Cornelius was a Roman centurion and a "God-fearer" — a Gentile who worshiped Israel's God. As a centurion, Cornelius would have been a socially prominent and wealthy man. The Bible says that he "gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God" (Acts 10:2), and that he was held in high regard "by the whole Jewish nation" (Acts 10:22).
An angel of the Lord appeared to Cornelius in a vision and instructed him to send for the apostle Peter. When Peter arrived, he preached the gospel to Cornelius and his friends and family. While he was still speaking, the Holy Spirit was poured out on these Gentile seekers. Cornelius and his household were baptized, and their conversion convinced the early church that God's promises were for Gentiles as well as for Jews. (Acts 10:30-33)
Before Peter came, Cornelius was devoutly religious, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that he had a saving relationship with Jesus. In fact, he needed to hear the words of Peter, so he could better understand the Gospel. This is similar to the story of the eunuch who talks with Philip in Acts 8. The eunuch from Ethiopia wants to understand the Bible but has no one to guide him. Philip is sent to explain the text to him.
We don’t really know much else about Cornelius, but Peter’s role in this story is obviously important. Peter had an aversion to Gentiles, especially Roman Gentiles. The very idea that the same people who crucified his Lord could come into a saving relationship with Jesus was likely enathema to him. In this story, God sent Peter a vision declaring the once “unclean” foods as clean. In other words, the Gentiles, who once had no part in God’s family, were becoming grafted in. However, this would only happen if Peter swallowed his pride and explained the Gospel to Cornelius.
After Peter shares the good news with Cornelius, conversions multiply across the Gentile world and a great many come to Christ. This occurred when Peter recognized that divisions between people should not hinder one’s ability to share about the Gospel. It takes the Jewish Christians a while to warm up to the idea of having Gentiles in their midst. But because Peter met with Cornelius, a revolution happened amongst the Gentiles.
We can learn a lot from the story of Peter and Cornelius.
Firstly, we see that following God often takes humility. Cornelius and Peter both needed to humble themselves before God for this great event to occur. Next, we are taught not to make quick judgments about people. If Peter had refused to teach Cornelius about salvation, he could have prevented the Gospel from reaching much of the world.
Thirdly, this story shows the importance of preaching the Gospel to unreached people. This can, of course, include people in far off places, but just as importantly, involves those in our own backyards who haven’t heard the good news.
