Acts 10:1-16, Receive those whom God has cleansed

Today's Scripture Summary

Cornelius, a God-fearing centurion, sends a man to Joba to ask for Peter, as the angel had told him. After a vision of bowls filled with various beasts descending from heaven, Peter refuses the command to eat them. After being told not to defile what God has cleansed, the bowls ascend into heaven.

1. Cornelius sees a vision (10:1-8)

God remembers the prayers and good deeds of the godly, regardless of ethnicity or race. Cornelius is a Gentile who is a centurion in the legion of Dalmatia. The legion of Dalmatia (Italy) is a Roman infantry unit and consists of about 600 men. The commander of the unit is a centurion, and there are eight to ten centurions under him. The pious Cornelius, along with his entire family, feared God, saved many people, and prayed to God all the time. God valued his faith and life. One day, as he was praying around the hour of Zegus (3 p.m.), an angel appears and tells him that God remembers his prayers and deliverance, and instructs him to call on Peter in Joppa. God is about to give him a deeper teaching through Peter. The story of Cornelius marks an important turning point in future Gentile missionary work.

What was the faith and life of Cornelius the centurion like? What is my faith and life like in God's eyes right now?

2. Peter's vision (10:9-16)

As the men sent by Cornelius approach Joba, Peter goes up on the roof to pray. It's the sixth hour (12 noon), which means it's market time, and Peter has a vision. God uses the food we eat to reveal His will. In a bowl like a faience, there are all kinds of animals mixed in, including some that the law forbade them to eat. The first voice, "Arise and eat" (v. 13), means to receive those whom God has chosen and cleansed from among the Gentiles. The second voice, "What God has cleansed, do not make yourselves unclean" (v. 15), declares that in Jesus Christ, the ethnic distinction of Jew or Gentile has been abolished.

Why did God show Peter a vision and give him a command? What prejudice or sin is God convicting me of?

Prayer for the Day

God, thank you that you have broken down all discrimination and offered salvation through the blood of Christ's cross. As a recipient of your indescribable grace, help me to fear you, to strive for redemption, to pray always, and to demonstrate the power of godliness. Lead us to abandon stubbornness and prejudice and to willingly obey your will.