The Two Administrations of Jesus Christ
PART 8
Peter's Experience at the Household
of Cornelius Reveals Some Important
Facts Covered by this Study
In Acts chapter 10, we see an fascinating encounter between Peter and God. But first, we need to do a brief review.
Paul, who had just had just encountered Jesus on the Damascus road in Acts chapter 9 - was now in Arabia, where he received an important "Revelation of Jesus Christ" that provided the full details of the New Covenant ... which also laid the spiritual foundation for bringing the Gentiles into the Church. As we previously learned, the ruling apostles continued to operate under Christ's Messianic mandate that limited their ministry to the Jewish members of the "House of Israel". As far as they were concerned, this mandate remained in force after Christ's crucifixion - and the day of Pentecost. As a result, the apostles believed that the Gentiles were still "outside of God's covenants of promise" and had no hope of ever being saved. Also, the Law that the apostles continued to observe, considered the Gentiles as "unclean" and made it illegal for any Jew to socialize - or to even eat with them. As a result, Gentiles could not be part of the Church - as far as they were concerned. But, God was about to make a major change.
In Acts chapter 10, Peter was staying with Simon the tanner. He was hungry at the time and was waiting for dinner to be served before starting his regular time of prayer. Suddenly, God appeared and gave him a vision of a great sheet filled with all kinds of four-footed animals, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. The Lord then told him (obviously knowing about his hunger); "Rise, Peter; kill and eat."
Here's the problem: All the animals in that sheet were unclean according to the Law. Yet, God had just commanded Peter, a law-abiding Jew, to "disobey the Law". Then Peter does something extraordinary - he tells God that he's not going to obey - because he has never eaten anything common or unclean. But a voice responds by saying; "What God has cleansed you must not call common (unclean)" - and this was repeated three times.
What Peter did not know was that an angel had previously appeared in a vision to a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion. The angel told him to send for Peter, who was lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier - and sent them to Joppa. Verses 17-19 then tells us:
Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate. And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them."
The men who were sent then
told Peter in verses 22-23;
"Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you." Then he invited them in and lodged them.
Here's the problem Peter (a law-abiding Jew) faced: Cornelius and the men he sent WERE ALL GENTILES - and it was illegal for Peter to associate or to eat with them - because the Law declared them to be unclean. But, just before the men arrived, the Holy Spirit told Peter; "Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them."
Peter then traveled to the house of Cornelius (which was also against the Law) and preached Christ to all the Gentiles who had gathered - AND EVERYONE WERE SAVED. Scripture reveals that this was the first time Gentiles were invited into the Church ... and it was God Himself who gave the invitation. It was only then Peter fully understood the message of the "great sheet vision" ... that God had now declared the Gentiles to be "clean" and that he must no longer consider them to be "unclean". But, Peter also understood something else of great importance ... that God had now removed Christ's original "Jews only mandate" causing a major change to take place concerning his religious beliefs.
But, the story of Peter's visit
to Cornelius' house doesn't end
with the Gentiles getting saved.
Acts chapter 11:2-3 tells us
what happened next.
"Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, THOSE OF THE CIRCUMCISION contended with him, saying, "You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!"
We must remember that Peter was a law-abiding Jew, which also makes him part of; "the circucision". As a result, when Peter returned to Jerusalem his Jewish brethren confronted him - and it was clear they were angry. What was Peter's offense? "He went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them! (speaking of those at Cornelius' household)"
Peter then told them the whole story about the "great sheet vision" and how the Holy Spirit commanded him to go to Cornelius' house to preach. He also told them how God had previously sent an angel to Cornelius who said to him, 'Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.' Peter then told them what happened next :
"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, AS UPON US AT THE BEGINNING. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If therefore God gave them (the Gentiles) the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?"
When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."(Acts 11:15-18)
All of this proves that Peter was still observing the Law until the events at Cornelius' household - some 7 years after the cross. It also means that the other apostles were doing the same thing. We should remember that the Law was exclusively assigned to Israel at Mount Sinai - and no one else. This was why Jesus initially said; "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). Contrary to popular Christian teaching, God did not assign the Law to the Church - which is why Paul stated; "Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the Law but under Grace (Romans 6:14)." As a result, the apostles were shocked and amazed when God seemed to violate His very own Law - by inviting the Gentiles into His redemptive program.
But God's nature of holiness would never allow Him
to violate the Law - unless it had already been
abolished and "taken out of the way". Colossians
2:13-14 reveals that this is precisely what
happened at the cross, which is why there is no
contradiction and that God did nothing wrong.
The events in Acts chapters 10 and 11 sound a loud and clear warning to all of the apostles (and to Christians today); that God was phasing-out the program of the Law - and replacing it with something better; as revealed in the following Scriptures :
"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He (Jesus) is also mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second." (Hebrews 8:6-7)
"In that He (Jesus Christ) says, "a new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." (Hebrews 8:13)
Peter unknowingly initiated the next stage of Christ's New Covenant ... which brought the Gentiles into the Church for the first time. However, God would later assign Paul (when he was ready) to the position of "Apostle to the Gentiles" (See Romans 11:13-15), which makes him the Chief Apostle of this new expression of the Church ... to which all modern-day Christians belong regardless of their race. Paul reveals the following truths about these changes:
"Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and stragers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, HAVING ABOLISHED IN HIS FLESH THE ENMITY, THAT IS, THE LAW OF COMMANDMENTS CONTAINED IN ORDINANCES, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you (the Gentiles) are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the Household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:11-22)
Return To Home Page
|