Acts 10:22, commentary and pictures

Cornelius was a Roman centurion of high rank, a just man who feared God and had a good report among all the Jews. He was sincere and devout, faithful to all the light he had received, and his prayers and alms were accepted by God as a memorial before Him. Yet he was not fully informed of the truth and was directed by a holy angel to send for Peter into his house to hear the message by which he and his household would be saved. The gospel was not to be communicated by the angel but by a human messenger, with heaven and earth united in cooperation for his salvation. Through this meeting the gospel was opened to the Gentiles, breaking down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles and beginning the gathering of the firstfruits of a worldwide harvest.

Cornelius Described

Cornelius was a centurion, a Roman officer of high rank. He is described as a just man who feared God and was of good report among all the nation of the Jews, regarded as just and reverent toward God and well spoken of among the Jewish people. His messengers gave this same description of him to Peter when they answered why they had come.

He was sincere, devout, honest, and faithful to all the light he had received, walking in all he knew with sincere, earnest purpose and seeking and praying for further truth and light from heaven. He had received and improved all the light God had given him. He was already accepted by God, with his prayers and alms coming up for a memorial before God, commended in devout piety and accepted as acceptably as a Jew like Peter as far as his knowledge went.

Yet he was not fully informed in regard to the truth, still needing to hear more about Jesus Christ. He needed to receive advanced light and gain a new experience to do his work intelligently, with one who believed the promise of a Messiah now receiving its fulfillment in Christ in whom all fullness dwells. When Christ was revealed to him as an earnest seeker outside the Jewish class who longed and prayed for light from heaven, he received Him gladly.

Angel Sends for Peter

Cornelius was warned from God by a holy angel to send for Peter into his house to hear words from him. That message was the message by which he and his household would be saved, bringing further light about Jesus Christ through a human messenger to one who already feared God. His messengers therefore answered Peter by describing him as just and God-fearing and of good report among the Jews and by telling of the angel's direction, showing God's working to join a seeking soul to the teacher sent to him. That working was for Gentiles who had not yet heard the truth, that they should not be belittled or excluded but be brought as strangers into fellowship as fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household.

The direction shows that the Lord knows every person by name, just where they live, the spirit they possess, and every act of life. He knew exactly where Peter was to be found, staying in Joppa with Simon a tanner by the seaside, and told Cornelius every particular by the angel. The angel could have told Cornelius the whole gospel message directly, but that is not God's way. God purposed a personal connection between Peter and Cornelius, requiring His church to connect together so that the light imparted to Peter had to be imparted by Peter to Cornelius and all his family.

In obedience Cornelius sent messengers to Peter with an urgent request. Peter received them courteously and agreed to go with them the next morning in obedience to God's direction. Cornelius meanwhile waited with his kinsmen and near friends gathered, having called together his relatives and household to hear the truth and receive instruction in how to be saved.

Peter Guided to Go

Peter was shown by heaven itself what to do and what to say, hearing and understanding the Spirit's voice commanding him to go down and go with the men doubting nothing because God had sent them. In obedience to that direction he went down to the men, declared himself the one they sought, and asked why they had come. When they answered that Cornelius, a just and God-fearing centurion of good report among the Jews, had been warned by a holy angel to send for Peter to hear words from him, the exchange fulfilled the direction just given while Peter pondered the vision. He called them in and lodged them that night, and on the morrow set out with them for Caesarea, a journey of nearly two days, taking six brethren with him as witnesses of all he said and did because he knew he would be called to account. His courteous reception and agreement to go the next morning followed God's direction even though he knew visiting Gentiles directly challenged Jewish faith and teaching.

He undertook the duty laid on him by divine command with reluctance at every step, acting not on feeling but on the errand received, against his own feelings and Jewish faith and teaching. Afterward he defended what he had done not on general principles but as an exception done because of divine revelation. The result was a great surprise to him. The arrival of the messengers while he was considering the vision showed how closely God coordinated events at every step. Recognizing this, he welcomed them with courtesy and respect, feeling that heaven had come near to earth.

His visit was a place of service God had appointed, where help was needed and where one who needed divine help and guidance was to receive light. He had been sent and instructed to visit Cornelius and give him light and guidance, with a special message from heaven directing the meeting.

Heaven Joined With Earth

The angel could have told Cornelius the whole gospel directly, but God did not plan it that way, for the gospel was not to be communicated by the angel but by a human messenger, with heaven and earth united and the agencies of heaven ever cooperating with human agencies. Though Cornelius was sincere, devout, just, God-fearing, well regarded and already accepted by God for his prayers and alms, he still needed to hear more about Jesus Christ, and God guided him toward further light by directing him to summon Peter to hear words from him. That direction opened the way for the Gentiles to receive the gospel, bringing one who had believed the promise of a Messiah to its fulfillment in Christ. God requires His church to connect together, so the light He had imparted to Peter had to be imparted by Peter to Cornelius and all his family through a purposed personal connection. This joining of believers to share truth with one another requires unity, loving one another, and dealing honestly, justly and truly as they pass on what God has given them.

