Bible In One Year Day 331 (Acts 10, 1 Corinthians 1-2, Proverbs 27: 21-22)

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Day 331:  Peter Preaches to the Gentiles 

Agape Bible Study Acts 10 

Acts 10:1-8 ~ The Vision of the Centurion Cornelius

Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast (not to be confused with Caesarea Philippi that is located north of the Sea of Galilee), also called Caesarea Augusta, was the administrative center of the Roman governor of Judea and Samaria. Caesarea's artificially constructed harbor was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Cornelius is stationed with the Italica Cohort, one of the ten divisions in a Roman legion and numbering from 300 to 600 soldiers. He is centurion, a Roman military officer who, in New Testament times, commanded 80 men. However, senior centurions commanded cohorts or took senior staff roles in their legion. It is possible that Cornelius was a senior staff officer of the Italica Cohort. Evidence suggests that centurions had important social status and held powerful positions in society. They seemed to receive their status according to their rank. Centurions had to be literate, have connections (letters of recommendation), be at least 30 years of age, and have already served a few years in the military. 
Centurions provided the necessary stability to the entire Roman military system. 

Cornelius is a Roman God-fearer (a believer in the God of Israel who had not fully converted through circumcision or ritual immersion) whose faith in God, St. Luke tells us, is demonstrated by his devotion to prayer and his good deeds. We were introduced to another Roman centurion who was a God-fearer in Luke 7:1-10. In that encounter Jesus praised the man, saying "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith" (Lk 7:9). These two men will be the precursors to a large scale conversion of Roman officers and men to the new faith of Jesus the Messiah.

Acts 10:3-4 One afternoon about three o'clock [ninth hour], he saw plainly in a vision an angel of God come in to him and say to him, "Cornelius."  4 He looked intently at him and, seized with fear, said, "What is it, sir [Kyrios = Lord]?" He said to him, "Your prayers and almsgiving have ascended as a memorial offering before God.  

The ninth hour, or three in the afternoon, is the same hour Jesus gave up His life on the Cross (Mk 15:34, 37); it is also the hour of afternoon prayer and the afternoon liturgical worship service at the Jerusalem Temple. The Roman recognizes that he is having a vision of the divine and addresses the "angel of the Lord" as his superior by calling him "Kyrios", "Lord."
Question: What is it about Cornelius that has commended him to God?
Answer: His faith that is demonstrated by his prayers and his almsgiving.

The angel commands Cornelius to send for St. Peter who is still in Joppa. Cornelius sends three men; significantly one is a "devout soldier" under his command. It is not only Cornelius who is a God-fearer but he is the leader of what is probably a small community of Roman God-fearers.

Acts 10:9-16 ~ Peter's Vision Concerning the end of the Ritual Purity Laws

The first hour of prayer could be observed any time from dawn to noon and the second hour of prayer from noon to five in the afternoon. The "hours" of prayer coincided with the two daily liturgical worship services of the communal sacrifice of the Tamid lambs. That Peter had not yet eaten suggests that he had been fasting and not yet made his morning prayers. Notice the repetition of threes "three men sent by Cornelius and the three time repetition of the command to Peter. Three in Scripture is a number that symbolizes something of importance, especially important in God's divine plan for man's salvation. 

Question: What is the significance of the vision and the command?
Answer: God declares that the ritual purity laws that set Israelites apart from Gentiles are no longer valid in the age of the New Covenant. Without the suspension of these laws, the Apostles and disciples would not be able to come to Gentile homes or to eat in communion with Gentiles. This vision prepares Peter for accepting the hospitality of Cornelius.

Acts 10:17-23 ~ Peter's Visitors

Question: How does the arrival of the three men help Peter understand his vision and the thrice given command?

Answer: The arrival of the delegation of the three men from Cornelius completes Peter's understanding of the vision. Not only has he been given a vision but the Gentile who has sent for him was also given a divine vision. Peter understands that it is God's will that he meets with the God-fearers without worrying about any violation of the ritual purity laws of the Old Covenant.

