Acts 11:1–18
“If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” – Acts 11:17
Peter’s words to the early church come not just as a defense of his actions, but as a moment of revelation, for him and for the community. The Spirit had been poured out on people they had never imagined would be included. It was undeniable. And so Peter asks a question that cuts to the heart: Who was I to hinder God?
But before that, Peter shares something even more radical: God has shown him that God shows no partiality (v. 12). It sounds simple. But for Peter – and for many of us – it requires a profound inner shift.
We like to think we’re open-minded and welcoming, yet we all carry assumptions about who belongs and who doesn’t, who is deserving and who is not, who’s “in” and who’s “out.” Sometimes those lines are drawn by culture, tradition, politics, or even our faith communities. But when we say that God shows no partiality, we’re affirming something that transcends all those human-made boundaries.
To believe that God shows no partiality means:
- Believing that grace is not earned by status, background, or behavior.
- Trusting that the Spirit is already at work in lives and places we may not expect.
- Acknowledging that our categories of “clean” and “unclean,” “us” and “them” don’t bind God.
It means sitting with the discomfort that grace sometimes looks like God giving gifts to people we didn’t think qualified. And still calling it good.
It means listening before judging. Opening before gatekeeping. Letting go of our need to control how God moves.
The Spirit challenged Peter to let go of his old framework so that he could embrace something wider. Something more generous. Something more like Christ.
So let’s return to the question:
👉 What does it mean to truly believe that God shows no partiality?
This week, hold that question close. Let it test your assumptions. Let it stretch your compassion. Let it shape your prayers. And maybe even your actions.
Because the truth is—God’s welcome is wider than ours. And that’s not something to fear. It’s something to rejoice in.
Let’s pray:
God of unexpected grace, you cross the lines we draw and open doors we thought were closed. Soften our hearts where they’ve grown guarded, and stretch our welcome where it’s become narrow. May your Spirit guide us beyond fear and into deeper love, until all your children know they belong. Amen.