God guides His servants by clear representations in vision given in the night season and by angelic messages, showing them what to do and say and what to speak in counsel, warning, approval or disapproval when a work is not according to His commandments, with the vision repeated again and again. Angels are immortal messengers, guides to God's messengers on earth and powerful helpers of His chosen messengers, and the ministration of heavenly angels in directing Cornelius to send for Peter and hear his message resulted in the conversion of Cornelius and his company. Heaven is much nearer to the Christian engaged in the work of soul-saving than is supposed, and the account teaches God's regard for every human being, with each to treat his fellow man as one of the Lord's instrumentalities for accomplishing His work in the earth. God's dealing with Peter by vision when He was about to send him to preach to the Gentiles proves that visions are given for the comfort of His people and to correct those who err from Bible truth, not to establish a new rule of faith. The Word of God remains the rule of faith and practice by which all are to be judged.

Neither prayer nor almsgiving can take the place of Christ Jesus, in whom all fullness dwells; they are acceptable as far as knowledge goes but are complete only in Him. One who believed the promise of a Messiah now receives its fulfillment in Christ, with an advance in faith and a new experience to do his work intelligently through Jesus Christ.

Gospel Opened to Gentiles

The angel's direction to send for Peter into his house to hear words from him began the meeting through which the gospel reached the Gentiles. Peter was sent with the message of salvation to a Gentile, and his vision taught him that he must bring it to one like Cornelius and must not regard Gentiles as unclean or excluded from God's offer. The plan was for a human messenger rather than the angel himself to bring the further light about the gospel, so that Gentiles who had been strangers to God's people could hear and become fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household.

Cornelius's conversion was the first major conversion among the Gentiles, the firstfruits of a harvest to be gathered from the world. Though Christ's death had broken down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, that barrier still remained in the apostles' minds, and they had not yet preached the gospel to the Gentiles. His conversion began the work of bringing Gentiles into the privileges of the gospel, marking their opening to it as equals with Jewish believers without requiring circumcision. From that household a widespread work of grace was carried on in a heathen city.

The command joins Jews and Gentiles by faith to Jesus Christ and takes away the barrier between them. Gentiles who had not yet heard the truth were not to be belittled or excluded from it, and God's work and the call to share the gospel were not to be restricted by barriers between Jews and Gentiles. God was guiding one who loved and feared Him but did not yet know all the truth, using human messengers to bring him further light and to break down prejudice, so that he would be accepted as an equal with Jewish believers without circumcision. When Cornelius related his experience and the angel's words, Peter declared that God is no respecter of persons but accepts in every nation those who fear Him and work righteousness.

Peter's experience in the home of Cornelius corroborates the promised blessing that when the promised power comes upon believers they speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.

Call to Work for Seekers

Acts 10 is to be read and prayed over until understanding is opened, for it shows the way God works on human minds to join a seeking soul to the teacher sent to him and to bring a God-fearing soul to hear the gospel, and its work is not to be restricted by barriers between Jews and Gentiles. When it is understood, workers will begin earnestly to work for souls in the home field and will arouse to their duties for missions at home, lest they be found wanting in the day of God.

Many men in the world are like Cornelius, fearing God and following principles of righteousness that God accepts in every sphere of action, living as devout examples with a clear, pure, undefiled testimony for truth and righteousness, bright and shining lights even in high positions of responsibility among worldly men and in investigation of true science. As God worked for Cornelius, so He works for these true standard-bearers, preparing the way for them to take the place of those who were given a knowledge of Bible truth but disappointed Christ, giving them a knowledge of God as Cornelius received it through the visitation of angels from heaven, and placing them in connection with men of superior knowledge of His Word that they may obtain advanced light and stand for God in true integrity. In every age God brings honest hearts into connection with those of His people best fitted to reach their individual needs, setting in motion a train of circumstances to bring teacher and seeker together so the seeker may learn the truth. They are precious jewels in this dark world of sin to be guided by personal effort into the full light of truth, and there are many such men in the world, with souls even in the churches much nearer the kingdom of heaven than is supposed, from which servants of God are to take courage.

Cornelius is the example of men in positions of stewardship and responsibility whom God sees and wants connected with the church, who lived faithfully according to the light received and were directed to further light. Such men have sympathies with commandment-keeping people but are held by threads binding them to the world and lack the moral courage to take their position because of the responsibilities they bear and the temptations that come with their stewardship. Reaching them requires special personal effort and special care, with more determined, earnest labor, and when converted they will give strength and solidity to the cause instead of bringing in objectionable elements.

The case calls for earnest, devoted, determined efforts for associations where souls as honest as Cornelius are seeking light and have all things in readiness to hear the truth and receive advanced light, that they may be gathered out by the light shining to them rather than left among those bitterly opposed to the message. They are to be reached through patient, loving work rather than antagonism, for Cornelius was honest and seeking light. This is a pattern for the last days, when many will prize the wisdom of God above any earthly advantage and will obey the Word of God as the supreme standard, being led to great light and coming to the knowledge of the truth. They will then seek to bring that light before acquaintances who like themselves are anxious for the truth, thus becoming conscientious lightbearers constrained by the love of God to constrain others, improving every opportunity to invite and urge others to come and see the beauty of the truth and to give their abilities to advance the work of God.

The verse shows God's compassion and tender love and special interest and regard for every human being who is seeking and praying for light, for God took special interest in Cornelius and sent a special message from heaven to him. Heaven is much nearer to the Christian engaged in the work of soul-saving than is supposed, and each is to treat his fellow man as one of the Lord's instrumentalities for accomplishing His work in the earth. This is great encouragement to keep working and to hold prayer that God will open the way for truth to enter strongholds and dispel darkness from those Satan seeks to deceive and destroy, and to place oneself in readiness by personal effort to guide such precious jewels to full light.