We Are All the Same to God!

God gave His Old Testament people (the Jews) very strict laws regarding the kind of foods they could eat. Many animals were considered "unclean" and could not be eaten (like pigs and snakes). In the New Testament, however, all these food restrictions were removed.

Peter was taught this lesson in a very unusual way. The Bible tells us: "he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, `Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' But Peter said, `Not so Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.' And a voice spoke to him again the second time, `What God has cleansed you must not call common.' This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again" (Acts 10:10-16).

This vision taught Peter two things. First, it taught him that God no longer considered some animals unclean. The second, and more important, lesson was that all people are the same to God (just as all animals are now clean). Peter said: "..God shows no partiality" (Acts 10:34). Today, God's people are no longer just the Jews, but come from among all nations. If we want to please God, we will have to treat everyone (no matter if they are black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, or handicapped) with love and respect.

---

Copyright © 2014 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

*Please keep in mind that Discovery articles are written for 3rd-6th graders.

This document may be copied, on the condition that it will not be republished in print unless otherwise stated below, and will not be used for any commercial purpose, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (4) textual alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden; (5) Some illustrations (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, etc.) are not the intellectual property of Apologetics Press and as such cannot be reproduced from our site without consent from the person or organization that maintains those intellectual rights; (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original written content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken. Further, documents may not be copied without source statements (title, author, journal title), and the address of the publisher and owner of rights, as listed below.

For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:

Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558

http://www.apologeticspress.org