The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel

The New Covenant as it applies to Gentiles

The Roman Centurion. The third conversion is that of Cornelius, a soldier in the employ of Rome, who was a ‘God-fearer’.  He already had some knowledge of the Jewish religion, and demonstrated his generous disposition by acts of kindness and gifts of money to the local synagogue. Peter was instructed to visit him and preach the gospel. To overcome Peter’s reluctance to visit a non-Jew, the Messiah sent instructions from heaven. Peter had a vision of a sheet let down from heaven with many different animals in it. He was instructed to “kill and eat”. But he was an observant Jew and, as he thought, under Mosaic Law. He had been taught to discern between clean and unclean, and some of these animals were designated unclean. Peter objected to the divine command. He said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” (Acts 10:14) Three times he received the command before the vision ended. So when Peter was asked to go to the home of Cornelius, Peter, who would normally have refused, accepted the invitation. When he arrived there, he first explained how the Lord had overcome his reluctance. Then he spoke of the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah. But before Peter came to the end of his message the Spirit of God had fallen on the assembled company, a clear witness that they had been accepted for salvation. This Gentile household was the first among the non-Jewish population to embrace Christianity. To seal their conversions they were baptized. 

 

In summarizing these three important personal experiences, there are some things to remark on. Placed as they are in Luke’s history, it suggests that they are representative of certain groups of people. These three conversions contain valuable indicators that show how the New Covenant gravitated from a national, fully Jewish environment to an international Jewish/Gentile environment.

This group is made up of representatives from the three main people groups recognized by the Hebrew nation; a Jewish proselyte (the Ethiopian statesman), a Hebrew of Hebrews (Rabbi Shaul), and a Gentile (the Roman Centurion).

They also represent the three main population streams that rose from the sons of Noah, that is, Ham, Shem and Japheth.  The Ethiopian is from Africa (Ham); the Centurion is from Europe (Japheth) and Saul is a Jew (Shem). They are evidence of the truth expressed by Paul, the gospel of the Messiah “is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (Gentile)”. (Rom. 1:16) So that in Jesus “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female” (Gal.3.28) for all are one in Him.

In addition, there are elements of the gospel highlighted which indicate the means by which the gospel is effected. With the African the Word of God is central, he was reading from Isaiah, giving Philip the opportunity to explain that Jesus was the Messiah predicted in the T’nach. Clearly, this feature is central to all conversions because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. (Rom. 10:17) However, in Luke’s history, Saul’s experience revolved around the Lord – it was a personal encounter with the risen Messiah. Here is emphasized the centrality of the person of Jesus in salvation. Paul himself will give the only answer possible when asked “what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16.30) “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31). With Cornelius the descent of the Spirit of God upon the household is the dominant feature. Again, without the work of the Spirit of God there can be no salvation: “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit”. (1 Cor. 12:3)

And could we not say that the whole salvific act of Jesus, the death, resurrection and ascension, is incorporated here. His death is evident in the Isaiah passage that the Ethiopian read, and no doubt, central in the witness of Philip. The resurrection is key in the experience that Paul had on the Damascus road. That Jesus had been resurrected and was alive was the truth that Paul had to grapple with. And while not specifically identified in the narrative, it was the ascended Christ that poured out the Spirit upon the Centurion’s household in a similar fashion to that which took place on the day of Pentecost.[1]

A last comment on these significant personal encounters – the personnel involved were Peter, the individual who had authority from the Messiah to open the door of salvation to Jew and Gentile, and who later became the apostle to the Jews; Philip the evangelist, a man gifted of the Holy Spirit, who was himself a gift to the Church;[2] and of course the one person who will dominate the second half of the book of Acts and begin to take the gospel to the ends of the earth – Saul, later known as Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. This particular conversion was of such importance that the Savior took personal control of the event, and Saul’s meeting with the resurrected Christ became a cornerstone of his defense of his apostolic commission.[3] Let us tabulate these truths and see them all side by side.

Acts 8.26 ff              Acts 9.1 ff                 Acts 10.1 ff

Personal Details                     Personal Details                        Personal Details

Ethiopian Statesman               Jewish Rabbi                              Roman Centurion

Jewish Proselyte                      Jew (Hebrew of Hebrews)         Gentile

Descendent of Ham                Descendent of Shem                  Descendent of Japheth

Emphasis:                              Emphasis:                                 Emphasis:

Word of God &                      Person of Jesus &                       Spirit of God &

Christ Crucified                      Christ Resurrected                     Christ Ascended

Result:                                    Result:                                       Result:

Saved and Baptized                Saved and Baptized                   Saved and Baptized

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[1] Acts 2.33

[2] Eph.4.11

[3] 1 Cor.9.1