was in violating God’s law that the devil gained authority over man. The introduction of the Law of Moses highlights this fact. But in Christ’s fulfillment of the law, a New Covenant was introduced.

In this New Covenant, there is freedom from the imputation of sin (2 Corinthians 5:19) and the bestowal of God’s grace upon us. The Bible gives only two positions for the state of man, we are born under the authority of the devil, and we stand condemned. It is our default position. Jesus offers humanity to receive what He has done and move back to God through Him. Once that occurs, it becomes man’s new default position.

As sin is no longer imputed to those who are in Christ, the default position is set forever. The devil can never again break the bonds between God and man. This is the marvelous offer of peace and reconciliation that God presents to man. Be sure to accept this offer and then share what has occurred in you with others. Be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ our Lord today.

Lord God, thank You for Jesus. In Him, there is hope. In Him, there is reconciliation. And, in Him, there is peace and fellowship with You once again. May we never take lightly the wonderful thing You have done in the sending of Jesus. Hallelujah for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Voice of the people.

Thursday, 6 October 2022

that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: Acts 10:37

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

Peter just said in the previous verse, “The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all.” He now continues his words to Cornelius, saying, “that word you know.”

It is now a different word than the previous verse:

The word (logos) which God sent to the children of Israel
that word (rhema) you know

The first is the message (the declaration of God) itself. This now refers to the contents of the message. One can say, “It is the gospel that saves. This is the word God has sent.” The question may then be, “But what is the gospel?” In response, the actual gospel is given – “This is the gospel: Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, Jesus was buried, and Jesus rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

The first is the message, the second is the contents of the message. In the case of what Peter will next say, the words begin with events prior to the crucifixion, explaining the work of Jesus. From there, they meet up with the culmination of His work. It is this that forms the substance of the gospel. Hence, the gospel is inclusive of the fact that Jesus is God. When saying, “Jesus died for our sins,” it must be rightly understood who Jesus is. One must believe in the right “Jesus” for the gospel to be properly conveyed. Understanding this, Peter continues, saying, “which was proclaimed throughout all Judea.”

More precisely, it says, “that came throughout all Judea.” Peter is essentially saying, “Cornelius, surely you have heard what came about in the land of Judea. You may not know all the details, but that’s ok, I’m here to explain them to you.” His words now are the beginning of the explanation of what the message (rhéma) is. From there, he continues with, “and began from Galilee.”

Again, more rightly it says, “having begun from Galilee.” Galilee is not a great distance from Caesarea. With so much of Christ’s ministry there, it was likely that Cornelius would have heard something of what had transpired, maybe even from news about the centurion described in Matthew 8. He may not have a full sense of all that transpired, but he must have surely heard some of the events that took place. These things were “after the baptism which John preached.”

The word translated as “preached” is not the same as in the previous verse. This means to proclaim or herald a message. John heralded repentance to Israel in preparation for the coming of Messiah. Peter includes John the Baptist’s ministry in his words, clearly assuming that even a Roman centurion in Caesarea would have heard about his proclamation. There would have been a national stir that the Messiah was coming and that His forerunner was telling them that it was so.

Peter is ensuring that Cornelius was fully aware of the fact that Jesus was prophesied to come, that He was heralded as that coming One, and then he will next describe the nature of the One who came.

Life application: If God united with humanity in order to redeem man. And if that Man, Jesus, went to the cross to die for the sins of humanity, does it make any sense at all that God in Christ would lie when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”?

The answer is, “No.” If God, who cannot lie, has spoken that Jesus is the only way to be reconciled to God, it would make no sense at all for Him to then provide another avenue of reconciliation. In fact, it would be the stupidest thing in the history of creation to have Jesus crucified if there was another avenue available. What would be the point of His death if there was?

People who say, “I believe that Jesus died for our sins, but there are other paths to God as well,” are not thinking clearly. We must evaluate the circumstances and decide what is true and what is not true. There cannot be truth in the words of John 14:6 if we believe there is another path available to be reconciled to God. And if the words of John 14:6 are not true, then Jesus isn’t God. The person they say they believe died for our sins is not the Person that uttered His words of exclusivity.

Let us always think such matters through to their logical end. God has spoken through Jesus. What He has said is, and it will not change. From that, let us consider how very important it is to speak the gospel to others. It is the only message that can save.

Heavenly Father, how good it is to know that You have given us a path to reconciliation. It is remarkable that You have done so. Why should we then assume that it is one of many paths? Even one is surprising, and it is the most incredible thing that has ever come about. Jesus Christ died for our sins. How can we shame that act by believing that there is any other path to restoration with You? May we never presume to even consider it. Thank You for Jesus. Amen.

