Cornelius
The centurion who feared God
A devout Roman officer; his household was the first of the Gentiles to receive the Spirit, opening the gospel to the world.
A good man, but incomplete
Cornelius was a Roman centurion, devout, generous, a man of prayer. And still he needed to hear the gospel. His story overturns two errors: that good works are enough, and that the gospel is only for one people.
Two visions, one plan
God speaks to Cornelius through an angel and, at the same time, prepares Peter with the vision of the sheet: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). It is God who crosses human borders to bring grace to the outsiders.
The day the gospel went global
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came down on the Gentiles. It was the “Pentecost of the Gentiles”: proof that, in Christ, Jews and non-Jews receive the same promise. The church was never the same again.
Where to read in the Bible
- Acts 10
Connections
- baptized by Simon Peter · stated in the text · Acts 10:48
Topics: mission, Gentiles