The account in Acts chapter 10 of Peter being led by the Spirit to teach Cornelius, a man he initially supposed to be unclean because of his Gentile lineage, teaches us God’s expectations for whom we should accept. Through a vision in which Peter is commanded to eat animals previously deemed as impure, the Lord teaches His servant a new and higher way: “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15). From this, we learn that “God is no respecter of persons,” meaning He loves all of His children without bias (Acts 10:34).
This principle is echoed in Nephi’s writings in the Book of Mormon: “[God] inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him” (Nephi 26: 33). Artist Torgesen Murdock reflects such an idea in her piece “He Denieth None.” Through Christ’s outstretched arms we are welcomed into the painting and invited to join the deliberately diverse family of God.
-Lucy Lacanienta, Research Assistant