Christians: prejudice ends in the gospel.

And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.”

Acts 10:28

In this way the gospel was opened by the Holy Spirit to bring hope to the world. The message of the gospel is for the world, and God used Peter to first preach the gospel to the Gentile world. A Roman fearer of God named Cornelius (and all his household) became the first non-Jew to respond to the gospel by faith. There were no barriers limiting types of people from Christianity. The gospel is good news to all people. Hope in Christ is a world saving message. Everybody ought to hear it. It is available to anyone who believes.

With this cultural wall torn down in Christ through Peter’s first encounter, the church now and has always been a place designed by Jesus to be free of prejudice. We sin if we make it less than this. We cannot hate or fear what Jesus loves, and He died for the sins of the world, loving everyone. So anyone who comes to faith in Christ is our family. The church is comprised of men and women from all nations, all ethnic backgrounds, all languages and cultural practices, forgiven of many sins, all worshiping and following one Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Disciples sin when they make prejudicial distinctions among the people of Christ’s church, including rich and poor, clergy and laity, educated and uneducated, or “native” and “non-native”. We sin if we decide a group of people aren’t quite as worthy of the gospel as we are because of skin color, language, culture, or pre-Christian lifestyle. God does not call any person common or unclean. We shouldn’t either.

Lord Jesus,

Forgive my sinful tendency to fear what is different. Give me gospel eyes for the world You love. Confront my pride. Break down my prejudices. Fill me with Your love and humble me as Your grace transforms me. Surround me with the tapestry of Your grace that is Your people from every tongue, tribe and nation as we ALL our made new in the gospel!

Amen