Made Clean

“What God has made clean, do not call common.”

Acts 10:15

According to the mindset of the Jews, they were the people of God while the Gentiles were not. They were clean, while the Gentiles were unclean. And, for this reason, the Jews looked down upon the Gentiles and generally limited their contact with them.

This mindset persisted even after the death and resurrection of Jesus. It persisted as the early church began to carry out the Great Commission, proclaiming the gospel in Jerusalem, as well as throughout Judea and Samaria. They continued to believe that the gospel was for their people alone. They continued to believe that, if they were to have access to the gospel, the Gentiles must first become Jews.

However, early on, God began to make clear that the gospel was not only for some, but for all. He made clear to Peter that he was to visit the home of a Gentile who had summoned him, desiring to hear the message of salvation. And Peter shared with all who had gathered the lesson that God had revealed to him, seen in the words above.

God had taught Peter that he was not to call common, that he was not to call unclean, what God had made clean. And, even though the Gentiles had been unclean, this was no longer true of them. It was no longer true of them because Christ had made them clean.

Jesus had made them clean by his death on the cross. He had made them clean by his resurrection from the grave. As we read in 1 John 2:2, Jesus served as the propitiation, or as the atoning sacrifice, for the sin of the whole world. And, for this reason, they were not to be denied the gospel.

Much like the Jews, we often consider certain groups of people unclean. We consider them to be undesirable. And, for this reason, we avoid them and deny them the gospel.

It could be those of a particular race or culture. It could be those of a certain political mindset. It could be those guilty of a certain set of sins. It could be those of a particular class. It could be those with certain disabilities. It could be those of all sorts of distinctions.

As we, then, seek to carry out the Great Commission, we too must learn this lesson. We must not call common, or unclean, that which God has made clean. We must realize that, just as Jesus has made us clean by his sacrifice, so too have all others. And, for this reason, we must not deny them the gospel.