Cornelius’ faith

“A devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.” Let’s look at the characteristics of the centurion Cornelius. (1) He was a devout man. “Devout” means “deeply religious” or “pious”. (2) Additionally, he was a man who “feared God.” He was not a convert to Judaism; he had not undergone circumcision, but he worshiped the God of the Jews. In other words, he was called a “God-fearing Gentile.” He acknowledged the one God that the Jews believed in and worshiped in the Jewish synagogue. At that time, moral decay and spiritual barrenness were widespread in the Roman world. Consequently, there was an increasing number of Romans who worshiped the God of the Jews in their quest to satisfy their spiritual longing. (3) Not only Cornelius but “all his household” shared the same faith. Typically, those in military service were not allowed to marry. From Luke’s account alone, it is unclear whether Cornelius was married. The term “household” here (Greek: oikos) includes slaves as well. (4) Cornelius “made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people.” These acts of charity were an outward expression of his inner piety. He showed love to the descendants of Abraham. It is likely that he learned the practice of giving alms from the Jews. Even today, no other people are as known for their charity as the Jews. (5) Furthermore, he “prayed to God continually,” meaning he lived in dependence on God.

Centurions in the Bible

(1) Cornelius blessed the Jews. This is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. (2) In his Gospel, Luke introduces two centurions. (a) In Luke 7:2-5, there is a centurion in Capernaum who loved the Jews and built a synagogue for them. As a result, he received a blessing from the Lord Jesus (his servant’s illness was healed). (b) In Luke 23:47, there is a centurion standing by the cross who said, “This man was in fact innocent.” (3) Paul encountered two centurions who were favorable towards him (ref. Acts 22:25-26, 27:3). The centurions who appear in the Bible, without exception, possess noble character and are favorable towards the Jews. Let us also strive for noble character, a God-fearing faith, and love for the Jewish people.