What God Has Cleansed

Observation

Setting. Caesarea, the Roman capital on the coast, where Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort, prays at the ninth hour (vv1–3). Joppa, about thirty miles south, where Peter is staying with Simon the tanner by the sea and prays on the housetop at the sixth hour (vv5–6, 9). The story covers four days (v30) and ends back in Cornelius’s house, full of relatives and close friends (vv24, 27).

Structure:

• vv1–8 — Cornelius: a devout, God-fearing centurion who gives alms and prays (vv1–2); an angel at the ninth hour — “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial” (vv3–4); “send for a man named Simon” (vv5–6); two servants and a devout soldier sent to Joppa (vv7–8).
• vv9–23 — the sheet: Peter on the housetop, hungry, in a trance (vv9–10); the sheet with all kinds of animals (vv11–12); “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” — “By no means, Lord” (vv13–14); “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” — three times (vv15–16); the men at the gate; the Spirit: “I have sent them Myself” (vv17–20); Peter lodges them and goes (vv21–23).
• vv24–33 — the house: Cornelius has gathered his household (v24); he falls at Peter’s feet — “Stand up; I too am just a man” (vv25–26); “God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean” (vv27–29); Cornelius retells the vision — “we are all here present before God” (vv30–33).
• vv34–43 — the sermon: God shows no partiality (vv34–35); peace through Jesus Christ, Lord of all (v36); anointed, doing good, healing (vv37–38); witnesses of His death on a cross and His resurrection the third day (vv39–41); appointed Judge of the living and the dead (v42); forgiveness through His name for everyone who believes (v43).
• vv44–48 — the Spirit falls: the Holy Spirit falls on all who hear (v44); the circumcised believers amazed (v45); tongues and exalting God (v46); “no one can refuse the water” (v47); baptized in the name of Jesus Christ; Peter stays a few days (v48).

Repeated words, with counts:

• “God” ×16 — vv2 (×2), 3, 4, 15, 22, 28, 31, 33, 34, 38 (×2), 40, 41, 42, 46.
• “Peter” ×15 — vv5, 9, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21, 25, 26, 32, 34, 44, 45, 46.
• “all / every / everyone” ×13 — vv2, 12, 33 (×2), 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 43 (×2), 44.
• “send / sent / dispatch” ×11 — vv5 (×2), 8, 17, 20, 22, 29 (×2), 32, 33, 36.
• “Cornelius” ×8 — vv1, 3, 17, 22, 24, 25, 30, 31.
• “house / household / housetop” ×7 — vv2, 6, 9, 17, 22, 30, 32.
• “Simon” ×6 — vv5, 6, 17, 18, 32 (×2).
• “unholy / unclean” ×5 — vv14 (×2), 15, 28 (×2).
• “pray / prayed / praying / prayers” ×5 — vv2, 4, 9, 30, 31; “Spirit” ×5 — vv19, 38, 44, 45, 47.
• “hour” ×4 — vv3, 9, 30 (×2); “Joppa” ×4 — vv5, 8, 23, 32.
• “witness(es) / testify” ×4 — vv39, 41, 42, 43; “Lord” ×4 — vv4, 14, 33, 36.
• “vision” ×3 — vv3, 17, 19; “alms” ×3 — vv2, 4, 31; “angel” ×3 — vv3, 7, 22.
• “feared / God-fearing / fears” ×3 — vv2, 22, 35; “baptism / baptized” ×3 — vv37, 47, 48.

Contrasts: Caesarea ⟷ Joppa; a Gentile soldier ⟷ a Jewish fisherman (vv1, 5). The ninth hour ⟷ the sixth hour (vv3, 9). “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” ⟷ “By no means, Lord” (vv13–14). Unholy and unclean ⟷ what God has cleansed (vv14–15). Fell at his feet ⟷ “Stand up; I too am just a man” (vv25–26). Unlawful to associate ⟷ “God has shown me” (v28). Partiality ⟷ every nation welcome (vv34–35). Put to death on a cross ⟷ raised on the third day (vv39–40). Judge ⟷ forgiveness (vv42–43). The circumcised ⟷ the Gentiles also (v45). Water ⟷ the Spirit (v47).

