And Peter opening his mouth, said: in very deed I perceive that God is not a respecter of persons.
ανοιξας δε πετρος το στομα ειπεν επ αληθειας καταλαμβανομαι οτι ουκ εστιν προσωποληπτης ο θεος
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 9 commentaries
Paul expresses the same thing when he says, “There is no partiality with God” (Rom 2:11). Peter said this also for the Jews who were present, in his own defense.
Since he was about to speak with them, he first sets forth, as it were, an apology. What then? Was God partial before this? By no means. He was the same even before.
“In truth I perceive...” That is, God does not look at the quality of the person, but at the difference in deeds.
God is impartial (cf. Acts 10:34), because He knows all things. We, however, are obliged to be merciful to all.
Yet many seek help by deceit and lie about their misfortunes. Therefore mercy should be shown more generously when the matter is evident, the person is known, and time does not permit delay.
God is not greedy and does not demand too much from us. Blessed is the one who leaves all and follows Him.
Yet blessed also is the one who sincerely gives what he has.
He valued the widow’s two mites above the gifts of the rich (cf. Lk 21:2-3), because she gave all she had. They, however, gave only a small portion out of great wealth.
Therefore the disposition makes a gift generous or meager, and gives value to everything.
Nevertheless, the Lord does not wish all wealth to be given away at once, but to be distributed.
Yet Elisha slaughtered his oxen and fed the poor with all that he had, so that no household care would keep him at home. Leaving everything, he gave himself to prophetic service (cf. 3 Kingdoms 19:21).
Although God is merciful, if He always heard everyone, He would seem to act not by free will, but as though by some necessity. Again, since everyone asks, if He heard everyone, no one would die.
For how many do you ask each day? Must the divine decree be annulled by your reflection? Why then do you grieve over what was once not obtained, when you understand that what is asked is not always obtainable?
Then Peter began an inspired preaching about Christ. First of all, he speaks of the illumination of his own mind through the event he was experiencing.
It allowed him clearly to understand the whole fullness of God’s impartiality and righteousness.
This righteousness extends so far that not only in the Jewish people, but in every nation, the one who fears God and acts righteously is acceptable to Him.
Such a person is counted worthy by Him to enter His Kingdom.
Before this, the apostle did not know that a pious Gentile, while remaining a Gentile, could be acceptable to God to such a degree.
Now this had become manifest. The righteous and impartial God recognizes him as worthy of His Kingdom. Now Peter clearly understands this truth.
“God shows no partiality, but in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is acceptable to Him” (Acts 10:34-35).
These words were spoken by the holy Apostle Peter concerning the Gentile called by God to the faith, the centurion Cornelius.
His striving toward true virtue prepared Cornelius and made him capable of receiving salvation.
Thus the word “acceptable” must be understood, according to the explanation of the great teacher of the Church, Saint John Chrysostom. This word is also explained by the narrative itself, set forth in Acts by the holy Evangelist Luke.
Although Cornelius was a Gentile, he had abandoned idols. He prayed diligently to the one true God and gave abundant alms.
Once, during prayer, an angel of God stood before him and said, “Cornelius! Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.
“Now send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is called Peter. He will speak to you words by which you and all your household will be saved” (Acts 10:3-6).
The prayers and alms of Cornelius were so powerful that the merciful Lord looked upon them. Yet by themselves they did not give Cornelius salvation.
They made him capable of believing in Christ, and faith in Christ gave him salvation.
Here is the exact valuation of the good of fallen nature. This good has value when it leads to Christ.
But when it is satisfied with itself and separates from Christ, then it becomes the greatest evil. It deprives us of the salvation given by Christ, a salvation that it can never give by itself.
The action of the Old Testament is like the action of natural good. To turn away from it before the coming of Christ was apostasy from God.
The desire to remain with it after the coming of Christ became apostasy from God (Gal 5:4).
The Old Testament was a servant of salvation, preparing men for faith in Christ, by which salvation is given.
But for the Jews who wished to remain forever with the Old Testament, it became an advocate and instrument of perdition.
The soul-destroying error of the Jews lies in this: through pride and self-opinion, they gave the covenant given them by God a meaning other than the one God gave it.
For the sake of the Old Testament, which was a living shadow of the Truth, the New Testament, they rejected the New Testament.
For the sake of the shadow, they rejected what the shadow prefigured. For the sake of a temporary guide to salvation, they rejected salvation itself, Redemption and the Redeemer.
Homily 23 on Acts.
“God shows no partiality.” Whether someone is rich or poor, gifted or lacking gifts, Russian or a foreign Orthodox Christian, of clerical or lay rank, all are equal before God if they truly and rightly honor Him.
Some persons find mercy from Him in something, or a special kindness in something, not simply by chance. It is either for their good merits and good sacrifices before Him, which are fully open to Him and often beyond human understanding.
Or else it is according to His special purposes concerning those very persons.
