Why was Cornelius significant in the bible?

Cornelius became the first Gentile baptized in church history. Before Peter went to meet him, God gave Peter a vision of an assortment of animals, both clean and unclean. Peter heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat”. Peter resisted, but the voice replied, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean". Peter understood that the animals in his vision were symbolic of the Gentiles, to whom God was preparing to give the gospel. Cornelius is depicted in the New Testament as a God-fearing man who always prayed and was full of good works and gave to charity. We can learn a lot from the story of Peter and Cornelius. For one, we understand that following God often takes humility. Cornelius revered the Jewish people and also the Christians, despite his Roman background. Most Romans would’ve sneered at anyone who didn’t have Roman citizenship. But Cornelius shows true humility and reverence.