Universal Grace: Baptism
God is No Respecter of Persons
Acts 10:34-43
Rev. Tim Callow
Preached Sun. Jan. 11th, 2026
There was a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius. He was stationed at Caesarea in the Roman province of Idumea. He was what they called a “God-fearer” back in those days. God-fearers were gentiles who expressed an interest in the Jewish way of life. They renounced the pagan gods and clung as closely to the people of Israel as they could. Cornelius was a particularly devout man. He would give to those in need and regularly spent time in prayer. It happened that at about three in the afternoon he received a vision of an angel. He was told his prayers and alms have been received as a sacrifice to God, and now he was to send his men to Joppa and bring a certain Simon Peter to him. The angel left it to Peter to bring the real good news.
The next day in Joppa, about noon, Peter went to pray on the roof. Ancient near eastern houses often had flat roofs with easy access. People would sit on their roofs to cool off in the breeze. As Peter was praying he, too, received a vision from the Lord. In his vision he saw heaven opened and all sorts of four footed animals and reptiles on a sheet. And then he heard a voice, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
“Surely not, Lord!” Peter protested. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
The voice simply said, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
This happened three times before the sheet was brought back up to heaven and the vision ended. Peter, at first, didn’t know what to make of it. Was he being given permission to eat bacon? But it was at that same moment that Cornelius’ men arrived at the house looking for him. The Spirit told Peter not to fear these men, for they were sent. So Peter followed dutifully, trusting that the Spirit would show him what to say.
Two days later Peter makes his way to Cornelius’. He asks him what is going on. Why would Cornelius summon Peter when Jews do not always associate with gentiles? But Cornelius explains the vision that he had. Which leads Peter to deliver the speech that we just heard in our New Testament reading this morning. “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every people anyone who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him.”
The Jesus who came preaching peace, doing good, and healing. The Jesus who was condemned to death, hanging on a tree. The Jesus who rose again on the third day. This Jesus did all of this for the sake of the world. Not for the sake of a few. The sake of an elect. The sake of one particular people. But for the sake of all. For the sake of Cornelius as well as Peter. When Peter spoke these words the Holy Sprit fell powerfully on that place and people started speaking in tongues. Peter took that as his cue to baptize Cornelius and his family. He was only following what God had already accomplished.
Baptism is the sacrament of our incorporation into Christ. It is the visible and tangible means by which God makes us members of the body of Christ. It is the visible and tangible means by which God makes us one in Christ. Baptism is not to be reserved for the special few. We will even baptize babies. It is the free gift of God that makes us part of God’s mighty work in our midst. Through baptism we are made clean and whole. By baptism we may be born again.
God knows that he made us flesh and bone. That we are material beings who need to see as well as hear. Which is why God choses to hug us in the waters of baptism and through them say the words, “you are my beloved.” When we see baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we may be reminded of who we truly are.
The world will throw all sorts of identities at us. In the story of Cornelius you have a centurion, an italian, a roman citizen, a gentile. Peter is a fisherman, an itinerant preacher, a Jew, a disciple of Jesus the messiah. Such fleshly identities should keep them apart. But by baptism they are told of a deeper identity. An identity deeper than Jew or greek, slave or free, male or female. An identity that crosses all earthly borders. An identity that knows no language. That is, they are one in Christ. And the water is thicker than blood.
God’s grace, such as the grace given in baptism, does not know our divisions. It’ll show up in places where, perhaps, we least expect it. God is no respecter of persons. Shows no partiality. Plays no favorites. The grace of God is truly universal, truly free. Available to the centurion and fisherman, the pharisee and the tax collector. Anyone. Baptism is given to us that we might see that.