Peter's "Three Sheets" in Acts
- Gene Keener
- Mar 25
- 1 min read
What was Peter ‘Three Sheets’ in Acts 10-11?
Maybe not the best way to start a Bible study, but the way some believers behave in interpreting Peter’s vision makes one wonder how drunk they are with the joy of disregarding the commandments of God.
A quick definition of ‘Three Sheets:’
Derived from sailing ships. The ‘sheet’ in the phrase uses the nautical meaning of a rope that controls the trim of the sail. If a sheet is loose, the sail flaps and doesn't provide control for the ship. Having several sheets loose ("to the wind") could cause the ship to rock about drunkenly. Before settling on the standard usage of "three sheets", a scale used to be employed to rate the drunkenness of a person, with "one sheet" meaning slightly inebriated, to "four sheets" meaning unconscious.
So, how did we get from Peter claiming to be perfectly Kosher in Acts 10.14 to proclaiming anything ingestible is food, all in that same conversation?
EXCERPT FROM THIS WEEK'S PDF
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