The Bible Edge
Everyone needs an Edge, Believers can have the Bible Edge
Acts 10:34
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Peter was at the house of a man named Cornelius who was a Gentile. The apostle, Peter, had just received the vision of the three sheets wherein the Lord taught him to not call that which the Lord cleansed “common.” While Peter was thinking about this vision three men who were sent from Cornelius stood at the door asking for Peter. Now, Peter as a Jew, was to have no dealings with the Gentiles. Now, he is faced with three Gentiles asking him to come to a Gentile’s house. Peter associated the vision of the three sheets containing the various, heretofore, unlawful food items that were forbidden under the law of God as given to and by Moses with Gentiles. The “unclean” or “common” food items in the vision represented souls of every nation, kindred and tongue. Peter learned the lesson and departed with these three men to Cornelius’ house.
Upon his opening statement to Cornelius Peter clearly stated that …God is no respecter of persons. To fully understand all that this means consider the next verse: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. So, in context, Peter is relaying that God does not respect one group over another, one race over another, or one kindred, tongue or nation over others when it comes to being accepted by God. Again, in context the preacher is speaking about receiving Christ, being born again, saved, or whatever one may call being put into the family of God via the blessed Gospel of salvation. We know this because immediately Peter preached Christ to Cornelius, his family, and all gathered at his house. They received the message of Christ and His Gospel which was testified by the same Holy Spirit being poured out on these Gentiles as it was on the Jews during Pentecost.
In Romans 2 Paul basically teaches the same even stating in verse 11 For there is no respect of persons with God. He treats all the same. When it comes to salvation that is. For there is not a way to be righteous before God for one group and another way to be righteous before God with another group. There is only one way to be righteous and that is to have His imputed righteousness applied to the soul, for cleansing of sin and for the performance of the good works of righteousness. This thought is sprinkled throughout the New Testament teachings (Eph. 6:9, Col. 3:25, 1 Peter 1:17, etc.)
The edge given to us through this unconditional promise of God is this: treat everyone the same. If a person, whoever, whatever, they may be knows not Christ nor His Gospel try to be a faithful witness to them. If a person has trusted Christ’s Gospel they are in the family of God, honor them as equals though they may be as different from you as north is from south.
William T. Howe, Ph.D.