Cornelius was a Roman soldier, a highly placed one. He was stationed in Caesarea, which was the residence of the Roman governor of Judea. It was a significant military station, as there were some Roman cohorts or garrisons stationed there. And as Craig Keener noted in his commentary on Acts 10:1-8, it was common for the local soldiers to be anti-Jewish. However, Cornelius was different. He was described as ‘devout and God-fearing’ (Acts 10:2). Quite unusual for a Roman soldier. But that was not all. He was also generous, gladly helping those who were in need. And because the city was a mixture of both Jews and Gentiles, those he helped would have included Jews (see v. 22).

Palestine was under Roman occupation. And it was not uncommon to have Roman soldiers extorting money from the locals or even falsely accusing them. Hence John the Baptist’s stern rebuke of them while preaching in Luke 3: 14:

“Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” 

So we can imagine what these soldiers were like.

However, Cornelius was poles apart. Different enough to have been noticed by both men and God (Acts 10:22).

We also learned that Cornelius prayed to God regularly. It is clear that the author has in mind not the numerous Roman deities, but the true God, the God of Israel. And this was so consistent that God had noticed it as a ‘memorial offering’ (v. 4).

This was remarkable. God took notice of him. In fact, if anyone was to get into heaven on account of his piety, Cornelius should have made it.

Yet he didn’t. 

God knew it was not sufficient. Good and pious as Cornelius was, it would really all amount to rags (Isaiah 64:6) if he neglected the main thing: the Gospel. This was why God had to instruct him to send for Peter, the Apostle. And Peter did not come to instruct him on how to be more devout or to exceed his target in charity. Nor was the message about how to pray better so God could respond faster. No. Peter’s message was on how Jesus had been sent by God and gone around performing many miracles through the Spirit. The religious leaders hated and finally killed him, yet God raised him from the dead and he was seen by many witnesses. God had now appointed him as the Judge of all mankind. Everyone who believed in him would receive forgiveness of their sins.

This was Peter’s message to Cornelius, the upright Roman soldier. Despite his admirable legacy, Cornelius needed to hear this. He needed to be pointed to the only Saviour through whom his sins could be forgiven. He needed to know about Jesus Christ, the Judge of all mankind. His godly and religious life was commendable, yet it would not do. He still needed the gospel.

Are we not like Cornelius? There is much religious devotion today, much earnestness in ‘the things of God’. As Nigerians, we are a deeply spiritual people. Our churches are filled up on Sundays, and new congregations spring up now and then. But beyond Sunday, our daily lives indicate this as well. We pray and preach on commercial buses and hold devotions in our offices. We often demonstrate our piety in trying to live clean, ordered, scandal-free lives. We try to raise decent children in stable homes. And we regularly pay our tithes and give numerous offerings.

Or could it be that we don’t even measure up to Cornelius?

Perhaps the pressures of modern life force us to ignore others and live just for ourselves. Living in Lagos (and maybe Abuja or even Port Harcourt) has meant we hardly remember prayer; career progression depends more on your network, your skills, and even your hustling spirit. And who cares about morality when you can barely pay your bills? It’s a corrupt society, anyway. My own little fraud or indecency now and then must surely be just a little drop in the bucket.

Whichever it is, we need this same gospel. Just as Cornelius’s morality could not save him, we should not expect ours to save us. In the same way, our lack of morality means we also need the forgiveness he received. Nothing but the gospel can do that. And that message is still being presented to everyone alive today, whether they are in Caesarea or Cairo, Chicago or Calabar, Calcutta or Cape Town. Everyone needs to receive the Saviour sent by God and believe in him for our forgiveness. We need to be converted by the Holy Spirit working through the message of the gospel (Acts 10:44).

If Cornelius needed the gospel, so do we.