February 23, 2014

Commentary on Acts 10:1-8

By Bob Myhan

¹There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, ²a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

Caesarea was the Roman capital of Judea in the days of Jesus and Paul. It was located by the Sea about thirty-two miles north of the seaport of Joppa, and about sixty miles northwest of Jerusalem. There is no indication that Jesus ever went there. Here, Luke introduces us to the man who will be one of the first Gentile disciples. A centurion was a Roman soldier who was given charge of a hundred men. He is one who believes in the One True God, tries to live a godly life, practices benevolence and prays regularly. The phrase, “the people,” almost always refers to the Jews. He stood head and shoulders above the average Roman, morally speaking. A man of his character and spiritual attributes in our day would surely be considered a faithful Christian by many. However, we shall see that he was in need of salvation.

³About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!"

We later learn (10:30) that Cornelius was praying when he saw the angel. It would not be a stretch, therefore, to deduce that the angel was sent to him in answer to his prayer.

⁴And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. ⁵Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. ⁶He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do."

As mentioned in the comments on chapter nine, “lord” does not necessarily attribute deity but merely superiority or seniority to another. Thus, Cornelius recognizes that the angel is his superior. The centurion’s prayers and alms had not gone unnoticed by God. These were good works but good works are of no spiritual benefit to one who is not in a right relationship with God. Cornelius, as all others, had sinned and prayers and alms were not sufficient to save him. He is instructed to send for Peter, who is, by the providence of God, but thirty-two miles south. Peter will tell Cornelius what he “must do” to “be saved” (compare Peter’s inspired review to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, Acts 11).

The reader should take notice of the fact that the angel did not personally tell Cornelius what he “must do.” As explained in connection with Saul having seen Jesus, the gospel treasure had been put in earthen vessels—men—so that the message could shine brighter than the messenger by contrast. (2 Cor. 4:3-7) Neither is this the first time an angel was involved, to some extent, in conversion. When the apostles were imprisoned, for example, an angel liberated them and said, "Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life." (Acts 5:17-20). After the Samaritans had received the Holy Spirit by Peter and John laying hands on them, the angel of the Lord told Philip to go to Gaza, which brought into proximity with the Ethiopian treasurer. (Acts 8:26-29) But in each of the above cases, as with the case now under review, the gospel still had to be preached after the angel’s involvement. The role of the angels was simply to get preacher and prospect together. This is achieved today through the word of God, which tells Christians to teach the lost.

⁷And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. ⁸So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Cornelius has apparently desired an opportunity to hear and obey the gospel for quite some time. Perhaps that is the very thing for which he has been praying. Luke later mentions the fact that Philip the evangelist lives in Caesarea (21:8). And it has been at least three years since the establishment of the church on Pentecost. And remember that Philip made his way back to Caesarea after having preached to the Samaritans and the Ethiopian eunuch.

But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. (Acts 8:40).

Joppa is a little less than half-way between Azotus and Caesarea. Thus, it is certainly possible that the disciples at Joppa had been converted by Philip’s preaching. And our centurion could have been aware of that by virtue of his proximity. But Gentiles had not yet been taken into the fold.

Nevertheless, now that he knows that he will at long last have the opportunity to hear and obey what he ”must do” to “be saved,” he wastes no time in sending men to Joppa to find Peter and bring him back to Caesarea to hear what God has commanded. For security, one of the men is “a devout soldier,” who will surely see to the safe arrival of Peter.

(To be continued)

“The Helmet of Salvation”

By Eddie R. Littrell

There helmet was a cap made of thick leather or brass, fitted to the head, and usually crowned with a plume or crest as an emblem and ornament. It was designed to guard the head from a blow by a sword, war-club, or battle-axe. The helmet defended the head—a most vital part.  Along with the other pieces of the armor, it was necessary to complete the “whole armor” of the warrior.

Paul employed this figure in a parallel passage (1 Thess. 5:8). He said, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” As the head is vital to the physical body, so is the mind of the spiritual warrior. The idea is that a well-founded hope of salvation will preserve us in the days of spiritual battle. It will guard us from the blows that the enemy will strike. It will defend the soul.

A military soldier will not fight well when there is no hope of victory. Likewise, a Christian could not contend with the trials, tribulations, persecutions, and temptations of this life if there were no hope of final salvation. But sustained by this, there is nothing to dread. Peter says that in spite of the “trial of your faith” you can still receive “the end of your faith—the salvation of your soul” (1 Peter 1:7-9).

Having the assurance of salvation, the Christian can engage in the spiritual battle, for he knows that “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Every Christian soldier should have the same confidence as Paul, who wrote, “nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day”   (2 Tim. 1:12). After all, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith” (1 John 5:4). &

“Take ... the Sword of the Spirit”

By W. Bruce Tooley

 Not only has God provided us with armor to defend against the weapons of Satan and his hordes, but He has also given us one piece of offensive weaponry. It has been said, “The best defense is a good offense.” If a soldier goes into battle without an offensive weapon, his armor will eventually fail him. The Holy Spirit has thus seen fit to put a “sword” in the hand of every Christian who chooses to take and wield it. The apostle Paul exhorts all Christians to arm themselves with “the sword the spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).

Let us ever remember that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal” (2 Cor. 10:4). In the daily struggle of our warfare we have an opportunity to use many weapons—our influence, the periodicals, our tongue. But we must make sure that we are using them properly and in conjunction with God’s word. In other words, we should not combat a false teacher by character assassination, by trying to keep him from earning a livelihood or by spreading unfounded rumors about him. We are to lovingly use the word of God to expose his errors.

The author of the epistle to the Hebrews states, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (4:12). The task God has given man of wielding this double-edged sword is awesome, for by it the world will be convicted of sin and brought to the Lord (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 4:14-15; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:22-23). The word of God and is very powerful if it is used properly. There is a saving edge, which is sharp to convince, to convert and to sanctify the heart of the listener. But there is also a condemning edge; by it we will be judged (John 12:48). On the day of Pentecost, those who had crucified the Lord Jesus were cut to the heart by Peter’s preaching of the gospel (Acts 2:37). Because he wielded the sword of the Spirit responsibly and ably, 3,000 men and women were able to hear, believe, repent, confess and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:37-41). &