Subject: Unforgivable sin |
Bible Note: And that is the way I took it, my friend, in good humor. In an attempt to justify your teaching you use one scripture in Acts 10 to explain away all other scripture dealing with the subject. Whoever said that Cornelius' conversion in Acts 10 is a "special circumstance" is correct for if you read the entire chapter and understand that Peter was "called" to go to Cornelius in order for God to show that salvation had come to Gentiles also, you will see that it all fits together in harmony. My exegesis is as follows: ch 10.1-8 Cornelius is described as a devout man who feared God, although a Gentile, praying to God always. An angel of the Lord appears to him and tells him to send men to Joppa to fetch Peter. Vs. 6, "He will tell you what you must do." Vs. 9-16 In Peter's vision he sees all manner of four footed beasts. A voice tells him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." Peter says no because they are unclean. The voice replies, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." This was done three times. Vs. 17-23 The men who Cornelius sent arrive at Peter's, he agrees to go with them (as instructed by the Spirit, vs 19,20), and Peter takes "some brethren (Christian Jews) from Joppa" with him. Vs. 24-33 Peter arrives at the home of Cornelius. Vs. 28 Peter states the purpose of his visit, recalling his vision from God, and saying that he "should not call any man common or unclean". Cornelius tells Peter of his vision that caused him to send for Peter. Vs. 33 says, "we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God." Vs. 34-43 Peter begins his sermon to the household of Cornelius. As he was doing this (vs 44), the Holy Spirit "fell upon all those who heard the word" (vs 44). Vs. 45 "And those of the circumcision who believed (meaning Jewish Christians in today's terms) were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift had been poured out on the Gentiles also." Let me stop here to raise a couple of points. 1. Nowhere in Peter's sermon, that we know of, did he mention either repentance or baptism. 2. The Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and Co. even before repentance. Where in the scripture does it say that had repented or that they were even saved? Where in the bible does it say being baptized with the Holy Spirit saves us? This is an assumption made in error. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was evidenced by these "Gentiles" speaking in tongues and magnifying God. The bible does not teach that this evidence is evidence of salvation. The bible does teach, however, that we are cleansed through the blood of Christ (1 Jn 1.7) and that we come into contact with the blood of Christ, meaning his death, through baptism (Rom 6.3). 3. The purpose of all of this was to show that Gentiles are accepted by God as well as Jews. You must agree that the need for circumcision prior to salvation was a huge topic of debate in those days (dangerously similar to the need for baptism, the difference being circumcision is NOT taught as a requirement, baptism IS). If we regress back to vs. 15, "What God has cleansed you must not call common" and couple it with vs. 45, "And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift had been poured out on the Gentiles also" we can see that this example of conversion was to prove to Jews that Gentiles could obtain the same salvation as Jews. As is commanded elsewhere in the New Testament (Mt 28.19, Mk 16.16, Acts 2.38, 8.36, 16.15,33, 22.16) in Acts 10.48 Peter commands them to be baptized in the name of the Lord, and this, in our Lord's own words, "is fitting to fulfill all righteousness (Mt 3.15). Jesus himself, although not necessary, was baptized because he had to fulfull all righteousness. So we also must in order to fulfill all righteousness. |