This was a very challenging situation for Peter. One of the important parts of the ceremonial life of the Jews is their dietary laws, which God gave while they wandered in the wilderness after they we freed from Egyptian slavery. These dietary laws, along with circumcision and other laws, set them apart from the nations around them. (They also protected them from some pretty bad stomach ailments like trichinosis!)
In Acts 10 God reveals to Peter that, in Christ, God is drawing all people to Himself. Just as food was once categorized “clean” or “unclean,” people were categorized in much the same way. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, all those old barriers are torn down. He perfectly kept the Law for us so that we now live in the freedom of forgiveness. It doesn’t matter what our nationality, our socio-economic background, our age, or our gender is. It doesn’t matter what we’ve been in the past, or how depraved we are now. Jesus’ blood paid for all people’s sins and makes us clean through faith in him. In addition, we are all united, “clean,” as one body in Christ.
You might ask, “If we’re all united as one body in Christ, why are there so many denominations and divisions among Christians?”
The short obvious answer is, “Sin.” Sin separates us. Even in the Bible we see that there were divisions as people did not teach the whole truth, focused too strongly on the Law, or required people to live by Jewish ceremonial law. We are warned regarding people who teach different doctrines which disagree with the scriptures, and we are right to have separation on that basis. Yet, many of these groups that have different doctrines still profess, “Jesus is Lord,” by the Spirit of God, and they believe in Him for salvation. They are part of that one body of Christ, and we are united in faith.
But the separation, in this life, still remains. We embrace every Christian as our brother or sister in Christ, but that does not mean we embrace everything they teach and believe. It’s a sad reality in our sinful world, and one of the reasons we should look forward to Christ’s return and pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
In the meantime, we should note that God poured out His Holy Spirit on people that Peter, and most in the early church would written off. It’s also worth noting that He poured out the Spirit before they were baptized. God was breaking some major barriers here, and he wanted it to be absolutely clear that He had redeemed those who had been considered unredeemable. It was obvious to Peter, the right thing to do was to baptize them and seal the deal. They were to receive all of God’s gifts.
As we seek to reach our community, our mission is not to become like them, but to welcome them as they are. We do not change our message to cater to them, but we do seek to proclaim it in a way they can understand it. That’s what God had Peter do. (By the way did you notice the word, “witness” in v. 39. Just saying!) He spoke the truth of the Gospel, and we get to follow in that awesome mission.
Father in Heaven, help me to love all people and see that they You desire for them all to experience your love and salvation in Jesus. By your Spirit, help me to be a good witness. Amen.
In Acts 10 God reveals to Peter that, in Christ, God is drawing all people to Himself. Just as food was once categorized “clean” or “unclean,” people were categorized in much the same way. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, all those old barriers are torn down. He perfectly kept the Law for us so that we now live in the freedom of forgiveness. It doesn’t matter what our nationality, our socio-economic background, our age, or our gender is. It doesn’t matter what we’ve been in the past, or how depraved we are now. Jesus’ blood paid for all people’s sins and makes us clean through faith in him. In addition, we are all united, “clean,” as one body in Christ.
You might ask, “If we’re all united as one body in Christ, why are there so many denominations and divisions among Christians?”
The short obvious answer is, “Sin.” Sin separates us. Even in the Bible we see that there were divisions as people did not teach the whole truth, focused too strongly on the Law, or required people to live by Jewish ceremonial law. We are warned regarding people who teach different doctrines which disagree with the scriptures, and we are right to have separation on that basis. Yet, many of these groups that have different doctrines still profess, “Jesus is Lord,” by the Spirit of God, and they believe in Him for salvation. They are part of that one body of Christ, and we are united in faith.
But the separation, in this life, still remains. We embrace every Christian as our brother or sister in Christ, but that does not mean we embrace everything they teach and believe. It’s a sad reality in our sinful world, and one of the reasons we should look forward to Christ’s return and pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
In the meantime, we should note that God poured out His Holy Spirit on people that Peter, and most in the early church would written off. It’s also worth noting that He poured out the Spirit before they were baptized. God was breaking some major barriers here, and he wanted it to be absolutely clear that He had redeemed those who had been considered unredeemable. It was obvious to Peter, the right thing to do was to baptize them and seal the deal. They were to receive all of God’s gifts.
As we seek to reach our community, our mission is not to become like them, but to welcome them as they are. We do not change our message to cater to them, but we do seek to proclaim it in a way they can understand it. That’s what God had Peter do. (By the way did you notice the word, “witness” in v. 39. Just saying!) He spoke the truth of the Gospel, and we get to follow in that awesome mission.
Father in Heaven, help me to love all people and see that they You desire for them all to experience your love and salvation in Jesus. By your Spirit, help me to be a good witness. Amen.
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