True impartiality

The principle in Christ is that there is no partiality. If you want to see an expansion of verse 34, I would suggest you look at Romans 1 through 3 where Paul indicates that every one of us is damned before God.

God has not limited salvation to any group, or prevented any one group from hearing the gospel.

At times I am afraid we have. For we are not prepared to do what Peter and Paul did: preach content. State what the law is, and who Christ was and is.

Acts 10:34-43

34Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all. 37That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

I can see three errors we in the church make, and I am probably missing some.

Firstly we do not preach the law. We think that as God shows no partiality, we should not, and we therefore become inclusive or “seeker friendly”. We talk about errors and mistakes, we do not say that things are wrong. We give the groups we think are oppressed a pass, denying them moral agency.

This particularly applies to minorities, where the destruction of the baby momma and the player is not called, and to homosexuals, who are not called on their immorality. (Heterosexual males get shamed to cover to the baby mommas, and called out — rightly — on sexing up unmarried women, and tolerating fornication. But heterosexual white males are not the only subset of humanity with moral agency).

Secondly, we are prissy. We don’t want to deal with the defeated, the damaged, the broken. We want everything neat and tidy. But no one is complete: no one is undamaged, and everyone is messy. The openly “sinning” are shunned and not welcomed: the covertly sinning are in leadership. We want things polite. We do not want people in tears, repenting, in services. But God does.

Thirdly, we do not preach Christ crucified.. Particularly in the protestant church: the more liturgical branches are forced to do this as the liturgy confronts you with the living word of God. But in the protestant church, it is far, far easier to talk politics and social action than repentance. Than the daily burden of choosing good, and the daily issue of submitting to the will of God and shunning the works of the devil.

For the work of the church is only viable through Christ and is saving actions on the cross and his resurrection. It is not possible by our actions.

And Christ, who saved us, does not have a favourite nation, or group, or sex. He died for us all, we should all live for him.

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pukeko

Solo Dad. Calvinist. http://blog.photo.pukeko.net Photographer: manual, film and Digital. http://photo.pukeko.net.nz

2 thoughts on “True impartiality”

  1. You just reminded me of another requirement for a good church. It MUST preach the Word. From the Word. Preferably verse-by-verse, no skipping about.

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