Acts 10:42, commentary and pictures

He commanded His chosen witnesses to preach to the people and to testify that God ordained Jesus to be the Judge of the living and the dead. That testimony belongs within the whole gospel of His life, anointing, doing good, death on the tree, resurrection and open showing to chosen witnesses, ascension and advocacy, and forgiveness through His name to all who believe. Peter's preaching of it to Cornelius and his household opened an entirely new phase in which the gospel was thrown open to the Gentiles, who stand on perfect equality with Jewish believers without circumcision and receive repentance unto life and the Holy Spirit just the same. Although God knew Cornelius by name and sent an angel to direct him, the angel was not to tell the message, for the gospel is to be communicated by human preaching with heaven and earth united. That preaching must be done filled with the Holy Ghost and consecrated to God, for only God can impress hearts, and Jesus as Judge will judge the world in righteousness and bring to account neglect of the hungry, naked, and suffering and waste of entrusted means on pleasure and extravagance.

Preaching Christ the Judge

The command lays on Christ's chosen witnesses the duty to preach to the people and to testify that God ordained Jesus to be the Judge of the living and the dead. What they are to speak is shown them by instruction in vision, and that showing is repeated again and again. The angel did not preach the message, for the truth imparted to Peter had to be imparted by Peter to Cornelius and all his family, so that through that human preaching the salvation of God is revealed.

That testimony stands within the whole gospel of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and the offer of forgiveness through faith in Him. God is no respecter of persons but in every nation accepts those who fear Him and work righteousness, and Jesus Christ is Lord of all, anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, going about doing good and healing all oppressed of the devil. He was slain and hanged on a tree, betrayed and crucified, raised up on the third day and shown openly not to all the people but to witnesses chosen before who ate and drank with Him after He rose, then ascended and working in heaven as man's representative and advocate. All the prophets and believers witness that through His name whoever believes in Him receives remission of sins, presenting Him as the anointed, crucified, and risen Savior.

Preaching this testimony requires being filled with the Holy Ghost and consecrated to God so the Word is preached under inspiration with a heart glowing with the spirit of the truth. Human effort cannot impress the heart, and only God gives power to impress words upon hearts, with the righteousness of Christ going before and the glory of the Lord behind as strength to lead men and women to give their hearts to the Saviour. Prepared hearers receive it with charm because their hearts are prepared to receive the gospel, until the discourse is interrupted by the descent of the Holy Spirit on all who hear.

God ordained Jesus to judge the living and the dead, and Jesus will judge the world in righteousness. That judgment will bring to account those who neglected to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give comfort and relief to suffering people, and their neglect will be judged as misapplication of God's entrusted talents. A record will be opened of money spent on pleasures and gratification of appetite in wine and liquor and rich food and on extravagant houses and furniture and dress while suffering human beings received no pitying look and no word of sympathy.

Gospel Opened to Gentiles

Acts 10:42 belongs to Peter's message to Cornelius and his household, seekers after greater light whom God arranged to be taught through human messengers. Cornelius was a Roman officer in a high position who was seeking light, and God sent him a message and directed Peter to visit him and teach him. He had been longing and praying and earnestly seeking light from heaven, and when Christ was revealed to him he received Him gladly.

That preaching marks an entirely new phase in the church's work, when the gospel was opened to the Gentiles and the door Jewish converts had closed was thrown open. Although Christ's death had broken down the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles, prejudice still kept the apostles from extending the gospel's privileges to them. Peter as pioneer broke through long-standing barriers to teach the heathen world, showing that salvation was no longer restricted to the Jewish people but was being given to the world. Cornelius's conversion was the first major and first important conversion among the Gentiles, and it was only the firstfruits of a harvest to be gathered from the world.

Gentiles who accept the gospel of Jesus Christ are to stand on perfect equality with Jewish disciples without the necessity of circumcision. They are not to be treated as unclean or excluded on old distinctions, for God grants them repentance unto life. Their hearing of the gospel led to the Holy Spirit being given to them just as to Jewish believers.

God set His plan in motion by sending messengers to set in operation a train of circumstances to bring Peter into connection with Cornelius so that Cornelius might learn the truth and receive advanced light. Peter went up on the housetop to pray and was put by the angel in the way to receive God's purpose to the Gentiles. Peter undertook the duty laid on him by divine command with reluctance at every step, defending it not on general principles but as an exception done because of divine revelation, and the result was a surprise to him. Upon hearing Cornelius relate his experience and the angel's words, he perceived that God is no respecter of persons and that in every nation he who fears Him and works righteousness is accepted with Him.

