Caesarea: The Gospel Preached To The Gentiles (Iv)

by J. Miller. | Category: The Growth Of The Fellowship | Apr 1959

We have seen how the gospel wrought marvellously among the Jews in Jerusalem, resulting in the bringing together of the disciples as the church of God in that city. Then we have followed the work of Philip among the Samaritans in Samaria, how that first Christ was preached there, and that was followed by the preaching of the good tidings of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ and those who believed were baptized, both men and women. Then we have the case of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch, who was probably a proselyte, for it is said that he had been to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home. Following that we have the conversion of Paul, possibly the most outstanding Jew of his time or, we might say, of any time.

Now we come to the conversion of the Gentiles, of Cornelius and his household. This is a major event in the development of the work of the Lord, the beginning of the gospel being preached to the Gentiles in which the apostle Paul was to be greatly used of God. Cornelius was a devout man. Indeed all three men whose conversions are recorded were what we may call devout men according to their religious views, the eunuch, Saul and Cornelius.

The conversion of Cornelius bears a slight resemblance to that of Saul in that there was divine intervention in the case of each. Cornelius was a praying man and encouraged others to do likewise. It says that he was "a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway" (Acts 10.2). He was probably a representative of a large number of people who are indicated in the beginning of the words of Peter, " Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons but in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to Him " (verse 34). This class of person is viewed in those of whom Paul writes in Romans 2.6, 7, "Who (God) will render to every man according to his works: to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and incorruption, eternal life." Such are those who are envisaged in the words of Revelation 20.12, 15 whose names will be found in the book of life at the judgement of the great white throne. "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works ... And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire." These words clearly contemplate that there will be those at the great white throne judgement who will not be cast into the fearsomeness of the lake of fire. The repentant men of Nineveh will be there, who repented at the preaching of Jonah and will condemn all who did not repent at the preaching of Christ, the Greater than Jonah. There will also be the queen of Sheba there, who came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and who will condemn others who did not accept the wisdom of the Greater than Solomon.

God sent to Cornelius an angel who made the remarkable announcement to him, "Thy prayers and thine alms are gone up for a memorial before God " (verse 4). He was told to send for Peter who was in Joppa, lodging in the house of Simon a tanner, whose house was by the seaside. Peter, in his defence before them who were of the circumcision amongst the disciples in Jerusalem, repeated what the messengers said when they came from Caesarea to bring him to Cornelius, "Send to Joppa, and fetch Simon, whose surname is Peter; who shall speak unto thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house (Acts 11.13, 14).

Not only had Cornelius a vision of an angel, but Peter also had the vision of the sheet which was let down from heaven wherein were all manner of beasts, creeping things, and fowls of the heaven. lie was told to arise, kill and eat. He remonstrated with the Lord, that he had never eaten anything that was common and unclean. Whereupon he was told, "What God hath cleansed, make not thou common. This refers back to what is said in Mark 7.15-20, where we read, "There is nothing from without the man, that going into him can defile him: but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man ... Because it goeth not into his heart, but into his belly, and goeth out into the draught. This He said, making all meats clean." Here the Lord changed the matter of the eating of meats for His disciples. It was a hard lesson for those who had been brought up under the Levitical law, wherein in the past dispensation God divided between things clean and unclean. Paul who was a Jew clearly understood the dispensational change that had taken place. He says, "I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus (this means, I judge, by the Lord's teaching), that nothing is unclean of itself: save that to him who accounteth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean" (Romans 14. 14).

The change of the law of Christ relative to meats is definitely connected with the bringing in of the Gentiles to share in the same blessings as the Jews, as we read in Ephesians 3.6, 7, "that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the Body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, whereof I was made a minister." Here we have the Gentiles being eternally blessed of God without any conformity to the ceremonial side of the law of God applicable to Israel in the Old Testament. This is clearly shown in the words of Peter which flowed from his enlightened understanding, "Unto me hath God shewed that I should not call any man common or unclean" (Acts 10.28).

