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Amidst all of the evil and violent deeds perpetrated by the Roman occupiers of Israel during the First Century can be found one shining example of a devout man who feared the Lord. His name is Cornelius, and his story is told in Acts chapter ten. Upon reading the opening verses of the chapter, we discover that Cornelius was a centurion. That is to say, he was the captain of a band of one hundred Roman soldiers. This group of soldiers was called the "Italian Band", which may indicate that they may have possibly originated from Rome itself:

"There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,"


At the time of our story, Cornelius and the Italian Band were stationed in the town of Caesarea which was located northwest of Jerusalem. Caesarea was built on the Mediterranean coast by Herod the Great on the site of Strato's Tower, between the towns of Joppa and Dora. It had an excellent harbor, and was given the name of Caesarea in honour of Caesar Augustus who ruled the Roman Empire at that time. Caesarea was also the normal residence of the Roman procurators -- or governors -- of Palestine, such as Felix and Festus. The majority of the inhabitants of Caesarea were Greeks. Consider the following verses which confirm these various points:

"And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night; And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor."


"But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him, And desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him. But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither. Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him. And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, he went down unto Caesarea; and the next day sitting on the judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought."


Given the time and the setting of the Book of Acts, plus Cornelius' level of responsibility, it might be safe to assume that he was probably in his thirties or forties, or maybe even older. If this assumption is correct, then it is probable that he was a career military man, and was already a part of the Roman military machine at the time of Jesus' revelation to Israel. The reason why I am making this point is to validate the possibility that Cornelius' decision to become a military man in the armies of Rome may have been made before he came to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. In other words, my implication is that if he had come to know Jesus before his induction into the Roman forces, perhaps he may have decided against it. One thing we do know is that he was a very devout man who believed in God, as we see by the following verse:

"A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway."


I found this point to be very interesting due to the simple fact that the Romans were pagans. They had a whole pantheon of false gods and goddesses. Yet in writing his account, the author of the Book of Acts -- who is believed to be Luke -- points out to us that this man Cornelius was different. Not only he, but his entire house believed in the one true God of Israel. I was curious as to what might cause him and his family to break with Roman tradition and embrace the God of Israel, which was no doubt not a very politically correct thing to do at that particular time.

In fact, chronologically speaking, the Christian Gospel had not even reached Rome by that particular time. Furthermore, the Apostles had barely begun to share the Christian Gospel with the Gentiles in the tenth chapter of the Book of Acts. The Apostle Paul had just been converted in Acts chapter nine, and was probably still in Arabia or else in Damascus, and Simon Peter was given a vision of the sheet in Acts chapter ten -- in which he was instructed to preach to the Gentiles -- on the very same day that Cornelius' men were arriving at Joppa to fetch Peter.

To add some additional context to this story, as I explain in the article called "Fifty Days Which Changed the World", from the night of the Passover when Jesus had His last meal with the Apostles, to the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two when the Apostles received their fiery baptism of the Holy Spirit, was a period of only fifty days. Furthermore, it might interest you to know that the word "Pentecost" is derived from the Koine Greek word "pentekoste", which means "the fiftieth day". Now, as I explain in the aforementioned article, we are informed that Jesus spent forty days on the Earth following His Resurrection from the dead. This means that the events in Acts chapter two occurred ten days after Jesus ascended to Heaven. Consider the following verses:

"To whom also he [Jesus] shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."


"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."


Now the situation becomes a little foggy. Exactly how much time transpired between the Day of Pentecost when the fire from Heaven baptized the Apostles, and the events in Acts chapter ten where we learn about both Cornelius and Peter's visions is hard to say. Personally, I don't believe that it was long at all, because my impression is that God was very interested in getting the evangelical ball rolling. Thus, the Apostles are baptized by fire in Acts chapter two only ten days after Jesus returns to Heaven. Saul of Tarsus is knocked off his horse and meets Jesus in Acts chapter nine. And Peter and Cornelius have their visions a day apart in Acts chapter ten.

You see, we humans have a propensity for looking at time in a very lateral, straight-line sense. However, not so with our mighty God. Using modern lingo, He tends to be what we might refer to as a multi-tasker and very astute strategist. If this life were a chess game, our Heavenly Father is most assuredly millions of moves ahead of us. I don't doubt that He is constantly putting His ducks in a row as they say, and that He is working on a variety of developments all at the same time, so that at a particular point in time, there will be a confluence of events which will result in the effect which He desires. I am reminded of the following Scriptures:

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"


My point is the following: Given that the Gospel was still largely unknown to the Gentiles at that point in time, it would seem that something else influenced Cornelius and his family to believe in the God of Israel. So let me share my personal thoughts with you regarding this matter. Given how God tends to work, I suspect that sometime before Peter and Cornelius met, God had already been working in the life of Cornelius, so that by the time he met with Peter, he and his family were already firm believers in the God of Israel. So taking this possibility a step further, while I cannot prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt, I suspect that Acts chapter ten may not be the first account we have of Cornelius in the New Testament. In his Gospel, Luke relates a similar story of a centurion who was stationed in Capernaum during the early part of Jesus' ministry. Consider the following group of verses:

"Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick."


