Cornelius

I was talking with one of my friends a couple months ago and said something that I thought was true at the time but I just couldn't find where I had gotten it from.

I told him that I had read that unbelievers who never have a chance to get to know God but who know instinctively good could go to heaven. Now after I said this I knew something was wrong about it and needed to go back and reaffirm what I had stated. I even thought I had a few verses to back it up. However. After doing quite a bit of extensive searching and a bit of thinking, that just doesn't make sense.

The biggest argument I have against it is that God knows when we are willing to know Him. Is my God so small that He wouldn't send somebody to tell that person about Christ??? No way. If someone who doesn't know God is looking for answers and seeking wholeheartedly, I know God will put the right person in his path.

Why would I not see that before?

I have a couple of ideas. 1 So that I'll admit I was wrong, and maybe put my pride aside. (Maybe...) 2 So I will search His Word to find answers, as well as learn a few other things along the way. 3 Sometimes I fall asleep while I'm reading, so there is a possibility that I was also imagining what I was reading. Which is VERY dangerous. As I so aptly showed in my so called "knowledge" what I thought I had learned.

Which gets back to that I actually base my opinion on this matter in Acts 10. It's the story of Peter while in Joppa and a Roman officer named Cornelius. He believed in God but knew nothing about Jesus, and had received a vision to invite Peter into his home. At that time it was against Jewish law for Peter to be associated with Cornelius and Peter admits to being rather uncomfortable in his house, but Peter has this wild urge to tell about Christ anyways. It says in 10:44 "Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message."

What I get from this is that Cornelius could have gone on living his life being devout to God. But that wasn't enough for God. God wanted him to experience the freedom of Christ, and with Cornelius' willing heart, He sent Peter across thousands of Jewish laws that no one understood that they didn't mean anything anymore.

It means that God knew Cornelius was willing to accept Christ, and put Peter in his face to tell him about Jesus. There was no oops or well, Cornelius will find the answers himself, no, Peter was specifically placed in front of him. That's no oops.

And I know this time, I wasn't sleeping the million times I have read this chapter.

Although now I can rest easy that unbelievers who are seeking will find God in their face; it also gives me a greater ambition to be the one in their face armed with God's Word.

And I know it was only a mistake, but I also know I am responsible for double checking before I say anything, even if I am saying it to other believers. And for that I am truly sorry.