June 25, 2023

Acts 10: 1, 2 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. (NIV)

The brilliance of Jesus shines brighter than the different tones of our culture, gender, and reputation.*

Because the Old Testament concentrates on the antics of a select group of people, it’s easy to get the impression that God ignored the rest of the world – and that, likewise, the world ignored him - until God opened the door to the Gentiles. But if you read the Bible carefully, you will find intriguing little clues that God’s interaction with humans was not limited to the Jews and their predecessors.

Luke tells us that Cornelius was well-acquainted with God. As a Gentile - and a high-ranking Roman soldier at that - how, when, and where was he exposed to knowledge of the one true God? There is no indication that he was a Jewish proselyte – someone who had been converted to Judaism – so his worship did not follow their traditions. All we know is that he and his family were devout, God-fearing, generous to the poor, and they prayed to God regularly. In other words, good people.

But they were good people who didn’t know Jesus. All their godly attitudes and actions couldn’t save them. After some divine intervention, Peter was convinced to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his household. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius and his family were convicted of their need to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Their obedience, their example, and their acceptance by the Holy Spirit opened the door for all Gentiles to join the family of believers.

Perhaps there is a good person in your life who needs Jesus. It’s easy for someone to think that because they are kind and generous and they believe in God, there is no reason for them not to expect to make it into heaven. They don’t understand that no one is that good. Tell them the story of Cornelius – a good man who couldn’t get to heaven on his own merits. A good man who understood that Jesus is The Way.

All our best efforts at morality and spirituality could not expunge our guilt or deflect his wrath.*