I have been reading the answers to a lot of questions people are asking and I actually have another question to ask you. Is there a difference between Gentiles and Christians? I was under the impression that anybody not Jewish is a Gentile. But you mentioned something about someone named Cornelius being a Gentile to a converted Christian. I was told I am a Gentile because I'm not Jewish. I was raised in the Catholic faith so that would mean I am Christian—no?
Answer
A Gentile, as you say, is anyone who is not Jewish. Cornelius was a Roman soldier. Not being Jewish, he was by definition a Gentile. In Acts 10 it records his conversion as the first non-Jewish Christian. For almost ten years all Christians were also Jewish. After Cornelius became a Christian many more Gentiles than Jews became Christians until today Gentiles greatly outnumber Jews in the Christian churches.
Not all Gentiles are Christians. You probably know several people who are not Jewish but who do not believe in Jesus as God’s son. Not all Christians are Gentiles. In recent years the Messianic Jewish movement has significantly increased the number of people of Jewish background who follow Jesus while maintaining their Jewishness.
If your mother was not Jewish, you are not Jewish. That makes you a Gentile. If you were baptized to have your sins taken away that makes you a Christian.