God is not a respecter of persons (nature of worship.)

MatthewG

Active member
Typically, worshiping of people preferred is a peculiar judgement. It's is respecting one person over another. God is not a respecter of persons.

Rom 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
Rom 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
 

not a respecter of persons​


What does this mean, not a respecter of persons? The CEV translation renders it that God does not have favorites.

Yet, this has limited application because God does have a chosen people in Israel and elects to save some.

Not having favorites would be universally applicable IF universalism was correct doctrine.
 
What does this mean, not a respecter of persons? The CEV translation renders it that God does not have favorites.

Yet, this has limited application because God does have a chosen people in Israel and elects to save some.

Not having favorites would be universally applicable IF universalism was correct doctrine.
In Acts 10:34, the apostle Peter declares that “God is no respecter of persons” (KJV). To understand the meaning of this verse, we must first consider the context of Acts 10.

Acts 10:1–8 introduces readers to Cornelius, a “centurion of what was known as the Italian cohort” (verse 1, ESV). Despite being a Gentile, Luke describes Cornelius and his family as “devout and God-fearing,” and Cornelius “gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly” (verse 2).

An angel of God appears to Cornelius in a vision and instructs him to “send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter” (Acts 10:5, ESV). Cornelius did exactly as the angel instructed him to do (verses 7–8).

As the messengers approach Joppa, Peter receives a vision from the Lord (Acts 10:9–16). In Peter’s vision, a large sheet descends from heaven, containing “all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air,” including clean and unclean animals (verse 12, ESV). Suddenly, a voice comes to Peter and commands him to “kill and eat” (verse 13). Peter, a devout Jew, refuses the command: “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean” (verse 14, ESV). To which the Lord responds, “What God has made clean, do not call common” (verse 15, ESV). This vision is repeated three times for emphasis (verse 16).

Shortly after Peter’s vision, the messengers arrive in Joppa (Acts 10:17). The Holy Spirit then instructs Peter to “accompany them without hesitation” (verse 20, ESV).

The next day, Peter travels to Caesarea with Cornelius’s messengers (Acts 10:24). When Peter enters Cornelius’s home, Cornelius falls at his feet and begins to worship him (verse 25). Peter promptly lifts him up and refuses to receive the worship (verse 26).

Peter acknowledges the unusual circumstances that led him to Cornelius’s home (Acts 10:28–29). Although it was unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile, God showed Peter that he should not despise or reject anyone (verses 28–29). In response, Cornelius recounts the vision that he received from an angel of the Lord (verse 30–32). He then expresses a desire to hear what Peter had to share with him and his household (verse 33). It is at this point that Peter declares, “I perceive that God is no respecter of persons” (verse 34, KJV). Or, as the ESV has it, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality.”

The statement “God is no respecter of persons” means that God does not show favoritism or partiality. In other words, the free offer of the gospel is available to all—Jew and Gentile alike (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:24).

In the Old Testament, God established a covenant relationship with Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6). This led many Jews to believe that Gentiles were “unclean” and beyond the reach of God’s saving grace.

Peter’s vision and subsequent encounter with Cornelius shattered the Jewish notion of exclusivity. God revealed to Peter that His redemptive plan included Jews and Gentiles (cf. John 10:16). Peter’s declaration that “God is no respecter of persons” affirms that the gospel of Jesus Christ is available to all, irrespective of nationality or social status. This profound truth breaks down national barriers and unites people from diverse backgrounds (see Ephesians 2:11–22).

As Christians, we are called to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19‭–‬20, ESV, emphasis added).‬got?

hope this helps !!!
 
@Wrangler it means that no one is better than anyone else in Gods purvue. Great question, I love questions. Some people who claim to follow christ can see themselves better than an unbeliever. God loves both equally. Now when it comes to predestined pertaing the nation of Israel and some gentiles in that day in age, that is a different story.
 
There are a lot of people in this world that are in the Limelight that I admire but there are none that I worship. Not a single one. I am a respecter of persons. I pretty much respect everyone I meet until they give me a reason not to. I must admit I have a problem with people that lie to me.

