Acts 10:15

And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

Acts 10:15 (KJV)

Context

Acts 10 records Peter’s vision in Joppa and his subsequent encounter with Cornelius, a Roman centurion. As a devout Jew, Peter had always followed the dietary laws that distinguished between clean and unclean foods. In the vision, a sheet descended from heaven containing various animals, reptiles, and birds, and a voice told him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). Peter refused, saying he had never eaten anything common or unclean (Acts 10:14).

The voice then spoke a second time, delivering the words of Acts 10:15. The repetition of the message, and the fact that the vision occurred three times (Acts 10:16), underscored its certainty and importance. This was not a minor adjustment to Peter’s thinking but a divine correction that would reshape the early Church’s understanding of God’s plan.

Meaning

The phrase “What God hath cleansed” points to God’s own action. The Greek verb indicates that God has declared these things clean, and therefore they are no longer to be regarded as defiled. The word “common” (Greek: koinos) means profane, unholy, or defiled. The command “that call not thou common” is a direct prohibition: Peter must not contradict God’s pronouncement by treating as unclean what God has purified.

This principle extends beyond dietary laws to people. If God has cleansed something, no human judgment may override that verdict. Peter was being prepared to enter the house of Cornelius and proclaim the gospel to Gentiles, whom many Jews considered outside the covenant. The lesson was that no person should be regarded as common or unclean if God has accepted them.

Biblical connections

The same declaration is repeated in Acts 11:9 when Peter recounts the vision to the Jerusalem church, confirming that the lesson was central to the early Church’s mission. The principle that what God has cleansed is not defiling is supported elsewhere in Scripture, such as Romans 14:14 and 1 Timothy 4:4, which affirm that nothing is unclean of itself and that God’s creation is good when received with thanksgiving.

Application

Acts 10:15 calls believers to examine their own attitudes and prejudices. Just as Peter was challenged to accept Gentiles as equal recipients of God’s salvation, Christians today are called to embrace all people as objects of God’s grace. This means breaking down cultural, racial, and social barriers within the Church and the wider community.

The verse also teaches that God’s cleansing work redefines what is holy and acceptable. Believers must align their judgments with God’s pronouncements rather than inherited traditions or personal preferences. When God declares something clean, no human tradition may label it common.

Reflection

Peter’s vision reminds us that God often challenges our comfortable assumptions. The voice spoke “again the second time,” showing patient but firm correction. We may resist God’s leading because of long-held beliefs or cultural conditioning, but God’s word stands above all human scruples.

This verse invites us to ask whether we have allowed tradition or prejudice to blind us to what God is doing. It calls us to trust God’s judgment over our own and to extend the same acceptance we have received from Christ to others. As Peter learned, God’s grace is broader than any human boundary, and His cleansing power reaches all who believe.