What is the meaning of Acts 11:18? When they heard this • “This” is Peter’s detailed report of how the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius’s household (Acts 10:44-48; 11:4-17). • Hearing eyewitness testimony opens hearts to God’s work—“faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). • God often prepares people through testimony before He calls them to action (Acts 15:7-9). they had no further objections • Jewish believers had initially criticized Peter for entering a Gentile home (Acts 11:2-3). • Once the undeniable evidence of the Spirit’s work was presented, every argument ceased—truth silenced tradition (Titus 1:9). • The scene foreshadows the unity achieved later at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:12). and they glorified God • Praise is the instinctive response when God’s grace is recognized (Luke 17:15-16; Acts 21:20). • Worship unites believers beyond cultural lines, reminding us that all saving work is God’s work (Ephesians 3:20-21). • Their glorifying God shows humility—God, not their heritage, gets the credit (Psalm 115:1). saying • Verbal confession seals conviction—“I believed; therefore I have spoken” (2 Corinthians 4:13). • Their words publicly affirm what their hearts have accepted, modeling transparency for the church. So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life. • “God has granted” underscores that repentance is a gift, not human achievement (Acts 5:31; 2 Timothy 2:25). • “Even the Gentiles” reveals the widening circle of salvation first hinted at in Isaiah 49:6 and confirmed by Jesus in John 10:16. • “Repentance unto life” links turning from sin with receiving eternal life (Acts 2:38; 2 Peter 3:9). • The verse validates Peter’s earlier proclamation: “In every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him” (Acts 10:35). • Jew and Gentile now share one way of salvation—grace through faith (Acts 15:11; Ephesians 2:13-19). summary Acts 11:18 records a pivotal moment: Jewish believers, convinced by Peter’s testimony and the Spirit’s evidence, drop their objections, praise God, and acknowledge that salvation through repentance is offered to Gentiles as freely as to Jews. The verse celebrates God’s sovereign grace, affirms the unity of the church, and proclaims that eternal life is available to all who repent and believe. |
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