God works to enlighten all who love and fear Him even though they do not yet know all the truth, carrying forward His work by heavenly messengers bringing men into connection with men to bring many Gentiles to the truth. In this He overcomes prejudice so the gospel can be brought to them. Every true believer must stand ready to be taught by Him and have prejudice broken down, while those who hold to their own ideas and are unwilling to yield cannot be used and will be passed by for those willing to walk in the ways of the Lord. God's dealing with Peter as he was about to preach to the Gentiles stands as the example of His correcting those who stray from Bible truth.

Working Through Human Agents

The gospel was not to be told to Cornelius by the angel but by human preaching as God's appointed means. God knew Cornelius by name and saw that he had received and improved all the light given him, and He knew just where Peter was to be found lodging with Simon the tanner by the seaside at Joppa. The angel told Cornelius every particular about sending men to Joppa to call Peter that Peter might tell him what he ought to do, yet the angel did not preach the message himself. The light God had imparted to Peter had to be imparted by Peter to Cornelius and all his family, with heaven and earth united and Peter appointed to become the human instrument in the hands of heavenly agencies. The angel did not replace the gospel ministry or the organized church.

People should receive instruction through the agencies God provides rather than refuse human teachers and insist on being taught directly by God. God's church must connect together and pass light from one to another. In every age God works in the same way, sending His messengers to set in operation a train of circumstances to bring honest hearts into connection with those of His people who can best reach the individual needs of the case, with different workers adapted by special knowledge and training to help different classes of inquirers.

Believers are therefore called to unify, to come into close connection with Christ, and to love one another. They are to deal honestly, justly, truly, gently, and righteously with one another instead of standing apart, tearing each other down, or trying to reform themselves by pointing at the wrongs of someone else. Working on Christ's principles in this way, the salvation of God is revealed.

Heaven is much nearer to the Christian engaged in soul-saving than many suppose. The Lord knows each person by name, just where each lives, the spirit each possesses, and every act of life, with ministering angels passing through the churches noting faithfulness in each one's line of duty. Peter was sent as God's representative to one in need of divine help and guidance. God regards every human being, so each person should treat his fellow man as one of the Lord's instrumentalities for accomplishing His work in the earth.

Cornelius, though accepted of God in devout piety and commended for prayers and alms, with a clear, pure, undefiled testimony and bright shining light and example, still needed an advance in faith and a new experience to do his work intelligently through Jesus Christ and to receive the fulfilment of the promised Messiah. Neither prayer nor almsgiving can take the place of Christ Jesus in whom all fulness dwells and in whom alone all can be complete. Jews and Gentiles are by faith to be joined to Jesus Christ and barriers between them taken away. Cornelius as a man of influence in connection with believers could accomplish a great work, with a widespread work of grace carried on from his home in a heathen city.

The record teaches the simplicity of the Lord's plans for advancing His work through heaven cooperating with human agents. It calls for ready, personal, earnest, humble, determined, loving efforts and special effort to reach people of every station including those with high status and influence. Sincere seekers serving God with earnest purpose and walking in all light received are accepted as acceptably as Jews, are much nearer the kingdom than supposed, and are precious jewels whom angels will help bring into full light. This includes honest souls inside and outside associations like the W.C.T.U. and investigators of the laws which rule the world, so those seeking light may be gathered out from those bitterly opposed to God's message, helped to join God's people, led to join Christ's disciples, share the light, invite others to see its beauty and support God's work, and stand as witnesses in true integrity conquering falsehood by heeding the message for this time.

Cornelius is given as the pattern of a man taught by God and called for now when men are losing spiritual discernment, preparing the way for true standard-bearers to take the place of those given Bible truth who disappointed the Saviour. Christ will guide such along the path to everlasting life and honor them as truly serving Him, while He will not acknowledge a hypocrite. By contrast lifelong profession as Seventh-day Adventists does not make true men sanctified and ennobled through the truth. Those whose ways are right in their own eyes and who suppose themselves wise are foolish building upon sand so that when the tempest comes the house will be swept away and they will perish for not building upon the solid rock.