Some events change the course of history. Acts 10 records one such moment. It tells the story of Cornelius and his household, the first family of Gentiles to be welcomed into the Christian Church. Let me briefly retell the story, then we’ll look at two important lessons we can draw from it.
1. What This Ground-Breaking Baptism Meant
Acts 10 introduces us to Cornelius, a Roman centurion living in Caesarea. He was a military officer, but was also a devout man who feared God, prayed regularly, and gave generously to the poor.
One day, God sent an angel to tell Cornelius to send for Peter – Peter the Christian apostle, Peter the Jew. At the same time as his angel was addressing Cornelius, God gave Peter a vision. Sitting on a rooftop, Peter saw a sheet descending from heaven filled with animals that Jewish law regarded as unclean – unfit to eat. Yet God told him that they could now be eaten. God told Peter not to call ‘unclean’ what he had now made ‘clean’.
Peter soon realised that the vision was not really about food. It was about people. God was teaching him that Gentiles were no longer to be treated as outsiders. Jewish Christians were no longer to look down their noses at Gentiles. Rather they were to be offered the same Gospel of salvation that they themselves had received.
When Peter arrived at Cornelius’ house, he found a gathering of relatives and friends waiting to hear God’s message. So Peter preached the Gospel about Jesus Christ—His life, death, and resurrection. He declared that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came upon all who heard the message. The Jewish believers who had come with Peter were astonished because God had given his Spirit to Gentiles just as he had to Jewish believers. This was Pentecost ‘part 2’, for Gentiles now as well as Jews.
Peter immediately recognised what God was doing and commanded that Cornelius and his household be baptised. This baptism was a public visible sign that God had accepted them through faith in Christ. Their sins had been forgiven. They had become heirs of eternal life. They were now members of God’s people, God’s family, the Church.
This was a truly ground-breaking baptism, a pivotal moment in human history, because it demonstrated that God’s salvation was not limited to one nation or one group. The Church would never be the same again. Over the rest of Acts we see the rapid expansion of the Church across the gentile world. Through men like Peter and Paul, thousands of non-Jewish men and woman came to Christ.
2. Anyone Can Be Saved
So what lessons can we draw from this today? Well, the first lesson of Acts 10 is clearly that anyonecan become a Christian and be saved.
The story of Cornelius demonstrates that God does not judge people according to the categories that often matter so much to us. Human beings divide people by ethnicity, nationality, social position, age, gender, education, and background. God does not.
Cornelius was a Gentile. For many Jews of Peter’s day, that fact alone would have placed him outside the circle of God’s people. Yet God deliberately chose Cornelius to demonstrate that the Gospel is for all nations. Peter himself learned this lesson. He declared, “God does not show favouritism.” The Lord was teaching His Church that the saving work of Jesus Christ was intended for the whole world.
This truth remains vital today. No one is excluded from God’s people because they are rich or poor, young or old, male or female. No one is beyond God’s grace because of past sins, failures, or mistakes. The invitation of the Gospel is for everyone. Jesus Christ died and rose again so that people from every nation and every culture might be reconciled to God.
If God welcomed Cornelius, then He welcomes people from every background. The primary message of Acts 10 is wonderfully clear: whoever believes in Jesus Christ can receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. You might say that the baptism of Cornelius and his family shows us that God’s grace is wider than our prejudices and higher than our expectations.
3. Everyone Needs to Be Saved
The second lesson from today’s passage is equally important. While anyone can be saved, everyone needs to be saved. Cornelius was an impressive man. Humanly speaking, he appeared to have everything:
- He had power. As a centurion, Cornelius held a position of authority in the Roman army.
- He also had social status. Roman citizenship brought privilege and respect.
- Cornelius had wealth as well. We’re told that had servants and a substantial household.
- He had popularity too. When Peter arrived at Cornelius’ house he was surrounded by family members and close friends.
- What’s more, Cornelius was religious. He feared God and prayed regularly.
- And, lastly, Cornelius was generous. His gifts to the poor were well known.
Yet despite all these admirable qualities, Cornelius still needed to hear the Gospel. Peter did not arrive at his door and tell Cornelius that his good works would cancel out his sin and secure his forgiveness. He did not tell Cornelius that his prayer and generosity would get him to Heaven.
Instead, God had sent Peter to preach Christ to him. Why? Because Cornelius still needed Jesus. He needed to hear about the Saviour who died for sins and rose again from the dead. He needed to hear the Gospel message that forgiveness comes through faith in Christ alone. Despite his undoubted qualities, Cornelius and his household needed to believe the Gospel.
And when they did, everything changed. The Holy Spirit came upon him and his household. They were baptised and welcomed into the Church. They were saved.
This is a lesson our generation needs to hear today. Many people trust in things that cannot save them. Some trust in success. Others trust in their wealth, morality, religious activity, popularity, generosity or good intentions. But none of these things can reconcile us to God, none of these is the key that opens the gateway to Heaven.
If a man as respectable, generous, and devout as Cornelius needed Christ, then so do we. Our society’s greatest need is not peace or prosperity (good things though they are). Everyone’s greatest need is forgiveness and peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
As I finish, the great news is that the same Saviour who welcomed Cornelius still welcomes sinners today. Therefore, whoever we are and whatever our background, the call of Acts 10 is clear: come to Jesus today. Trust in Him, receive His forgiveness, and enter the family of God through faith in him.
And if we are already Christians, the message of Acts 10 is this – the good news of Jesus is for anyone who crosses our path. The good news of Jesus is for everyone we meet. So, following in Peter’s footsteps, let’s tell them!