Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began and explained it to them in order: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
the circumcision party - "I.e., Jewish [believers], who were unhappy at the report that Gentiles were being saved without ritual induction into Judaism. After Peter's review of what happened, they were satisfied that this was God's doing (v 18)." (Ryrie)
you went to uncircumcised men - "Some, who have found it difficult to understand how Peter could have been sent to bring salvation to a Gentile household before Israel's conversion, have concluded that Cornelius and those gathered with him must have been 'proselytes of the gate,' and have cited ancient writers to show that the Jews did recognize such a class of men. But while the ancient Hebrews may indeed have placed such as Cornelius in this category of second degree proselytes, those who look to the Scriptures alone to settle the matter will see at a glance that in God's sight no uncircumcised male was considered a proselyte of any kind, but rather an alien from the commonwealth of Israel ... it had been 'an unlawful thing' for Jewish believers to enjoy full fellowship with Gentiles under the then present circumstances. Had all Israel been saved and become 'a kingdom of priests and an holy nation,' the gospel of the kingdom would then have been legitimately sent to Gentiles as such. We have ample assurance that the apostles understood this, for our Lord had showed that He labored in harmony with the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 22:17-18) when He said: 'Let the children first be FILLED' (Mark 7:27 cf. Matt 10:5-6; 15:24) and when He sent the apostles to all nations 'beginning at Jerusalem' (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). Indeed, Peter had but recently cited the Abrahamic covenant to the house of Israel, declaring that God had raised His Son Jesus from the dead to turn them first from their iniquities (Acts 3:25-26)." (Stam)
the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us - "It is supposed by some that their speaking in tongues (Acts 10:46) proves that their conversion was strictly a kingdom matter and not connected in any way with the present dispensation or the Body of Christ. In support of this view Peter's words are cited: 'Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that He said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?' (Acts 11:16-17). But the Corinthians, who were converted under Paul's ministry and were called members of the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12,13,27) were also given 'the like gift' and freely spoke with tongues. Here were members of the Body, then, speaking with tongues. What we must remember here is that this gift of miraculous power by the baptism with the Spirit was the only way in which Peter, still ignorant of the mystery, could tell that these Gentiles had been accepted of God apart from circumcision and baptism. This is one reason why even the Gentiles under Paul's ministry were given miraculous powers while God still continued to deal with Israel as a nation. In this way Jews, believing and unbelieving alike, were given evidence that this was indeed a work of God. As we progress in our studies in Acts we shall see many indications of an overlapping of the two dispensations, for while God had, with Paul's conversion, begun to usher in the dispensation of grace the new program was only gradually revealed, and meantime the signs must continue to prove to Israel and the Jewish believers that the new dispensation was the purpose of God." (Stam)
at the beginning - "I.e., on the Day of Pentecost. Since God had done for the Gentiles in Cornelius' house the same as He had done for the Jews at Pentecost (baptize them with the Holy Spirit, cf. Act 1:15), to refuse to accept these Gentile converts would be to resist the work of God (v 17)." (Ryrie)
"Those who hold that the believers at Jerusalem contended with Peter because they were prejudiced against the Gentiles may well ask: If these Jewish believers were not prejudiced against the Gentiles, why did they not follow up the evangelization of the Gentiles? The answer is: because they had no orders rescinding their 'great commission,' nor any revelation as to the ushering in of a new program. Peter's mission to Cornelius was a unique case designed by God for a purpose then still unrevealed. A passage from J.N. Darby's Bible Synopsis may be helpful here:
"'Now the mystery had been hidden in all former times; and in fact it needed so to be; for to have put the Gentiles on the same footing as the Jews would have been to demolish Judaism, such as God had himself established it. In it He had carefully raised a middle wall of partition. The duty of the Jew was to respect this separation; he sinned if he did not strictly observe it. The mystery set it aside. The Old Testament prophets, and Moses himself, had indeed shown that the Gentiles should one day rejoice with the people; but the people remained a separate people. That they should be co-heirs, and of the same body, all distinction being lost, had indeed been entirely hid in God... (Acts to Phil., Pp. 431,432).'
