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RELIGIOUS DIVISION

Following the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the next recorded case of conversion will be that of a man named Cornelius. There are several interesting facts unique to Cornelius as compared to those who we have previously studied. For example, Cornelius is not a Jew by birth. He is a Gentile. It is found in chapters 10 and 11. As we study this example of conversion, we will compare it to the previous examples thus far in the book of Acts. Thus far we have found ten references to salvation:

Acts 2:41 - ”...they then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls.” (they also believed, as evidenced by their question “what shall we do”; they repented (vv. 38, 41); and they confessed/acknowledged Jesus to be the Christ (vv.36, 41); however, their forgiveness did not occur prior to their immersion, per the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:44-47)
Acts 4:4-5 – “...But many of them that heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.” (they were also told to repent and be converted (see chapter 3:19), that their “SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT”); before they were forgiven, they had to repent and be converted ‘THAT THEIR SINS MIGHT BE......NOT BECAUSE THEIR SINS HAD ALREADY BEEN FORGIVEN....BUT THAT THEIR SINS MIGHT BE (FUTURE TENSE) BLOTTED OUT. This harmonizes with Rom. 6:3-5, where we read that baptism is to be a burial in the likeness of His death. It is only then that we can rise in newness of life.
Acts 5:14 – “...and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.” (What were the conditions of being “added” to the Lord? It was based upon their obedience per the Great Commission; this was “to be preached” per Luke 24:47)
Acts 6:1 – “...now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying...” (This has reference to their conversion; but doesn’t provide details. The details are provided for us in the great commission as recorded in Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:11-16; and Luke 24:44-47).
Acts 6:7 – “...And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith...” HOW were they “obedient to the faith”? Was it not by their obedience to the commands contained in the gospel message? What commands were preached? They were, belief, repentance, and baptism.
Acts 8:4-6; 12-13 – “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake...but when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized,, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip...”
Acts 8:26-39 – “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch…had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth (Isaiah, 53:7ff). And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water…the eunuch…went on his way rejoicing.”
Acts 9:18 – “And straightway there fell from his (Saul of Tarsus-vs. 1) eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized...” [compare chapter 22: 3-16 & 26:2-20]
Acts 9:35 – “And all that dwelt at Lydda and in Sharon saw him (Aeneas), and they turned to the Lord”.
Acts 9:42 – “And it became known throughout all Joppa: and many believed on the Lord”.

Out of these ten references, there have been four detailed accounts of conversion, those on the Day of Pentecost in chapter 2; the Samaritans and the Ethiopian eunuch in chapter 8; and Saul of Tarsus in chapter 9. There will be four more detailed accounts as well as some twenty more references to people calling on the name of the Lord in the book of Acts.

As we study the conversion of Cornelius, let us remember that there will be a pattern of preaching as well as a pattern of response to the preaching. This pattern provides us knowledge of whether the preaching we hear today is according to this inspired preaching, as well as whether the way people call on the name of the Lord today, is how people called on the name of the Lord back then. We must remember what the inspired writer Luke mentioned at the outset of this epistle in regard to what was commanded of Jesus to those men He chose to “go into all the world”:

Acts 1:1-2 – “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen.”

What “commands” of Christ was Luke referring to? They were the commands found at the end of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, & Luke. Jesus had told them in Matt. 28:18-20, “...all authority hath been given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you...”.

He told them to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16)

Jesus further told the apostles that “...repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:47) From these passages we can correctly conclude what was preached and how people were to respond in ‘calling upon the name of the Lord’. Those on the Day of Pentecost, the Samaritans, the Ethiopian eunuch, & Saul of Tarsus had been preached the same “form of doctrine” and thus had “called on the name of the Lord” in the same way.

