All the prophets testify
Acts 10:43 - The message that Peter brought to the Gentiles was the same message of hope and grace that is the basis of our faith today.
The apostle Peter preaching to the crowd at the house of Cornelius. Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
“All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.””
Acts 10:43 NIV
Today’s verse comes from a sermon given by the apostle Peter at the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion who has been visited by an angel of God and asks Peter to come to his house in Joppa. Cornelius has invited a number of friends and relatives to his house as well, and Acts tells us that “Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people.” (Acts 10:27) It’s the perfect opportunity for Peter to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a crowd of Gentiles.
Precept Austin has a wonderful paraphrasing of this verse by 20th century evangelical pastor and author Ray Stedman:
“You Romans may not appreciate this fully, but everything that Jesus did was predicted by the prophets. Long before He ever came, what He would be like and what He would do was written down. Every prophet bore witness to this one fact: The only way you could ever find forgiveness of sins is by believing in Him.” That is the great, final, glorious thrust of the gospel. The good news is that men have been given a way to be forgiven of their sins. That is the basic need of every human heart. Each of us suffers from the terrible consciousness of guilt. We are guilty people; and we know it. That is what makes us so restless. That is why oftentimes we cannot stand to be alone with ourselves, because we are afraid of that sense of guilt which oppresses us. So the prime need of our lives is to be forgiven, to have nothing in the past to worry about, to have nothing that makes us uncertain of the future and, especially, nothing which makes us unwilling to appear before God. Through Jesus Christ sins are forgiven.” Have you reflected upon that, Christian friends? Have you recently stopped and thanked God that your sins are forgiven? Have you ever? Not just the ones you committed before you became a Christian; all your sins. All the future ones as well as those of the past are forgiven already in Jesus Christ. God therefore has no quarrel with you, he loves you, he accepts you. Whatever you do he will continue to love you and accept you. But no one can take that truth and use it as a license to sin, to go out and do as you like. To do so would indicate that you have never been regenerated, have never understood why God bore your sins. But if you have been born again you know that this is the greatest and most unending blessing of your life -- to wake up every morning and remember that you stand as a beloved child in God’s presence. He loves you and accepts you. You are his, and for that reason he will be with you all day long, in every circumstance of your experience.
Peter’s sermon was well-received, both by the people in attendance and by God! In the very next verse, we hear that “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.” (Acts 10:44) Talk about effective preaching of the Gospel!
You might do what I did and ask the question “Who are ‘all the prophets’?” that Peter talks about. While this list doesn’t include all 88 prophets described in the Old and New Testaments, there are several major prophets who were instrumental in pointing the way to Jesus:
Isaiah - Foretold the coming of a suffering servant who would bear the sins of many (Isaiah 53).
Jeremiah - Spoke of a new covenant that would be established, emphasizing forgiveness (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Daniel - Predicted the coming of an everlasting kingdom through the Messiah (Daniel 2:44).
Joel - Prophesied about the outpouring of God’s Spirit in the last days (Joel 2:28-32).
Moses - Foretold a prophet like himself who would arise (Deuteronomy 18:15).
David - Wrote many Psalms that foreshadow the Messiah’s suffering and kingship (as in Psalm 22).
To the Gentiles, these names and the prophecies would have been unknown. To any Jews of the time, the prophets and their foretelling of the coming of the Messiah would have been very familiar. But that’s not who Peter was preaching to!
Peter’s intended message to the Gentiles is the last part — “that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Everyone who believes - whether they were a Jew or a Gentile; a slave, a free man, or a Roman centurion; any race or color; good or bad; rich or poor. Everyone who believes.
The message that Peter brought to the Gentiles was the same message of hope and grace that is the basis of our faith today.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank You that all of the ancient prophets testified about You and that through Your name, all who believe in You receive forgiveness of their sins. I believe in You, and trust in Your saving power. I ask that You forgive me of my sins, and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. Thank You for Your grace and mercy, and for the eternal life granted to me through Your Son, Jesus Christ. AMEN.