Bible Study series: Acts 10:30-43. This is the fourth scene in the major kingdom change. It is always best to keep the gospel Christ-centered.
Friendly greetings and a warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn. Let’s learn together and apply these truths to our lives.
I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
At the link to the original post, next, I write more commentary and dig a little deeper into the Greek. I also offer a section titled Observations for Discipleship at the end. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Acts 10:30-43
30 Then Cornelius said, “Four days ago at this very hour, three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house. And look! A man stood before me in shining clothes 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your practical generosity has been remembered right in front of God. 32 Therefore send men to Joppa and call for Simon who is nicknamed Peter. He is a guest at Simon the tanner’s house near the sea.’ 33 Thus I immediately sent for you. And you have done well by coming. Now then all of us are present right in front of God to hear everything that has been commanded to you by the Lord.”
34 Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God is not taken by faces, 35 but instead, in every nation the one fearing him and doing righteousness is acceptable to him. 36 The message he sent to the descendants of Israel announces the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know that the spoken message has taken place throughout Judea, starting off from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed, 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, who went around doing good deeds and healing everyone under the dominion of the devil, because God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all these things he did in the region of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging him on wood. 40 This is the one whom God raised on the third day and granted him to be revealed, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses selected by God—to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to proclaim to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes on him receives forgiveness of sins. (Acts 10:30-43)
Comments:
Peter spells out the basic message of Jesus’s life and exaltation. Let’s listen in and learn from his master sermon that includes all the essential components about God and Jesus.
30-33:
“prayers” and “praying”: see v. 4 for a closer look. Your practical acts of generosity and prayers go right up into God’s presence and under his watchful and caring and appreciative eyes.
“kindly”: Nice touch from Cornelius, who had a generous and courteous soul. He would have been a good boss or supervisor at your job today!
The two verbs “heard” and “remembered” are in the passive voice, which indicates that God is the unspoken, behind-the-scenes subject of those verbs.
34:
We can be sure that Peter was empowered by the Spirit to speak, as he was in Acts 4:8. Luke does not need to record this anointing in every verse or every time Peter or someone else begins to speak.
“taken by faces”: The Greek noun is literally “he who is face taken” or “he who is taken by someone’s appearance or face.” Traditionally it is translated as “shows partiality” or “shows favoritism.”
35:
God has not forgotten those who have never heard the gospel or the name of Jesus. He will judge them righteously (Gen. 18:25).
For a longer post on how God judges those far away and long before the gospel reached them in a way that combines his mercy and justice, see
Please see this post for a deeper look:
What Happens at Judgment to People Who Never Heard Gospel?
In Cornelius’s case, he is blessed to hear the gospel because he lived near the birth of the church in Jerusalem and the spreading of the gospel into Judea and Samaria and Galilee (Acts 9:31), after Jesus came.
Peterson is right: When Peter says that God accepts those from every nation who fear him and do what is right, he is not saying that all roads lead to God, “but another way of affirming God’s impartiality in judgment and salvation. What counts with God is not outward appearance, race, nationality or class, since in every nation whoever fears God and works righteousness is acceptable to him … This does not mean that Cornelius was already saved before he met Peter but that non-Jews are acceptable or welcome to come to Christ on same basis as Jews” (comment on vv. 34-35).
Still, it looks like Cornelius fits in the category laid out in Rom. 2:6-11. See v. 1 for the Scripture.
36-37:
“peace”: this is peace with God who reconciles us to him, not him to us! We were in need of reconciliation, not him. We strayed, not he. So he draws us to him for peace with him through reconciliation (Rom. 5:10-11; 2 Cor. 5:18-20).
38:
This is an extremely important verse for Renewalists, so let’s spend some time here.
“anointed him with the Holy Spirit”: “anointed” is from the Greek verb chriō (pronounced khree-oh) and it meant in the OT to pour oil on a person and set him apart for special service. In the New Covenant it means the same, but with the added bonus of the Spirit’s power surge or special ability. The Spirit, not oil, anoints, though sometimes Christians still use oil (Jas. 5:14).
“power”: It comes from the Greek noun dunamis (pronounced doo-na-mis, and dynamis is pronounced dy-na-mis, but most teachers prefer the first one). It is often translated as “power,” but also “miracle” or “miraculous power.” It means power in action, not static, but kinetic. It moves. Yes, we get our word dynamite from it, but God is never out of control, like dynamite is. Its purpose is to usher in the kingdom of God and repair and restore broken humanity, both in body and soul.
For more information, please click on:
What Are Signs and Wonders and Miracles?
