A STUDY GUIDE ACTS 11:1-18
1. A Study Guide
a) A study guide of Acts of the Apostles. It is intended to be expository — to explain and bring out the meaning of the original text. You may use this for your personal bible study or even group bible study.
2. Acts 11:1-18
a) The verses tell of Peter’s own account of the Conversion of Cornelius. Through Peter’s eyes we get some extra insights.
#1) Acts 11:1-3
11 Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
i) You went to uncircumcised men. Down on the coast, Peter had been enlightened. He'd come to understand that God treated all people, Jews and Gentiles, equally. But his Christian brothers back in Jerusalem still had their prejudices. They started a contention with Peter. He had mixed with non-Jews which they regarded as a wrong thing to do.
#2) Acts 11:4-6
4 But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, 6 and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air.
i) Peter explained. Peter didn't enter into an argument. He simply explained. That way, the Christian brothers he'd upset could judge for themselves and reconsider. He recounts the vision he'd seen while on the housetop in Joppa.
#3) Acts 11:7-10
7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ 10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky.
i) Clean or unclean? Under Jewish law, many animals were declared unclean and were forbidden as food (e.g. Leviticus 11). Jesus Christ taught that food goes into the stomach and passes through the body and out into the toilet, thus taking away what is bad. Food therefore cannot defile a person because it is purified by this process (Mark 7:18-20). Jesus taught Paul that all foods are clean (Romans 14:14, Colossians 2:16-17). Like Peter, people want to argue on this point, but God’s statement to Peter is plain: the creatures in the sheet which Peter recognized as unclean had now been made clean. "What God has cleansed, do not call unholy" (Acts 10:12-15). But this was not really a lesson about food.
ii) The real lesson. Peter had confessed what the vision taught him: “It is thought unlawful for a Jewish man to visit or associate with one of another nation. But God has shown me that I shouldn't call any man unholy or unclean.” (Acts 10:28-29). That was the real lesson of the vision. The bag of creatures symbolized the many nations of human beings. God shuns nobody who fears him and does what is right. So now Peter has learned that he should associate with Gentiles not just with Jews. God loves the whole wide world (John 3:16, 1 John 2:2). Will Peter’s Christian brothers in Jerusalem take that on board?
#4) Acts 11:11-14
11 And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; 14 and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’
i) Peter’s witnesses. Peter now adds other testimony to his own story. If these Christian brothers in Jerusalem doubt Peter, let them hear what others said.
ii) The Holy Spirit. Peter says, “The Spirit told me”. The brethren in Jerusalem had no doubt that Peter, as an apostle, was guided by the Holy Spirit. To deny that the Spirit had spoken to Peter would be unthinkable to them.
iii) Six brothers. Peter says, “I was also accompanied by these six brothers”. These were Jewish brothers apparently, so the brethren in Jerusalem had not Peter’s word alone, but six of their own brethren to confirm much of the story.
iv) Cornelius and the angel. Peter says, “Cornelius told me how he had seen an angel”. Cornelius was a Gentile, but a God fearing, not a pagan. He had the respect of the Jewish community in Joppa. He was a most upright man. Why should anyone not believe him?
#5) Acts 11:15-17
15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
i) The Greatest Testimony. Now Peter, having given the background and supported it with testimony, comes to the clincher. The Holy Spirit confirmed the matter with a miracle that truly amazed everyone. The Spirit did to Cornelius and his household what he had done to the apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). After Pentecost, miraculous gifts, such as speaking in tongues, were passed to others "by the laying on of the apostles’ hands" (Acts 8:14-19). But Peter had not laid hands on the household of Cornelius. They were given a baptism of the Holy Spirit directly from God. There is no record of such an event since Pentecost until that time, and Peter implies that none had occurred.
#6) Acts 11:18
18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”
i) Objection withdrawn! Being honest and reasonable men, they withdrew their objection. However we need to understand that it was much more than a mere objection they withdrew. It was an ingrained belief which they had been brought up with, and had practiced their whole lives. They were giving up a law they had conscientiously lived by. They were giving up a prejudice that friends, family, and associates outside the church would still hold to. They were giving up a foundation of their culture. We have to admire their courage and integrity; and their readiness to so invert their thinking and their lives for the sake of the gospel of Christ.
a) A study guide of Acts of the Apostles. It is intended to be expository — to explain and bring out the meaning of the original text. You may use this for your personal bible study or even group bible study.
