God is No Respecter of Persons

The experience of Peter with Cornelius, recorded in Acts 10, is a powerful story about the universality of the love of God and His inclusiveness as it relates to the blessings of the gospel.  As Peter connected his vision of the animals that he wasn’t supposed to eat under the law of Moses with Cornelius and the Gentiles, he realized that the gospel was to go to all people who would accept it and not just the House of Israel.  He declared, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34-35).  Though the House of Israel received the gospel first, it was not to the exclusion of others but rather in preparation so that, as Abraham was promised, through them “all the kindreds of the earth be blessed” (Acts 3:25).    

The Savior chose to emphasize this principle of inclusivity in the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants in our dispensation: “And again, verily I say unto you, O inhabitants of the earth: I the Lord am willing to make these things known unto all flesh; For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:34-35).  He is willing to give His greatest blessings to all of His children—He shows no partiality.  And in case we missed it, in another revelation He also emphasized this truth: “And for your salvation I give unto you a commandment, for I have heard your prayers, and the poor have complained before me, and the rich have I made, and all flesh is mine, and I am no respecter of persons” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:16).  There is no favoritism based on race or ability or wealth or gender or anything else other than what Peter declared: those who fear God and work righteousness are accepted before Him.  Nephi put it this way: “Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God” (1 Nephi 17:34).  All flesh is loved by God, and any who are righteous can receive all of His blessings.

               In the Come, Follow Me lesson for this week, which discusses Peter’s experience with Cornelius, we are invited to see the value of all of God’s children with these questions: “Do you ever catch yourself making unkind or uninformed assumptions about someone who is different from you? How can you overcome this tendency? It might be interesting to try a simple activity for the next few days: Whenever you interact with someone, try to think to yourself, ‘This person is a child of God.’”  Though during Christ’s life He didn’t take the gospel to the Gentiles, He showed us what it means to love and value all of God’s children.  He healed the lepers who were rejected from society, He spent time with children even when the disciples tried to push them away, and He showed care and concern for the sinners such as the adulteress when they were treated so despitefully by the rulers.  He paid attention to the poor and humble, offering healing and the saving gospel message.  But he also showed respect and concern for the rich, giving time and attention to teach those such as Zacchaeus and the rich young ruler.   The Savior left cultural norms to spend time with women to teach and bless them in the same way that He served and taught men.  He summed up His attitude for all with this simple statement: “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10).  To see all those around us that way is our great challenge as we strive to live the truth the Peter expressed: from the obstinate child to the politician we don’t like, from the coworker we just can stand to the homeless man in the street and to all the unknown faces we see around us every day—all are children of God and are of great worth to Him.  And they should be to us as well.