ACTS CHAPTER 10, “Conversion
of Cornelius The Gentile”
by
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
This morning we are going to
look at a very interesting story, for it is the story of the conversion of the
first gentile to faith in Christ.
1.2.
Up to this point in time all
of those who had come to salvation in the early church were Jews, or in the
case of the Samaritans at least half-breed Jews, however all to some degree
practiced Judaism prior to coming to salvation.
1.3.
Until now all of the
apostles in Jerusalem and indeed the entire church in Jerusalem regarded the
conversion to Christianity as being really the completion of the salvation of a
Jew, or in other words conversion to Christianity added to a Jew’s beliefs and
practices and finished that part of his salvation which he was not able to do
in and of himself.
1.3.1.
This was not at all what
Christ had in mind for mankind, for He had intended the law which He gave to
Moses to be a ‘tutor’ to lead someone to salvation through Christ by showing
them how sinful they really are and how unable to keep the law they are in
their own strength, and then when the Law has done it’s work people are to come
to trust in the sacrifice of Christ ‘alone’ for their salvation.
1.3.2.
What this story shows us
then is just how powerful prejudices and preconceptions are in a person’s life,
for after all that the Lord had done in the apostles’ lives they still had not
gotten some of the fundamental truths regarding salvation and a relationship
with Him.
1.3.2.1.We will see just how great were those preconceptions and prejudices of
the apostles in chapter 11 when Peter is brought before the apostles and
rebuked not initially even because he preached the gospel to the household of
Cornelius but because he went into their house and ate with them.
1.3.2.2.By the way, when you consider Christianity have you ever considered the
fact that its origin was not American or anything close to American, but rather
Jewish was the original culture it came into.
1.3.2.2.1.We all must be careful not to be blinded by our prejudices and
preconceptions.
1.3.3.
We can all relate to
prejudices and preconceptions for all people are brought up with a huge sense
of pride built into them, and to think that somehow they are better than other
people.
1.3.4.
It is a total miracle when
any of us come to conversion for in doing so the Lord first has to throw down
those prejudices and preconceptions that we have in our life.
1.3.5.
We will see in this story
that the lesson that Peter learns is that God is not a God of partiality, but
rather He reaches out to all by same standards and He provides the same means
by which any and all may come to Him for salvation.
1.3.6.
This may seem shocking to
some, however one of the things that keeps more people from coming to faith in
Christ than perhaps any other thing is actually ‘religion’, for notice that it
was the apostle’s Jewish ‘religion’ which had blinded them to truth up to this
point.
1.4.
Notice in Peter’s preaching
to Cornelius that as it was with Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch, and as it was
with Saul preaching to the synagogues in Damascus and Jerusalem, the message
that gives life and brings salvation is a simple and clear message about Jesus,
for in every case in the book of Acts the message that is preached is simply
‘Jesus’.
1.4.1.
Peter preaches a very simple
message to Cornelius about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1.4.2.
Sadly, this is what the
church needs to get back to doing instead of preaching and talking about every
other thing there is to talk about.
1.5.
This event of the conversion
of the household of Cornelius has been called by some the ‘Second Pentecost’ or
the ‘Gentile Pentecost’ because of the events that occurred and their
similarity to the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
2.
VS 10:1-2 - “10:1
Now there was a certain man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what
was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man, and one who feared God with all
his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people, and prayed to God
continually.” - There was at
2.1.
Cornelius was
a Roman centurion, or commander, of a group of soldiers of what was called the
‘Italian cohort’. Thus, Cornelius was in
charge of protecting the city of
2.2.
Cornelius was
a gentile and not a Jew, and he was also not a “proselyte”, though he may have
been a “proselyte of the gate”. These
gentiles were not allowed all of the privileges of being a Jew, and they were
not considered as one of the Jews at all.
2.3.
The testimony
which Luke gives of Cornelius is remarkable, for he writes that this man who
was not a Jew or proselyte ‘feared God’ and he showed his good character by
giving ‘many alms to the Jewish people’ as well as being a man who ‘prayed to
God continuously’.
