In the above focus we see the Holy Spirit falling on those who were considered by the Jews as the unregenerate, the eternally lost, those who were not chosen as God’s own people. However since the fall in the reality of spiritual life, God considered all people He created, Gentiles and Jews alike, wicked from their conception. Eventually the Jews became an exception from this intractable darkness humans found themselves in; the law, the light of God, was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Now in the above focus we see a Gentile and his household being delivered from being in the darkness of the world. Cornelius and his household experienced a supernatural event of being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit fell on them as they were listening to the Good News of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The Spirit of God indwelled them after they heard Peter’s say: the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. We see in this setting that the visiting Jews were not anticipating this act of the Spirit of God falling on these unclean Gentiles. Even if they had envisioned such a happening, they would have considered such an intervention of God on Gentiles would only happen after a long, sustained prayer, maybe accompanied by a period of fasting. We see in this event, the gracious God of eternal love placing his redemptive hands on the Gentile world. Yes, we do know Cornelius and his family had circumcised hearts, for they were following the mores of an eternal, good Creator, He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. (Acts 10:2) But following the nature of God could not wash away their sins; it could not do away with their Adamic nature. Jesus had said this about the human race; your likeness in the flesh will never be accepted by God; YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. Or you must come anew in the likeness of God, not of Adam. Paul says this about Jew and Gentile: You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. (Ephesians 2:1-3) How could Paul say that about himself; we know he was dedicated to the law; we know his zeal was so strong for God and his law that he was willing to persecute and even kill the apostate Christians. He was trying to live a circumcised life, yet he was caught in the net of sinful acts and deeds, killing innocent men and women which is against the law. As Peter said in a meeting with Jewish Christians, leaders of the nascent church, which one of us circumcised Jews completely satisfy the written law of Moses? Of course, none of these leaders could answer in the affirmative. The Bible says, all have sinned, all have gone astray, no one is righteous, or right with God. Yet in the case of Cornelius and his family, God honors humans with sincere hearts who attempt to be moral, loving and caring for all human beings. I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
The Romans and Greeks considered circumcision as a form of body mutilation, and hence barbaric. Therefore, we can assume that no one in Cornelius’ family and household was circumcised. Maybe not physically circumcised but their allegiance to God the Creator was very strong. Their hearts indicated circumcision of the inner person, for they had hearts of love and caring for all people. Paul talks about this condition of circumcision of the heart in his letter to the Romans. Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God. (Romans 2:25-29) Paul is telling us that the Roman, Cornelius, has a circumcised heart. He is dedicated to God in his heart; therefore, he is a Jew, or a member of God’s chosen people. We see the prophets of old constantly warning the Jews that their hearts were uncircumcised. Their bodies indicated circumcision, dedication to God, but their hearts were far from God. “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.” Jeremiah 4:4 An uncircumcised heart will be judged and a circumcised heart will be honored as we see with Cornelius and his family. God honors Cornelius and his household by pouring the Holy Spirit upon them. The Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The Jews with Peter heard the Gentiles speaking in tongues and praising God. These circumcised Jewish believers who accompanied Peter to Cornelius’ house concluded no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have. Now Peter fully understands why the voice from heaven told him not to call anything unclean that God has made clean. These unclean Gentiles as far as the Jews were concerned were now receiving the mantle of God’s chosen. They were now being clothed in righteousness. IN CHRIST JESUS you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, FOR YOU ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29) All who live IN CHRIST are Abraham’s seed, a chosen people bound for eternal life in the household of God.
We who live in this time often forget the uniqueness of our position with God. We are God's children regardless of our personal understanding of how we should live or envision life IN CHRIST. We might even live uncircumcised lives, not completely under the constraints of God’s law and regulations. But as we view the Gentiles of Peter and Paul’s time, we see a group of Christians often living lives of unrestraint to Moses’ law and regulations. James, Jesus’ brother, advises the church leadership in Jerusalem to send a letter to the Gentile churches, recommending to them activity that they should avoid. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. (Acts 15:28-29) They did not ask these Gentiles to be circumcised in the flesh; they did not ask for the Gentiles to obey all the regulations in the law. They only asked for them to avoid certain activities. They really could not ask for anything more, for they knew God had already validated these Gentiles as his own. How could they put stipulations on God about who He should choose to be in his kingdom and who He should not choose to be in his kingdom? God had already decided that issue. As Paul exclaimed, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17) The church council leadership, some who had walked with Christ, and the worst of sinners in the Gentile world were living in God’s domain because of faith, a righteousness that is by faith from FIRST TO LAST. This is so important to today’s Christians. Let God decide who is in his kingdom and not us. We are not to be the judge of right and wrong, let God be the judge and let him do the discipline, for He disciplines his children. We often accentuate the fundamentals in knowing God; these foundational truths should be understood, assimilated in our Christian walk, but we also should move on to deeper things in our walk with Christ. Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. (Hebrews 6:1-3) So many of us believe these fundamentals capture what it means to be a Christian. Yes those are foundational, but keeping in step with the Holy Spirit is to be a major part of a deeper life IN CHRIST. The basic tenets of being a Christian is but milk when compared with the Holy Spirit attributes in our lives: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22) If we do not watch out, we are following God by the stipulations of how to be a Christian, which is good, such as the law was good. But following what is right to be acceptable to God does not mean we are fulfilling God’s demand on our lives. He is asking us to be IN STEP with the Holy Spirit’s attributes. We see in the above focus, God puts his approval on the Cornelius household by infilling them with the Holy Spirit. We too are to be FILLED WITH THE Holy Spirit. We too are to express God’s goodness in the tongues of love and caring for the whole world. We do not follow God by law or stipulations. We follow God because our hearts have been circumcised by the infilling of the Spirit. We are NEW CREATURES, who act and look different to the world. What law can be against those who express love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to the world. The kindness of God and his enduring love for all people lead people away from this world into his loving arms. Let us image God in our daily lives so that the world may see him in us.
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