Breaking the Rules in Order to Keep the Faith
21. Then Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you are looking for. Why have you come?”
22. The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy Angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
23. The next day Peter started out with them and some of the believers from Joppa went along.
24. The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
27. While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people.
28. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”
29. “So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
30. Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon … Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me.”
31. “And said, Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor.”
32. “Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter … he is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.”
33. “So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
Acts 10:21-24, 27-33
Following Rules but Not Following Christ
This text presents a very interesting situation where the Apostle Peter was forced to deal with restrictions and regulations that could have prevented him from sharing his faith with those in need. Prior to his engagement with the household of Cornelius, an Angel had shown Peter that he was not to call anything or anyone unclean if God had cleansed them. Yet, with that warning, Peter was still in the cautious mode because of his deeply held religious convictions. At this point, we should pause and ask ourselves if we too are guilty of holding on to religious convictions that are really not supported by the teachings of Scripture or the prompting of the Holy Spirit? Are there some practices that we automatically assume to be from God, but really they are just our own opinions and biases? Unless we deal with those ‘issues’ we just might find ourselves following rules but not really following Christ.
Just to be clear, this is a reference to religious rules and not to God’s Law. There are rules that are man-made and as such their goals are to provide comfort, convenience, and conformity. They can be innocent rules that simply govern the way something is done or how people interact with one another. Rules can certainly help create a safe environment or practice. Like guard rails on the highway, rules can keep people within the bounds and prevent injury. Then there are rules that are like shortcuts to help us find convenient and quick ways of accomplishing certain tasks. Certainly there are times when everyone involved in certain functions or groups should all work together. Thus you have rules and regulations to help people adhere to certain standards or even to compete in a lawful manner. All sports have rules and regulations. These standards help the players and teams to compete in an organized fashion and make the game competitive. If there were no rules chaos would dominate.
The problem comes when the rules conflict with God’s purpose in leading people in a new direction. It was difficult for the early Church to venture beyond their own Jewish roots in order to introduce the Gospel to Gentiles. The Rabbinical teachings were so heavily ingrained into Jewish society that most Hebrews were taught to avoid all contact with anyone who was not a member of their nationality or anyone who was considered “unclean” according to the Law. Yet Jesus broke some rules that literally angered the religious leaders. Jesus went into places that Jews were forbidden to even pass through. According to man’s rules, Jesus was not supposed to go through Samaria, but He went anyway and met the woman at the well. There He gave her living water that led to the entire town coming to see Jesus. Jesus was not supposed to touch a leper according to man’s rules but He touched the leper and healed them of their disease. Jesus was not supposed to heal on the Sabbath, but he healed because on the Sabbath it is always lawful to do good. If that was not enough, Jesus would hang out with people that were considered low class and rejected by God. When questioned on this matter, He simply said, “Those who are well don’t need a physician, but those who are sick … I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” You might say that Jesus didn’t think twice about breaking man’s rules in order for God to be glorified.
Self-Made Rules Hinder Faith
The vision that Peter saw provided a turning point in his faith. Gentiles were not unclean because God was cleansing them of their sin the same way He cleansed the heart of the Jew. The precious Blood of the Lord Jesus was shed for those in darkness as well as those who claimed to be in the light. Peter was being led to see people through the eyes of faith rather than through the restrictions of the laws of his people. It actually took three episodes of the same vision to convince Peter. God spoke the same message each time, “What God has cleansed – do not call unclean.” While we may conclude that Peter was stubborn, perhaps we should examine our own heart. Do we harbor certain teachings and practices that hinder faith? Some people believe in the saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” Yet that saying is not in the Bible. It is a self-made rule that some people follow even though they are often in situations where they cannot help themselves.
The same is true for those who believe if they work hard enough they will get to Heaven. That too is not in the Scripture and is one of the worst lies that a person can believe. What does the Bible say? In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I Am the way, the truth, and the live – no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Peter shared that message on the Day of Pentecost as he preached Jesus to the multitudes saying, “There is no other Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. The point is that reliance on man-made rules and self-made regulations cannot produce Salvation. We need Christ to set us free and it does not matter what race we claim.