2.3.1.
The Jews at
2.3.2.
Cornelius was
such a godly man that because of his influence not only he but his whole
household ‘feared God’.
2.3.2.1.When a man or a woman is converted, then they need to
strive to imitate Cornelius and see that their whole household follows Christ
with them. They must begin to share
Christ with their family members and be used in their lives the way that the
Lord wants to use them.
2.4.
Cornelius was
a man who was true to the light which he had received, and as a result the Lord
revealed more of Himself to him.
2.4.1.
If we are
true to the light that we have received, then we shall receive more. Jesus said this very thing when He said, “He
who has, to him shall more be given”.
2.5.
Cornelius was
a good and religious man who did good works, however since good works cannot save
a man, Cornelius needed to receive salvation through Jesus Christ.
3.
VS 10:3-4 - “3
About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who
had just come in to him, and said to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And fixing his gaze
upon him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to
him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.” - Cornelius had a vision of an angel who spoke
to him and told him that his prayers and alms had ascended as a memorial before
God
3.1.
It is
interesting to note that it was to this ‘gentile’ man that the angel appears
and speaks about the fact that the Lord has heard and received both his
‘prayers’ and the ‘alms’ which he had given, they have been a memorial, or
“remembrance”, before the Lord.
3.1.1.
The Lord
hears the prayers of all those whose heart is open and yielded to him. He hears their prayers and receives all who
turn to Him, without regard to their race or nationality.
3.2.
We see once
again in Acts that angels are not meant for the gospel proclamation, but rather
they are used by the Lord to move people to the place where the Lord wants them
to be so that a ‘man’ can share with them the gospel.
3.3.
Cornelius
heard the voice of the Lord speaking to him, however I wonder how many others
hear God’s voice but refuse to acknowledge Him or listen to what He is trying
to say, as Cornelius did on this day?
4.
VS 10:5-6 - “5 “And now dispatch some men to Joppa, and
send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; 6 he is staying with a
certain tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.”” - The angel tells Cornelius to send some men to
Joppa for a man named Simon Peter who is staying with a tanner
4.1.
The angel of
the Lord directed upright and devout Cornelius to a man who was an apostle, one
who would proclaimed to him the gospel of salvation so that he and his family
could come to know Christ and have everlasting life.
4.2.
The Lord knew
completely the situations going on in both Cornelius’ and Peter’s life, and He
also prepared the hearts of both men to meet so that He could do this
tremendous work in the church of converting the first gentile to salvation in
Christ.
4.2.1.
The Lord
directs our way as Christians, and He will lead and prepare us as well as those
to whom He would have us to minister.
4.2.1.1.He knows our address as well as the address of the one
to whom He will lead us to share the gospel.
5.
VS
10:7-8 - “7 And when the angel who
was speaking to him had departed, he summoned two of his servants and a devout
soldier of those who were in constant attendance upon him, 8 and after he had
explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.” - Cornelius sends some of his men to find Peter
in Joppa
5.1.
Cornelius
acts immediately upon the vision the Lord has given to him and summons two
servants and a ‘devout’, or ‘god-fearing’, soldier to go and ask Peter to come
to him, as the angel had commanded him to do.
5.1.1.
When the Lord
speaks to us about anything, we need to go and immediately act upon it, as
Cornelius did. Often times however,
God’s people do not immediately act upon what the Lord has shown them, and then
they eventually even forget that the Lord had spoken to them to do something.
5.1.1.1.This happens every Sunday to many Christians.
6.
VS
10:9 - “9 And on the next day, as
they were on their way, and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop
about the sixth hour to pray.” - The
next day after the men had been sent to find him Peter went up on his roof to
pray
6.1.
Christianity
was at this time still primarily a Jewish movement. The apostles and disciples did not see the
bigger picture of God’s purposes for mankind.
Even though Jesus had given the apostles and disciples the Great
Commission to take the gospel to the entire world, and even though He had told
them that when the Holy Spirit had come upon them they would take the gospel
first to Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, and then finally to the remotest
parts of the earth, the church had pretty much never gotten past being
primarily a Jewish movement.
