Cornelius in the Bible was a centurion, a commander in the Italian Regiment of the Roman military. He lived in Caesarea. He was very much a God-fearing man who had been strongly attracted to the Jewish teaching of monotheism (the belief in one God) as opposed to pagan idolatry and immorality.
Because there were frequent outbreaks of violence, Roman soldiers had to be stationed throughout Israel to keep the peace. Although most Romans were hated by the Jews as their conquerors, Cornelius was respected by the Jews since he had the reputation of being a godly man who put his faith into action.
God sent an angel to Cornelius telling him that the centurion’s prayers and gifts to the poor had been noticed by God and were received as an offering. The Lord told Cornelius that he should meet the apostle Peter. Obeying his vision, Cornelius sent some of his men to Joppa, roughly 36 miles south of Caesarea to find Peter so he and his family could hear him preach. Peter also received a vision from God telling him it was alright to eat of food that Jews had previously deemed unclean. As he came out of his trance the Holy Spirit told Peter that there were three men who have come looking for him and that he was to go with them without hesitation. So Paul obeyed his vision and went with Cornelius’ men to where the centurion was. When Peter arrived at Cornelius’ home and greetings had been exchanged, he began preaching to everyone in the household. While preaching the Holy Spirit fell baptizing the soldiers entire family. Peter then commanded them all to be baptized in the name of the Lord.
Cornelius’ story in Acts 10 is important because it was in Cornelius’ household that God publicly opened the doors of the church to the Gentile world. He was the first gentile to become a Christian. The apostle Peter was present to see it happen, just as he had been a witness to the opening of the doors to the Samaritans (Acts 8) and the Jews (Acts 2).
Up next is a look at Herod Agrippa I. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His Name & for His Glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resources: https://www.gotquestions.org/Cornelius-in-the-Bible.html; The New Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The Life Application Study Bible.
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