The early church suffered from spiritual nearsightedness. In the early years, it was totally Jewish in its makeup. In Acts 8, we saw the gospel message go out to the Samaritans. As difficult as this pill was to swallow for the Jewish believers, the Samaritans were a mixed ethnicity of Jewish/Gentile.
In today’s chapter, the gospel goes to the Gentiles. This fact which we take for granted was earthshaking to the Jewish believers. So revolutionary was this thought that in preparation God gave two visions, one to Cornelius and one to Peter. By means of these two visions they were enabled to see salvation clearly and so are we.
- Seeing salvation clearly recognizes it is not by works, vv. 1-8.
- Seeing salvation clearly recognizes it is offered to all, vv. 9-23.
See the crucial truth of salvation. Good people don’t go to heaven, forgiven people do.