HEARD THE WORD PREACHED	FAITH OR BELIEF	TURNED OR REPENTED	ACKNOWLEDGED OR CONFESSED	IMMERSED OR BAPTIZED	BENEFIT OR RESULT

Pentecost Acts 2:14-41	Believed v. 37	Repented vv. 37-38	Jesus as Christ vs. 36, 41	Baptized vv. 38-41	Remission of Sins vv. 38-47

Samaritans Acts 8:5-13	Believed v. 12	Repented Acts 17:30	Jesus as Lord Phil. 2:11	Baptized vv. 12-13	Received the word vs. 14

Eunuch Acts 8:35-39	Jesus preached v. 35	Repented Acts 17:30	Jesus as Christ vs. 37	Baptized v. 38	Rejoiced v. 39

Saul Acts 9; 22; 26	Believed Acts 22:10	Repented Acts 26:19	the Christ Acts 26:20-23	Baptized Acts 9:18	Sins washed Acts 22:16


SUMMARY: FAITH + REPENTANCE + CONFESSION + BAPTISM = SALVATION
Rom. 10:14	Heb. 11:6	Acts 3:19	Rom. 10:10	Gal. 3:26	2 Tim. 2:10
Rom. 10:17	John 6:28-29	Acts 17:30	Matt. 10:32-33	1 Pet. 3:21	Matt. 7:21-23
Acts 19:5	John 8:24	2 Pet. 3:9	Phil. 2:11	Acts 22:16	Rom. 6:17-18

The pattern of calling on the name of the Lord is clear from the chart above. It is also easy to see what was preached from this chart. We continue to preach today what Jesus commanded the apostles to preach. This is the only “form of doctrine” for people to submit to today. We encourage you to study and follow the commands of Christ. He has all authority now both in heaven and on earth. We will be judged by His words (John 12:48).

We will continue our study of the conversion of Cornelius next week, comparing the facts of his conversion to those previously studied.

Roger Bruner

As was pointed out last week, the next recorded case of conversion is of a man named Cornelius. His conversion is found in the 10^th and 11^th chapters of Acts. There are several interesting facts unique to Cornelius as compared to those who we have previously studied. For example, Cornelius is not a Jew by birth. He is a Gentile. The significance of this is seen in the statements made by the apostle Peter in chapter eleven as to the involvement of the Holy Spirit in connection with his conversion.

We must remember, that there were commands given by Jesus to the apostles, instructing people how to respond to the facts of the gospel, thereby “calling on the name of the Lord.” We have pointed out Joel’s prophecy of Acts 2:17, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh…” was to have been fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost. We see from this that the pouring out of the Spirit was to come upon ‘all flesh’, i.e., all nations. Salvation in Jesus was not just meant for the Jewish nation, but for all nations. That this offer of salvation to both Jew and Gentile was God’s will from the beginning, is seen from such passages as John 3:16, 1 Tim. 2:4, and 2 Pet. 3:9. This is the significance of the apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” This is why we find the vision to Peter about the unclean animals. Peter stated the lesson he learned from this in chapter 10:34, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him…” The phrase “feareth and worketh righteousness” has reference to ‘calling upon the name of the Lord’. It is how one becomes “obedient to the faith” as the priests did in Acts 6:7. In Acts 2:41, when those who “gladly received his word” were baptized, they “feared and worked righteousness.” The way that the multitudes “gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip”, was by believing and being baptized (as did Simon) (Acts 8:4-6; 12-13). This constituted their “fearing and working righteousness.” So both Jew and Gentile thus “called upon the name of the Lord” by fearing and working righteousness. This was God’s will for all nations of people, hence now we will see both how and why the Spirit of God was poured out on a non-Jew...Cornelius.

Peter tells us that the pouring of the Holy Spirit on the household of Cornelius was as it was on them (the apostles) on the Day of Pentecost. In Acts 11:15-16 we read, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.”

The purpose for which the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles was not to save them, as it was said to be a ‘gift’. Acts 11:17 says, “Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ…”. This ‘like gift’ that the apostles received was the miraculous ability to preach Christ in each language of those present on the Day of Pentecost, so that those present, could understand how to ‘call upon the name of the Lord’. It was to confirm their preaching about “salvation in none other name” (Acts 4:12) as was stated in Heb. 2:2-4, “the word…which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will.

