Peter’s Vision and the New Perspective: Clean, Unclean, and Who’s In? Acts 10:9–16 Through a New Pauline Lens

 Peter’s Vision and the New Perspective: Clean, Unclean, and Who’s In? Acts 10:9–16 Through a New Pauline Lens

One of the most dramatic moments in the book of Acts is Peter’s vision of unclean animals descending on a sheet, accompanied by a voice telling him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” Peter’s reaction is instant and visceral: “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” (Acts 10:14, ESV)

For many, this passage is about food. But for those familiar with the New Perspective on Paul (NPP), it’s about something much bigger: who is included in the people of God—and on what basis.

The Vision: Not Just About Bacon

“What God has made clean, do not call common.” – Acts 10:15

In Peter’s trance, he sees all kinds of animals—clean and unclean according to Jewish dietary laws (Leviticus 11). As a faithful Jew, Peter refuses to eat. But the voice corrects him: God has made these things clean.

At first glance, this seems like a divine repeal of kosher law. But read on, and the true meaning comes into focus: the vision isn’t ultimately about animals—it’s about Gentiles.

When Peter arrives at Cornelius’s house, he explains the vision this way:

“God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.” (Acts 10:28)

The animals represent people. The vision was preparing Peter for the radical idea that Gentiles can be fully accepted by God without becoming Jews.

Connecting to the New Perspective on Paul

The New Perspective emphasizes that Paul’s writings are not primarily about individual salvation vs. works-righteousness, but about who belongs to the covenant community. The traditional Protestant reading often assumes Paul is arguing against self-righteous legalism. But scholars like E.P. Sanders, James D.G. Dunn, and N.T. Wright argue Paul was confronting Jewish boundary markers—like circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, and dietary laws—as conditions for full inclusion in God’s family.

That’s exactly what’s at stake in Acts 10.

Peter’s vision confronts one of the key boundary markers: table fellowship, which was regulated by food laws. Eating with Gentiles who didn’t keep kosher was seen as compromising holiness. But now God is saying: Those old distinctions no longer apply.

Clean and Unclean: A Social Boundary

Under the Old Covenant, the clean/unclean distinction created a social and religious barrier between Jews and Gentiles. It wasn’t necessarily about moral purity—it was about covenant identity and community membership.

The New Perspective helps us see that the early church’s struggle was not simply about moral performance, but about rethinking what defines the people of God. Do Gentiles have to adopt Jewish customs to be part of God’s family?

In Acts 10, the answer is a resounding no. God declares Gentiles clean—not because they’ve kept Torah, but because He has cleansed them by the Spirit (Acts 10:44–48).

God Shows No Partiality

Peter sums it up in Acts 10:34–35:

“Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

This is not Peter abandoning holiness. It’s Peter redefining holiness in light of Jesus and the Spirit. The dividing wall of the Law—what Paul calls the “works of the Law” (Gal. 2:16)—is being torn down. Faith in Christ, not Torah observance, is now the entrance into God’s covenant family.

Implications for Today

Too often, we read Acts 10 as a dietary footnote or a green light for pork. But in the context of the New Perspective, it’s a story about God redrawing the boundary lines of His people.

Here’s what it reminds us:

God’s people are defined by faith and the Spirit, not by cultural or religious customs.

Inclusion in the covenant is not about ethnicity, law, or tradition, but about God’s initiative and grace.

The early church’s challenge—and ours today—is to embrace the people God has called clean, even when it challenges our categories.

Conclusion: The Table Is Set

Peter’s vision isn’t just about food—it’s about fellowship. It anticipates Paul’s great theme: Jew and Gentile, one new humanity in Christ. The New Perspective helps us see Acts 10 not as a sidebar to Paul’s letters, but as a living embodiment of the gospel Paul preached.

The table is no longer guarded by dietary laws. It’s open. Because what God has made clean—no one should call unclean.