Acts 10:35 - Exposition

Acceptable to for accepted with, A.V. As regards the truth that God is no respecter of persons , which the present incident had brought home so vividly to Peter's apprehension, there can be no difficulty in understanding it. Cornelius was devout, he feared God, he was fruitful in prayer and almsgiving. God did not say to him, "All this would have been accepted in a Jew, but cannot be noticed in a Gentile." But, Gentile as he was, his prayers and alms went up for a memorial before God. If the things done were good in themselves, they were equally good whoever did them. God is no respecter of persons to accept or reject one or another, because of who he is, and not because of what he does ( Ephesians 6:8 ). The rule is glory, honor, and peace to every one that worketh good, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, for there is no respect of persons with God ( Romans 2:10 , Romans 2:11 ). The word προσωπολήπτης ( respecter of persons) occurs only here at all; προσωποληπτέω (to accept or respect persons), once only, in James 2:9 ; προσωποληψία (respect of persons), Romans 2:11 ; Ephesians 6:9 ; Colossians 3:25 ; James 2:1 . The same idea is expressed by πρόσωπον λαμβάνειν , by which the LXX . render the Hebrew מינִףָּ אשָׂןָ , and by πρόσωπον θαυμάζειν , by which they also render it and the kindred phrase, מינִףָ רדַחַ (see Le 19:15; Deuteronomy 10:17 , etc.). The first phrase occurs in Luke 20:21 and Galatians 2:6 ; the latter only in Jud Galatians 1:16 , where it is rightly rendered in the R.V., "showing respect of persons." Another phrase is ἀπροσωπολήπτως (without respect of persons), 1 Peter 1:17 , and βλέπειν εἰς πρόσωπον (to regard the person), Matthew 22:16 ; Mark 12:14 .