Therefore such thoughts, whether hidden in the soul or openly expressed, are unfounded: “How is such a person more worthy than I? How am I more sinful than others? Others receive everything, and I receive nothing.”
“He opened his mouth” (cf. Acts 8:35) “and said.” Peter’s speech consists of three parts.
First, there is a general introductory saying about the admission into the Kingdom of God of virtuous and devout people from all nations without distinction (34-35).
Second, there is a brief portrayal of the Lord Jesus’ activity before His death (36-39) and after His Resurrection (40-42).
Third, there is an appeal to the prophetic sayings about the salvation of all in Christ (43).
“Truly I perceive” is an expression indicating the highest degree of certainty, or an undoubting conviction.
By this very fact, God’s revelation to Cornelius through the angel and to Peter himself concerning Cornelius’s matter, Peter was convinced, or truly and undoubtedly perceived, that God is impartial.
This does not mean that Peter had not been certain of this before. It means that his certainty received a new and undoubted confirmation in so striking an event as the present one.
The concept of God’s impartiality is further explained by this: in every nation, and therefore not only in the Jewish people, chosen and guided by the Law, but in every Gentile nation, those left by God to walk in their own ways, the one who fears God and acts righteously is acceptable to Him.
That is, the one who acts justly, according to the demands of the natural law of conscience, is well-pleasing to Him. God shows favor to such a person.
The expression of this favor is that such people are brought into the Church of Christ in one way or another, just as Cornelius is now being brought to Christ.
This expression does not mean that one may believe however and whatever one wishes, and still be acceptable to God, provided only that one fears Him and acts according to natural righteousness.
Nor does it mean that Christian faith is unnecessary in order to be acceptable to God.
Judged by the connection of the whole speech and by the event at which it was spoken, it means that God grants such people the means of salvation in Christ.
Such people have the capacity to become Christians. It does not mean that they are blessed without Christ, or receive blessedness outside the Church of Christ.
Thus this saying expresses not religious indifference, but the indifference of nations in the matter of faith in Christ and of attaining through it justification, or righteousness, before God.
The one pleasing to God in every nation becomes righteous before God through Christ. Therefore, in one way or another, he is brought to Christ.
“How then? Is even one belonging to the Persians, for example, acceptable to Him? If he is worthy, then he will be acceptable in such a way as to be counted worthy of the faith.
“Therefore He did not despise the eunuch from Ethiopia. But what, they will say, are we to think of God-fearing people who are nevertheless left in contempt?
“No, no God-fearing person is left in contempt. For no such person can be despised” (Chrysostom).
The Apostle Peter’s second speech in the house of Cornelius was truly one of the highest words of evangelical preaching. It was so inspired and life-bearing that those who heard it were lifted up and counted worthy of extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit.
After this, the preacher ended his living word by inviting the hearers to be baptized, which they accepted (verse 48).
The writer of Acts also evidently regarded this apostolic speech highly. He introduces it by saying that Peter opened his mouth and taught them (Mt 5:2). Thus the Evangelist narrates the Lord’s delivery of the Sermon on the Mount.
Already in the first words of the speech its two chief thoughts are contained. First, in every nation those who revere the true God are pleasing to Him.
Second, Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of all.
The foundations of this teaching are as follows. For the first thought, God is impartial. For the second, Jesus Christ was sent to the sons of Israel to establish peace in its broadest meaning, though they did not understand this.
He is our Peace, who slew enmity by the Cross and preached peace to those far off and those near, as the holy Apostle Paul says.
For through Him both have access to the Father in one Spirit (cf. Eph 2:14-18).
The thought of acceptability, or being pleasing to God, must be understood in an inseparable connection with the adjoining thought of Jesus Christ’s lordship over all.
This acceptability must be understood in relation to Him. Everyone who fears God and lives according to conscience can be received by Jesus Christ as desired and pleasing to Him.
Apart from this connection, the apostle’s first word cannot be taken by itself. It was spoken precisely for the sake of the second thought, in which the essence of the apostle’s Christian preaching lies.
Otherwise it would not be Christian, since according to Christian teaching there is no other name by which one must be saved (cf. Acts 4:12).
The Apostle Peter carries through the same thought here, only presenting it differently. Yet he preaches the doctrine of Christ as fully as possible.
He presents Him as the Anointed One, Wonderworker, suffering Savior, risen Judge of the living and the dead, and merciful Rewarder of those who believe in Him. According to their faith, He can forgive their sins (verse 43).
“How?” asks Saint John Chrysostom. “Is even one belonging to the Persians acceptable to Him?
“If he is worthy, then he will be acceptable in such a way as to be counted worthy of the faith. Therefore He did not despise the eunuch from Ethiopia.
“But what, they will say, are we to think of God-fearing people who are nevertheless left in contempt? No, no God-fearing person is left in contempt.
“For no such person can, indeed never can, be despised.”
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 15 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS