A devout centurion of Caesarea (Acts 10).
He was “God-fearing,” that is, he was a proselyte of Judaism, zealous and charitable. However, he was not saved because of his good works (Acts 11:14).
God spoke to him through a vision, and called Peter, believing in the Lord through his preaching; He received the Holy Spirit, along with the friends who were with him, and was baptized.
The descent of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius is of immense importance for the early church, since it marked the entry of the Gentiles into its midst (the Samaritans of Acts 8 were half-Jews).
From now on the Spirit was given to all those who, regardless of their origin, heard with faith the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But he specifies in this regard that Cornelius and his friends, at the time of his conversion, were baptized with the Holy Spirit like the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 11: 15-17); that is, that, according to 1 Cor. 12:13, they were thereby united to the body of Christ, erasing all previous distinctions of race, religion and social situation.
Meaning of CORNELIUS
He was “God-fearing,” that is, he was a proselyte of Judaism, zealous and charitable. However, he was not saved because of his good works (Acts 11:14).
