THE HEALING INSTRUMENT

The circumcised believers (Jewish people who believed in Christ) questioned Peter's actions upon returning from Cornelius' house, a non-Jewish person (considered a pagan). For them, circumcision was not just a tradition, but a boundary of identity between the holy (the people of God) and the unclean (other nations). Therefore, Peter's action of entering a pagan's house and eating with them violated the purity laws and ancestral traditions.

However, God taught Peter something new through a vision. Initially, Peter refused when asked to slaughter and eat animals that were considered unclean and forbidden. But God affirmed that what He declared clean should not be considered unclean (see Acts 10:15). This means that God opened the door of salvation to all nations without distinction of ethnicity, culture, and background.

Sometimes, we (believers) also limit God's grace. We think that God only works within "our circle" and His grace is only deserving for us. We find it hard to accept that even those different from us can be used and loved by God. Let alone towards those who do not believe yet. When fellow believers are caught in sin, we tend to distance ourselves instead of helping them towards repentance. However, grace and repentance are not limited by human views of who is worthy and unworthy. God gives opportunities to everyone, and we who have received His call earlier are instruments of healing for His love. --EBL/www.renunganharian.net