Peter & Cornelius.

God's love for people knows no bounds. He knows every single person on earth, believing or unbelieving, and wants all men from all races and locations to be saved through the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ ( 1 Timothy 2:4).

One such person who saw this amazing nature and loving character of God is a man named Cornelius. He was no Israelite, and neither was he part of any fellowship of believers. Yet what he did and what God did for him was amazing. Who is he and what can we learn from him?

Cornelius was a centurion of what is called the Italian Regiment. Though he was a Gentile, he was clearly "a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always." (Acts 10:2)

As a Gentile, he would be despised by the Jews. As a God-fearing person, however, he was remarkable. He was not an Israelite, but he feared the God of Israel. He did what was right in God's eyes - fear Him, give to the poor, pray always - despite the Bible's silence on whether he went to church or a synagogue, or not.

Let's talk about that.

Cornelius presents to us various lessons on faith and the fear of God. Here are a few:

The fear of God is more important than membership in any church

Cornelius wasn't a Jew, and for sure he wasn't part of any clergy of some kind for he was a Roman centurion. Yet he feared God, and that's what mattered.

Peter's very preaching in Acts 10:34-43 says this to be true:

"In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." (see Acts 10:34-35)

Acts 10:9–23 occurs as Peter is in Joppa, after having healed a paralyzed man in nearby Lydda and raising Tabitha from the dead in Joppa (Acts 9:32–43). Peter doesn't know that a Roman centurion who worships the Jewish God is sending three men to bring Peter to Caesarea.

The centurion wished to learn what God has planned for him, which he will find is to be saved in Jesus' name. First, God makes Peter understand that Jesus' offer of salvation is as available for Gentiles as it is for Jews.

Peter is on a rooftop outside the town of Joppa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, east and a bit north of Jerusalem. As he prays, he has a vision of a sheet with different types of animals dropping from heaven. A voice tells him to kill and eat the animals, but some of the animals are unclean—prohibited by the Mosaic law—so he refuses (Acts 10:9–14).

"Common" is from the Greek root word koinos. Like the English term common, it literally means "ordinary," but it's often used to describe something unrefined, vulgar, or low-class. In that sense, to the Jews, it means ceremonially unclean: not fit for the worship of God.

It is something that is not holy. If someone touched or ate or did something "unclean," they were prohibited from coming to the temple to worship. Some things, like moving a dead body, were inevitable. Some, like eating unclean foods, were avoidable and religiously attended to.

That which is "unclean" is not necessarily evil, or sinful, in and of itself; it's simply prohibited.

Peter has already witnessed Jesus putting unclean food into its proper perspective. The Pharisees had confronted Jesus because His disciples didn't ceremonially wash their hands before they ate (Matthew 15:1–11). The Pharisees did so in case they had accidentally touched something that had been touched by someone who was unclean—they didn't want that uncleanness to get inside of them.

This attitude assumed that it was the literal physical substance, itself, which carried uncleanness, regardless of a person's intentions.

Jesus responded in frustration. He knew those religious leaders would rather follow man made rules than do something as obvious and as God-ordained as properly take care of their elderly parents.

Jesus pointed out that true uncleanness comes from the sin in a person's heart, not from what physical thing they put in their bodies. He graphically pointed out that even clean food would eventually come out the other end!

Mark, who likely got the information for his Gospel from Peter, explained that Jesus' illustration was His declaration that there were more unclean foods (Mark 7:1–23).

Mark followed a line of logic from unclean hands, to unclean hearts, to an understanding that the kosher dietary laws were fulfilled and are in forced . Peter's vision and application goes from unclean foods, to unclean dinner mates, to salvation to the Gentiles. The food the Jews eat is a part of the deeply cultural tradition of the meal.

To share a meal with someone is to publicly declare your allegiance with them. This is why the Pharisees were so offended when Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:13–17). The vision and Peter's impending company (Acts 10:17–23) teach Peter that what had been "unclean"— prohibited company, prohibited friends—has now been made clean through Jesus' sacrifice.

This is an extremely difficult lesson for Peter. He does go to the Gentiles (Acts 10:23–33), he does share Jesus' story with them (Acts 10:34–48), and he does defend his actions to the other Jewish Jesus-followers in leadership in Jerusalem (Acts 11:1–18).

But years later, visiting the church in Syrian Antioch, he forgets. He gets influenced by the legalistic Jewish Jesus-followers and withdraws from Gentile company. Paul sets him straight, but it shows how incredibly hard it was for the Jews to accept that Jesus is for everyone (Galatians 2:11–14).

Acts 10:25 - "And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him."

Acts 10:24–33 describes the onset of the last step of Jesus' command for the disciples: to share His story in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Upon an angel's prompting, a Roman centurion named Cornelius has sent for Peter. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit has been teaching Peter that Gentiles are no longer unclean (Acts 10:1–23). Peter will go to Cornelius and bear witness of Jesus. Everyone in earshot will believe Peter and receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:34–48).

The way will be open for Paul's ministry in Syria, modern-day Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece, and Italy.

Peter has been a dominant voice in the spread of Jesus' message to Jews and proselytes. Now he brings the gospel to Gentiles. An angel tells Cornelius, a centurion, to ask Peter to come to him. Peter is praying when he receives a vision of food—including non-kosher food—and God's voice telling him to eat.

When the centurion's messengers arrive, Peter realizes the dream meant that Gentiles are no longer unclean.

He follows the messengers and tells Cornelius' household about salvation through Jesus. Before Peter can lay his hands on them or baptize them, the Holy Spirit falls on them.

Peter has arrived at the home of Cornelius, an Italian centurion who faithfully worships the Jewish God. An angel has told Cornelius that Peter has something to tell him. Peter doesn't know what, yet, but he has obediently come to see what the Gentile commander needs.