Notice the similarities between these two accounts. In both we find a Roman centurion who believes in the God of Israel. In Luke's account in his Gospel, we are informed that this centurion has servants. Likewise in Luke's account in the Book of Acts, he tells us the very same thing, as we see by this verse:

"And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;"


In reading Luke's account in the Book of Acts, we also know that Cornelius led a comfortable life in Caesarea. Being on the emperor's payroll, he must have been rather well off in a financial sense. Thus, he was able to help out the poor considerably. In the Gospel account, Luke tells us that this unnamed centurion also went as far as to build a synagogue for the Jews, which complements what Luke writes in the Book of Acts regarding Cornelius being "a devout man, and one that feared God" and who "gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway".

It also appears that in both of these stories, the unnamed centurion is not alone in his worship of the God of Israel. His household servants appear to be of the same persuasion. Likewise in the Book of Acts, Luke also mentions a devout soldier who is under Cornelius. This does not necessarily mean that he, or they, already believed in Jesus. Remember, many people believed in the God of Israel at that time, but not all of them had met Jesus personally during the course of His three-year ministry.

One thing we do know with certainty is that the unnamed Roman centurion in the Gospel of Luke had apparently heard of Jesus at least by word of mouth. It was for that very reason that he sent for Him in the first place. But notice. Because of this man's own humility, Luke tells us that he does not come out to meet Jesus face-to-face. He merely sends his servants to petition that Jesus heal his sick servant. If this man is indeed Cornelius who was later stationed in Caesarea further down on the coast, this is proof that the Lord had already been working in his life and preparing him for the events which would occur to him in Acts chapter ten. It seems that God was already drawing Cornelius to Christ. I am reminded of what Jesus said in the Gospels, as well as of some things that were written by the Apostle Paul. Consider this group of verses:

"ALL THAT THE FATHER GIVETH ME shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out . . . No man can come to me, EXCEPT THE FATHER WHICH HATH SENT ME DRAW HIM: and I will raise him up at the last day . . . And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father."


"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. MY FATHER, WHICH GAVE THEM ME, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."


"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for THEM WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN ME; for they are thine . . . And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name THOSE WHOM THOU HAST GIVEN ME, that they may be one, as we are . . . Father, I will that they also, WHOM THOU HAST GIVEN ME, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN ME: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world."


"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."


"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."


What I also find interesting regarding this account in Luke is that we are not told what happens after Jesus heals his servant. It seems to me that the natural thing to do would be for the centurion to at least go out to thank Jesus, if not invite Him into his house for a meal, or to spend the night so he could hear Him speak more. Regardless of what actually happened, considering how devout he was, it seems to me that after this miracle, this man must have become a believer in Jesus as the Messiah. As I will explain in a minute, there exists some possible evidence that this did happen, in Acts chapter ten.

It is also noteworthy that this same account of the unnamed centurion is likewise mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew. The primary difference between the two accounts is that in the Gospel of Matthew, the centurion did in fact come to Jesus directly, and Jesus then marvelled at his faith when He said the following concerning him:

". . . Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."


In thinking about these different aspects of the life of Cornelius, perhaps we can compare him to a modern-day, pious family man with a long career in the military. While he was a worldly man, Cornelius did have faith in God. However, as other chapters in the Book of Acts clearly demonstrate, and as I have explained in articles such as "Where Are the First Century Churches?" and "Abundant Life Doctrine: Scripturally Exposed!", being a full-time Disciple of Christ meant, and still means, much more than just having a superficial faith. As the following group of verses reveal, true Discipleship meant forsaking all and following Jesus one hundred per cent everyday. It meant selling everything one possessed and giving the money to the Apostles for distribution according to each person's need. This financial plan for the Early Church was first laid down by Jesus Himself:

"And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need."


"Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet."


"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life."


"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."


