In the early years after Pentecost, the followers of Jesus were exclusively Jewish and did not see themselves as founding a new religion. They were Jews who believed that Jesus was their Messiah, one who had fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. And they wanted their fellow Jews also to place their faith in Jesus as their Messiah.
But they still had one crucial lesson to learn—a lesson that was contained within the Prophets. God’s love and grace were not just for the Jews. Learning that lesson transformed the infant church from a Jewish sect to a multi-cultural faith that embraced people from all ethnic backgrounds.
Peter’s Encounter with Cornelius
And it was with Peter’s encounter with Cornelius that God made clear that Jesus was not just the Jewish Messiah. The tenth chapter of Acts records the story of Peter’s encounter with Cornelius and the lesson Peter learned that day.
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
Acts 10:34-35 (ESV)
Like turning on a light switch, it was suddenly clear to Peter that God did not care about a person’s ethnicity. Jew and Gentile alike were on equal footing. Everyone who feared God and did what was right was acceptable to Him. God shows
We could get hung up on just what Peter meant by fearing God and doing right. But he later adds clarity to just what he was saying.
To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Acts 10:43 (ESV)
Everyone who believes in Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins. Implied in receiving forgiveness is justification, regeneration, and receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit. The salvation that Cornelius had just experienced was for everyone who would believe.
The remainder of the book of Acts builds on this landmark in the life of the church. The gospel exploded out from Jerusalem and Judea into the whole Roman world. And it is the most unlikely of characters who led the charge, Saul of Tarsus, the most vehement enemy of the Church, whose own transformation was recorded in Acts 9.