Notice that the same thing was done by the household of Cornelius as was done by the apostles when each received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:4 we read of the apostles, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” In Acts 10:45-46, we read of the household of Cornelius, “And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God…"

What astonished ‘those of the circumcision’? The Bible says, “…because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.” What was the effect of this gift? “For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God…"

As we have pointed out, the Holy Spirit was "poured out" when conversion was not the object of such outpouring. Consider what happened in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. The apostles received the Spirit (vv. 1-4) and then spoke by His power. They were inspired messengers of the Spirit. Declaring the righteousness of Christ, Peter preached the gospel and identified Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah (v. 36). This Spirit-inspired teaching convicted these people and prompted them to ask, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (v. 37). They were instructed to "repent and be baptized" so they could be forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (v. 38).

Furthermore, the case of Cornelius in Acts 10 demonstrates that the Holy Spirit was "poured out" (v. 45) upon these Gentiles, but not for the purpose of salvation. In spite of such an outpouring of the Spirit upon them, Cornelius and his household still needed to be "baptized in the name of the Lord" (v. 48). Belief in Christ was essential for the "remission of sins" (v. 43). Peter taught him the gospel (v. 34-43). Later, in Acts 11:14, Peter relates that an angel had spoken to Cornelius telling him to send for Peter to come to Joppa. Peter's purpose there was to "tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved." These 'words' which convicted Cornelius and instilled faith in his heart were words inspired by the Holy Spirit!

When Cornelius had his vision, he saw an angel (Acts 10:3-7). Notice the text, “He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed…”

We see that the instructions to Cornelius were to send for Peter, who “shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.” This refers to telling the household of Cornelius how to “call upon the name of the Lord”. In Acts 11:13 we read that Peter was to “tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.”

Please understand that the Spirit does not coerce our conviction. There is no arm-twisting, nor is there any trickery or physical force involved in bringing us to faith in Christ. There is no evidence that the Holy Spirit convicts sinners against their will.

The Scriptures teach that the Spirit operates through the word of truth which He has revealed. In every instance of conversion in the New Testament, the Spirit and the word are never separated. The word of God was taught to every person who was converted to Christ. Certainly, some miracles were performed, and there were outpourings of the Holy Spirit. Yet, each case shows that the Spirit's word had to be believed and obeyed for salvation to take place.

The next recorded case of conversion is of a woman named Lydia in Acts 16:13-15. “And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.”

As we examine her conversion, we find the same pattern as in all previous cases. Her conversion involved her “calling upon the name of the Lord.” She had to do this in order for her to be saved as the prophecy made by Joel, and quoted by the apostle Peter in Acts 2:21 is in effect. All who come the Lord must call upon His name. As we have seen, “calling upon the name of the Lord” has never been by praying the sinners’ prayer or by praying to God, asking Him to pardon sins. We have found people who were religious, devout, and praying individuals prior to hearing of salvation through Jesus, but upon hearing this good news, they responded in the following manner: they believed what was proclaimed about Jesus, i.e., that He had been made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). They were told to repent of their past sins, because Jesus commanded repentance to be proclaimed “in His name” (Luke 24: 47). They confessed their faith in Jesus as the Son of God (Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:9-10). They were also immersed in water, for Jesus had commanded everyone to be buried in the likeness of His death (Rom. 6:4-5). This is the “form of doctrine” that must be obeyed (Rom. 6:17-18). This was the pattern of “calling upon His name” as recorded in Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16; and Lk. 24:44-49. Let us notice the facts provided in the story of Lydia’s conversion:

To begin with, notice what description of her is given prior to her hearing of Jesus. It is said of her that she “worshipped God”. This tells us that she was not an infidel, or an atheist. It is proof that she was a religious person. Yet even though she was religious, she lived after Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and needed to “call upon the name of the Lord” in order to be forgiven of her sins. Remember the Hebrew writer in Heb. 9:15-17 explained that the old covenant (i.e., the Law of Moses) was no longer in effect, being replaced by a new covenant. What the Law could not do, Jesus did by the shedding of His blood. We must now look to Jesus for salvation, as “...there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Notice also that the news of salvation thru Jesus is preached to Lydia. This is seen from these statements, “...they spake unto the women...”; and “...whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” It is said that her heart was “opened” by the Lord. The result of this ‘opening’ was that Lydia “...attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” We are then told that she and her household were baptized. All of these statements help us to understand how she “called upon the name of the Lord”.