6.2.
Peter, as all
of the apostles and the vast majority of all believers at this time, was still
observing the laws and ceremonies of the Jewish law. Here, we see that Peter was praying after the
habit of the Jews in the temple, at the ‘sixth hour’.
6.3.
The apostles
and disciples had not yet realized that when Christ had raised up from the
dead, He had done away with the first covenant and with it the ceremonial laws
and regulations of that covenant.
6.4.
The apostles
and disciples had not yet realized that any man whose heart is open to the Lord
and fears Him, regardless of whether or not he is Jewish or keeps the
ceremonial laws of the old covenant, God can save through the gospel of His
Son.
7.
VS
10:10 - “10 And he became hungry, and
was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance;”
- Peter was hungry and then fell into a
trance
7.1.
The Lord used
this opportunity of Peter being hungry to give him a vision with which he would
reveal that there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, but all are one in
Christ.
8.
VS
10:11-15 - “11 and he *beheld the sky
opened up, and a certain object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four
corners to the ground, 12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals
and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came
to him, “Arise, Peter, kill and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord,
for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” 15 And again a voice came
to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.””
- Peter is told to go and to kill
animals which were considered as being unclean under the old covenant which the
Jews were still living under
8.1.
Cornelius
received an announcement from an angel, however Peter received a peculiar
vision which the Lord eventually used to reveal truth to him.
8.2.
There were
quite a variety of animals upon that sheet that came down from heaven. There were ‘all kinds of four-footed animals
and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air’. This is symbolic of the fact that there is
much diversity of different types of people groups in the earth.
8.3.
Peter was
hungry, and he might have had an inclination initially when seeing all of the
animals on the sheet, to kill and eat one of the animals on the sheet, however
since Peter was still living under the laws of Judaism, he knew that many
animals such as the pig were forbidden for him to eat.
8.4.
To Peter’s
surprise, ‘a voice came to him’ in his vision and told him to ‘kill and eat’ an
animal. Peter recognized the voice as
that of his Lord, however Peter, who is again acting impetuously as he had done
often before Jesus’ resurrection, told the Lord that by ‘no means’ would he do
what the Lord wanted him to do.
8.5.
Peter told
the Lord that the reason why he wouldn’t eat any of the animals was that he had
‘never eaten anything unholy and unclean’.
8.6.
God’s reply
to Peter was, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy’. Since Christ had been raised from the dead,
the Lord had done away with the Jewish ceremonial law, and therefore men could
eat of the animals which were forbidden under that system of law.
8.6.1.
Not only was
this true, but the deeper meaning which the Lord will eventually teach Peter
from this vision is that all men and women everywhere are now encouraged to come
to God for salvation through Christ, regardless of their religion, race,
station, or heritage in life.
8.6.2.
Perhaps Peter
thought that God was testing him by asking him this question.
8.7.
Sometimes we
Christians tell the Lord that there is “no way” that we are going to do His
will that He has revealed to us.
8.7.1.
We call Him
our Lord, however we do not obey Him as Lord or master over every area of our
life.
8.7.2.
We pick and
choose those commands of the Lord which we are willing to obey, however we must
realize that “He is either Lord of all of our life, or He is not lord at
all”.
8.8.
We need to
ask the Lord to change our hearts and give us willing hearts to obey Him in all
that He commands us to do.
9.
VS
9:16 - “16 And this happened three
times; and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.” - The vision was repeated three times
9.1.
The Lord
repeated this vision to Peter three times in order to impress the validity and
importance of the vision to Peter.
9.2.
At this point
in time, Peter did not know what the Lord was telling Him through this vision
nor its urgency, he just knew that the Lord had spoken to him.
10.
VS 10:17-20 - “17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in
mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had
been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at
the gate; 18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also
called Peter, was staying there. 19 And while Peter was reflecting on the
vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 “But
arise, go downstairs, and accompany them without misgivings; for I have sent
them Myself.”” - As Peter is
pondering the vision the men whom Cornelius had sent for Peter arrive at his
gate
10.1.
