Mensa Otabil - The Impartial God
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This week, we are looking at things that will help us become the people God wants us to be. We’ve examined the fact that God has a high calling for us, and we’ve considered that God has given us what we need to live that life. Today, we are going to look at a very important concept: that God shows no partiality. Acts chapter 10, verse 34 states, «Then Peter opened his mouth and said, 'In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality.'» It’s a very sober realization for Peter. Why? Because Peter is a Jew, and the Jews felt that they had a corner on God’s grace; they are God’s people.
On the day of Pentecost in the New Testament, when the Holy Spirit came, He came to the upper room, and all the people who received the Holy Spirit were Jews. Now, Peter goes to the home of a Gentile, an outsider, and he preaches the word of God, and they receive the Holy Spirit in a similar manner as the Jews did on the day of Pentecost. So, he came to the conclusion that if God will give Gentiles the same Holy Spirit as the Jews received on the day of Pentecost, then God shows no partiality. It’s a very sobering thought for him because he grew up thinking they are the chosen people, unique, and that the experiences cannot be appropriated or enjoyed by others. But God showed Peter that He shows no partiality. That truth that Peter found is still true today: God shows no partiality.
We need to drill down this concept in our minds because sometimes we live lives thinking that some people are more favored than others- God gave them more than He gave me. Have you noticed when you look around the world that the people who end up doing so much come from backgrounds with no advantages? Some came from orphanages, some from poverty, and some from dysfunctional families. Some of the richest people came from very poor backgrounds, and some who lead nations came from very distraught backgrounds. Yet, they got there. Why? Because where you start in life is not as important as where you are going in life. God shows no partiality; even what you think is a disadvantage is working out for His good.
So, God does not have favorite children. He doesn’t have some people He listens to while ignoring others. He doesn’t have some people He favors and others He does not favor; He doesn’t have some people whose sins He will forgive and others whose sins He will not forgive. God has no favorites. When you read the Bible, you notice that even the Heroes of Faith, the people God chooses, when they make mistakes, God treats them just like everybody else. He doesn’t cover the sins of Moses, the sins of David, or Samson’s sins. He deals with everybody on equal measure. Why? Because God shows no partiality. What He can do with one, He can do with another. The door He opens for this one, He can open for that one.
Many times, we exclude ourselves because we think, «Oh, I’m not God’s favorite.» Life has not been good to me; I’m not favored; I come from a bad family. Sometimes we say it as a joke, but it’s a mindset that imprisons us. God does not show partiality. One of the biggest mistakes you can ever make in life is to let somebody’s success loom so large before you that you feel very insignificant. «Oh, if this guy can do this, then who am I? I can’t do anything like that.» That God has favored them! These days, people use the phrase «God has graced them,» and some say, «We are not grace mates.» Who said that? We are all grace mates because God’s grace is the same for all people.
People apply themselves differently and get different results, but as for God, He will give us all favor. He gives us all grace; He gives us all opportunities. What you do with it is what will determine the outcome of your life. God shows no partiality and has no favorites-anywhere, in any country, in any continent, in any class of people. If you can trust Him at any time, He will show you His favor. Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, Your goodness towards me is the same as to all Your children. I am blessed beyond measure. In Jesus' name, amen.»