Painting at Utah capitol building.

Wednesday, 5 October 2022

The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— Acts 10:36

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

Peter is responding to the reason why Cornelius had summoned him. He just noted that those who fear God and work righteousness are acceptable to Him. He continues now, beginning with, “The word.”

Peter is now going to convey the divine utterance of God, the word, that came to those of Israel. He understands more fully now that this divine declaration was not to be limited to Israel at all, but that it is a word that is to extend beyond its borders to all people. With that, Peter continues by sharing what the word is. It is that “which God sent to the children of Israel.”

This is exactly what the law and the prophets indicated. There was the law, but it was spoken in a manner that indicated there must be One who would come and fulfill it. From there, the prophets spoke of this coming One, hinting at His ministry and how He would accomplish the things set before Him. Within the prophets was also the promise of a New Covenant. That New Covenant was promised to the people of Israel –

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—” Jeremiah 31:31

In reading this, one might assume that the covenant was limited to Israel and Judah, but that would be a myopic view of the matter. Rather, though it is made with the house of Israel and Judah it was never intended to be limited to them. Rather –

“And now the Lord says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength),
⁶ Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:5, 6

This is the word that Peter is now conveying to Cornelius, explaining that God was “preaching peace through Jesus Christ.” The translation is correct, cleaning up the faulty rendering of the KJV which says, “by Jesus Christ.” It is God in Christ who preached through Jesus. Jesus is the means of God transmitting the message. One can see the human united with the divine in this. It is a necessary point of doctrine that Jesus Christ is God rather than just a created being. God has accomplished all things through Jesus directly. And thus, Peter says, “He is Lord of all.”

The words are their own independent part of the divine declaration. Jesus Christ is not just the Lord over Israel but over all people. The message that God in Christ preached through Jesus is a single, unified message that issues to all people. One must remember that Peter had just said in verse 10:34, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.” What is being expressed by him concerning the word, the divine utterance of God, is as much of a surprise to him as it might be to Cornelius.

It may be true that Peter knew there is only one God, but he assumed that the message of peace was one limited to Jews alone. He now perceives that this is not the case. The Mosaic Covenant was with Israel alone. The New Covenant, though being made with Israel and Judah, extends out to all who will accept God’s offer of peace through Jesus.

Life application: The substance of the gospel is to be found in Peter’s words of this and the coming verses. It teaches that Jesus is God incarnate. It teaches that Jesus died for sins. It implicitly teaches that Jesus was buried, and it teaches that God raised Him on the third day. This is the exact same message that Paul will express in 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4. It is the reason that Paul then says, while speaking of Peter and the other apostles –

“Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.” 1 Corinthians 15:11

This is the one and only gospel given by which men must be saved. Luke is providing a description of what Peter said for us to understand that what God has determined sets the boundaries for salvation, whether it is for that of a Jew, for that of a Gentile, or for that of national Israel. The message is the divine declaration of God that tells us of His incarnation in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Lord God, thank You for the wonderful thing You have done. You have spoken forth Your message concerning the coming of Christ, and He spoke forth the good news to the world. We have a full and complete explanation of this through the words of the apostles, telling us of this wonderful thing. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Painting at capitol building, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Tuesday, 4 October 2022

But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. Acts 10:35

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The previous verse said, “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.’” That is immediately followed up by Peter, saying, “But in every nation.”

Of these words, Bengel rightly states, “It is not an indifferentism of religions, but an indifferency (impartiality) as to the acceptance of nations, that is here asserted.” What is to be said does not include people simply because they faithfully pursue their personal religion, but it is inclusive of those of any nation who faithfully pursue God as he is revealed to people.

Hence, Job can be included in this. Rahab and Naaman likewise are noted in this category in the Bible. However, it cannot be said of someone in Islam or Buddhism today. They are excluded from the thought until a change is made in their mind (a repenting) to turn to the truth of God that has been revealed.

It doesn’t matter if it is a person in Pakistan, Tanzania, Russia, Japan, or any other nation – which is the thought that was expressed to Peter in the descent of the great object filled with the various beasts, birds, and so on. With this understood, Peter next says, “whoever fears Him.” To be more precise, it says, “the one fearing Him.”

This is an upward acknowledgment of God, and it is an action directed toward Him. God is looking at those who are fearing Him in the knowledge of Him that has been made available to the person. Of Cornelius, it said that he was “one who feared God” (Acts 10:2). Paul speaks of this in Romans 2 –

“For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law ¹³ (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; ¹⁴ for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) ¹⁶ in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” Romans 2:12-16

Job did not possess the Law of Moses, and yet he had a law written upon his heart that led him to seek out the true God as He had been thus far revealed. He anticipated restoration with Him through the promised Messiah, and he was noted as a son of God (Job 1:6) through this. Peter continues with “and works righteousness.”

