Bible Commentaries
Acts 10

Verses 1-48

1 The kingdom has been proclaimed in Jerusalem and rejected; it has been heralded in Judea and Samaria, and now is being carried to the limits of the land. The Ethiopian proselyte has been reached by Philip. Now a Roman "proselyte of the gate" is brought before us in the person of Cornelius.

There were two classes of proselytes: the proselytes of righteousness and the proselytes of the gate. The former, by circumcision and conformation to the Jewish ritual, became incorporated into the Jewish people. The latter, called "fearers of God" or "the devout," renounced idolatry and acknowledged the God of Israel as the one true God, but were not circumcised and gave only scant heed to the ceremonial observances. Though highly esteemed, as Cornelius, they were regarded as outside the pale of Judaism, as "uncircumcised"

and "of the nations." It was regarded as a crime for a Jew to enter the house of such a proselyte or to eat a meal with him. Thus the kingdom message, as proclaimed by the twelve apostles, reaches its furthest limit in Cornelius. This accounts for the extraordinary pressure brought upon Peter, for none of the Jews thought that the proselyte of the gate was included in the kingdom commission. First the word was to the Jews only (including proselytes of righteousness), then the Hellenists are evangelized, followed by the despised Samaritans. Now that Cornelius is included, the original commission to the twelve is fulfilled in two of the three spheres-Jerusalem and Samaria (Acts 1:8). They failed to go to all nations as He had told them (Luke 24:47) . As Cornelius was a Roman, descended from Japheth, and the eunuch was an Ethiopian, probably belonging to Ham, and the Jews were Shemites, all the sons of Noah were reached through their representatives. This was typical of the spread of the kingdom over the whole earth when it will be set up in power at Christ's return. His dominion will include all the descendants of Noah's sons, and embrace all the families of the earth. His salvation will be known from sea to sea. As the Romans despised the Jews, the signs of the operation of the Spirit Of God in Cornelius were very marked even before he called for Peter. Centurions were not naturally devout or in fear of God, nor did they give alms to the Jews or pray to God. Cornelius believed the Scriptures or he would not have recognized Israel's supremacy. He knew God or he would not have prayed to Him continually. Hence the salvation here proclaimed to him was not prefaced by repentance. It was of the same nature as that which Peter proclaimed at Pentecost. It was a deliverance which insured his entrance into the kingdom. According to Solomon's dedicatory petition (1 Kings 8:41-43) that Jehovah should do all that the stranger who prayed toward His house should call for, Cornelius' prayers and alms come up for a memorial before God. Yet he must be taught that all his blessings come to him through Israel. Hence he is told to call for Peter. This is in direct antithesis to the present truth, for now, during Israel's apostasy, we get our blessings direct from God.

The location of Peter at the time is suggestive. The nations are often represented by the sea, and he had gone as far as he could on land for he was at the sea side. His hunger is typical of the hunger of God for the worship of all His creatures-not Israel alone, hence Peter is told to "sacrifice and eat." The ceremonially unclean animals must represent those among the nations whom God had cleansed. Hence we must regard Cornelius as one whom God had cleansed before Peter met him. Peter, like all the Jews, was so prejudiced by birth and training that it was almost impossible for him to conceive of such a thing as having fellowship with a gentile, or even a proselyte of the gate, no matter how devout he might be. Henceforth the apostasy of Israel consists largely in refusing to be a channel of blessing to the nations. This led them to question Peter and persecute Paul. The vision alone was not sufficient to break through the prejudice of Peter, for he could not make out what it meant. But the presence of the three men, who were ceremonially unclean, like the animals he had just seen in the vision, made his course clear. He dared not refuse to fellowship with them or disregard the call of Cornelius. The character of Cornelius was evidence that God had cleansed him. Peter could no longer class him as common or unclean. The fact that Cornelius gave of his means to the people of the covenant was much in his favor, for in the judgment of the nations which precedes the kingdom the nations are judged according to their treatment of the sons of Israel (Matthew 25:31-46).

23 The journey from Joppa to Caesarea would lie along the sea shore. Thus Peter skirted the "limits of the land." The location of Caesarea is doubtless typical also. Its geographical location corresponded with Cornelius' moral position. It was on the fringe of Judaism, near the outer gentile world.