Thus it was that while Peter was perplexed about the vision of the sheet which he had seen, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men seek thee. But arise, and get thee down, and go with them, nothing doubting: for I have sent them" (verses 19, 20).

On the morrow they set out for Caesarea, and six of the disciples accompanied them, and when they came to Caesarea they found Cornelius waiting for them. When Cornelius met Peter he fell at his feet and worshipped him, but Peter said to him, "Stand up; I myself also am a man." He found that many were gathered together in the house, and Peter explained the situation to them, and Cornelius also told his experience of how he was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in his house and he saw a man in white apparel who told him to send to Joppa for Simon, who was surnamed Peter. Following this Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius and the assembled company, winding up with the words, "To Him bear all the prophets witness, that through His name every one that believeth on Him shall receive remission of sins " (verse 43). Here were the words by which Cornelius was saved. He was not saved until he had believed on Christ, though had he died before he heard and believed the gospel he would have been found among those at the great white throne whose names are in the book of life. Salvation is by faith in Christ in the case of those to whom the gospel comes.

It should be noted that here remission of sins is by believing in Christ, not by confession, as in 1 John 1.9, " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Confession of sins would be impossible for the sinner. His sins are too many to think of confessing them before God. Confession is the responsibility of the children of God that they may live in fellowship with God. All that the sinner is called upon to do is to believe in Christ and remission of sins is his; he is saved from hell; he is justified by faith; he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit; etc. Faith and faith alone puts him beyond the doom of sin. Rome claims, falsely, that Peter was the first pope. But the Romanist will not listen to Peter as to how sins are forgiven, and Rome has instituted the fearful evil of the confessional, teaching that men should confess their sins to a mere man, a sinner like any other, and from him receive remission. Alas, that so many are caught in this snare of the devil, and sail on to eternity on Rome's false promises, only to find that Rome's forgiveness is not acknowledged in heaven.

While Peter yet spoke his closing words about believing in Christ, the Holy Spirit fell on all them that heard the word. The Jewish believers who accompanied Peter were amazed, because that on the Gentiles was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit. The evidence of this gift was seen in that those who were gathered together to hear Peter spoke with tongues and magnified God, like as those had done on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. Here was the commencement of the fulfilment of the word of Peter in Jerusalem, "To you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto Him" (Acts 2.39). Christ by the Spirit (1 Peter 1.12) was preaching peace to them that were far off as well as to those that were nigh (Ephesians 2.17).

Following the baptism of the believing Gentiles in one Spirit into the one Body by the Lord, Peter asked, "Can any man forbid the water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we? " There was no opposition raised by the Jewish brethren, so Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Peter remained with them for certain days at their request, and no doubt during that time he taught them many things proper to the disciple pathway, according to his commission given by the Lord in Matthew 28.19, 20: "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (age)." Believers should not be left after their conversion to find their own way as best they can, but should be taught the way of the Lord carefully (Acts 18.26). Here perchance was the beginning of the church of God in Caesarea, and here Philip the evangelist resided. There Paul tarried many days on his journey to Jerusalem (Acts 21.8, 15, 16).

We have now seen that to the Jews in Jerusalem the word was, that they should repent and be baptized and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2.38). In the case of the Samaritans, they received Christ and were afterwards baptized, but they did not receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John had laid their hands upon them (Acts 8.14-17), and here in the case of the Gentiles the Holy Spirit was given at the moment of their believing and before baptism in water and without the laying on of hands. The principle on which the Holy Spirit was to be given, and is given, is that of faith in Christ : This spake He of the Spirit, which they that believed on Him were to receive" (John 7. 39). Paul asked the Galatians, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith ? " (Galatians 3.2). The answer to this question is obvious, it was by the hearing of faith. See also Ephesians 1.13,

We who arc Gentiles cannot be too thankful for what is contained in Acts 10, in which we see how the Lord dealt with those who were Gentiles in the flesh.

J. Miller. | Apr 1959
The Growth Of The Fellowship