Acts 10:34 - Meaning and Application

Here we have Peter’s sermon to Cornelius and his friends, or at least a summary of it. We have good reason to think he said much more, and that he did so with urgency and warmth. The phrase “he opened his mouth” shows that he spoke with seriousness, freedom, and fullness (Acts 10:34). Paul uses similar language when he says, “Our mouth is open to you” (2 Corinthians 6:11).

Up to this point, the apostles had kept silent toward uncircumcised Gentiles. But now God gave them the opening of the mouth, just as he once did for Ezekiel. This sermon fits the needs of the hearers exactly, because it was something new for them. Peter first shows that, although they were Gentiles, they were still included in the good news of Christ and had the same right to it as the Jews.

This point had to be made clear, or neither Peter nor his hearers could have peace in the matter. So Peter lays down an important truth: God shows no favoritism. He does not judge by outward marks, as human judges are forbidden to do (Deuteronomy 1:17; Deuteronomy 16:19; Proverbs 24:23), and as they are blamed for doing (Psalm 82:2). Scripture often says this of God too (Deuteronomy 10:17; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Job 34:19; Romans 2:11; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:17). He does not give a verdict in someone’s favor because of outside things that have nothing to do with the case.

God never twists justice because of a person’s looks, strength, country, family, wealth, or rank. As a giver, God may show kindness as he chooses in his sovereignty, that is, his free rule and right to choose (Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Deuteronomy 9:5-6; Matthew 20:10). But as a judge, he does not act that way. In every nation, the one who fears God and does what is right is accepted by him (Acts 10:35).

This means, first, that God never has, and never will, justify, that is, declare righteous and save, a wicked Jew who dies unrepentant. Even if he is of Abraham’s line and has every outward advantage of circumcision, that will not protect him. God will bring anger, trouble, and distress on every person who does evil, first on the Jew, since his privileges make his guilt greater if he sins against them (Romans 2:3; Romans 2:8-9; Romans 2:17). Though God gave the Jews high privileges as his visible people, he will not accept any of them if they live in sins that clash with their profession, especially persecution, which was then a leading Jewish sin.

Second, God never has, and never will, reject an honest Gentile like Cornelius, who fears God, worships him, and does what is right. If such a person is just and kind toward others, and lives according to the light he has, with sincere devotion and upright behavior, God will not turn him away. It does not matter what nation he belongs to, how far he is from Abraham’s family line, or how little people think of him. God judges by the heart, not by birth or country. Wherever he finds an upright man, he proves himself upright too (Psalm 18:25).

Fearing God and doing right belong together. Right conduct toward people is part of true religion, and true religion toward God is part of honest living. Godliness and honesty must go together, and neither can make up for the lack of the other. Where both are present in a real and leading way, we may be sure of God’s acceptance. No one since the fall can gain God’s favor in any way except through the mediation of Jesus Christ, that is, through Christ’s coming between God and sinners as their only way of peace. Yet those who do not know Christ by name may still receive grace from God for Christ’s sake, so that they fear God and do right. When God gives that grace, as he did to Cornelius, he accepts the work of his own hands through Christ.

This truth had always been true, even before Peter fully understood it. God has never shown partiality. From the beginning, this has been his fixed rule of judgment: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door” (Genesis 4:7). In the great day, God will not ask what country people came from, but what they were like, what they did, and how they stood toward him and their neighbors. So if personal character does not depend on the difference between Jew and Gentile, it depends even less on smaller differences among Christians, such as disagreements over food or special days (Romans 14). The kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Anyone who serves Christ in these things is accepted by God and should be approved by people too. Dare we reject those whom God does not reject?

Still, this truth was made clearer now than before. The covenant that set Israel apart, along with the signs that marked them as distinct, had clouded it. The ceremonial law, that is, the law of religious outward rites and sacrifices, stood like a wall between them and other nations. It is true that in that law God gave Israel special privilege (Romans 3:1-2; Romans 9:4), and some people wrongly used that to think they were safe with God no matter how they lived, while Gentiles could never be accepted. God had already said much through the prophets to correct that error, but now he settled the matter fully by ending Israel’s special covenant status and canceling the ceremonial law. In this way, he put Jew and Gentile on the same level before him, and Peter was led to see this by comparing his own vision with Cornelius’s. Now in Christ Jesus, it is plain that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything (Galatians 5:6; Colossians 3:11).

