The Jews and Gentiles in one church

Published by Stanley Pouw in 2016 · 7 August 2016

Carnal pride in the early church had warped the outreach of the Jew toward the Gentile. And prior to that, there was no interaction between Jews and Gentiles. They were considered Gentiles to be unclean. The exclusiveness, which had been designed by God for Israel for the purpose of holiness and witness, had become a point of pride, and it had been perverted. The Jews hated the Gentiles and the same the other way around.

Paul describes that in Ephesians 2:11-15, “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.”

In other words, the wall that always separated in the temple the Gentile from the Jew, The Lord Jesus has smashed. In fact, when Jesus Christ died, He just tore up the whole temple except the Holy of Holies. Now everyone can have direct access to the Holy of Holies. Hebrews 4:16 says. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace.” The veil is ripped, now you can pray boldly to God. This is the theology in Ephesians.

Now, the actual history of it is here in Acts 10. We find the first Gentile who is called by God to enter into the fullness of all the promise of God. This is the final phase in the expansion of the church that still continues now. Now, this is also the day Cornelius got saved, and we don't want to minimize that. So we see the sequence of salvation as illustrated in Cornelius, and this is a general pattern for how salvation happens in the life of anybody.

Scripture is like a diamond. It has different facets, and every time you turn the light on, you see a new one. We are looking at timeless principles as to how God saves men which are active and alive today. So, first in salvation there is a sovereign call that we saw in Acts 10:1-20. It all is initiated by God. God just picked him out of all available Gentiles. God chose to do this in Cornelius' life. And God also chose Peter, the messenger; and He chooses how too.

This is not separated from man's will, but it is in conjunction with man's will. Cornelius' heart was turned toward God. He began to search for God, because God had already found him and turned his heart. And then God responded by giving him a vision and telling him where he could get the information he needed. He lived up to the light he had and God gave him the opportunity to increase his faith by being obedient and sending men to find Peter. God never does things apart from active faith in response.

Then God began the preparation of Peter. He sovereignly chose Peter, first of all, because he was available, but God had to prepare him, so He gave him also a vision. The vision broke down all of his prejudice and prepared the way for the meeting with this Gentile. But you will notice Peter had to have active faith too, where he was willing to go with the messengers, as we shall see today.

We talked about how sovereign timing brought the two together at absolutely the right moment. Peter hadn't even finished with his vision when the Holy Spirit said, "Wake up, Peter, go downstairs. The people are there waiting for you. and go with them." No way could this happen by chance. So there is sovereign choice and sovereign timing. God is active initially in salvation. It all begins with Him.

Isaiah 65:24, "And it shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer." Before Cornelius knew what he was looking for, God was giving it to him. Look as an example in Acts 16:14, “Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” The only power in the universe that can track the sinful heart of man is God's sovereign power.

In Luke 24:45, "Then opened Jesus their understanding that they might understand." God only can open up our mind so that we can understand. John 6:45, “And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” Jesus said that the only people who ever come to Me are those whom God has sovereignly, supernaturally taught. Salvation is of God, because the unenlightened, dead in sin, natural man cannot grasp the truth of God.

So salvation begins with sovereign call, sovereign preparation. Second point of salvation is submissive will. Peter already was a believer, but Cornelius, he responded by his will actively. They obeyed the sovereign will of God immediately. God does prepare us, and we must respond. You are saved by faith and you have to walk by faith. John 8:30-31 says, “As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”

So the point is obedience is the continued action daily. Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” They did not obey in their heart and there was no continued action.

Luke 9:23, “Then Jesus said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” That is a submissive and obedient life. Legitimate faith will make necessary sacrifices immediately, and in both cases with Cornelius and Peter, their action was immediate. Salvation is a willing commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, obedience to Him, no matter what the cost.

Cornelius was ready, and when God moved, he responded and away he went. Verse 21, “Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?” Peter is also ready. This whole vision about clean and unclean was no longer a problem for him. And here he faces three Gentiles, which beforehand would have been traumatic.

Verse 22, “And they said, “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.” Even the Jews thought highly of him. So they got Peter at the house here, and they said, "Cornelius sent us because of the angel.”

Verse 23, “Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brothers from Joppa accompanied him.” No ordinary Jew would have done this. Not only was it not done with Gentiles, but least of all was it done with occupying Roman soldiers. It was too late to travel back to Caesarea, so they decided to just stay, and Peter just showed that the walls had come down. After all, he was living in the house of Simon the tanner, one of the most despised trades imaginable by Jews.

