Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” “No, Lord,” Peter

declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and

unclean.” (Acts 10:13-14)

As we’ve already seen this week, the Holy Spirit takes unclean men and women and

transforms them into uncommon men and women. He does that, first, through the

calling of the Holy Spirit. God the Father draws us to see the truth and beauty of the

Gospel which empowers us to place our faith in Jesus. This calling is akin to God

changing the taste buds of our heart to desire something that we previously found

repulsive. This is why Paul reminds us that we’ve been saved by “grace” and not by our

own thoughts or behaviors. (Ephesians 2:8-9).

But after calling us to place our faith in Christ (as we are about to see with Peter and

Cornelius) the Holy Spirit then begins a lifelong process of “correction” that the Bible

refers to as “sanctification.” This is precisely what the Holy Spirit is doing on the roof of

Simon the Tanner with our good friend, Peter. It’s understandable that Peter would be

hesitant to kill and eat all the animals in his vision. As a good Jew, Peter had abstained

from all the animals that were NOT on the Jewish menu in accordance to the

ceremonial food laws under the Old Covenant. This roof top vision was symbolic of

Peter’s unwillingness to engage relationally with Gentiles (non-Jews) which is further

evidenced by Peter’s incredibly offensive introduction in verse 28 and his hesitancy to

enter into Cornelius’ home.

While Peter is being corrected by the Spirit in Joppa (side note for Peter- it’s never a

good idea to tell God “no”), Cornelius is also being corrected by the Spirit back in

Caesarea. Cornelius is learning that there is more to salvation than praying to God and

giving to the poor. While these are, in and of themselves, “good things” they are not

sufficient for salvation. If Cornelius were to perish before receiving the Gospel from

Peter he would be perishing in his sin “unclean” and would have no place in the

Kingdom of God. Yet, in God’s love for Cornelius, He sends the Spirit to correct

Cornelius through the eventual testimony of Peter.

This chapter is a wonderful example of God’s loving correction in the lives of two men

that deeply need each others encouragement in order to fulfill God’s plan for their lives.

Q: How well do you receive correction & what might God want to correct in your heart

as he continues to sanctify you into the image of His Son?

Jimmy Carter