In “opening her heart”, did the Lord overpower Lydia’s will and force her to submit to what was spoken by Paul? Is this what God does in conversion? Some teach this very thing today. We will look at what is involved in this process in more detail in the next article. For now, let us observe what the facts reveal. Again, notice the effects of her heart being opened. She “...attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” What did Paul speak of to her? How can we know? We can know from what is recorded of Lydia after hearing Paul speak. What is recorded of Lydia? Notice it says, “And when she was baptized, and her household...”. We can accurately conclude that Paul commanded her to be baptized when he ‘spake’ to her. We can also accurately conclude that this in part, was how she “attended to” the things spoken of Paul. Why else would she be baptized? Why did she desire to be baptized? If we reject the possibility that the apostle Paul spoke to her of her need to be baptized, how then do we answer why she desired to be baptized? How did she learn of it? Who else would have told her of baptism? The text demands that we conclude but one thing. The apostle preached baptism to her. They “spake” to her; she “heard”, for faith cometh by hearing (Rom. 10:17), and hearing by the word of God. She repented, and was immersed for we read that she “...attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.”

We might ask also in regard to her baptism. For what purpose was she (and her household) baptized. The New Testament is consistent and clear as to the purpose of baptism. However, modern day preaching varies from the New Testament as to why one is baptized. Notice some passages that state the purpose of baptism:

Romans 6:3-5 – baptism is for the purpose of an unsaved person undergoing a burial in the likeness of Christ’s death; one cannot be raised up to walk in newness of life without this planting in the likeness of Christ’s death. It is a thus a part of the new birth (John 3:3-5)

Gal. 3:27 – in baptism, one “puts on” Christ. Christ is not “put on” before and without baptism. No other act of obedience is said to put a sinner “into” Christ.

Acts 22:16 – sins are thus said to be “washed away” by baptism in water.

1 Peter 3:21 – water baptism is said to be a “like figure” of salvation as was the water that saved eight souls in the days of Noah. Water, in some way ‘saved’ Noah’s family. In whatever way it ‘saved’ them, it ‘saves’ all today in a ‘like-figure’.

Having shown these Bible passages, let us now notice what the Bible does not say about the purpose of baptism.

The Bible does not say that baptism is to be performed on an “already saved” person. Baptism is never said to be a church “ordinance” to be performed upon some who was saved at the point of their faith, for no one is saved by faith alone (James 2:17-26). Justification involves man being obedient to Jesus’ commands as found in the gospel message. Man does not “call upon the name of the Lord” before and without obedience, for Jesus commanded all to submit to His authority. Matthew 28:18 records Jesus telling His apostles, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” In Mark 16:15-16, Jesus commanded the apostles, “...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” In Luke 24:47, Jesus commanded that “...repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations...”. These passages are clear that remission of sins follows baptism, rather than precedes it. Add to that, Peter’s answer in Acts 2:38, when asked about how to be forgiven. He said, “Repent and be baptized...”. In Acts 3:19, Peter again answered, “Repent and be converted...”. Lydia was immersed in water, because Paul commanded her to be immersed in water. That is the only conclusion any honest inquirer can come to. She was not baptized to “outwardly show” what had already taken place “inwardly”. She was not baptized to be added to a denominational body, for none existed. She was not “in Christ” before her immersion, even though she was a worshipper of God. Paul preached the same message to her that Peter preached to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost. She obeyed from her heart that ‘form of doctrine’ delivered to her, as did the Romans (Rom. 6:17-18). Let us not be divided or misled by uninspired denominational creed wording that teach contrary to the scriptures on ‘how’ one calls upon Jesus’ name. The Lord ‘opened her heart’ in the same way that everyone’s heart is ‘opened’. We will see the consistency of this next week, if God’s wills.