Again, it is a present participle, saying, “and is working righteousness.” This is a horizontal acknowledgment of God, and it is seen in actions directed toward others according to a standard that is pure and faithful. God is looking at those who are fearing Him and who are then expressing that fear of Him in a manner that is appropriate. Of Cornelius, it said that he “gave alms to the people and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2). Someone may give alms to the people, but he may not be doing it because of an acknowledgment of God. Instead, he may be doing it to to simply get ahead in life. That is self-serving and unacceptable.

Likewise, of Job, it says that he was “one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Job confessed that –

“I was eyes to the blind,
And I was feet to the lame.
¹⁶ I was a father to the poor,
And I searched out the case that I did not know.
¹⁷ I broke the fangs of the wicked,
And plucked the victim from his teeth.” Job 29:15-17

Like Cornelius, these things were done because he feared God. And this is the heart of the Law of Moses, as spoken by Jesus –

“So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27

This is the thought now being expressed. With that noted, Peter finishes with, “is accepted by Him.” In the Greek, it is an adjective connected to a present tense verb – “is acceptable.” The incorrect translation would cause a rather significant theological problem. Rather, the full clause rightly says, “is acceptable to Him.”

John Gill rightly says, “though God accepts of such who fear him, and work righteousness from a right principle, and to a right end, without any regard to their being circumcised, or not circumcised, or to their being of this or the other nation, yet their fear of him, and working righteousness, are not the ground of their acceptance; but are to be considered as descriptive of the persons, who are accepted by him in Christ; for there is no acceptance of persons or services, but in Christ Jesus.”

Such a person is “acceptable” to God, but only in Christ can he be “accepted” by Him. One cannot do an end around God in Christ. Job anticipated the coming Messiah through his limited knowledge of what God was doing. Cornelius is now on the “after” side of the coming of Jesus. God has heard his prayers and seen his deeds and has sent Peter to take him the necessary further step to Christ Jesus.

The entire account bears this out. It is not that Cornelius was accepted by God, but that he is acceptable to God because of his rightly directed heart and his actions which displayed that heart. Now, Peter has been summoned to take that heart that acknowledges God and direct it to the Messiah, who alone can remove his sin and make him accepted by God.

Life application: A wrongly translated word can make a world of difference. The NKJV, following after the KJV, has introduced an error that makes it appear that Cornelius has been accepted by (or with) God apart from Jesus. From there, an explanation of what the true meaning is must be constructed, as John Gill did above.

The error of translation can be overcome by a continued reading of the passage which reveals Cornelius was saved after hearing and accepting the gospel. But it is far too often the case that people will take a verse, such as this one now being analyzed, and make up an entire commentary or sermon about how people are saved by their right heart towards God and their good works towards others if they have never met Jesus. And it would all be based on a mistranslation that has been copied again and again from eons ago –

Tyndale Bible of 1526
is accepted with him.

Coverdale Bible of 1535
is accepted vnto him.

Bishops’ Bible of 1568
is accepted with hym.

Geneva Bible of 1587
is accepted with him.

King James Bible
is accepted with him.

New King James Version
is accepted by Him.

As a side note, the word “accepted” can also be an adjective, such as “he is handsome in the accepted sense.” However, the meaning when combined with “is” changes it to a verb. As such the meaning is changed as well. Be studious and be ready to question both people’s commentaries and their translations. In the end, no person will be saved apart from what God is doing in Christ. There are no loopholes, no end-arounds, and no acceptable “Plan B’s.” It is Jesus who saves. Thank God for Jesus!

Heavenly Father, thank You for our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we never waffle in our convictions or in our proclamations concerning Him. May we take His words of John 14:6 as true, literal, and unchangeable – “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Thank You, O God, that You have made this way possible! Amen.

Fancy painting, Utah capitol.

Monday, 3 October 2022

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. Acts 10:34

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

Cornelius just completed his explanation for calling Peter. With his words stated, it now says, “Then Peter opened his mouth.”

As has been seen already in Acts, this is a way of saying that Peter prepared to speak and then engaged in speech. The thoughts in his head are now to be expressed verbally through his mouth. With that, Luke next notes, “and said: ‘In truth I perceive.’”

Peter has made a logical deduction based on the events that have occurred over the past few days. The object like a great sheet has descended from heaven in a trance; he had seen the creatures of the earth on display: he had been told to rise up, kill, and eat. And so on.

