Acts 10:34-38
God Does Not Show Favouritism: Who Belongs in the Family of God – Acts 10:34-38
Acts 10:34-38 (NIVUK)
34 Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Commentary
Revd. Mark Fletcher: And actually, it turns out that this isn’t really about food at all. When Peter finally understands what’s going on here, when he finally grasps it — and it is hard for him — later on, in verse 34, he says this: I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism, but accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right. Because of Jesus, all of us can be accepted before God. All of us can be holy, no matter who we are, by faith in him, in what he has done for us, in his death upon the cross. We can be holy. And God does not show favouritism, and so it’s essential that we don’t either. Anyone, regardless of who they are, where they come from, can be part of the family of God. We have this tendency to want to be with people who are just like us, but the church has always been called to be a little glimpse of eternity, made up of people of every nation, tribe, and language.