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Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Acts 10 - God is no respecter of Persons

Mark Robinson · October 15, 2020

Acts 10

sharonrpc.org/sermons/acts-10-god-is-no

Summary

  • Acts 10 advances the gospel from its Jewish setting to Gentiles through God's coordinated work in Cornelius and Peter.
  • Peter learns that God shows no partiality: people from every nation are summoned to repent and receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
  • God's impartiality neither teaches salvation by moral sincerity nor lowers his standard; Christ remains Lord of all and the only source of peace and pardon.
  • The church must reject favoritism based on ethnicity, nation, appearance, class, or familiarity because God gathers one people from every kind of background.
  • Those infinitely forgiven in Christ gain both motive and power to forgive injuries and welcome people unlike themselves.
  • God ordinarily expands his church through prayer, proclamation of the Word, and open-hearted hospitality.

Reflection and discussion

  • Which outward trait tempts me to favor people who resemble me or avoid those who do not?
  • How does the universality of the call to repent differ from the claim that sincere people are accepted apart from Christ?
  • Do I understand the death, resurrection, lordship, judgment, and forgiveness Peter includes in the gospel?
  • Where does remembered forgiveness need to replace resentment toward someone who injured me?
  • Does my congregation's shared life visibly cross ethnic, social, and cultural boundaries?
  • How can prayer, the Word, and hospitality make room for people God is gathering?

Key terms

No partiality
God neither favors nor excludes people on the basis of ethnicity, nationality, social standing, or outward appearance.
God-fearer
A Gentile such as Cornelius who revered Israel's God and associated with the synagogue without fully becoming Jewish.
Forgiveness through Christ
The remission of sins received through faith in the crucified and risen Lord proclaimed by the apostles.
Hospitality
Making practical room for others as an expression of the welcome God has given his people in Christ.

Notes and prayer