Being a true Disciple of Jesus Christ also meant, and still means, to be willing to suffer persecution for the cause of Christ. It also means being willing to crucify one's flesh and to deny the desires of one's flesh for the furtherance of the Gospel. I discuss this latter point in articles such as "Civil Disobedience and Christian Persecution" and "Are You Crucified With Christ?", which you will find listed at the end of this same article. One thing which is apparent in reading Acts chapter ten, is that Cornelius was a man who was well-loved by God. It is for this very reason that He sent an Angel to prepare Cornelius for Peter's visit, as we see by the following set of verses:

"He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:"


It is also in this very same chapter while the servants of Cornelius are on their way to Joppa to find Peter, that the Lord reveals to Peter -- via his vision -- the true depth of His Sacrifice on the Cross, as well as the full extent of God's wonderful plan of Salvation for humanity. You see, as I amply explain in articles such as "Beware of the Pauline Extremists", up until the time that Peter had his vision on that roof, and until God directed the Apostle Paul to go to the Gentiles, neither Peter or the other Apostles had fully understood that Salvation would eventually be offered to all men, regardless of their ethnic heritage. Jesus had actually given them a hint that it would be so, but they missed it. This is why the Lord had to give Peter a special revelation in order to teach him this valuable lesson. Consider this set of verses where we see the evangelical progression from preaching only to the Jews, and then to all races of people everywhere:

"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, GO NOT INTO THE WAY OF THE GENTILES, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand."


"But he answered and said, I AM NOT SENT BUT UNTO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL."


"Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, PREACHING THE WORD TO NONE BUT UNTO THE JEWS ONLY."


"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."


"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."


"On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven."


In speaking about the miraculous vision he had experienced on his rooftop, on the following day after arriving at the house of Cornelius, Peter said in part the following:

". . . Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean . . . Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."


During the course of witnessing to Cornelius and his entire household, Peter says something which, in my view, seems to make it clear that Cornelius and his family already knew to some degree about Jesus Christ and the Salvation He brings. This could be an indication that dear Cornelius was indeed the unnamed centurion who had been mentioned by both Matthew and Luke in their respective Gospels, and that God had been working behind the scenes to prepare Cornelius' heart for this very encounter with Peter:

"The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;"


Please notice Peter specifically says, "ye know". In other words, Cornelius and his family are not ignorant of who Jesus is. After all, not only did the word of His miracles travel throughout all of Judea, but it began in Galilee. This point is rather interesting because it is exactly in Capernaum of Galilee where, as you may recall, the story of the unnamed centurion took place. Granted, this may merely be a coincidence, but I am not convinced that it is so. It may very well be that Cornelius was stationed in Capernaum at the time. But that is not all. While Peter was witnessing to Cornelius and all of his household, much to the surprise of the believing Jewish Disciples of the circumcision who accompanied Peter, the Holy Ghost then fell upon Cornelius and his household, and they begin to magnify the Lord and speak in tongues, as we can determine by the following set of verses:

"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God . . ."


Please notice carefully that in the previous verses, there is no mention of Cornelius and his family acknowledging the Lord as their Savior. Peter is simply witnessing to them, and the next thing they know, these Gentiles are filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues! It is after this occurs that the chapter ends with Cornelius and his family being water baptized, and Peter and his companions remaining with them for a few days, as we see by these two verses:

"Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days."


So the question which arises in my mind is this: Was their Salvation and being filled with the Holy Ghost a simultaneous occurrence? Or is it possible that Cornelius and his entire family were ALREADY saved since the time that Jesus healed the servant of the unnamed centurion in both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke? In my view, this probability seems highly possible. But again, I cannot prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt, because as I noted earlier, neither Matthew or Luke tell us what happened after Jesus healed the centurion's servant. Thus, it remains a matter of personal speculation.

Furthermore, it doesn't seem likely to me that Cornelius and his family would be filled with the Holy Ghost, and THEN be saved afterwards through the process of water baptism. My personal understanding of the Scriptures has long been that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is usually, but not always, a secondary event following one's Salvation.

Please also notice that this particular water baptism was simply a symbolic act of the true baptism of the Holy Spirit which had ALREADY occurred. As I have made rather clear in other articles such as "Roman Catholicism, Water Baptism and the Holy Trinity", I personally am not convinced that water baptism is necessary for Salvation. As I have long said and taught, our Salvation is based solely upon our faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and NOT upon a physical act. As the Apostle Paul clearly teaches, Salvation which is based on anything other than simple faith in the Blood Atonement of Jesus Christ, is not Grace-based Salvation. Rather, it is worked-based Salvation, or else a hybrid combination of the two, which is wrong. Consider the following sample verses:

"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."


"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."


"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."


"And by him [Jesus Christ] all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."


"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith."


"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."


"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified . . . I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."


"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."


"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."


Please go to part two for the conclusion of this article.

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