We are not the only society to ever have had to face prejudices and the strife which accompanies it. History shows us that such attitudes have afflicted humanity in a substantial way throughout human history. The source of such hurtful attitudes is human arrogance, and it is Satan himself who deludes people into thinking that they are worth more than other human beings of a different nationality, color, race, ethnic group, language, gender, age, or size. The Christian, more than anybody, ought to realize the great value of all human beings. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
The teaching of Paul put it this way: “And He made from one every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children’” (Acts 17:26-28).
Those aware of the teaching of the New Testament understand that the entire human family is the “offspring of God” and therefore worthy of respect and love. There is simply no good reason to count any for whom Christ has died as worthless.
Prejudice had been firmly ingrained in Peter from childhood. His nationality made him better than others. He had regarded other people to be “unclean.” He did not consider others in terms of the brotherhood of man. God changed Peter’s way of thinking about those different than himself. Peter put this new truth he learned this way: “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean” (Acts 10:28).
By way of a vision, God had taught Peter a lesson about how he was not looking at others correctly (Acts 10:9-17). It was then that God had directed Peter to go the house of a Gentile and Peter learned an important lesson: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34-35).
God had chosen that through the nation of Israel He would one day bless the whole world. This choice of Israel was made because of Abraham’s faith. “And in you (Abraham) all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Over the centuries, it had been forgotten by most of the descendants of Abraham that they had been chosen by God as a vehicle which would bring great blessings upon the whole world. They only remembered that they had been chosen. Many of them thought this made them better than others. God had always intended to bless all people everywhere by sending His Son into the world. His Son would come through the descendants of Abraham, not just for those descendants, but for all.