As I
mentioned, Peter didn’t know as yet what the vision from the Lord meant to him,
however he knew that the Lord was trying to get his attention and lead him in
some direction.
10.2.
The men
appearing just after Peter has this vision reveals that the Lord’s timing is
impeccable and that He is omniscient.
10.3.
As Peter is
reflecting as to what the vision which he had received might mean, the Holy
Spirit spoke to Him that there were three men downstairs looking for him, and
that he was to go with them without any misgivings
10.3.1.Peter would have had major misgivings about listening
to the plea of these men to come with them had he not had this vision, for
after all the men were gentiles completely outside of Judaism and Jews did not
have dealings with gentiles.
10.3.2.Following the Lord’s leading in this situation would
later lead Peter into a major confrontation with the apostles and leaders of
the church in
11.
VS 10:21-22 - “21 And Peter went down to the men and said,
“Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you
have come?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and
God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely
directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a
message from you.” 23 And so he invited them in and gave them lodging.”
- Peter goes down to the men and tells
them that he is the one they are looking for and then he asks them why they
have called for him
11.1.
The Lord was
already doing a work in Peter preparing him for the revelation that no man was
common or unclean as he had been doing ministry with the half-breed Jewish
Samaritans and as he was presently living with a Christian brother who was a
tanner.
11.1.1.As I mentioned last week, tanning was a profession
despised by the Jews, and tanners weren’t allowed to live close to the city
limits in
11.2.
The men told
Peter that Cornelius was ‘a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the
entire nation of the Jews’. He was a
good man following the light of God that he had been given, perhaps a better
man than many Christians, yet he needed salvation through Christ and the grace
of God the same as do all men.
11.2.1.Cornelius was an upright and devout man, and yet as
this story reveals, a man’s own righteousness cannot save him, for if he had
sinned but just one sin that would be enough to keep him from being able to
know God and spend eternity in heaven.
11.2.1.1.Men can only come to God through the cross, and the
ground at the foot of the cross is level, for “all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God”, Rom. 3:23.
12.
VS 10:23-24 - “23 And on the next day he arose and went away
with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the following day he entered
12.1.
Cornelius had
been seeking God in prayer, wanting to know Him in a greater more personal way,
and the Lord was now answering his request.
12.2.
Cornelius had
already begun work as an evangelist. He
brought together his relatives and close friends to hear the message that Peter
would bring to them.
12.2.1.We Christians must use the opportunities that we have
in our life to be an evangelist.
Perhaps, the most important ministry that we have in our life is the
ministry of sharing the gospel with those who are closest to us.
13.
VS 10:25-26 - “25 And when it came about that Peter entered,
Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshipped him. 26 But Peter raised
him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.”” - Cornelius met Peter and then tried to worship
him
13.1.
In verse 25,
Cornelius met Peter, fell at his feet, and ‘worshipped’ him. Commentators are split as to whether or not
Cornelius actually worshipped Peter or whether he simply showed great reverence
and respect for him as was the custom of the Oriental peoples toward great
men. In any case, what is relevant is
what Peter responded to Cornelius with after this act.
13.1.1.Peter would not allow Cornelius to show worship or
such great respect for him. Peter knew
that such respect or worship was due to God alone, for he told Cornelius to
stop since he too was just a man.
13.1.2.Peter’s actions in refusing to receive the type of
homage that Cornelius tried to give him prove that he was not the first pope!
13.1.2.1.We Christians must never show too great of respect for
mere men as this man Cornelius shows us.
We must never place Christian leaders on such a high pedestal.
13.1.2.2.The popes who claim that Peter was the first pope do
not refuse such open display of respect as did Peter, rather they encourage men
in such an action and even have them kiss their ring.
14.
VS 10:27-29 - “27
And as he talked with him, he entered, and found many people assembled. 28 And
he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew
to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I
should not call any man unholy or unclean. 29 “That is why I came without even
raising any objection when I was sent for. And so I ask for what reason you
have sent for me.”” - Peter enters
the house of Cornelius and tells everyone there how that he being a Jew has
been willing to come into their house
14.1.