Peter also reminds them that they lived in a place within Israel’s borders, so they already knew something of Jesus’ life and teaching, his preaching and miracles, and his death and suffering. News of these things had spread throughout the land (Acts 10:37). This made the work easier, because ministers can build more readily with people who already know something of the things of God and can be pointed back to what they have heard.

They already knew the message, that is, the gospel God sent to the children of Israel: “That word, you know” (Acts 10:37). The Gentiles were not openly admitted to hear it, since Christ and his disciples were sent first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Still, they could not avoid hearing about it, because it was widely talked about in city and countryside.

The gospels often tell us how the fame of Christ spread through all parts of Canaan while he was on earth. Later, the fame of his gospel spread through the whole world (Romans 10:18). They knew that divine word, that word of power and grace. They knew what this word was meant to say: God was publishing good news of peace through Jesus Christ. It should be read as God proclaiming peace. He, who had every right to declare war, instead made known that he was willing to be at peace with mankind through Jesus Christ. In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself.

They also knew to whom this word was sent, first of all to the children of Israel. The first offer was made to them, and their neighbors heard of it. Many even envied them the blessings of the gospel more than they ever envied them the blessings of their law. Then the nations said, “The Lord has done great things for them” (Psalm 126:2).

They knew the main facts connected with this gospel word sent to Israel. They knew about the baptism of repentance that John preached as the opening to it, and in which the gospel first began (Mark 1:1). They knew what an extraordinary man John was, and how directly his preaching prepared the way for the Lord. They knew how many people came to his baptism, how influential he became, and what he did.

They also knew that right after John’s baptism, the gospel of Christ, that word of peace, was preached throughout all Judea, and that it had begun in Galilee. The twelve apostles, the seventy disciples, and our Lord himself carried these good tidings through the land. We may well think there was not a town or village in Canaan that had not heard the gospel.

They knew that Jesus of Nazareth, while he was on earth, went around doing good. They knew how much he helped that nation, both in soul and body. He made it his business to do good to all, and he never harmed anyone. He was never idle, but always working. He was not selfish, but helpful. He did not stay in one place or wait for people to come to him. He went to them, moving from place to place, and everywhere he went, he did good.

In this, he showed that he was sent by God, who is good and does good, and does good because he is good. In this way, God left no one without witness in the world, because he did good (Acts 14:17). Christ also set us an example of steady effort in serving God and our generation. We came into the world to do all the good we can in it, and like Christ, we must keep at it.

They knew more especially that he healed all who were oppressed by the devil, setting them free from his crushing power. This showed not only that he was sent by God, because it was such kindness to people, but also that he was sent to destroy the works of the devil. In this way, he won many victories over him.

They knew that the Jews put him to death, hanging him on a tree. When Peter preached to the Jews, he said, “whom you slew,” but now, speaking to Gentiles, he says, “whom they slew,” meaning the people to whom Jesus had done so much good and for whom he intended so much good. All this they knew, but Peter did not want them to think it was only a rumor that had been made larger than the truth. So he testified for himself and the other apostles: “We are witnesses” (Acts 10:39). They had seen with their own eyes all the things he did, and heard with their own ears the teaching he gave, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, in town and country.

From all this, they could know, or at least should have known, that Jesus had a heavenly commission to speak and act as he did. Peter keeps pressing this point through his sermon. They must know that Jesus is Lord of all. This is mentioned almost as a side note, but it is the main truth Peter wants to prove: Jesus Christ, through whom peace is made between God and man, is Lord of all. He is not only God over all, blessed forever, but also Mediator, the one who stands between God and people. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and all judgment has been placed in his hands.

He is Lord of the angels, and they all serve him humbly. He is Lord over the powers of darkness, because he has conquered them. He is king over the nations, with authority over all people. He is king over the saints, and all God’s children are his learners, his subjects, and his soldiers.

They must also know that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He was both authorized and enabled by this divine anointing, and that is why he is called Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One. The Holy Spirit came down on him at his baptism, and he was full of power in both preaching and miracle working. That was the clear mark of a divine mission.

They must know that God was with him (Acts 10:38). His works were done in God. God did not only send him, but stayed with him throughout, approved him, supported him, and carried him through all his service and suffering. Those whom God anoints, he will also accompany. He will himself be with those to whom he has given his Spirit.

Because they had received no more certain knowledge about Jesus, Peter now declares his resurrection from the dead and the proofs of it. He does this so they will not think that his death was the end of him. They may have heard something in Caesarea about his rising again, but that report had likely been silenced by the Jews’ wicked claim that his disciples came by night and stole his body. So Peter stresses this as the chief support of the message that brings peace through Jesus Christ.