Shape of the chapter: two scenes in two cities that God brings together. The first half (1–23) cuts back and forth between Caesarea and Joppa; the second half (24–48) is one room, where Peter speaks and then God speaks louder.

Chapter theme (my words): God shows no partiality. He seeks out a Gentile who is seeking Him, breaks down the wall in His own apostle’s heart, and pours out His Spirit on anyone who believes in Jesus — the Lord of all, the Judge of all, and the Savior of whoever believes.

Interpretation

Was Cornelius saved before Peter came? He was devout, God-fearing, generous and prayerful (v2), and his prayers rose “as a memorial before God” (v4). Guzik: “we see a man who obviously had a real relationship with God.” Sproul only says, “God recognizes you. God notices you.” Henry: God “never did, nor ever will, reject or refuse an honest Gentile.” But the angel sends for Peter, and Peter later reports the angel’s words: “he will speak words to you by which you will be saved” (11:14). I take it that Cornelius was a genuine seeker whom God was drawing, and that he was saved when he heard and believed the message about Jesus (v43). Good works prepared the ground; they did not save him.

Did God abolish the food laws? Sproul: “God changed the rules in the middle of the game, so to speak.” Jesus had already taught that food does not defile a man (Mark 7:18–19), and Paul treats food as a matter of conscience (Rom 14). But Peter himself gives the main point in verse 28: the vision was about people. Sproul: “But you see this was not about food or animals. It was about people.”

Why three times? “This happened three times” (v16). Henry notes it; Peter, who denied Jesus three times and was restored three times (John 21:15–17), needed it said more than once. The repetition sealed the lesson.

Was Simon the tanner a Gentile? Sproul thinks so: “In all probability, the Simon with whom Peter stayed in Joppa was a gentile.” Guzik treats the tanner’s trade, which handled dead animals, as the shocking detail. Either way, Peter was already lodging where a strict Jew would not.

What does “no partiality” mean? Prosōpolēmptēs is a “face-receiver.” Verse 35 does not mean every sincere person is saved without Christ; the sermon goes straight to Jesus and ends with “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (v43). It means nationality is no barrier. Guzik: “We often think God sees color; He only sees the heart.”

What is the gospel Peter preached? Jesus’ anointing and ministry, His death on a cross, His resurrection on the third day, His appearance to chosen witnesses, His appointment as Judge, and forgiveness through His name (vv37–43). Sproul: “if it does not include the cross, it is not evangelism, it is not the gospel.” Spurgeon: the Judge is also the Savior.

Was this a “Gentile Pentecost,” and are tongues normal for all? Sproul calls it “the gentile Pentecost” and places it with Samaria and Ephesus; he rejects the view that tongues are “the indispensable sign” and insists, “If you have Jesus, you have the Holy Ghost.” Guzik sees the outward signs as necessary “on this occasion,” to convince the Jewish believers. Spurgeon does not take up tongues in this sermon. Christians differ here; I read Acts 10 as a once-for-all marker that the Gentiles are in — “just as we did” (v47) — not as a pattern every believer must repeat.

Why baptism after the Spirit? The order differs from Acts 2:38, and our teachers see the reason: God settled the question before anyone could argue. Henry: “can we deny the sign to those who have received the thing signified?” Sproul makes the same argument.

Word study (Greek):

• righteous — dikaios (G1342): upright, just; of Cornelius (v22; Luke 1:6; 2:25).
• unholy / common — koinos (G2839): ceremonially profane; vv14, 15, 28; Mark 7:2.
• worshiped — proskyneō (G4352): to bow down; refused by Peter (vv25–26; Rev 19:10).
• partiality — prosōpolēmptēs (G4381): “face-receiver”; only Acts 10:34.
• Lord of all — kyrios pantōn (G2962): v36; Rom 10:12.
• Holy Spirit — pneuma hagion (G4151): fell, poured out, received (vv44–47; Joel 2:28).