Peter enters
by telling those who were assembled that they knew ‘how unlawful’ it was for ‘a
Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him’, yet he tells them that now
he knows the meaning of the vision which the Lord has given him, as he says,
‘and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.
14.1.1.Peter tells them how that because of what God had
shown him he has now come without even raising any objection when [he] was sent
for’.
14.2.
Peter must
have assumed that the people had sought him out so that they might come to know
the true way to salvation, however he asks them the reason that they have sent
for him.
15.
VS 10:30-33 - “30
And Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house
during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments,
31 and he *said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been
remembered before God. 32 ‘Send therefore to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also
called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by
the sea.’ 33 “And so I sent to you immediately, and you have been kind enough
to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have
been commanded by the Lord.”” -
Cornelius relates to Peter the vision that he has had and how that God
directed him in the vision to go to Peter’s house to hear a message from him
15.1.
It is
interesting that Cornelius describes in this verse an angel that came to him
and spoke to him as a man ‘in shining garments’. This is a description which is common to some
of the appearances of angels in the Bible.
15.2.
Cornelius
finally asked Peter to announce to them all that he had been commanded by the
Lord to say to them.
15.3.
I would just
mention here that what keeps the Lord from reaching and speaking to people,
bringing them to salvation, etc., is not on His part, for whenever people’s
hearts are ready and willing to hear the truth so that they can believe and
obey it, the Lord will find a way to speak to them and bring them to salvation,
just as it happened with Cornelius and his household in this story.
16.
VS 10:34-35 - “34
And opening his mouth, Peter said: “I
most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him
and does what is right, is welcome to Him.” - Peter tells them that he realizes now that
God does not show partiality
16.1.
Peter has
finally understood the meaning of the vision which the Lord gave to him at the
beginning of this chapter: God is not
one to show partiality to those of any race, nationality, or heritage.
16.1.1.Christ came to earth because God loved all mankind,
and the gospel is open for all to equally have the opportunity to enter in.
16.1.2.All people tend to think of themselves as being
special. All churches tend to think of
themselves as having the inside track with God.
The pride of men should be squashed by the realization that God is not and
never will be partial to any person.
16.1.3.All people come to God and obtain their standing
before Him based upon the same standard, the standard which He, not any man,
has established.
17.
VS 10:36-37 - “36
“The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus
Christ (He is Lord of all)— 37 you yourselves know the thing which took place
throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John
proclaimed.” - Peter begins to
proclaim the gospel to the household of Cornelius
17.1.
Peter tells
them that to the sons of Israel God has sent His word which is a word of
‘peace’ since through the cross of Christ there is satisfaction for the penalty
of sin which is due to all men for their transgressions.
17.2.
Peter
includes that Jesus ‘is Lord of all’, since He has been raised up to the right
hand of the Father, “far above all rule and authority”.
17.2.1.Jesus is not the Lord just of the Jew or the gentile,
but rather He is Lord of all, and He has power and authority over all mankind
since He has been raised up to be Lord over all.
17.3.
Peter tells
those present that they knew ‘the thing which took place throughout all
18.
VS 10:38 - “38
“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and
with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were
oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.” - Peter tells Cornelius’ household how they
know about the good things that Jesus did
18.1.
Peter in his
preaching in the book of Acts refers to Jesus as, “Jesus of Nazareth”, as that
is a name which all men would be familiar.
Peter reminds them that they knew how that ‘God anointed Him with the
Holy Spirit and with power’.
18.2.
Peter tells
the people that Jesus ‘went about doing good’, and likewise Jesus went about
‘healing all who were oppressed by the devil’.
18.2.1.We Christians need to realize that in our walk we are
also to go about doing good wherever we may be.
We have been called to a life of good deeds as Christians.
18.3.
It is implied
by Peter that the only reason that Jesus could have done the things that He did
was because ‘God was with Him’.