Acts 10:24-33 ~ Peter's Meeting with Cornelius 

Cornelius is filled with gratitude that Peter has consented to come and speak to those who are assembled. That a Roman conqueror should fall to his knees in front of a Jewish vassal is shocking. Once again we see Peter's humility in telling the Roman to rise up. He is obedient to Jesus' teaching on the night of the Last Supper in John 13:12-17. Peter is Christ's servant sent to serve others.

Acts 10:34-43 ~ Peter's Homily in the House of Cornelius (kerygmatic proclamation # 5)

This is Peter's fifth kerygmatic address.

Question: Does this speech have the same basic outline as his other proclamations of Jesus as Lord and Savior? If so, what is the basic kerygmatic message? See Acts 2:14-39; 3:12-26; 4:8-12; 5:29-32 and 10:34-43
Answer: Yes.

1. Jesus was sent by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit to be Lord and Messiah.
2. He did what was good and healed those in need of physical and spiritual healing.
3. He was put to death by men but arose from the dead on the third day.
4. He appeared to His disciples and commissioned them to preach in His name.
5. Whoever believes in Him and is baptized in His name will receive forgiveness of sins.

Acts 10:44-48 ~ The Baptism of Cornelius' Household and Friends

God the Holy Spirit baptized the group of Gentile believers in the same way He baptized the Jewish believers in the Upper Room on Pentecost Sunday. The sign of their spiritual baptism was that they began to speak "in tongues" "a manifestation of the Spirit in which a believer speaks to God in a language other than his own. It is a manifestation that first occurred at Pentecost when the Apostles began preaching the Gospel in a number of different languages (Acts 2:4-11; also see 19:6 and 1 Cor 14).Peter ordered that the entire assembly of Gentiles be baptized immediately. Since Cornelius' family and friends were present, we assume that children and infants were baptized. Infant baptism has been part of the ritual of Christian baptism since the beginning of the Church (CCC 403,1231, 1233, 1250-52, 1282, 1290).

Agape Bible Study 1 Corinthians 1 - 2 

Chapter 1

1 Corinthians 1:1-9 ~ Paul's Introduction

The introduction to Paul's letter to the church at Corinth, Greece in verses 1-9 is, for the most part, the conventional form of the opening in a first century Hellenistic letter. The introduction divides into three parts:

1. Greeting (verses 1-2)
2. Blessing (verse 3)
3. Thanksgiving (verses 4-9)

Paul mentions Sosthenes in verse 1, a co-author of the letter and a "brother" in Christ.
Question: What do we know about a man named Sosthenes from Acts 18:12-17?
Answer: If he is the same man, Sosthenes was at one time the president of the Jewish synagogue at Corinth, but he is now a Christian convert and a member of Paul's missionary team.

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 ~ Striving for Unity in Christ

We learn that St. Paul received a letter from the Christians Paul refers to as "those of Chloe," referring to Chloe's household. "Household" includes not only the family but servants. Chloe is probably a Christian woman of Corinth in whose house Christians meet to pray, worship and receive the Eucharist. Christians at this time did not have the freedom to build spaces solely devoted to worship; therefore, they met in homes. Notice that Paul does not refer to "communities" plural, but to the Corinthians as one, united church. The Christians who meet in Chloe's house-church tell Paul that there are divisions in the Christian community at Corinth instead of unity. Paul softens his criticisms that follow by appealing to the Christians of Corinth as "brothers/sisters" who are kinsmen and kinswomen in Christ to him and to one another. 

Question: Who is Apollos? See Acts 18:24-28.

Answer: Apollos was a Jewish-Christian from Alexandria, Egypt who was well versed in Scripture and an eloquent speaker. When he preached at the Synagogue in Ephesus, he met Paul's married friends, Christians Aquila and Priscilla. He only knew the baptism of St. John the Baptist, but he preached the "Way of the Lord" with skill and passion. Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos aside and gave him a fuller understanding of the Gospel. From Ephesus, he went to Corinth after Paul's departure with letters of introduction and preached there among the local Jewish population to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.