“doing good deeds”: This is very broad. Jesus fed the multitudes and healed them in their body and soul. He commanded us to represent him to prisoners and the sick and needy and naked (Matt. 25:31-46). Those activities are good deeds, and there is nothing wrong with doing good deeds.
“healing”: at first glance it is an odd word to use in the context of demonic oppression, but deliverance is a kind of healing. It is a restoration of what people used to be to who they should be in their bodies and souls.
“dominion”: Our dynastic heritage outside of Christ was to come under the dominion of Satan’s kingdom. Then Christ sets us free, we get saved, and we become citizens of God’s kingdom; and he anoints us to be a member of the royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:5-9).
“because God was with him”: this is one of the great clauses in the Bible. He is with you too. Your power depends on Jesus through the Spirit. Renewalists believe that you can do the works and signs and wonders that the apostles and even Jesus did (John 14:12), by the power of the Spirit! You too are anointed by Jesus to be his ambassadors and walk in his power and authority (2 Cor. 5:20).
Recall these verses about Jesus’s ministry:
16 He came to Nazareth, where he was raised, and according to his custom on the Sabbath day he entered the synagogue and stood up to read. 17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was given him, and he opened the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because he has anointed me.
He sent me to preach the good news to the poor,
To proclaim release to the captives
And sight to the blind,
To set at liberty the shattered,
19 To proclaim the Lord’s year of favor” [Is. 61:1-2].
20 After he rolled up the scroll and gave it to the attendant, he sat down. Everyone’s eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 He began to tell them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21)
How does the Holy Spirit’s anointing on Jesus interact with his divine attributes? After all, Jesus never lost or laid aside his divine attributes, as some misinformed teachers have said on TV and radio. If he did, then he would not have been fully God in the flesh.
However, the Father hid this divine attribute behind his Son’s human nature, and his Son surrendered it to the Father’s will. “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father is doing” (John 5:19). “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. … for I always do what pleases him” (John 8:28-29). The Father held his Son’s divine attributes—all of them—in his hands, so to speak, and allowed them to partly burst forth in front of sinful humanity only when he willed, for example, at the Mt. of Transfiguration (e.g. Matt. 17:1-10). And “partly burst forth” means that at the Mt. of Transfiguration, Peter James, and John still did not get to gazed fully on the glories of heaven but got only a glimpse. If they had stared into heaven fully, their unresurrected and untransformed eyes would have been blinded, much like Saul’s eyes were blinded, when he saw a flash of light on the road to Damascus. Until then, the Father hid all of his Son’s divine attributes behind his humanity.
Moreover, the Father willed that Jesus must be anointed with the third person of the Trinity or Triunity—the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit worked together, while the Son was a human and worked miracles. The eternal Son of God, who acquired the name Yeshua (Jesus) at his birth, had to fulfill the Scriptures to become the Anointed One, the Christ (Greek), the Messiach (Hebrew). And he was anointed with the Spirit.
Further, Jesus’s divine attributes worked during his ministry, of course they did, but only as the Father willed. Here is an example of his hiding his omniscience: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matt. 24:36). While Jesus was a human in his preresurrected state, his omniscience was surrendered to the Father, unless the Father revealed something to him by the Spirit.
Why Didn’t Jesus Know the Day or the Hour of His Return?
Bottom line: So basic theology says that Jesus ministered both in the power of the Spirit and by his divine attributes that were surrendered to the Father; basic theology says that the Son and the Spirit obeyed the Father who decided and willed when miraculous displays of power took place. Basic theology says Jesus ministered and lived both by the Spirit’s anointing, becoming the Anointed One, and by his divine attributes, all under the Father’s will. It is both-and. It’s all about the Triunity working together in the earthly ministry of Jesus.
The Trinity: What Are the Basics?
The Trinity: What Are Some Illustrations?
The Trinity: Why Would God Seem So Complicated?
The Trinity: What Does He Mean to Me?
4. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Took the Form of a Servant
39:
The disciples were witnesses of everything Peter just outlined, and what he is about to say. Just tell your story of what God did for you.
“wood”: The cross was made of wood. The Greek word echoes Deut. 21:22-23, which talks about someone being guilty of a capital offense and his body being exposed on a pole. In the LXX (third-century B.C. Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) of that text, the word for pole is xulon. In Jesus’s case he was accused of blasphemy (Mark 14:61-64), and wrongly found guilty of it, which carried the death penalty (Lev. 24:16).
40:
The resurrection occurred on the third day, counting Friday and Sunday as partial days. Let’s not quarrel about the definition of days, when three days are mentioned: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He was raised on Sunday. Friday = day 1; Saturday = day 2; Sunday = day 3. The third day is counted inclusively (Bock, comment on vv. 38-41). So let’s not count the day as 24 hours. This is not how the ancient Jews counted the day.
