Acts 10:34 ¶ Then Peter
opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no
respecter of persons: 35 But in every
nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
36 The word which God sent unto
the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
37 That word, I say, ye know,
which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the
baptism which John preached; 38 How God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about
doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with
him. 39 And we are witnesses of all
things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they
slew and hanged on a tree: 40 Him God
raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; 41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses
chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after
he rose from the dead. 42 And he
commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was
ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. 43 To him give all the prophets witness, that
through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Before a nation hears the gospel of Jesus Christ and about His
death, burial, and resurrection God has provided the basis upon which the New
Guinea tribesman or the Swedish businessman could be accepted by Him. The
requirement is that they believe and fear an Almighty Creator and that they try
to do right as a result. God will send them a messenger from Him to deliver the
truth of the gospel as He does here.
There is peace with God only through Jesus Christ. Mankind is in
His wrath apart from Christ. This is not about religion but about understanding
and accepting God’s amnesty in your rebellion and wickedness.
Peter declares that he not only walked with Christ before the
Cross and Crucifixion, but he ate and drank with Him after He rose from the
dead making Peter a reliable and authoritative witness. God only revealed
Christ after the Resurrection to those witnesses chose by God and these were
sent out to be witnesses as the prophets were before them.
This explains why Christ did not reveal Himself after the
Resurrection in the emperor’s palace or to the Sanhedrin. Paul says there were
upwards of five hundred of these witnesses who saw Christ.
1Corinthians 15:1 ¶
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in
memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that
which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; 4 And that he
was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then
of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen
of
above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part
remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all
the apostles. 8 And
last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due
time. 9 For I am the least of the
apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the
church of God.
10 But by the grace of God
I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I
laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which
was with me. 11 Therefore whether it
were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
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