And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat.
The voice heard was a command in Peter's vision to arise, kill and eat the animals shown to him. That command to kill and eat was not an instruction to treat the animals as food or to eat unclean animals. It taught that Gentiles whom God had cleansed must not be regarded as ceremonially unclean or common, ending the old distinction between circumcised and uncircumcised people and the ceremonial separation between Jew and Gentile. The arrival of the messengers and the Spirit's direction showed that the vision concerned Peter's welcome of Gentiles into the gospel.
The vision prepared Peter to go to Cornelius, enter his home, and take the gospel to the Gentiles. The command helped break down Peter's prejudice and the prejudice that had kept Jewish believers from accepting Gentiles. The vision marked the opening of a new phase for the Christian church, opening the way for the gospel among the Gentiles and showing that God was removing the barrier between Jews and Gentiles.
Gentile believers were to be received as fully equal members of the church with Jewish disciples, without requiring circumcision or imposing Jewish ceremonial customs on them. The Holy Spirit was given to Gentiles as well as to Jews, and they were to be welcomed into the church through baptism. The account shows that God uses heavenly messengers and human cooperation to bring willing people to the truth.
The voice heard was a command in Peter's vision to arise, kill and eat the animals shown to him. That command to kill and eat was not an instruction to treat the animals as food or to eat unclean animals. It taught that Gentiles whom God had cleansed must not be regarded as ceremonially unclean or common, ending the old distinction between circumcised and uncircumcised people and the ceremonial separation between Jew and Gentile. The arrival of the messengers and the Spirit's direction showed that the vision concerned Peter's welcome of Gentiles into the gospel.
The vision prepared Peter to go to Cornelius, enter his home, and take the gospel to the Gentiles. The command helped break down Peter's prejudice and the prejudice that had kept Jewish believers from accepting Gentiles. The vision marked the opening of a new phase for the Christian church, opening the way for the gospel among the Gentiles and showing that God was removing the barrier between Jews and Gentiles.
Gentile believers were to be received as fully equal members of the church with Jewish disciples, without requiring circumcision or imposing Jewish ceremonial customs on them. The Holy Spirit was given to Gentiles as well as to Jews, and they were to be welcomed into the church through baptism. The account shows that God uses heavenly messengers and human cooperation to bring willing people to the truth.