². . . Cornelius . . . a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually
. . . ²² They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews . . . ³¹. . . ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. . .  ³⁵ but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”

Because Cornelius was a devout, God-fearing, righteous, alms-giving, doer of righteous deeds, God heard his prayer! Luke does not want us to miss this characterization of him. Consider also that Peter himself was going about doing good deeds through his miraculous healings, to the extent that “[i]t became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord” (Acts 9:42). These actions ultimately reflected the Lord Jesus, who, as Peter said, “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:9). The Christian movement was clearly about doing good things.

Does this means that good works, as illustrated in Cornelius’ deeds, somehow counts toward salvation? We must unpack this historical account carefully. The book of Acts does not always give a theological dissection of the events recorded. Other places in Scripture that are concerned about the theological details provide the clarity. When the apostle Paul addresses the issues of works and salvation, he enlightens us with theological precision and specificity:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph. 2:8–9)

How, then, do we account for the focus on Cornelius’ behavior, if it doesn’t mean that his works somehow contributed to his salvation? Letting the text speak for itself, we observe the biblical truth that God welcomes all who fear Him and do what is right. But welcomes them to what? In light of Ephesians, that can’t mean He welcomes them to salvation as a reward for their deeds. No, Cornelius was welcome to God’s listening ear, just like Job, who was “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:1). Of course, this does not mean that Job or Cornelius had the righteousness of Christ that is given to believers in the Lord Jesus. But they were living according to what they knew about God, and although they fell far short of His glory (Rom. 3:23), He nevertheless recognized in them what we might call a “leaning in” toward Him. God is open to all who seek Him; they will find Him (Jer. 29:13). He offers not a works-based salvation, but a free salvation for those who fear Him, that is, those who humble themselves before Him and receive His grace.

Lord, You desire me, yes me, to live righteously and to do good for others.