Now Worshiping God, that's where it's at. I discovered a long time ago when I'm praising and worshiping God in total abandonment is when I'm the most happy and joyful I'm glad that I'm saved.
 
disrespecting; disrespects
To disrespect someone is to act in an insulting way toward them. When you disrespect people, you think very little of them.

Disrespect is all about not showing respect. Actually, it's about showing the opposite of respect, by acting rude, impolite, and offensive. Talking back to your teacher is showing disrespect for her authority. Not giving up your seat to an elderly person is an act of disrespect. So is ignoring the customs and culture in a foreign country. The slang abbreviation dis comes from disrespect and means the same thing.
Definitions of disrespect
  1. noun
    an expression of lack of respect
    synonyms:discourtesy
    see more

  2. noun
    a manner that is generally disrespectful and contemptuous
    synonyms:contempt
    see more

  3. noun
    a disrespectful mental attitude
    see more

  4. verb
    show a lack of respect for
    see more

  5. verb
    have little or no respect for; hold in contempt
    synonyms:disesteem
 
Disrespect is leading indicator of a person who does not deserve respect, don't you think?
I wouldn't take it that far. They still deserve respect they just may not be doing anything to earn your respect. If I know I can't trust somebody I can still treat them decently but just keep my eye on them.
 
What would someone have to do to NOT deserve respect?
I'm Talking on a personal level. So the question would be what would someone have to do for meet up withhold my respect from them. Well let's see remember that award ceremony where the MC made a disrespectful remark about Will Smith's wife? Yeah that would do it. Obviously will smith lost all respect for the guy got on stage and gave him a little smack.

I understand the MS is a comedian and was trying to be funny, but to make the remark that he did makes me wonder what's going on in the guy's heart. I pretty much lost all respect for the guy. I don't know if he apologized or not but even if he did there's no way of telling if he was really sorry or not.

Then there is a thing about earning respect.
 
Wow! No loss of respect for Will Smith for reacting in violence to a joke?

Yes, there sure is the earning respect thing.
Well I did lose some respect for Will Smith, just giving a guy a love Tap. I probably would have been in handcuffs looking at an assault charge. Wasn't the reason Will Smith's Wife was bald because she struggles with alopecia? Yeah if I was in his shoes I'd definitely wouldn't be worried about respect at that point.
 
From my perspective, which could be wrong. The reason that God is not a respecter of persons is not because he does not love them. Yahava, the God of Israel, or Yahweh as some may say. Is because he did not respect or disrespect his own very own chosen material living and thriving nation that was luxirous to some degree to egypt, spiritually. He loved his chosen people,. and few stood faithfully, and some would travel off to seek the realm of the flesh instead of building oneself up spiritually in faith towards the one who created you, because God has created all people in his image, he created them male, female - adam or Adam and Eve. Everyone is a creation of God, who is able to know who there true Father is as they continue to seek and search for him in faith and in abiding in Yeshua, whom is from the Creator himself, his spoken Word.

Because of all of these things, today people become a new creation when they come into a intimate relationship prayer and honoring God and looking to love other by the spirit of christ in them, and that is a freely given life which because of the Lord dying on the cross, me and you and everyone is able to also choose to live in Christ or not as well, because anything that remotely comes that is good and well off for others is the spirit of Christ as long as it is not out of greed, or evil intentions.

Again however that is just a little bit of my observations.
 
Our sinful nature does not want to respect people based on an office or an attribute of the image of God.

We want everyone to earn their honor and please our pride; truth is none of us inherently "deserve" respect, that's self-righteous.

David was a good example in his honoring of Saul, when Saul literally did everything not to deserve it.

We are not praising bad behavior with respect, we are honoring God above man and saying God is the ultimate Judge and not us.
 
Another really important point—it is not external things that are real respect, it is an attitude of the heart.

Jesus did some things that "looked" disrespectful, and you can do all the right "external" things and be seething with disrespect in your heart.
 
Another really important point—it is not external things that are real respect, it is an attitude of the heart.

Jesus did some things that "looked" disrespectful, and you can do all the right "external" things and be seething with disrespect in your heart.
That's pretty much the bottom line. It's sort of like walking in the flesh or walking in the spirit.
 
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