Here are the basics about resurrection in the New Testament:
1.. It was prophesied in the OT (Ps. 16:3-11; Is. 55:3; Jnh. 1:17)
2.. Jesus predicted it before his death (Mark 8:31; 9:9, 31; 10:33-34; John 2:19-22)
3.. It happened in history (Matt. 28:1-7; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1-8)
4.. Power used to resurrect Jesus:
a.. Power of God (Acts 2:24; Eph. 1:19-20; Col. 2:12)
b.. Christ’s own power (John 10:18)
c.. Jesus is the resurrection (John 11:25-26)
d.. Power of the Spirit (Rom. 8:11; 1 Pet. 3:18)
5.. Nature of Christ’s resurrection
a.. The same body that died was raised (Luke 24:39-40; John 20:27)
b.. It was a physical body
(1)) He ate (Luke 24:41-43; John 21:12-13; Acts 10:40-41)
(2)) He could be touched (John 20:27; 1 John 1:1)
(3)) It was a gloried body (1 Cor. 15:42-44; Phil. 3:21)
(4)) He passed through locked door (John 20:19, 26)
(5)) He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9)
c.. It was also a transformed and glorified body
12. Do I Really Know Jesus? What Was His Resurrected Body Like?
And for a review of the basics, please click on this post:
11. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Was Resurrected from the Dead
You can also go to youtube to find out the evidence for it. Look for Gary Habermas or Mike Licona.
“visible”: was seen. These are the resurrection appearances. For a table of his appearances and other facts. For a table of his appearances and other facts, please see:
14. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Appeared to His Disciples
41:
“selected”: Originally and literally, people voted by raising (stretching out) their hand. Here it means that he pre-hand-chose his disciples to see his resurrection appearances, but we will never figure out completely the interaction between human free will and God’s sovereignty. The main point is that the resurrection appearances were to his disciples.
Do I Really Know God? He Is Sovereign and Free
His resurrection body was physical, so he ate and drank with his disciples. It was not ghostly (Luke 24:39-43).
42:
One of the essential elements of our message is that God is the judge. Let’s not skip over it entirely when we preach. But get the doctrine right: unbelievers and believers will not be judged at the same judgment. Believers will be in heaven and be judged for rewards. Unbelievers will be judged for hell and good and bad deeds with a graduated separation from God—there are different levels of punishments.
Again see the post:
What Happens at Judgment to People Who Never Heard Gospel?
“testify”: it can also mean “bear witness to.” In these contexts, it always means witnessing or testifying through the power of the Spirit.
Everyone Shall Be Judged by Their Works and Words
Bible Basics about the Final Judgment
43:
Let’s not limit the Lord’s purposes to judgment.
“name”: this noun stands in for the person—a living, real person. You carry your father’s name. If he is dysfunctional, his name is a disadvantage. If he is functional and impacting society for the better, then his name is an advantage. In Jesus’s case, he has the highest status in the universe, under the Father (Col. 1:15-20). He is exalted above every principality and power (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:20-23; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8). His character is perfection itself. His authority and power are absolute, under the Father. In his name you are seated in the heavenly places with Christ (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1). Now down here on earth you walk and live as an ambassador in his name, in his stead, for he is no longer living on earth, so you have to represent him down here. We are his ambassadors who stand in for his name (2 Cor. 5:20). The good news is that he did not leave you without power and authority. He gave you his. Now you represent him in his name—his person, power and authority. Therefore under his authority we have his full authority to preach the gospel and set people free from bondages and satanic spirits and heal them of diseases.
“receive”: its basic meaning is indeed to take or receive, but it has an active ingredient. You got to reach out for it.
“forgiveness”: God lets go, dismisses, releases, sends away, cancels, pardons, and forgives our sins. His work is full and final. Don’t go backwards or dwell on it.
Please read these verses for how forgiving God is:
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Ps. 103:10-12, ESV)
And these great verses are from Micah:
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea. (Mic. 7:18-19, ESV)
“sins”: Sin destroys, and that’s why God hates it, and so should we. The good news: God promises us forgiveness when we repent.
Human Sin: Original and Our Committed Sin
Bible Basics about Sin: Word Studies
GrowApp for Acts 10:30-43
1. Cornelius invited his friends and family to hear the gospel. Have you invited your own friends and family to hear your own story? What were the results?
2. God welcomes those who are open to him, regardless of their background. God welcomed you into his kingdom. Tell your story of the first “nudge” you got from God to open your heart to him.
RELATED
The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts
Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?
SOURCES
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