The self-made rules often limit our ability to hear from God. God speaks but self-made rules force us to respond to God as Peter did with a negative reply. “Lord, I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” Our doubt-filled conversation will also grieve the Holy Spirit. “Lord, my faith has never taken me that far.” “Lord, just keep me safe.” “Lord, don’t let me suffer.” Yet God is leading us to discover not our limits but the depths of His Own Power. This calls for faith to say, “Lord where you lead, I will follow.”
Rules on Breaking the Rules
No one must assume that this is an endorsement for defiance nor is it a blank check to have things our own way. If we are to break the rules in order to keep the faith, it must be the Holy Spirit who leads us in that new direction. Peter was being directed by God. So, we must also be directed by God and we must stand on the teachings of the Bible. Peter made his confession by saying “I am here because I was sent by God.” It was an eye opening for Peter and it will also be a great awakening for us. Peter said, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons … but in every nation he that fears Him and works righteousness is accepted with Him.” Acts 10:34-35. So, here is the challenge. How far will you go to make God known? Will you get to the border of public opinion and then abandon your mission for fear of offending someone? Or, will you go as far as the Holy Spirit will lead you?
Once Peter acknowledged his clear vision from God, he willingly offered his time and gifts to help others to find hope in Christ. Peter affirmed, “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One Whom God appointed as Judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:42. That command from God gave them the authority to disregard man’s rules in order to share the faith with those in darkness. The message and the actions were so powerful that as Peter continued to share the Good News, the Holy Spirit came upon all Cornelius’ household that heard the Message. The new believers were then baptized because they shared the same Salvation as Peter and the other Jewish believers.
You would think that everyone would have been in favor of Peter reaching out to the Gentiles but Acts 11 gives another reaction. “The Church” throughout Judea was upset at Peter. When they heard how God had given the Gift of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, however, they had no further objections and began to glorify God saying, “So then, even the Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Acts 11:18.
Based on this passage, believers can learn three valuable lessons. First, always get a clear vision from God. This will keep you from acting on presumption or leaning on your own understanding. God will show you what is needed. God will show you when to act and what steps you must take. God will also speak in a way that is clearly understood. All Peter had to do was to repeat what God had told him. The Scripture is always our foundation for doing anything. Any plan, purpose, or project that does not have the Bible for its foundation is destined to fail. The vision from God originated from God’s Word.
The second valuable lesson is to never assume that people automatically KNOW or WILL ACCEPT your vision from God. In every case, you will have to explain what God is doing or ask those involved to share their insights. This is called cooperation. If you are going to break some rules, it is always important to share where God is involved in the process. On two occasions Peter asked, “why are you calling for me?” Peter knew his assignment but wanted the people to verify so that they would know why he was sent by God. Cooperation is a beautiful thing. Jesus always explained to His Disciples the process so that they would know the procedure. Here is an interesting point, the Savior could have done everything that was needed all by Himself, but instead chose to work with and through people. For us to take the Lone Ranger approach in ministry is both prideful and destructive. Always take the time to share with people and include them in ministry.
The third valuable lesson is that before you break a rule, be sure that the replacement is something better. The household of Cornelius needed something more than ‘being good.’ They were praying people. They were good people and they were God-fearing people. They were also lost people. They needed the rule of good works to be broken in order to receive the gift of Faith. It was God’s plan to share the vision to Cornelius that he needed something more. It was also God’s plan to show Peter how he would reach beyond his religious restrictions and give God’s Best Gift to Gentiles. Do you realize that the Gift of Salvation broke a rule that stated, ‘if you sinned you would die for your sin.’ By accepting Salvation, the sinner can now go free. The rule was broken but it was replaced with something far greater. Jesus broke rules but gave something better. Jesus broke the rules when He became man. He made man but then became man to save man. He broke the rules. Jesus broke the rules when He turned water into wine. Jesus broke the rules by dying on the Cross. The Righteous took the place of the unrighteous. But on Sunday morning Jesus broke the rules that the dead were to stay dead. He arose with all Power in His Hands. It’s alright to break the rules – just replace it with something better.