23 Later we learn that six brethren from Joppa accompanied Peter to Caesarea. This was a prudent thing to do, for Peter well knew that he would have to defend his action in thus going against all Jewish precedent and prejudice. True, there was nothing in their Scriptures which forbade all social intercourse with foreigners, but the apostles, as well as the other disciples, were bound by custom and tradition more firmly than by the divine revelation. In view of the storm of protest which was sure to arise, the six men accompany Peter so that they can confirm his account of the event.

24 Cornelius seems to have carried many of his dependents and friends with him in his regard for the Jews and their religion. They also were in a measure prepared for Peter's message. They were not, like Paul's converts, turned from darkness to light and from idolatry to the worship of the true God. They already had much light and worshiped the God of Israel. So the proclamation to them is much the same as to the Jews.

30 Cornelius calls the messenger, or angel, he had seen, a man. There is no warrant, in Scripture, for the poular idea that angels always have wings, like the cherubim. They usually appear in a human form.

31 The conversion of Cornelius is not in accord with the truth for today. Salvation is not offered to those who have access to God in prayer, for such are already saved. It is for sinners, and the ungodly and God's enemies (Romans 5:1-11). It is not based on works (Romans 11:6). Cornelius and his friends were acceptable to God because they feared Him and acted righteously and this before Simon was sent to them. They occupied the place of the godly Israelite before Christ came. They lacked the pardon and gifts which came with the proclamation of the kingdom. These are now made theirs through the chief of the twelve apostles. Their blessing is connected with and depends on the blessing of Israel in the kingdom. Our blessing depends on the opposite; It follows Israel's apostasy. Cornelius is blessed in accord with the prophetic prediction concerning the nations in the kingdom, as it will be during the millennial eon. We are blessed in accord with a secret administration, of which the prophets knew nothing, which could not be revealed until after the kingdom proclamation had been heralded to the people and the proselytes like Cornelius.

34-35 This statement teaches, not that the fear of God and righteous acts take the place of faith in Christ, but they take the place of Moses. Such as Cornelius who pant after the living God are candidates for the kingdom, but must hear the word of life in order to be saved (Acts 11:14). Such as Cornelius are they who will enter the kingdom when the nations are judged (Matthew 25:34-36).

35 Peter's proclamation to the nations is in contrast with Paul's. He details the life of our Lord and His beneficent deeds in the land, leading up to His resurrection. Paul begins with His death and resurrection and proclaims His ascension and His heavenly glories. In a word Peter proclaims "Jesus Christ," Paul preaches "Christ Jesus." The former lays stress on His rejection on earth, the latter on His acceptance in heaven.

39 Paul could have no place in this testimony, for he was not a witness of our Lord's earthly life. Besides being a specimen of the future blessing of the believing nations in the kingdom, who will be rewarded according to their treatment of Israel, the case of Cornelius was undoubtedly divinely intended to bridge the almost impassable gap between the ministries of Peter and

Paul, between the evangels of the Circumcision and of the Uncircumcision. Here we see the blessings of the Circumcision given by God to those who are uncircumcised, and in such a way that His hand could not be doubted. Hence Peter claims (Acts 15:7) that God chose him first to speak to the nations, and he was enabled to acknowledge Paul's commission to the Uncircumcision. Unless Peter had been so prepared, it would have been practically impossible for Paul to carry on his earlier ministries among the nations, for he would have had, not only the unbelieving Jews, but the disciples and the apostles themselves firmly set against his work. Paul did not confine himself to converts to Judaism, as Cornelius and his friends, but had a message of grace suited to idolaters who had never heard of the true God. Nevertheless the principle taught to Peter applied to them also, for God acknowledged them by spiritual gifts, which made it evident that He had cleansed them.

44 At Pentecost the call to repent came to a people who had already rejected Jesus Christ. Peter says nothing of repentance to Cornelius (Acts 11:18) .

48 By baptism they were united to the believing remnant in the nation of Israel, for the name used was the same (Acts 2:38). It is evident, however, that this was a loose union, for the fact of their uncircumcision would bar them from the temple and from everything which the disciples had in common with the Jewish nation. In practice, even the social communion was always on a most doubtful and hesitating basis. Many of the disciples never would have fellowship with the Uncircumcision, and even Peter himself, after boldly defending his course with Cornelius as well as the truth involved, was intimidated by the prevailing opposition, so that, at Antioch he first ate with the Uncircumcision and then withdrew and severed himself for fear of the party headed by James, the brother of the Lord (Galatians 2:11-12) .