What has been cleansed...

Acts 11 teaches a powerful lesson.  This week when I was reading this chapter it brought a lot of
things to my mind.  In this chapter Peter is recounting a vision he had.  In the vision Peter sees a vessel or a sheet coming down from heaven.  When the sheet opens, fourfooted animals came out of it.  God then commanded Peter to eat the animals.  Peter refuses saying "Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth." (Acts 11:8)

Now, for just a minute I want to talk about Peter's response.  He was being a good Jew.  He had always followed the law and these animals had been deemed unclean by the laws of the Jews. To eat them would go against his beliefs.  Back to the story now. The Lord responds to Peter saying: "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." (Acts 11:9)  Just like that the Lord lets Peter know that He is in control of the church.  We need to follow him and trust what he says.  If he commands us to eat something, we should do it.

That's all good and everything, but I didn't really get it the first time I read this.  It seemed like a "duh" moment.  Of course if God deems something clean, we will also see it as clean and not call it unclean.  "Oh wait." I thought, "I do that at times."  What I mean by this is, I believe in the atonement.  I have seen it work wonders in my life, but how many times have I looked at someone who has sinned, or even said to myself and think, "you are not clean.  Look at all of the bad things you have done."  I think this even after I have repented at times.  That is a tragedy!  "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common."(Acts 11:9)  I have truly repented.  There is no need for me to cling onto my sins and call myself unclean because through Christ I am made clean again.  This is also very pertinent to others.  I have a lot of friends who feel constantly judged by others for things that they have done in the past and repented for.  People are always reminding them of how they are "unclean" even though my friends have truly repented sins that sin.  This is where this passage of scriptures applies.  If we truly believe in the atonement and it's power to heal, clean, and remove sins, we will not call what God has cleansed, common.