The power that raised him was clearly divine (Acts 10:40). God raised him on the third day, and this not only cleared him from every accusation and slander made against him by men, but also proved that God accepted the payment Christ made for human sin by the blood of his cross. He did not break out of prison on his own, but received a lawful release. God raised him up.

The evidence for his resurrection was just as clear, because God showed him openly. He caused him to be made visible, so plainly that it was beyond question that it was him and not someone else. This was such a showing of Christ as fully proved the truth of his resurrection. He did not appear openly to everyone in this sense, though he was made clearly known. He did not appear to all the people who had seen his death. By resisting every proof he had already given of his divine mission through his miracles, they had lost the privilege of being eyewitnesses of this greatest proof of all.

Those who quickly spread the lie that his body had been stolen were rightly allowed to believe it. They were not permitted to be corrected even when he was shown to all the people. Because of that, the blessedness of those who have not seen and yet have believed is even greater. Tertullian said that Christ did not show himself to the whole crowd, so that wicked people would not be freed at once from their error, and so that faith, whose reward is so great, would be tested by some difficulty.

Still, even if all the people did not see him, enough people did see him to prove that he had truly risen. A person who leaves a last will does not need to declare it before every person alive. It is enough that it is done before a good number of trustworthy witnesses. In the same way, Christ’s resurrection was proved before enough witnesses.

These witnesses were not chosen by chance. They were chosen by God before hand to bear witness to it. To prepare them for this task, they had been taught by the Lord Jesus and had lived closely with him. Because they knew him so well before his death, they could be sure it was truly he after he rose.

They did not just catch a quick or uncertain glimpse of him. They spent much time in free and familiar fellowship with him. They ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. This means they actually saw him eating and drinking, as when they shared meals with him at the Sea of Galilee and when the two disciples ate with him at Emmaus. It also proved that he had a real body. And they did not see him in fear or confusion, which might have made them unreliable witnesses. They saw him often, and he spoke with them so naturally that they ate and drank with him. In the same way, the leaders of Israel saw the glory of God clearly, so clearly that it was said they saw God and ate and drank (Exodus 24:11).

From all this, Peter draws the clear conclusion that Cornelius must believe in Jesus. Peter had been sent to tell Cornelius what he must do, and this was the key thing. His prayers and his giving of alms were good, but he still lacked one thing: he must believe in Christ.

This faith rests on a testimony. Christian faith is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, on the witness they gave. The apostles, with Peter speaking for them, were commanded by God to preach to the people and testify about Christ. Their witness was not only believable, it was official and binding. It is God’s own witness carried to the world through them. They do not speak merely as if passing along news. They testify as to a matter of record, something by which people will one day be judged.

The prophets of the Old Testament also testified about Christ ahead of time. They spoke not only about his suffering, but about the purpose and meaning of it. That greatly strengthens the apostles’ witness. We have reason to think Cornelius and his friends were not strangers to the prophets’ writings. From these two great groups of witnesses, so fully in agreement, the truth is firmly established.

What, then, must they believe about Christ? First, that we are all answerable to him as Judge. The apostles were commanded to testify that Jesus is appointed by God to judge the living and the dead (Acts 10:42). He has authority to set the terms of salvation and the rule by which all people will be judged. He gives laws to both the living and the dead, to both Jews and Gentiles. He is also appointed to decide the eternal state of all people on the last day, both those found alive and those raised from the dead. God has assured us of this by raising him from the dead (Acts 17:31). So each of us should seek his favor and make him our friend.

Second, if we believe in him, we will be made right with God through him, that is, justified, which means declared righteous before God (Acts 10:43). The prophets testified that through his name, for his sake, and because of his merit, everyone who believes in him, Jew or Gentile, will receive forgiveness of sins. This is the great need we all have. Without it, we are lost. A convicted conscience is eager to know about it. The Jewish people had hoped for it from their ceremonial sacrifices and washings, and the pagans too from their acts of atonement, but all of that was useless. Forgiveness is found only through the name of Christ, and only by those who believe in his name. Those who do may be sure of it, their sins will be pardoned, and there will be no condemnation for them.

Forgiveness of sins makes room for every other mercy and blessing, because it removes the great barrier in the way. If sin is pardoned, all is well, and everything will end well forever.