Along with that, he now knows that God had sent a messenger to Cornelius telling him to fetch Peter and have him explain all that he was to do. When the messengers from Cornelius arrived, the Spirit had told Peter to go with them without hesitation. Everything was synchronized and purposefully presented to inform Peter of a truth that he now fully perceives, which is, “that God shows no partiality.”

Here is a word found only once in Scripture, prosópolémptés. It comes from prosopon, the face, and lambanó, to receive. Thus, it means “an accepter of a face (individual), i.e. (specially), one exhibiting partiality — respecter of persons” (HELPS Word Studies). This is something that Jesus was known to the leaders of Israel for –

“Then they asked Him, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: ²² Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’” Luke 20:21, 22

In that account, the leaders used the same two words, lambanó and prosopon, separately. Peter now simply unites them into one word to make the same point. However, Peter cannot necessarily be considered dull for not having grasped something that he should have. These leaders were a part of the Jewish society, and they were referring to Jesus’ actions as they saw them within the Jewish society. Jesus had even spoken to a Gentile woman, saying, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).

Because of this, Peter and the others may have (and the indication we can receive from the words of his vision is that this is certainly the case) thought that what Jesus meant was limited to those of Israel. But Peter now sees something fuller has sprung out of the New Covenant. This was not an easy lesson to learn because time and again Israel had been warned about intermingling with Gentiles to some degree or another. Eventually, their leaders took that even further than the law and their writings intimated.

In Deuteronomy 23:1-8, certain prohibitions on accepting people into the assembly are noted. Other incidents like this are noted in the law. During the time of the historical writings, intermingling with Gentiles caused troubles to arise among the people. A perfect example of this is Solomon’s intermarriages with Gentiles as noted in 1 Kings 11 –

“But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— ² from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.’ Solomon clung to these in love. ³ And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. ⁴ For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. ⁵ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶ Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David.” 1 Kings 11:1-6

After Israel’s first exile, a heavy stress is laid upon this notion as is recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah, where these men implored the people to maintain the purity of the race and culture, even forbidding such marriages and forcing the ending of what they perceived as illegitimate marriages. Ezra 10 is dedicated to this idea of defilement and purity. Take time to read that today.

Because of this, and because of later more strenuous prohibitions laid upon the people to not even enter the houses of Gentiles, this was something that Peter had to be fully trained out of by the messenger from God to Cornelius and the trance from God on Simon the tanner’s housetop.

With the coming of Paul’s ministry, and as is recorded in Acts and his epistles, this idea of Gentile inclusion is most perfectly fleshed out. But it is being first expressed in this account of Peter and Cornelius. There is a reason for this that will be dealt with as Acts 10 continues.

Life application: James addresses the idea of showing favoritism in James 2:1-7. It could be argued that he is only referring to this within the Jewish community because he is addressing “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (James 1:1). Further, he uses a term, synagogue, used only among Jews concerning their gathering together (James 2:2). Paul never uses this term when referring to the gathering of the churches in his letters.

As such, this account of Peter and Cornelius, Paul’s interactions in Acts, and also Paul’s letters are invaluable in understanding the equality of Jew and Gentile in the New Covenant. Paul, writing to those in Rome, and using a noun cognate to the one used by Peter above, says that God does not show favoritism when referring to both Jew and Gentile.

He also breaks down the barrier between classes within society, such as that of masters and slaves in Ephesians 6, Colossians 3 & 4, 1 Timothy 6, and Titus 2. It is also the subject of the letter to Philemon. Paul speaks of the unity of acceptance in the gospel concerning males and females as well –

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29

These and other such references tell us that all people are on equal standing before God, and that those who are in Christ are on equal standing in Him. This does not mean we all possess the same rights in this earthly life, however. By Paul noting that slaves are to heed their masters, it implies that there are slaves.

By noting the physical differences between men and women and the cultural differences between Jew and Gentile (Galatians 3:28), it means they are different, even if no distinction in Christ exists. Because of that, when Paul says elsewhere that women are not to teach or have authority over men, it is because of these differences. Thus, there is no contradiction in Paul’s words.

Think about these things and remember that God’s word has defined the Christian parameters for our earthly lives. For our eternal position in Christ, He has accepted all as being on the same level. Any and all are open to receiving the gospel and being saved by the precious blood of Christ. Thank God for Jesus Christ.

Lord God, how good it is to be a part of what You have done in Christ. Each of us is acceptable to You regardless of our gender, societal class, culture, or any other earthly distinction. We are acceptable to You because of Jesus! Thank You for Your care of Your people even when we don’t always care for one another. Help us to drop all such things and be willing to share the message with all we encounter. Amen.