The Bible teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully man. In Acts 10, the apostle Peter summarized the early church’s teaching about Jesus in five truths: he is Lord of all, he was perfectly good, he was crucified and rose again, he will judge everyone, and he forgives the sins of everyone who believes in him. That’s the good news at the heart of Christianity.
The Most Talked-About Person in History
Jesus is the most written about, fought over, and misunderstood person in history. In Lesson 4, we saw that sin is a problem we can’t fix ourselves. So who is Jesus, and how does he solve it? Peter’s sermon to a Roman centurion named Cornelius and his household was the first sermon preached specifically to non-Jews. It gives us five truths about Jesus.
1. Jesus Is Lord of All
Acts 10:36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
Peter calls Jesus Lord, a reference to his divinity. Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity (John 1:1-4). Jesus claimed this himself (John 8:58), and his followers believed it.
Colossians 1:19-20 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Why does this matter? Jesus couldn’t give us peace with God if he were merely a good man. His divinity qualifies him to be our Savior. And notice that Jesus is Lord of all, not just of Israel. God sent Peter to a Gentile’s house to show that the gospel is for everyone.
2. Jesus Was Perfectly Good
Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Jesus cast out demons (Luke 4:40-41), healed people with leprosy (Luke 5:12-13), fed thousands (Matthew 14:13-21), walked on water (Matthew 14:22-33), and even raised a man from the dead (John 11:38-44). As we saw in Lesson 1, God is for you, and Jesus proved it.
Most important of all, Jesus never sinned. If he had been a sinner like us, he would have had to die for his own sins. Because he was sinless, he could go to the cross on our behalf.
3. Jesus Was Crucified and Rose Again
Acts 10:39-40 We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.
From the outside, Jesus’ death looked like a tragedy, but it was God’s plan all along (Isaiah 53:8-10). And Jesus didn’t stay dead. He rose on the third day, proving his power over sin and death. This is central to the Christian faith.
1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
How do we know the resurrection isn’t a myth? The simplest evidence is the response of Jesus’ closest followers. They abandoned him in fear before the crucifixion, yet they boldly proclaimed his resurrection afterward, and almost all of them died for that message.
4. Jesus Will Judge Everyone
Acts 10:42 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.
Up to this point, it’s all good news. But Peter adds a sober warning. One day Jesus will judge every person, and on our own we can’t pass that test. God is loving, but he is also just. At the cross, God didn’t ignore our sin. He poured out his judgment on his Son. That’s where God’s justice and love meet.
5. Jesus Forgives Sins
Acts 10:43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
Thankfully, Peter didn’t end with judgment. The good news is that we can be forgiven, not through good works but through faith in Jesus. This is the new birth Jesus offers to sinners, and it’s available to everyone who believes. We’ll see how to receive it in Lesson 6.
The Takeaway
Jesus is Lord of all, perfectly good, crucified and risen, the judge of everyone, and the one who forgives sins. He is fully God and fully man, and he came to bridge the gap between us and God. Knowing who Jesus is means trusting him as your Savior and following him as your Lord.
