Acts 10 is one of the most important turning points in the Book of Acts. Peter enters the house of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit falls on Gentiles, and the early church is forced to recognize that God’s grace has already crossed every boundary they thought still mattered.

In this Acts 10 Bible study, we examine Peter’s vision, Cornelius the Roman centurion, the meaning of clean and unclean, the conversion of Cornelius, the baptism of the Gentiles, and the moment Peter declares that God shows no partiality.

This passage is often reduced to a lesson about food laws, but Peter explains the vision himself: “God has shown me that I shouldn’t call any man unholy or unclean.” The animals are the image. People are the point.

Peter believes he is bringing God into a Gentile house. Instead, he discovers that God is already there.

The p ...