Get on Board
5/16/25 Bible Thought (Acts 11)
I think sometimes if we aren’t careful, we might be too confident that we’ve got God all figured out. In familiar terms, many talk about putting God in a box. Now, obviously, no one can contain or control God and His ways, but at the least we might discount what He is able to do in a given situation.
Obviously if He is able to do far above all we ask or think (Eph. 3:20) then certainly He exceeds the bounds of not only our traditions and beliefs but even our wildest imagination.
In Acts 11, we see the conclusion of a great upset in Jewish thinking about God. Cornelius, a Gentile, and his household had been saved, received the Holy Spirit, and been baptized. But Cornelius wasn’t a Jew. Although a God-fearer, as far as we know He still wasn’t fully converted to Judaism.
So, when the news is spread of God’s work amongst the Gentiles, some of the circumcision party of the Jews had issue (Acts 11:2). Notwithstanding that God had accepted these Gentiles and bestowed on them His Spirit, they were stuck with their traditions.
Based upon their understanding of God, they believed Peter was in the wrong, even ceremonially unclean, because he’d gone into the home of a Gentile.[1] Certainly this wasn’t something you would want to characterize the leader of the church! Their spokesperson and primary apostle is unclean? What a scandal!
But it was the Holy Spirit who tasked Peter with the mission. Peter had a vision from God, and the Spirit’s command, both of which endorsed His decision to go see Cornelius. This was something that seemed completely out of bounds to those Jews, but it was God’s doing.
For the Lord Jesus had told Peter, “What God has made clean, do not call common” (Acts 11:9; 10:15). Peter’s heavenly vision was about more than just giving 21st century believers permission to eat bacon—although I thank God for this! No, rather, the vision was primarily not concerning food laws but concerning God’s acceptance of an unaccepted group.
The circumcision party’s view of God was too narrow. They boxed God in, believing that the gospel was only for Jewish Christians who also followed the law of Moses. But no, for,
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Gal. 3:13).
If God accepted the Gentiles, and graced to them His Holy Spirit, Peter concluded, “who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17). As a result, the people responded, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18b).
Not only were Jews who put their trust in Jesus as the Messiah able to be saved, but so were Samaritans and Gentiles. Not only Samaritans and Gentiles, but former persecutors, tax-collectors, eunuchs, or even magicians. None were, or are, too far gone to find grace, and all who are accepted in His sight ought to be accepted in ours too, no matter how different from us they may be.
[1] Clinton E. Arnold, Acts, ed. Clinton E. Arnold, vol. 2B of Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 95.
Made me think of a Bible study awhile back. We had been discussing Timothy. And keep in mind the Bible study is mostly older women who don’t shy away from much. Faced with complaints about some of the things Paul wrote to Timothy I eventually asked if they were trying to follow God or have God follow them.
Unless we want to place God in our own little box it’s better to approach him with an open mind and accept even the things we find challenging in His word. Not mindlessly, but humbly.