Key insights to carry (from the Deep Dive):

1. God notices the seeker (v4; Sproul).
2. A good man still needs the gospel (11:14).
3. Hunger on the housetop — God uses the ordinary (Guzik).
4. “By no means, Lord” is a contradiction (Sproul).
5. Not about food — about people (koinos; v28).
6. God works both ends — two visions, one plan (vv17, 20).
7. “I too am just a man” (v26; Guzik).
8. God is no face-receiver (v34).
9. No cross, no gospel (Sproul; Spurgeon).
10. The Spirit falls on the preacher first (Spurgeon).

Cross-references: Lev 11; 20:24–26; Isa 49:6; 56:7; Joel 2:28; Jonah 1:3; Mark 7:2, 19; Luke 6:46; John 21:15–17; Acts 1:8; 2:4, 38–39; 8:14–17; 11:1–18; 15:7–9; 19:1–7; Rom 2:11; 10:12; Gal 2:11–14; 3:28; Eph 2:11–22; James 2:1; Rev 19:10.

Application

Sin to confess — calling unclean what God has cleansed. I have my list of people I don’t expect God to save: a certain kind of man, a certain neighborhood, a certain record. Peter had his list too. God told him three times, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” I confess my prejudice by name, and I ask God to change how I see the men He sends me.

Command to obey — get up and go without misgivings. The Spirit said, “get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself” (v20). When someone unexpected shows up at my gate asking about God, I will not make excuses. I will go.

Truth to face — “By no means, Lord.” I cannot keep saying “Lord” and “no” at the same time. Where I have told God no — about forgiving someone, about a habit, about a person He wants me to love — I will say yes today.

Example to follow — Cornelius and his household. He gathered his relatives and close friends and said, “we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord” (v33). I want to come to the Word like that, and bring my family and the men I serve with me.

Promise to trust — everyone who believes receives forgiveness. “through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (v43). Everyone — the Roman soldier, the Jewish fisherman, the man in the cell, me. Spurgeon said, “I am one of the “whoevers,” for I believe in Jesus with all my heart!” So am I.

Questions for the table (from the Deep Dive):

1. Cornelius was devout, generous and prayerful — and still needed to hear about Jesus. Who do I know who is “a good person” but has never heard the gospel clearly from me? (10:1–6; 11:14) He will speak words to you by which you will be saved (11:14).
2. Peter said, “By no means, Lord.” Where am I telling God “no” while still calling Him Lord? (10:13–16; Luke 6:46) No, not me, I’m not going to do it (Sproul).
3. God told Peter not to call any man unholy or unclean. What kind of person do I secretly write off — and what would change if I believed God could cleanse him? (10:15, 28) It was about people (Sproul).
4. Cornelius said, “we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” How do I come to church or to our table — ready to hear, or ready to judge? (10:24, 33) A whole household waiting for the word.
5. Peter preached Jesus as both Judge and Savior. Which one do I tend to leave out — and why do I need both? (10:42–43) If you do not believe in Christ as your Judge, you will never accept Him as your Savior (Spurgeon).
6. The Holy Spirit interrupted Peter’s sermon. Where do I need to stop talking and let God do what only He can do? (10:44–48; 11:15–17) Peter allowed the Holy Spirit to interrupt his sermon (Guzik).

Worship. The Lord of all heard a Gentile’s prayers in Caesarea and a Jew’s prayers in Joppa, and wove them into one answer. He is not one to show partiality. He anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power, raised Him on the third day, appointed Him Judge of the living and the dead, and pours out His Spirit on everyone who believes.

Prayer. Lord of all, forgive me for every time I have called someone unholy whom You have cleansed. Break down the walls in my heart the way You broke them in Peter’s. When You send someone to my gate, help me go without misgivings. Thank You that through Jesus’ name everyone who believes receives forgiveness — and that I am one of them. Pour out Your Spirit on our group while the Word is being spoken, and let us be amazed again at Your grace. Amen.