Acts 10:1-11:18


The conversion of Cornelius is a landmark event. At that time, divine decree and apostolic action opened the doors of the church to the Gentile world that stood beyond Jewish ritual. Until that day, Jews had a virtual monopoly on the things of God.

What made matters worse was that Jews detested Gentiles and said abominable things about them. For example, Jews said the best kind of serpent was a crushed serpent, so the best kind of Gentile was a dead Gentile. A Gentile visiting the Jewish temple in Jerusalem had to remain in the court of Gentiles, the lowest of the courts.

The Gentiles responded in kind. They hated and persecuted Jews. But the enmity between them was removed when Cornelius was converted.

Cornelius was a noncommissioned officer in the tenth legion of the Roman army. He commanded a special regiment known as the Italian band, a cohort of one thousand men. Their duty was to help keep the peace in the province of Palestine.

The leader of this privileged regiment, Cornelius was one of those centurions who were the backbone of the Roman army. Like others, he was chosen for his ability to lead men, for his courage, and for his willingness to stand and fight to the last man.

Cornelius was extraordinary. He was a devout God-fearing Gentile, though not a Jewish proselyte. Being a proselyte involved circumcision and becoming more or less a Jew. Cornelius was one of those men disillusioned by the pagan religions of their day and attracted to the ethical, moral, and spiritual beliefs of the Jews.

The Holy Spirit spoke highly of Cornelius: "A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always (Acts 10:2). Cornelius had achieved much as a man of his character, background, training, and ability could achieve, and his name was known in Heaven.