"The objection of the circumcision saints at Jerusalem, then, was simply that Peter had departed from the revealed order and program of God, for he, like they, had been sent to carry out a program consistent with the Abrahamic covenant and with prophecy." (Stam)
"The reason why God did not instruct the circumcision apostles to continue ministering to Gentiles was evidently because, while Paul was soon to begin working among the Gentiles, God was not yet to close His dealings with Israel. The circumcision apostles were to go on laboring with the favored nation for some time, so that God could say, as He finally set her aside: 'All day long I have stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people' (Rom 10:21). Surely Verse 18 of the passage we are considering proves that the apostles and brethren at Jerusalem were not prejudiced against Gentile salvation, for when Peter had related his experience to them, they not only 'held their peace' but also 'glorified God' for granting salvation to the Gentiles." (Stam)
the circumcision party - "I.e., Jewish [believers], who were unhappy at the report that Gentiles were being saved without ritual induction into Judaism. After Peter's review of what happened, they were satisfied that this was God's doing (v 18)." (Ryrie)
you went to uncircumcised men - "Some, who have found it difficult to understand how Peter could have been sent to bring salvation to a Gentile household before Israel's conversion, have concluded that Cornelius and those gathered with him must have been 'proselytes of the gate,' and have cited ancient writers to show that the Jews did recognize such a class of men. But while the ancient Hebrews may indeed have placed such as Cornelius in this category of second degree proselytes, those who look to the Scriptures alone to settle the matter will see at a glance that in God's sight no uncircumcised male was considered a proselyte of any kind, but rather an alien from the commonwealth of Israel ... it had been 'an unlawful thing' for Jewish believers to enjoy full fellowship with Gentiles under the then present circumstances. Had all Israel been saved and become 'a kingdom of priests and an holy nation,' the gospel of the kingdom would then have been legitimately sent to Gentiles as such. We have ample assurance that the apostles understood this, for our Lord had showed that He labored in harmony with the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 22:17-18) when He said: 'Let the children first be FILLED' (Mark 7:27 cf. Matt 10:5-6; 15:24) and when He sent the apostles to all nations 'beginning at Jerusalem' (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). Indeed, Peter had but recently cited the Abrahamic covenant to the house of Israel, declaring that God had raised His Son Jesus from the dead to turn them first from their iniquities (Acts 3:25-26)." (Stam)
the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us - "It is supposed by some that their speaking in tongues (Acts 10:46) proves that their conversion was strictly a kingdom matter and not connected in any way with the present dispensation or the Body of Christ. In support of this view Peter's words are cited: 'Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that He said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?' (Acts 11:16-17). But the Corinthians, who were converted under Paul's ministry and were called members of the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12,13,27) were also given 'the like gift' and freely spoke with tongues. Here were members of the Body, then, speaking with tongues. What we must remember here is that this gift of miraculous power by the baptism with the Spirit was the only way in which Peter, still ignorant of the mystery, could tell that these Gentiles had been accepted of God apart from circumcision and baptism. This is one reason why even the Gentiles under Paul's ministry were given miraculous powers while God still continued to deal with Israel as a nation. In this way Jews, believing and unbelieving alike, were given evidence that this was indeed a work of God. As we progress in our studies in Acts we shall see many indications of an overlapping of the two dispensations, for while God had, with Paul's conversion, begun to usher in the dispensation of grace the new program was only gradually revealed, and meantime the signs must continue to prove to Israel and the Jewish believers that the new dispensation was the purpose of God." (Stam)
at the beginning - "I.e., on the Day of Pentecost. Since God had done for the Gentiles in Cornelius' house the same as He had done for the Jews at Pentecost (baptize them with the Holy Spirit, cf. Act 1:15), to refuse to accept these Gentile converts would be to resist the work of God (v 17)." (Ryrie)
"Those who hold that the believers at Jerusalem contended with Peter because they were prejudiced against the Gentiles may well ask: If these Jewish believers were not prejudiced against the Gentiles, why did they not follow up the evangelization of the Gentiles? The answer is: because they had no orders rescinding their 'great commission,' nor any revelation as to the ushering in of a new program. Peter's mission to Cornelius was a unique case designed by God for a purpose then still unrevealed. A passage from J.N. Darby's Bible Synopsis may be helpful here:
"'Now the mystery had been hidden in all former times; and in fact it needed so to be; for to have put the Gentiles on the same footing as the Jews would have been to demolish Judaism, such as God had himself established it. In it He had carefully raised a middle wall of partition. The duty of the Jew was to respect this separation; he sinned if he did not strictly observe it. The mystery set it aside. The Old Testament prophets, and Moses himself, had indeed shown that the Gentiles should one day rejoice with the people; but the people remained a separate people. That they should be co-heirs, and of the same body, all distinction being lost, had indeed been entirely hid in God... (Acts to Phil., Pp. 431,432).'
"The objection of the circumcision saints at Jerusalem, then, was simply that Peter had departed from the revealed order and program of God, for he, like they, had been sent to carry out a program consistent with the Abrahamic covenant and with prophecy." (Stam)
"The reason why God did not instruct the circumcision apostles to continue ministering to Gentiles was evidently because, while Paul was soon to begin working among the Gentiles, God was not yet to close His dealings with Israel. The circumcision apostles were to go on laboring with the favored nation for some time, so that God could say, as He finally set her aside: 'All day long I have stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people' (Rom 10:21). Surely Verse 18 of the passage we are considering proves that the apostles and brethren at Jerusalem were not prejudiced against Gentile salvation, for when Peter had related his experience to them, they not only 'held their peace' but also 'glorified God' for granting salvation to the Gentiles." (Stam)
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