You asked

how does this echo or challenge old testament understandings of who belongs to god's people?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Acts 10:34-35

“Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism; but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.””

This passage comes from the New Testament book of Acts, which tells the story of the early Christian community after Jesus' resurrection. Here, Peter, a Jewish apostle, is speaking in the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion who was not Jewish. This encounter was a pivotal moment as it challenged the early followers' understanding of who could be included in God's people.

What boundaries, spoken or unspoken, do we sometimes draw around who can be acceptable to God or included in our communities today?

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Read alongside it

Isaiah 56:7
Prophesies that God's house will be a 'house of prayer for all peoples,' hinting at wider inclusion.
Galatians 3:28
States that in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile, male or female, free or slave, emphasizing unity.
Romans 2:11
Paul reaffirms the principle that God shows no partiality, echoing Peter's sentiment.

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