And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or
Ezekiel 36:25
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
It means God is interested both in our outward and inward appearances. We cannot separate physical neatness from the purity of the heart. God is holy and pure. He dwells in holiness and hates iniquity.
15 And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has made clean, do not call common." 15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”
Jesus has taught us clearly that it's not outer dirt or cleanliness that matters to God, but the cleanness of our hearts.
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other" (James 5:16). With God's help, make a list of the sins against God and others that you have not yet confessed. Then confess to God and to the people you've wronged. Come clean.
Cleanliness from a biblical perspective means that we rid our minds and thoughts of anything that goes against God. Many of us are dirty from the idols here on earth that we prioritize. To be clean means to turn away from those things and put God first.
Acts 15:12–21 continues the account of the church of Jerusalem's debate. They are discussing whether Gentiles must convert to Judaism to be saved by Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. Paul, Barnabas, and Peter say salvation is through the grace of Christ (Acts 15:2, 7–11).
Accepts people of every nation (10:34-35)
Peter begins his speech with the point that there are no impure or unclean people in God's eyes in terms of their receiving salvation. God “accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” (10:35).
Whatever my sins may be, I am not ashamed of Jesus, nor do I fear to declare the doctrines of his cross. The Ethiopian man, on a long journey, found the path of life; the narrow way, but joyful way. Jesus promises to confess before his Father those who confess him in this world.
Read Matthew 23:25-28
Jesus criticised the Pharisees for being clean outside but unclean inside. He told them to be clean from the inside out. Would Jesus say anything different to us today? What?
Cleanliness is, indeed, next to godliness." Almost two centuries earlier, Francis Bacon expressed a similar sentiment in The Advancement of Learning: "Cleanliness of body was ever deemed to proceed from a due reverance to God."
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Cleanliness is half of faith” (Muslim). Gifted with comprehensive speech, the Prophet ﷺ never spoke a word except that it carried manifold meanings and guidance. Amongst his great miracles was his instruction relating to purification.
1 John 1:7 & 9, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defiled a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."
As Hebrews 9:14 explains, the blood of Christ, shed for our sake, cleanses “our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” For all who trust in Christ, we are washed in his blood, fully cleansed from sin so that we may serve him! Lord Jesus, you wash us and make us fully clean.
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Forgiveness is promised to whoever is baptized, not because baptism secures forgiveness, but because baptism signifies faith. Peter includes baptism in Acts 2:38 not because baptism is related to forgiveness but because baptism is related to repentance. Baptism is critically important not to forgiveness but to faith.
It contains the centurion's confession of faith. After all, how can he be baptized if he doesn't confess his faith? Here's the irony. At some point, some in the church decided that there was just one thing that prevented this Ethiopian eunuch from being baptized; he first had to confess!
The description given in Acts 2:42-47 suggests what the Holy Spirit can do. These verses do not lay down rules or specific structures for Christian living. In their context they indicate that the reign of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ creates the potential for mutual service that embodies God's justice.
It is acknowledging our mistakes and that we cannot do anything to save ourselves because only God can do that. Repentance is turning away from our evil ways and turning to God in complete submission so that He will rule over our lives and help us battle against sins.
A man of faith simply believes God and expects him to act. He doesn't even think about how he feels himself. A very false idea of faith is popular today. Many people feel that they are filled with faith only when they have a tremendous sense of expectation or excitement within them.
To clean and purify oneself is an aid and prerequisite to the act of worship. It is also a divine command. In the Kur'an, Allah directs believers to be clean and pure, the Prophet Muhammad taught them how to be clean and pure, and Muslims must therefore be clean and pure.