Acts 10

Acts 10:6

he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.”

Simon the tanner was one of nine men named Simon in the New Testament; see entry for Matt. 4:18.

Acts 10:18

and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.

Simon. Since there were two disciples named Simon, they were distinguished as Simon Peter and Simon the zealot (Matt. 10:4). In addition, the New Testament names seven other Simons including Simon the step-brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55), Simon the leper (Matt. 26:6), Simon of Cyrene (Matt. 27:32), Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36–40), Simon, the father of Judas Iscariot (John 13:2), Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:9), and Simon the tanner (Acts 10:6).

Acts 10:22

They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.”

A holy angel. The angels of God are holy in the sense that they are whole and unbroken by sin. See also Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26, Rev. 14:10. Fallen angels are not holy (2 Pet. 2:4, Jude 1:6).

Acts 10:36

“The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—

Preaching. Announcing the good news. The original word for preaching (euaggelizo) is closely related to the word for gospel (euaggelion). This is one of three words that are commonly translated as “preaching” in the New Testament. See entry for Acts 5:42.

Acts 10:37

you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.

(a) Baptism; see entry for Baptism.

(b) John; see entry for Mark 1:4.

(c) Proclaimed. The original word (kerusso) means to herald as a public crier. This word is sometimes translated as “preach”. See entry for Acts 5:42.

Acts 10:42

“And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.

Preach. The original word (kerusso) means to herald as a public crier. This is one of three words that are commonly translated as “preach” or “preaching” in the New Testament. See entry for Acts 5:42.

Acts 10:43

“Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

(a) Everyone who believes… receives. Grace comes by faith alone.

All of God’s blessings, including forgiveness, salvation, righteousness and sanctification, come to us freely by grace and are received by faith. Faith does not compel God to forgive us or sanctify us. But faith is the conduit through which grace flows. See entry for Eph. 2:8.

(b) Receives forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift to receive, not a wage to be earned.

(c) Forgiveness of sins. All your sins – past, present, and future – were dealt with on the cross (Heb. 9:26). In Christ, you have the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:14). In him, you are completely and eternally forgiven according to the riches of his grace (Eph. 1:7).

On the night he rose from the dead, Jesus instructed his disciples to preach the good news of the complete forgiveness or remission of all sins (see entry for Luke 24:47). After the cross, the apostles described forgiveness in the past tense and as a gift to receive (see entry for Acts 13:38).

Acts 10:44

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.

The Holy Spirit fell. The original word for fell means to embrace fervently. To say the Holy Spirit fell on those who heard, is to say that he passionately embraced them. Think of how the prodigal’s father embraced his son; it’s the same word. “When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20)

The father in the story fell on the prodigal in the same way that the Holy Spirit fell on those who heard the message – in a passionate embrace. Jesus told us the story of the prodigal to give us an insight into how God the Father relates to us. His love is not cold and distant, but passionate and close. He is a hugging Father.

Acts 10:46

For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered,

Tongues. Speaking in unknown tongues is evidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit and a spiritual gift that has been evident since the birth of the church (Acts 2:4, 19:6). See also the entry for 1 Cor. 12:10.

Acts 10:47

“Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”

(a) Water. Prior to Christ, John the Baptist baptized people in water as a prophetic act foreshadowing the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8). After Christ, the early church baptized people in water in response to what the Holy Spirit had done. John was looking forward; the Christians were looking back.

Every believer has been baptized or immersed into the body and death of Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12–13, Gal. 3:27). Water baptism is an outward act testifying to this supernatural reality.

(b) Baptized. The original word implies total immersion. See entry for Baptism.

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