Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)

Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)

ATCS 10

Cornelius Calls for Peter

1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

Peter’s Vision

9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

Peter at Cornelius’s House

The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”

27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

30 Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Application Notes

10:1 Caesarea, sometimes called Palestinian Caesarea, was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, 32 miles north of Joppa. The largest and most important port city on the Mediterranean in Palestine, Caesarea served as the capital of the Roman province of Judea. This was the first city to have Gentile Christians and a non-Jewish church. 

10:1 Corneliu was a Roman centurion, a commander of 100 soldiers. He held great authority and influence among the Gentiles. Although stationed in Caesarea, Cornelius would probably return soon to Rome. Thus, his conversion was a major stepping-stone for spreading the gospel to the empire's capital city. 

10:2 What will happen to people who have never heard about Jesus? This question is often asked in the context of God's justice--would God really condemn a person who never had the opportunity to hear the Good News? While we cannot fully know the mind of God, we do know from Scripture that God is loving, merciful, and just, and that he wants all people to come to him (2 Peter 3:9). Cornelius did not know about Jesus as the Messiah, but he was seeking God, and he was reverent and generous, and God sent Peter to tell him about Jesus. Cornelius's story demonstrates God's willingness to use extraordinary means to reach those who desire to know him. 

10:3 Cornelius had a vision featuring a heavenly messenger. God spoke to other people in the Bible through a variety of means--the burning bush of Moses (Exodus 3:1-4), the talking donkey of Balaam (Numbers 22:21-30), the gentle whisper heard by Elijah (1 Kings 19:11-14), the strange object lessons of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 13:1-11). Simply put, God speaks to his people in remarkably different ways--through the written Scriptures, through the words of others, through circumstances and events. God can even speak using dreams, visions, and angels. Which of these methods has God used in your life? 

10:12-20 According to Jewish law, certain foods were forbidden to be eaten (see Leviticus 11). Eating these creatures made a person unclean, so he or she would be unable to worship God publicly or be in the pres­ence of other Jews until he or she performed the rites for becoming ceremonially clean again. The food laws made it difficult for Jews to eat with Gentiles without becoming defiled. In fact, the Gentiles themselves were seen as unclean. God used this vision of unclean foods to show Peter that he should not look upon the Gentiles as inferior or unclean people. At this point, Jewish believers also thought that only Jews or converts to Judaism could become followers of Jesus. The thought never would have occurred to Peter that a Gentile Roman officer could become a Christian. 

10:15-16 Steeped in Jewish tradition and filled with certain biases, Peter was convinced his views on the Gentiles were correct. He needed a three-part heavenly vision from God to change his mind. One of the most basic and practical lessons from this encounter is that when God speaks, we must not challenge what he says. Doubting God is the rebellion of Eden. When God says something is so, we must not debate with him. The right response is humble submission to his revealed truth. Are you trying to argue with God over some point that he has already made clear? 

10:21-22 Cornelius was religious, devoted, generous, respected, and sincere (10:1-2), but he was still spiritually separated from God because of sin. We must be careful not to equate earnestness with righteousness before God. Luke provides specific details in Cornelius's story to show how much God wants us to be saved. But he will not force us. God sent Peter to this Roman family in order to present the truth about salvation for all people through Jesus. Look at how God even orchestrated the timing of Peter's vision and the angel's visit to Cornelius. Even the length of Peter's journey gave time for Cornelius to invite friends and family to his home so more people could hear this amazing message of grace. 

10:34-35 Perhaps the greatest barrier to the spread of the gospel in the first century was the Jewish-Gentile conflict. Most of the early believers were Jewish, and they thought it scandalous even to think of associat­ing with Gentiles. But God told Peter to take the gospel to a Roman, and Peter obeyed despite his background and personal feelings. (Later, Peter struggled with this again; see Galatians 2:11-14.) God was making it clear that the Good News of Jesus is for everyone! We should not allow any barrier-language, culture, race, geography, economic level, or education level-to keep us from telling others about what Jesus has accomplished for all peoples and nations. 

10:35 Every nation has people who are restless for God, ready to receive the gospel, but someone must take it to them (Romans 10:14-15). Seek­ing God is not enough--people must find him. How then shall seekers find God without someone to point the way? Ask God to reveal a way for you to share the truth about Jesus with someone who desperately wants to know it. 

10:37-43 Peter's brief and powerful sermon contains a concise sum­mary of the points of the gospel: Jesus' perfect life of servanthood, his death on the cross, his resurrection (personally witnessed and experi­enced by Peter), his fulfilment of the Scriptures, the necessity of personal faith in him. A sermon or witness for Christ does not need to be long to be effective. It should be led by the Spirit and centred on Christ, the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). 

10:43 Two examples of prophets testifying about Jesus and his forgive­ness of sins are Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and Ezekiel 36:25-26. 

10:44 We don't have to say certain words for Jesus to enter our lives. God knows us; he sees our hearts and minds. He knows when we truly believe in him. Notice that he sent the Holy Spirit the moment these people believed􀀆 

10:45 Cornelius and Peter were very different people. Cornelius was a wealthy Gentile military man. Peter was a Jewish fisherman turned preacher. But God's plan included both of them. In Cornelius's house that day, a new chapter in Christian history was written as a Jewish Chris­tian leader and a Gentile Christian convert each discovered something significant about God at work in the other person. Cornelius needed Peter in order to hear the gospel and know the way of salvation. Peter needed Cornelius in order to know that Gentiles were included in God's plan. You and another believer may also need each other to understand how God works! 

10:47-48 In this case, the people were baptised after they received the Holy Spirit, publicly declaring their allegiance to Christ and identification with the Christian community. 

10:48 Cornelius wanted Peter to stay with him for several days. He was a new believer and realised his need for teaching and fellowship with another believer. Such eagerness to learn more about Jesus is contagious. Reach out to other, more mature believers and invite them over! Ask questions, discuss what you are learning in the Bible, and glean wisdom from them. You will likely also discover that your desire to learn and grow will greatly encourage the mature believers in your life. 

Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)