St. Paul ridicules the absurd idea that Christians are baptized in the name of the preacher who baptized them. He reminds the Corinthians that they are related to fellow Christians not because they are members of the same community or because they follow certain Christian teachers who may have baptized them.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 ~ The Paradox of the Cross

In 1:18-4:1, St. Paul confronts the community with the causes of their divisions: 

1. They have failed to discover the origin of true wisdom (1:18-3:3).
2. The have failed in understanding the true mission of the Church's ministers (3:4-4:13).

He begins correcting their failings by sending them to the foot of the Cross of Jesus Christ (verses 17-25; especially verse 23). He does this in three ways:

1. Reminding them of the message of the Cross (verses 18-25).
2. Focusing on their reception of the message (verses 26-31).
3. The message of the Cross in Paul's preaching (2:1-5).

18 The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 
What the world perceives as wisdom in making choices that advance a person in wealth and status, or in relying on mysticism, or human logic is not "the wisdom of God." Human wisdom cannot achieve knowledge of God either because it looks for external signs or because it accepts only rational arguments. Only God's grace can make a person truly wise with an imperishable wisdom in which men and women are called by the Holy Spirit to have a share in God's plan of salvation through the Cross of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ~ The Qualities of Discipleship

As it was in the case of Jesus' twelve Apostles and His men and women disciples, it is God who chooses and who gives each Christian a vocation. Jesus told His disciples: It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you" (Jn 15:16). St. Paul emphasizes to the Christians of Corinth that the initiative of discipleship lies with God, saying three times in verses 27-29 that "God chose" them and He did not base His choice on human standards of wisdom or status. 

In verse 30, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that God is the source of their life in Christ Jesus.
Question: What four words does Paul use to describe how Jesus is the source of life?
Answer: Paul describes how Jesus gives us life and is the source of our (1) wisdom, (2) righteousness, (3) sanctification, and (4) redemption. 

Jesus is the source of Godly wisdom, and the Holy Spirit He brought into the world continues to impart Godly wisdom to us. God the Son is the only one who is righteous and imparts His righteousness to us in the Sacraments. The Sacrament of Baptism sanctifies us, we continue in sanctification through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, and Jesus' sacrifice on the altar of the Cross redeems us from the curse of spiritual death to the promise of eternal life.

The response to God's call makes a person a member of Christ's Body, the Church, through Baptism.

Chapter 2

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 ~ Not on Human WisdomWhen St. Paul's first visited Corinth, he came from a mission in Athens. As we know from the account of his missionary work in Acts of Apostles (17:16-34), Paul's mission in Athens produced so few converts, despite his brilliant discourse to the pagan philosophers in the Areopagus, that he felt dejected. Paul's perception of the failure of the Athens mission and what he knew about the moral corruption of Corinthian society may explain his arriving "in weakness and fear and much trembling" (verse 3). 

Question: How did God encourage Paul in his mission to Corinth? See Acts 18:9-10.
Answer: In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that the Lord Jesus came to comfort Paul in his distress, telling His apostle: Do not be afraid. Go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city (Acts 18:9-10). 

1 Corinthians 2:6-10a ~ God's Wisdom

After teaching that the wisdom of the world is not wisdom according to God (1 Cor 1:25-31), in this passage St. Paul speaks of a godly wisdom that is not of this world. It is the wisdom of a higher, spiritual level since the wisdom of God is hidden in it. That higher wisdom is the insight of Christian faith enriched by the Holy Spirit and intended to help Christians discern the right direction in life. 

1 Corinthians 2:10b-16 ~ The Natural Person Versus the Spiritual Person

Christians, by the power of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Baptism, are no longer subject to the "powers" of Satan that rule the world. Christians are reborn by water and the Spirit into the family of God, and the Holy Spirit teaches people baptized by the Spirit a new kind of perception that defies human wisdom (verse 12).