Ask the Preacher

Sender's name: Delon Aaron

Based on Cornelius, can a non-christian serve God?

---------

The book of Acts has this to say about Cornelius.

Acts 10:1 Now {there was} a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort,

Acts 10:2 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.

This man was a "God Fearer," which was someone who was not a Jew, yet served God anyway. Here is a man whose desire was to serve God. However, this did not mean that he was saved. If you continued to read from this passage, you will notice that God hears his prayer, then sends Peter to Cornelius in order to preach the Gospel of Christ to him. It wasn't until Cornelius hears the Gospel and responds in faith that he is saved.

Romans 1:16 says that the power of salvation to EVERYONE who BELIEVES is the Gospel. 1 Cor 15:1-4 reminds us that the Gospel is the death of Christ on the cross for the remission of our sins, his burial and his resurrection.

There were many in the past who served God yet were not believers and were not saved. One clear example of this is Judas Iscariot in John 18. He betrayed Christ. But this served God and his purposes. In the book of Habbakuk, a wicked nation such as the Chaldeans served God's purposes. So, in answer to your question, a non-Christian, as you call it, can serve God. However, if they did not believe in Christ or respond to the saving Gospel of Christ, they are not saved. One must "know God" and "obey the Gospel" in order to be saved, according to 2 Thes 1:7-9.

John Telgren

P.O. Box 452

Leavenworth, KS 66048

Web: epreacher.org/ask

Click here to email a question