Acts 10:43~ All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.
Beautiful verse. Thanks for sharing that with me. “Believeth” can be a term that represents the whole of what one must do to be saved.
In order to believe in Him to receive the remission of sins (Acts 10:43), Cornelius and his household needed to learn about Jesus by hearing God’s word to have faith (Rom. 10:17; Acts 10:43).
As Peter began to speak, the Holy Spirit “fell” on the Gentiles (11v15).
When the Spirit “fell” (Acts 11:15) on the Gentiles (referring to them having the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out, 10:45), they began speaking in tongues and magnify God, (Acts 10:45-46)…but Peter had not finished telling Cornelius the words “whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved” (Acts 11:14)
The Gentiles spoke in tongues, and speaking in tongues were for a sign for an unbeliever (1 Cor. 14:22), but Cornelius was already a believer in God before Peter got there, as he prayed always (Acts 10:2), so who were the unbelievers?
In this context, the unbelievers would be the Jews with Peter, as they did not believe the Gentiles were eligible for salvation by the gospel of Christ. That’s why the Jews were astonished (Acts 10:45) when God bared witness by giving the Gentiles the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:8) as God was proving to the Jews there was “no distinction”, as He “put no difference between us [The Jews] and them [The Gentiles], purifying their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:9).
How were the Gentiles purified by faith? Their souls were purified by faith in “obeying the truth through the Spirit” (1 Peter 1:22). They were “born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23).
The Gentiles were born again through the word of God when they obeyed, having received “with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (Jms. 1:21). They heard the engrafted word from Peter (Acts 11:14).
Not only did the miracle in Acts 10 of speaking in different tongues/language prove to the Jews that salvation by the gospel was now being extended to the Gentiles to be recipients of it, it also confirmed God’s word that He is no respecter of persons when it comes to salvation (Acts 10:35), meaning it does not matter what nation or ethnicity you are, as the same way of being saved by the gospel is for all, and it was through the cross that the Jew/Gentile would be reconciled and united in one body, by the same faith through the gospel (Acts 15:11; Acts 10:34-35, Rom. 1:16; Eph. 2:14). All of this is why Peter asked “Can any man forbid water?” (Acts 10:47)..meaning can any man forbid the Gentiles salvation by the gospel.
Cornelius was also wanting to hear all the commandments of God (Acts 10:33). Those saving words they’d be told included the commandment to be baptized (Acts 10:47-48), but Peter had not told them yet when they received the Spirit. Thus, Peter had not yet finished speaking the words and giving all the commands of God concerning how to be saved until Acts 10:48, where we read, “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” It is at that moment where Peter finished telling them the words “whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved” by commanding them to be baptized in the name of the Lord, to have remission of sins (Acts 10:47; Acts 2:38).
Acts 10:43 says “through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Acts 10:48 says when believing in Jesus to receive the remission of sins happened for the Gentiles “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.”
By submitting to Christ’s authority of obeying the commandment to be baptized (Acts 10:48) for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), Cornelius’s belief in Christ led to a saving faith to receive the remission of sins (Acts 10:43).
In closing: The miracle of speaking in different languages proved to the Jews that salvation by the gospel was now being extended to the Gentiles.
Acts 10:47-48 cf. Acts 11:18, is where the Gentiles’ calling on the name of the Lord happened (Acts 2:21, 38).
God was confirming that the Gentiles could become children of God in obedience to the gospel so they could enter the kingdom (be saved) with 'no distinction’ purifying their hearts by faith (Acts 15:9). There was no more distinction between the two groups as they could be reconciled in one body (Eph. 2:14-16).
God bared witness to that by giving Cornelius (and the rest of his household) the Spirit, (who also bared witness) in confirming that.
How did God purify the Gentiles hearts? By faith (Acts 15:9). When did God purify their hearts by faith? It was after they obeyed the truth through the Spirit (1 Peter 1:22-23) by obeying the Spirit inspired words (Acts 11:14). Believing (Acts 10:43), repentance (Acts 11:18) and being baptized (Acts 10:47-48.) In total, the Gentiles were told to believe (Acts 10:43), God granted them repentance unto life (Acts 11:18), and then they were baptized (Acts 10:48) for the same reasons the Jews were on Pentecost. For the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).
Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
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