After honouring one another (10.23-26) Peter shares with Cornelius how he now understands his own vision (vv.28-29, cf. vv.9-16). Cornelius then recaps his own Divine message (vv.30-33) and Peter begins to share the story of Jesus.
Peter says that he now sees that God shows no partiality: national heritage and ethnicity no longer matter in terms of relationship to God. There is now no preference, no choice made, no one nation carrying the promise as we see in the Old Testament, because the promise has come: Jesus. Peter gives them the briefest of overviews of what happened (vv.36-42) even though he says that Cornelius and those gathered surely know what happened. Re-hearing the truth is never a bad thing.
Peter finishes on the Gospel, a wonderful crescendo to an inspired speech:
“About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name”.
(Acts 10.43, NET)
This is the core message that Peter has come to deliver, and the core message that you and me need to be aware of each and every day:
“…everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name”.
No longer is preference shown to a particular people group, because the promise that they were chosen to steward has arrived, the truth that they tended is now plain for all to see, you yourselves know what happened. The Good News is that everyone who believes in [Jesus] receives forgiveness of sins through His name. This is what Peter shared and this is what we need to remind ourselves of each and every day.
James Travis 