God is not one to show partiality, but...

Acts 10:24-48 from the daily reading 

 On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.” ²⁷ As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled. ²⁸ And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. ²⁹ That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.”

³⁰ Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments, ³¹ and he  said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. ³² Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

³⁴ Opening his mouth, Peter said:

“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, ³⁵ but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. ³⁶ The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)— ³⁷ you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. ³⁸ You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. ³⁹ We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. ⁴⁰ God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, ⁴¹ not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴² And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. ⁴⁵ All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” ⁴⁸ And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

“God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.” It’s important to understand that for Peter and hopefully for ourselves too, this is not the end of the revelation but the beginning of it. What Peter realized, the revelation he was given was that God does not exclude anyone or any group of people based on their race, ethnicity or social status. In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter writes:   The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.  John 3:16 says: God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.   God’s love is for everyone in the world. Jesus came, fulfilling the will of the Father, to give His life as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. No individual or group is restricted from the love and grace of God.

As I said though, it is important that we understand that this is the beginning of the revelation. This is the criteria we use when we view people and try to predetermine whether they qualify for the kingdom of God. Peter didn’t stop their though. He didn’t automatically receive and bless people because they were a “whoever” or even because all people are in truth created in the image of God. Peter goes on in His understanding saying:  “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,  but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”      Peter recognizes that a person’s heritage, where they are from, their race, their ethnicity has nothing to do with their eligibility for or to God’s kingdom. There is however two qualifiers that Peter does note here:  the man who fears Him and does what is right.    God may desire that all would come to Him, but He does not force anyone to obedience. Peter says the man who fears God. This is not fear of punishment or condemnation, but rather a respect and an awe of who God is.      The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.(Proverbs 9:10)     The one who rejects God, who rejects the very existence and authority of God, the one who does not fear God, will not come to Him. Peter also adds: and does what is right.    Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, but He Himself, following John 3:16, says in verses 17-21:   God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Cornelius was seeking God. He heard and saw a vision from God and responded in obedience. Peter came to him, showing no partiality, not prejudging. Peter though did not simply welcome Cornelius into the kingdom because God created and loved Him. Peter was faithful to be a witness of Jesus Christ. In today’s text he says:   You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.  We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.  God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible,  not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.  And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.  Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”    The final qualifier: everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. To believe in Jesus is more than just to know about Him. To believe in Jesus is to know that He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Lord and Savior, the Redeemer. To know Him, to believe Him is to love Him. How could we not love the one who did so much for us? Jesus says:  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments… He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him…If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”(John 14:15,21-24)

No one is excluded from the love, the grace and the forgiveness of God available through the cross of Christ. But he who does not fear God, he does not do what is right, he who does not believe and keep the word of God disqualifies himself.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; Holy Spirit may I never prejudge as to exclude anyone from Your kingdom, but rather may I be a faithful witness and proclaim the truth of the gospel, that those who believe, those who fear You and do what is right will be welcome to You.   Amen