Cornelius Calls for Peter

Here are my thoughts on Acts 10:1-8.

Summary: In this passage, an angel of the Lord appeared to a Roman centurion in Caesarea named Cornelius. This angel told him to send men to Joppa for the apostle Peter, and he obeyed.

Thoughts: In verses 2 and 4, we see that Cornelius strove to be internally and externally acceptable to God. Yet it is clear that he had not been justified by God, as he needed to hear the Gospel message from Peter. This passage, then, bolsters this Protestant belief:

Deeds cannot lead to salvation.

Now I – along with many Protestants – often struggle with the question, “do my deeds constitute the response of a genuine believer to God’s offer of salvation?” I believe this struggle stems from the fact that evaluation is intrinsic to our society. Authority figures evaluate their subordinates; thus, it is natural for us as believers to assume that God is constantly evaluating our deeds. While He does approve or disapprove of each of our deeds, the challenge for us as believers is to separate that process of evaluation from the question of salvation. Indeed, we must trust that He has already saved us through the perfect life of His Son and consider how we can express our thankfulness to Him on a daily basis.