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Many people like to ask the question, can you be saved if you are a genuine seeker and have responded to God but have not yet heard the Gospel?
Cornelius was described as a devout man who feared God and gave alms to Jewish people. He prayed to God continually which could have meant three times per day as this is the Jewish custom. Being described as a devout man meant that he worshiped the God of the OT, kept the OT law, attended synagogue, and observed the Sabbath. However, he had not converted to Judaism, most likely because he was a centurion. So, by Jewish standards, he was still considered ritually unclean because he was a Gentile.
We have here a prime example of the question were are exploring. Cornelius was a genuine seeker who had responded to God but knew nothing of the Gospel. Here we can confirm that God works in the supernatural to drawn seeking people to Him. God’s main message to Cornelius is to investigate. He invites Him to draw even closer. There is action required, however, and Cornelius obeys.
At the same time, God is working on Peter. After his puzzling vision, which challenges everything he believes about food being clean/unclean in the sight of God, Cornelius’ men show up. Peter invites them in as God continues to break down the borders that separate Jew from Gentile.
The beauty here is that Peter took advantage of the opportunity that was before him and listened to the Spirit. He didn’t rely on his human thoughts. He didn’t rely on being raised to hate Gentiles. He didn’t rely on Jewish teaching telling him that the Gentiles could never be God’s chosen people. Peter let the Holy Spirit speak radically in the moment and it transformed not only his thoughts but the lives of the Gentiles who were there before him.
How is God asking you to put aside your human thoughts to pursue the plan He’s asked?