Hey everyone.
I was sitting here thinking about John David’s comment at the end of the meeting today about Peter baptizing Cornelius in water after Jesus baptized him with the holy Ghost. It was, as JD,said, as if Peter was calling Cornelius unclean (or not clean enough) after God had cleansed him. And that was what God had already told Peter not to!
God needed another man who could teach the apostles!
Contemplating this, I had another thought: “If Peter had done what he did to Cornelius (or any Gentile) after Paul’s gospel was revealed, it would have been unforgivable for Peter.” Fortunately for Peter, Paul gospel had not yet been revealed!
In a way, however, Peter WAS doing that to the Gentiles in Antioch (Gal. 2), making them feel unclean (or not clean enough) after Jesus had washed them from their sins. That is why Paul rebuked Peter in front of the whole group there in Antioch.
As Paul would say, “Jesus is good enough! Don’t add anything to what he says or does!”
Pastor John
jdc
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Those are good thoughts.
Really, I guess, what Peter did to Cornelius at the end of Acts 10 is kind of what the apostolic and UPC folks do today with their water baptism ritual (except that Peter’s baptism was, at one time, really of God).
Spirit baptized by Jesus, but not clean enough…. That’s what that “ceremony” is saying.
Gary
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I was thinking about how at this point in Acts everything is “breaking up”, and how, as you have said, “God needed another man.” I marvel at the kind of man God chose to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. It is amazing that God chose a man who had been so zealous for the law…even to the extent of killing the ones whom he believed were transgressing it. Can you believe it? Of all people, God chose Paul … to take the gospel to the Gentiles! Wow.
Donna
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It is really something to think about Jesus warning Peter beforehand (not to call common what He had cleansed, and then Peter leaving the impression that Cornelius was still common, or not clean enough, after Jesus had cleansed him) but Peter didn’t/couldn’t understand it. I never thought of it that way. But with all we’ve learned in the Father and Son book, that feels right. What a wonderful, mysterious, exciting God we serve.
Token
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God gives the holy ghost to gentiles in Acts chapter 10 without Acts 2:38…what will our apostolic friends say?
Earl