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62. Cornelius.

At the same time Peter also baptised a Welsh centurion in Caesaria, a Gentile from Rome. The centurion and his whole household were pious and God-fearing, charitable to the poor and fervent in prayer. An angel came to him and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer and your alms are before God, and now send men to Joppa and call to you Simon, whose surname is Peter, who will tell you what you should do.’ Peter was then in the city of Joppa, but he would hardly have gone with the centurion's messengers to the house of a Gentile and baptised him if God had not encouraged him to do so by a miraculous manifestation. For Peter and all his followers were still under the delusion that Jesus was a Saviour only for the Jews, even though he had the Holy Spirit. For even the Holy Spirit and all the grace of God do not do everything to people at once; rather, they give those who accept him the impulse and opportunity to become more understanding and more pious every day and guide them into the truth.

God made the apostle realise through the strange phenomenon that there was now no difference between Jews and Gentiles. In every nation, whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. When Peter came to the centurion, there was great joy and hope in the house. All the centurion's friends and relatives were there. The centurion fell down at the apostle's feet and wanted to worship him. But the noble-hearted apostle lifted him up and said, ‘I am a man too!’ When they had exchanged their first words, Peter told him the gospel, that God had proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who was Lord of all, and that the Jews had crucified and killed him. But God raised him up on the third day and appointed him judge of the living and the dead, and that those who believe in him receive forgiveness of sins.

This is what the apostles always said. They stopped at the beginning. That is the foundation of their teaching. When Peter realised that the centurion and his friends had joyfully accepted the gospel, he also had them baptised and remained with them for several days.