I have written several articles on Cornelius and the initial entry of the Gentiles into the kingdom of Christ (the last was “Some Fresh Truth Applied To a Stale False Assumption”). It has been proven beyond doubt that Cornelius was no sinner.
But just now I want to discuss some additional evidence in support of this truth. That evidence comes from Luke’s account of Peter’s remarks at the “Circumcision Conference” recorded by Luke in Acts 15. The information is really insightful.
You may recall that in Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 15, the issue of whether or not Gentiles who want to become Christians must first become Jewish proselytes is being discussed. In Peter’s remarks he makes the point that he had been selected to be the one by whose “mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe” (v. 7). Then he declares that God, the heart-knower, bore witness to the Gentiles (showing that they were to be received into the church) by giving them the Holy Spirit even as he had earlier given the Holy Spirit to John’s disciples on Pentecost (v. 8; cf. Acts 2:1-4). And he says, “and he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith” (v. 9).
Interestingly, the definite article “the” appears before the word “faith.” What Peter is saying is that the Gentiles hearts at Caesarea had been cleansed by “the faith” or “the gospel” (cf. Jude 3; Heb. 11:39—in both of these passages, the article “the” appears before the word “faith”).
Furthermore, it is most crucial to understand that the word “cleansing” is an aorist participle, which means that the action in the word “cleansing” is punctiliar or point action (finished action), and that the action is antecedent to (before) that of the main verb (Ray Summers, Essentials of New Testament Greek, p. 94). The main verb is “made distinction” or “distinguished.” So, the cleansing that occurred took place before God made no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles. Now, just when did God make no distinction? In Acts 10, in a vision to Peter at Joppa, God declared that some Gentiles were now clean. Peter is then sent to Caesarea to the house of Cornelius, and he enters that house. He says that God had showed him that he was not to call any man common or unclean (Acts 10:28). He had a right to be in the house of this Gentile. His visit to this house is where God demonstrated that God was making no distinction between Jew and Gentile regarding inclusion in the church! See Acts 11:1-18. Peter back in Jerusalem later defended his course of action in Caesarea based on the fact that God had showed him that the previous distinction that had existed historically for years was no longer in effect!
But the visit of Peter to the house of Cornelius is subsequent to the “cleansing” of these Gentiles. They were cleansed prior to his visit to Caesarea. But how were they cleansed? At the conference in Jerusalem, Peter says that they were cleansed by “the faith” (Acts 15:9).
Now, Peter had just said that his mouth was the one that God had used so that the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe (v. 7). But remember, that God had sent the Holy Spirit into the hearts of the Gentiles BEFORE they heard Peter’s sermon at Caesarea. Peter said that the Spirit fell on these Gentiles as he “began to speak” (Acts 11:14), not during the lesson, and not following the lesson. Revisit Peter’s sermon in Acts 10:34-43, and consider carefully the composition of the very first part of it.
Now, these Gentiles surely believed what Peter did say at Caesarea. Peter said that these Gentiles were intended by God to hear and believe his words (Acts 15:7). After all, Peter held the key to Jew, Samaritan, and Gentile entry into the church (Matt. 16:19; Acts 1:8). Since Peter held the “keys” to kingdom entry for Jews, Samaritan, and Gentile, it was essential for him to be present when the first Gentiles came into the kingdom. These Gentiles could now receive “the water” in order that they might become compliant with the requirements for kingdom entry (Acts 10:48). They already had Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 11:15-16); now they had to be immersed in water (John 3:3-5). The complete new birth was one of water and Spirit!
But the “cleansing” of these Gentile hearts at Caesarea did not take place at the time of Peter’s sermon there. And it was not contemporaneous with their baptism in Spirit or in water. Remember, the “cleansing” had taken place prior to God’s making no distinction between Jew and Gentile by Peter’s arrival at the house of Cornelius.
So, when did God cleanse the hearts of Cornelius, his kinsmen, and his near friends by “the faith” (Acts 10:24; 15:9)?
When we go back and look at Peter’s sermon as recorded by Luke in Acts 10, we find out! When Peter opened his mouth and began his lesson (Acts 10:34; 11:15), the Holy Spirit fell on these Gentiles. This was only possible because they were already cleansed by “the faith.” In his sermon, Peter declares that these Gentiles already knew “the word” which had been preached by John and “the good tidings” or gospel of peace preached by Jesus Christ. They already knew “that saying”! (Acts 10:36-37). These Gentiles had already heard the gospel message that Jesus Christ is the son of God. They already knew that God anointed Jesus with Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). Remember, too, that John had preached that Jesus would be the one who would administer Holy Spirit baptism following John’s water-only baptism (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16), and when Peter began his sermon and the Holy Spirit came on the Gentiles, he remembered what John had said about Jesus being the one who would baptize in Holy Spirit (Acts 11:15-16). Even though neither John nor Jesus had been sent to Gentiles, these Gentiles at the house of Cornelius had already believed in Jesus, and therefore, knew the gospel that Jesus was the Saviour of mankind. Evidently, Cornelius was well aware of what was happening in Israel during the days of John and during the ministry of Jesus. After all, Cornelius respected the Jews “and gave much alms” to them (Acts 10:2).
So, we come back to the question, “When did God cleanse the hearts of these Gentiles by ‘the faith’?” The answer is that it occurred when they believed the gospel that John and Jesus preached (Acts 10:36-37; 15:9). That is why it was possible for the Holy Spirit to enter their hearts. Their hearts had already been cleansed by “the faith”! The new obligation of submission to the gospel already existed for this group of Gentiles because they already had access to the message. If they had rejected it, they would have forfeited the good standing before God that they already had. (This fact is similar to the fact that Jews in the area of the Jordan River were obligated to believe John the baptizer when he began preaching to them so that a new obligation was now imposed on them [Luke 7:29-30]).
Now, there are two basic reasons why most Christians today have concluded that Cornelius, before Peter got to his house, was a sinner. (1) They view the world of the first century the same as the world of the twenty-first century as far as amenability to the gospel is concerned. So (2) they view all men in the first century who had not yet been baptized in water for the remission of their sins as lost men. Both views are false as already explained in previous articles. But here, I want to conclude this article which stresses the significance of the “cleansing” in Acts 15:9 with an argument:
- If Cornelius was cleansed by “the faith” prior to Peter’s coming to Caesarea, then the “words whereby thou shalt be saved” in Acts 11:14 (which Peter would preach to him) cannot be a reference to salvation from sin but must be a delivery from the divine system for the Gentiles which was about to be terminated (i.e. Patriarchy/Moral Law-ism [Rom. 2:14-15]).
- Cornelius was cleansed by “the faith” prior to Peter’s coming to Caesarea (Acts 15:8-9; 11:15; 10:36-38).
- Then, the “words whereby thou shalt be saved” in Acts 11:14 (which Peter would preach to him) cannot be a reference to salvation from sin but must be a delivery from the divine system for the Gentiles which was about to be terminated (i.e. Patriarchy/Moral Law-ism [Rom. 2:14-15]).
The salvation or delivery of these Gentiles was somewhat like the “salvation” of Noah and his family who were “saved through water.” That salvation was not a salvation from sin, but a delivery from physical destruction (1 Peter 3:20). Cornelius’ salvation was salvation from a divine arrangement (Gentile-ism) which would no longer be the basis of his judgment (cf. Rom. 2:14-15).
Biblical Notes 