19.
VS 39-41 - “39
“And we are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and
in
19.1.
Peter is
careful to report to the people that the things about which he and his fellow
apostles testify concerning Jesus are accurate and have in fact occurred, and
they have been verified by multiple credible witnesses.
19.2.
Peter is just telling a simple story about the life,
death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but this is the message that is able
to save souls!
19.3.
Peter says
that the significance of Jesus’ dying on the cross is demonstrated by His
having been raised up from the dead.
19.4.
Peter tells
the people that the fact that Jesus was resurrected from the dead has also been
verified by many credible witnesses who saw and recognized Him after His
resurrection, they ‘ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead’.
20.
VS 10:42-43 - “42
“And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this
is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who
believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”” - Peter tells them how that Jesus had ordered
His disciples to preach to the people
20.1.
Peter
continues preaching to the people, telling them that Jesus had ‘ordered’ him
and his fellow apostles and disciples to preach the gospel to the people, and
‘solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as
Judge of the living and the dead’.
20.1.1.Jesus will one day judge the world, since He has been
appointed for that task.
20.2.
In Rev. 20,
the judgment of unbelievers is the “judgment of the dead”, however the judgment
of believers is a judgment of those who are “alive”, or who have received new
life in Christ.
20.3.
Peter further
reveals to the people that ‘all the prophets bear witness that through His name
everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins’.
20.3.1.The entire Old Testament points to Jesus Christ, as
His coming is the fulfillment of all that was written.
20.3.2.If any man, woman or child will place his faith in
Jesus Christ for salvation, submitting their life to His lordship, then they
will receive the forgiveness of sins which He procured for them upon the cross
of
20.4.
Peter is just
getting warmed up with his gospel presentation as he tells them that ‘everyone
who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins’, however just as had happened
with each time in Acts that the Lord used Peter to preach the gospel, the
preaching is interrupted just as it is getting started, however, the Lord still
saves people and the work that He intended to accomplish is done.
21.
VS 10:44-46 - “44
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those
who were listening to the message. 45 And all the circumcised believers who had
come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been
poured out upon the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with
tongues and exalting God.” - The
Holy Spirit fell upon those listening to Peter preach the gospel
21.1.
The Lord
interrupted the preaching of Peter after he had said everything that the Lord
wanted him to speak, and He caused His Holy Spirit to fall ‘upon all those who
were listening to the message’.
21.1.1.This revealed to Peter that these men had already
believed and come to salvation, for the Holy Spirit does not come and dwell in
unclean hearts, but into clean ones.
21.2.
We might ask
the question, “since Cornelius had been a devout man and performed many alms up
to this point in time, why hadn’t the Holy Spirit fallen upon him yet?”
21.2.1.I would submit to you that until a person exercises
faith in Christ for salvation, believes upon Jesus to be saved, no longer
trusting upon his own righteousness, then and only then shall he inherit
salvation.
21.3.
The people
there gathered in Cornelius’ house began to speak in praise to God in tongues
just as the Jewish believers had done in
21.4.
The
conclusion of what God was doing through Peter was made evident, gentiles could
come to know Christ in exactly the same way in which the Jews could know
Him. There is no difference between Jew
and gentile in God’s sight.
22.
VS 10:46-48 - “46 Then Peter answered, 47 “Surely no one can
refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit
just as we did, can he?” 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.” - Peter tells the people that no one could
refuse to baptize these people whom had now received the Holy Spirit just as
the apostles had received Him on the day of Pentecost
22.1.
Those who
believe that you must be baptized in water in order to be saved have a
tremendous problem with this passage, as well as several other passages in the
book of Acts. The Holy Spirit fell upon
these gentiles who had come to newfound faith in Christ, before they had ever
been baptized in water.
22.1.1.If water baptism were necessary for salvation, and if
the Holy Spirit were given through water baptism, then this incident would not
have occurred.
22.2.
Peter stayed
there with Cornelius for a few days in order to help him and his household to
begin to grow in their new faith in Christ.