Another fact is amazing, "Some brothers from Joppa accompanied him." God hadn't said, "Peter, you go and take certain brothers." No, God just said, "Peter, you go." Peter took them without any direct command from God, yet their presence in the house of Cornelius was a tremendous key to everything that happened.

Do you know there were six orthodox Jewish Christians that went with Petrus according to Acts 11:12, because verse 45 says they were of the circumcision. This was very strategic. In fact, they became the key to the unifying of Jew and Gentile. God not only led Peter through the vision, but God led Peter through Peter's own desires and ideas. This is providence. God knew it was crucial to have them there.

How does God lead us now? He leads through our desires, and here we see exactly that. Philippians 2:13, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” How many times have we done something you just decided to do? You get there, and you cross some eternal significant event. You meet some guy who doesn't know Christ. You lead him to Christ, and the course of his history is totally changed.

How many times has God not only influenced our desires to do something, but arranged the circumstances to accommodate it? That's how He leads through His will. He leads the available Christian, not by vision, but by desire and the active will, as He moves on our will, so we respond. That's how He works. The will of God is not given to us some ecstatic way, but rather as He orders our desires God providentially works.

So here come seven Jews to meet a whole house full of Gentiles, a monumental moment. Two men come together from two different worlds, sovereignly prepared and, also submissive in their wills. Cornelius completely believed the only vision he ever had. That's faith. He is going to completely uproot his whole life situation because of this only vision he ever had. He was so full of faith that he was willing to seek help from a Jew.

And there is no Scripture record that tells us that Peter ever had a vision either. Peter also believed the first one he had. And you know what is shocking? It all went against everything he had ever been taught his whole life, yet he still believed, and did what it taught. Peter is willing to accept the uncircumcised pagans into his house. He is willing to travel far to more unknown Gentiles without any idea what will happen.

Verse 24-25, “And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.” Imagine a Gentile Roman centurion worshipping a Jewish fisherman. Verse 26, “But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”

Peter said, "Don't worship me.” He disallowed it at the very start, and no Christian is ever to be worshipped. There is only one in the Bible who ever accepted worship. You know who that was? God. There is only one in the New Testament who ever accepted worship. Who is that? Jesus Christ. Then who is He? God.

Verse 27, “And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.” Here Cornelius had brought a bunch of people together, and again, you have the same principle. Nobody told Cornelius to do this. God had worked through the desires of Cornelius, and he had brought other Gentiles in, because it was important that not just one Gentile got saved.

Verse 28, “Then Peter said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.” The Old Testament ceremonial law didn't say that, but the rabbis added that. In fact, the rabbis said that defilement by going into a Gentile home was a seven-day defilement. Verse 29, “Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

Peter came right to the point. Spiritual maturity is eagerness to do what God wants. Everything that Peter had known has been reversed. Verse 30-32, “So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.”

Then verse 33, “So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.” Now we come to a simple Gospel message that Peter gives. In fact, Peter doesn't even get his sermon going. Peter later on gives testimony to the Jews in Jerusalem. He says, "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them." The Spirit came, and the Lord ended the meeting.

Just picture the scene in Cornelius' house. The Jews are there and the Gentiles are there. Verse 34-35, “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” We are not dealing with different nationalities, racial prejudice, or anything like that. And Peter says, "I am beginning to understand that." That's quite an admission.

And God taught that from the very beginning. Deuteronomy 10:17 says, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality.” 2 Chronicles 19:7, “let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no partiality.” James 2:1, “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.” Do not be prejudicial.

God is not only the God who cares about Israel, but He cares about all men. God selected Israel, not because He liked them better, but because He needed somebody to be His witness. And within the body of Jesus Christ, make sure that we are equally sharing the love and the ministry with all people, rich or poor. When we are doing it for the glory of the Lord we are on the right track.

So Peter says, in every nation, whoever fears God and works righteousness is accepted. Many Jews were not accepted by God. Why? It looked good from the outside, but in their hearts they did not really have the right faith. Jesus says in Matthew 8:11-12, “And I say to you that many will come from east and west (Gentiles), and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom (Jews) will be cast out into outer darkness.”

So Peter sets the theme by saying, salvation is available to any man, any place, any kind of man who will live up to the light that God has given him and has a seeking heart. We need people to go and preach the good news. You know, there are people in this world who are just waiting for somebody to explain Jesus Christ to them. Maybe the Spirit of God will allow us to have an opportunity to do just that. Let us pray.