Salvation is for Everyone: Proven
Irrefutable part two
No intro. This is strictly for people who encounter professing hebrews those who believe otherwise.
Let's begin.
Proof that salvation is for everyone.
"Servants and handmaids"
This phrase is used to refer to Gentiles who were Servants of israelites.
Isaiah 14:2 says, And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
Despite the Aramaic targums of the first century saying "proselytes", we will use the former rendering just to go along with our opponents.
Later in Ezra 2:64-65 During the exile from babylon, Isaiah 14 was fulfilled, seeing them return with the israelites. It says,
64 The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, 65 beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women.
But the turning point for this phrase comes from a prophecy from Joel, in 2:29 he says,
And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
In the New Testament, peter explicitely states that Joel spoke of his own days, and applied this prophecy to the event of the Holy Spirit being poured out in Acts 2.
Act 2:15-16 15 For these are not drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;... 18 AKJV And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
This event included Gentiles as seen in verse 10 as part of the list of groups that were part of the event
Act 2:10 AKJV Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Strangers are Gentiles, and proselyte means a Gentile convert to the covenant of Israel; a Gentile who became a jew. Whether or not one believes the meaning of proselyte, one cannot deny that the word pertained to a Gentile, no matter what one thinks of their status. The Holy Ghost fell on them too.
This brings us to what Jesus said about the holy ghost
Act 1:8 AKJV But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come on you: and you shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.
So the Holy Ghost is associated with power. John also speaks of what this power will do.
Joh 1:11-13 AKJV 11 He came to his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Jesus also said 2 chapters later in john 3,
Joh 3:3,5-6 AKJV Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God... 5 Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
So based on the words of Jesus and John, everyone in acts 2 was born of the Spirit when the holy spirit fell, and at the end of the chapter 3000 of them all were baptized being born of the water.
The exact same pattern happened to Cornelius.
When Peter was in the middle of preaching the gospel to him, the Holy Spirit fell upon him.
He recounts the event one chapter later saying in Act 11:15 And as I was beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as also on us at the beginning.
Back to chapter 10
Act 10:45 LEB And those believers from the circumcision who had accompanied Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles,
Then 2 verses later Peter speaks of water baptism for Cornelius
Act 10:47 LEB “Surely no one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as we also did!”
Luke, author of Acts also associates Peter's own words such as "mouth" with "Gentiles" by the words and actions of Peter.
Act 10:34-35 LEB 34 So Peter opened his mouth and said, “In truth I understand that God is not one who shows partiality, 35 but in every nation the one who fears him and who does what is right is acceptable to him.
His testimony before the pharisees at the council of Jerusalem is as follows
Acts 15:7 AKJV God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
Peter also says of the Gentiles that,
Act 15:8-9 LEB 8 And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us. 9 And he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.
Act 15:11 LEB But we believe we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way those also are.”
This is why you continue to see so much comparison language being used by Luke and Peter between Gentiles and jews.
For those who believe Cornelius was somehow an israelite there are even more issues historically with such a novel position.
Acts 10:22 depicts Cornelius as "well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation." If cornelius was an israelite, Luke, the author of Acts, would have wrote "well spoken of in Israel among his people". But he didnt.
Josephus notes that towards the end of the 1st century BCE, the Roman general Gabinius sought to conciliate the Jews by issuing edicts supportive of Jewish laws and rights. This set a precedent for pragmatic support of Judaism within the Roman military.
"Gabinius, to gratify the Jews, and to permit them to recover their ancient customs, wrote to the cities and to the inhabitants of Syria to permit the Jews...to live according to their own laws." (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 14.10.5)
Respect for the Sabbath by not scheduling military events on sacred days, as Josephus mentioned, was a politic gesture to accommodate Jewish sensitivities, easing tensions.
"The Romans...did not think it proper for some of their customs to be abolished...permitted them to enjoy their Sabbaths and sacred rites of their country." (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 16.2.4)
Exegetically, Acts 10:28 shows Peter understood Cornelius was a Gentile, stating "You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile." This affirms Cornelius was not a Jew, making Peter’s visit transgressive.
Contextually, Peter's vision of unclean foods (Acts 10:9-16) foreshadows his encounter with the Gentile Cornelius, symbolizing the dismantling of Jewish purity laws separating Jew and Gentile. As Ben Witherington states, “The primary point about the vision is just that Gentiles should no longer be viewed as ‘unclean’...not about food laws.”(Ben Witherington III, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Eerdmans, 1998), p. 355.)
Lastly, rahab, a Gentile in the Old testament also matches Peter's words in acts 15 when comparing her story to the israelites.
Just as the blood was applied to the door and the death angel passed over the israelites, so too the red scarf was hung over the door of rahab the gentile harlot and was spared death by Joshua's army. (Joshua 2:14-21)
She is said by James himself to be justified
Jas 2:25 LEB And likewise was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route?
James says rahab was justified. This word in the new testament is another way of saying someone is saved and in christ. No proof texts are needed for this due to its countless recurrences of usage.
Hebrews 11:31 also says because of her faith she did not perish, which echoes John 3:16 Speaking of those who believe will not perish.
Even Nebuchadnezzar and the prodigal son had strikingly similar testimonies again showing Peter's words to have already been true.
Nebuchadnezzar turned into an animal. Likely unclean.
"At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws." (Daniel 4:29-33)
The prodigal son ate in a pigs trough along side an unclean animal.
Luk 15:17 LEB “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have an abundance of food, and I am dying here from hunger!
Yet they both returned to their senses
Nebuchadnezzar
Dan 4:34 LEB “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and then my reason returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and the one who lives forever I praised and I honored. “For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty, and his kingdom continues from generation to generation.
Dan 4:36-37 LEB 36 “At that time my reason returned to me, and also the glory of my kingdom and my majesty and splendor returned to me, and my advisers and my lords searched me out, and I was established over my kingdom and abundant greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are truth, and his ways are justice and that he is able to humble those who walk in pride.”
Prodigal son
Luk 15:17 LEB “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have an abundance of food, and I am dying here from hunger!
Luk 15:22-25 LEB 22 But his father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! 23 And bring the fattened calf—kill it and let us eat and celebrate, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again! He was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate. 25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
Both men repented and received back their kingdom.
Lastly Paul said to Timothy that christ came into the world to save sinners. If you're a sinner, christ came into the world to save you.
Christ is risen!