NOTES for Act 10:1-48
This is the story of how, once and for all, God separated His Church from every kind of nationalism. For God there are no "unclean peoples," no "rogue states." He is equally merciful to all, the righteous and the unrighteous, and anyone in any nation who acts according to truth is pleasing to Him.
That is in theory. In practice, we Christians have too often become bearers of all sorts of "anti-isms": anti-Semitism, anti-Islamism, anti-Americanism, and so on. The apostle Peter's hesitation can still be explained by the fact that he had been raised in the concepts of the separateness and election of his people. But how can our behavior be justified?
Fortunately, God acts actively to overcome these sinful prejudices: as soon as Cornelius's relatives and friends hear from Peter the first words of the Good News, He pours out His Spirit on them, thereby showing that His Church is for everyone.