2. Acts 11:1-18
a) The verses tell of Peter’s own account of the Conversion of Cornelius. Through Peter’s eyes we get some extra insights.
#1) Acts 11:1-3
11 Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
i) You went to uncircumcised men. Down on the coast, Peter had been enlightened. He'd come to understand that God treated all people, Jews and Gentiles, equally. But his Christian brothers back in Jerusalem still had their prejudices. They started a contention with Peter. He had mixed with non-Jews which they regarded as a wrong thing to do.
#2) Acts 11:4-6
4 But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, 6 and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air.
i) Peter explained. Peter didn't enter into an argument. He simply explained. That way, the Christian brothers he'd upset could judge for themselves and reconsider. He recounts the vision he'd seen while on the housetop in Joppa.
#3) Acts 11:7-10
7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ 10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky.
i) Clean or unclean? Under Jewish law, many animals were declared unclean and were forbidden as food (e.g. Leviticus 11). Jesus Christ taught that food goes into the stomach and passes through the body and out into the toilet, thus taking away what is bad. Food therefore cannot defile a person because it is purified by this process (Mark 7:18-20). Jesus taught Paul that all foods are clean (Romans 14:14, Colossians 2:16-17). Like Peter, people want to argue on this point, but God’s statement to Peter is plain: the creatures in the sheet which Peter recognized as unclean had now been made clean. "What God has cleansed, do not call unholy" (Acts 10:12-15). But this was not really a lesson about food.
ii) The real lesson. Peter had confessed what the vision taught him: “It is thought unlawful for a Jewish man to visit or associate with one of another nation. But God has shown me that I shouldn't call any man unholy or unclean.” (Acts 10:28-29). That was the real lesson of the vision. The bag of creatures symbolized the many nations of human beings. God shuns nobody who fears him and does what is right. So now Peter has learned that he should associate with Gentiles not just with Jews. God loves the whole wide world (John 3:16, 1 John 2:2). Will Peter’s Christian brothers in Jerusalem take that on board?
#4) Acts 11:11-14
11 And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; 14 and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’
i) Peter’s witnesses. Peter now adds other testimony to his own story. If these Christian brothers in Jerusalem doubt Peter, let them hear what others said.
ii) The Holy Spirit. Peter says, “The Spirit told me”. The brethren in Jerusalem had no doubt that Peter, as an apostle, was guided by the Holy Spirit. To deny that the Spirit had spoken to Peter would be unthinkable to them.
iii) Six brothers. Peter says, “I was also accompanied by these six brothers”. These were Jewish brothers apparently, so the brethren in Jerusalem had not Peter’s word alone, but six of their own brethren to confirm much of the story.
iv) Cornelius and the angel. Peter says, “Cornelius told me how he had seen an angel”. Cornelius was a Gentile, but a God fearing, not a pagan. He had the respect of the Jewish community in Joppa. He was a most upright man. Why should anyone not believe him?
#5) Acts 11:15-17
15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
i) The Greatest Testimony. Now Peter, having given the background and supported it with testimony, comes to the clincher. The Holy Spirit confirmed the matter with a miracle that truly amazed everyone. The Spirit did to Cornelius and his household what he had done to the apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). After Pentecost, miraculous gifts, such as speaking in tongues, were passed to others "by the laying on of the apostles’ hands" (Acts 8:14-19). But Peter had not laid hands on the household of Cornelius. They were given a baptism of the Holy Spirit directly from God. There is no record of such an event since Pentecost until that time, and Peter implies that none had occurred.
#6) Acts 11:18
18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”
i) Objection withdrawn! Being honest and reasonable men, they withdrew their objection. However we need to understand that it was much more than a mere objection they withdrew. It was an ingrained belief which they had been brought up with, and had practiced their whole lives. They were giving up a law they had conscientiously lived by. They were giving up a prejudice that friends, family, and associates outside the church would still hold to. They were giving up a foundation of their culture. We have to admire their courage and integrity; and their readiness to so invert their thinking and their lives for the sake of the gospel of Christ.
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