Clearly the apostle Peter was impulsive, as shown by the Gospel writers. It would be easy to write him off and put his acts simply into the category of impulsiveness. He, too, was a courageous leader. At times, his decisions were made beyond his ability to make good on his promises; nonetheless, he had the boldness to try.  

We only need to think of the calming of the seas miracle to see this in Peter. The storm was raging and the disciples were frightened when they saw Christ walking upon the troubled waters. Peter cried out to have the opportunity to walk on the water to his Lord. Jesus invited him. True, Peter only made it a few steps before beginning to sink. But where were the other eleven? At least Peter knew what it was like to take a few steps on the water. The others would never know. 

We see Peter boldly accepting a new era in the church in Acts 10. He had been called by vision and then by people to visit the family of Cornelius, a centurion who had done so many good works and obtained God’s attention. Peter began presenting the Gospel boldly to this group of Gentiles. You can see here another indication of Peter’s courage and boldness. There was no model or example for Gentiles receiving Christ and becoming part of the Christ-following Jewish community. The entire household responded to Christ. Then, they were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter was stunned by the whole event, yet he had no doubt that God was at work.