Peter certainly didn't expect a Roman military leader to suddenly fall at his feet in worship.

It is a difficult thing to be a Christian church leader. The culture often doesn't like what you stand for, church members sometimes don't like how you stand for it, and your family can get caught in the middle. It's not uncommon to watch pastors chase admiration and approval instead of guiding their people into truth.

Approval is not only a rest from the constant struggle, it builds up a leader's confidence—and ego. Jesus promised the disciples the world would hate and persecute them (John 15:18–25). Many of us would understand had Peter wanted to bask in this moment.

But he doesn't. He knows that worship is for God, alone, and he's not God. Later, Barnabas and Paul will barely avoid people from Lystra sacrificing to them as embodiments of Zeus and Hermes. They will tear their clothes and beg the people to stop (Acts 14:8–18).

Decades later, the apostle John will mistakenly fall at the feet of an angel. The angel will respond, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." (Revelation 19:10).

It's important to remember that only God—not our pastors, our elders, TV personalities, authors, politicians, or even ourselves—deserves our worship.

Cornelius in the Bible was a centurion, a commander in the Italian Regiment of the Roman military. He lived in Caesarea. His story in Acts 10 is important because it was in Cornelius’s household that God publicly opened the doors of the church to the Gentile world. 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 08) and the Jews (Acts 2).

Despite being a Roman, Cornelius was a worshiper of God, a Jewish proselyte known and respected by the Jewish community (Acts 10:22). Cornelius was a devout man who regularly prayed and gave to charity (verse 2). One afternoon, while Cornelius was praying, he saw a vision of an angel of God, who told him that God had heard his prayers (Acts 10:30–31).

The angel told Cornelius to find Peter, who was staying in Joppa at the house of Simon, a tanner (verse 32). Cornelius immediately sent two of his servants and a devout soldier to Joppa to find Peter and bring him back.

Meanwhile, God was preparing Peter’s heart to minister to his coming Gentile visitors. God gave Peter a vision of an assortment of animals, both clean and unclean (Acts 10:11–12). Peter heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat” (verse 13). Peter resisted this command, having never eaten non-kosher food before (verse 14), but the voice replied, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (verse 15).

This vision was repeated three times, and then Peter heard the Spirit saying that three men were looking for him and that he should go with them without hesitation (verses 19–20). Peter found Cornelius’s two servants and the soldier, and they told Peter of Cornelius’s visitation by an angel and asked him to come and speak to Cornelius (verse 22).

Peter invited the men to stay the night, and the next day Peter followed them back to Caesarea (verse 23).

When Peter entered Cornelius’s home, the centurion fell at Peter’s feet in reverence, but Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up . . . I am only a man myself” (Acts 10:25–26). Peter then reminded Cornelius that it was against Jewish law for Peter to be associating with Gentiles. However, Peter explained, God had shown him in a vision not to call any person common or unclean.

Peter understood that the animals in his vision were symbolic of the Gentiles, to whom God was preparing to give the gospel (Acts 10:28–29). Cornelius then told Peter about the angel who had told him to seek out Peter. Both Peter and Cornelius saw that God had acted to bring them together.

Peter then said, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” (Acts 10:34–35), and then he preached the gospel to everyone gathered in Cornelius’s house.

As Peter was speaking, the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by speaking in tongues, and were baptized with water (Acts 10:44–48). Peter and the Jews who were with him saw the beginning of something new God was doing: “They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have” (verse 47).

The “mini-Pentecost” in Cornelius’s house was proof positive that the gospel was for all people, not just Jews ( Luke 2:10; Matthew 28:19).

In considering the story of Cornelius in the Bible, it is important to note that being religious is not enough to save a person. Cornelius was as devout as they come, and he worshiped the one true God.

Yet he still needed to hear the gospel and respond to it positively. That’s why God sent Peter, so that Cornelius could hear of the death and resurrection of Christ, which Peter clearly preached (Acts 10:39–40, 43).

It was only after Cornelius and his household received the message about Jesus that they received the Holy Spirit and were born again.

The story of Cornelius not only shows the necessity of the gospel but it indicates that God will move heaven and earth to bring the gospel to those who are ready to receive it.

Though Cornelius feared God in his heart and mind, he lacked knowledge of God. This is proven true in Acts 10:25, which says:

Many Christians today come to church and accept Christ, only to stay immature and lacking in Biblical knowledge. Instead of worshiping God alone, they end up honoring ministers or other people in their lives way too much.

Instead of pleasing God, they try so hard to please people, please family members, please friends, thinking that "honoring the man of God" equals honoring God.

This brings a two-fold lesson for us. As God's people, we ought to worship and idolize no one but God alone. Ministers or shepherds of the flock, on the other hand, ought to teach the people to do that, and not receive worship as well.

Cornelius is introduced to us as "one who feared God with all his household" ( Acts 10:2). When God told him to call for Peter, he waited eagerly along with "his relatives and close friends" (s Acts 10:24). And when it came to hearing God's word, he wasn't selfish either. He told Peter,

Cornelius was a man whose faith and fear in God wasn't kept in the closet. He wasn't ashamed to fear God in the sight of his household. When an opportunity to hear a message from God came to him, he didn't act as if he was a "special" man "chosen" to hear a "special message from God." No, he didn't do that.

He shared his faith with his family, influenced his relatives to fear God, and invited even his close friends to hear a message from God, something he hasn't even heard yet. His faith in God spread like wildfire to his closest and most intimate interactions.

We ought to be like that. We ought to desire to see our families saved and rejoicing in the truth of Christ. We ought not to keep the love of God to ourselves but share it to our families and closest friends, too.

We're commanded to do that. Moreover, it should be our joy to do that.