Peter had a deep rooted prejudice. He actually thought it was from God. The separation between the Jews ("God's chosen people) and the Gentiles was a great chasm. Every Jew had it ingrained in their soul. Much scripture is written to address this issue!
In fact, one mystery of the church is that Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female are all one in Christ! There is no favoritism with God.
Today is a great day to deal with all prejudice!
Scripture clearly states that many have rules and preferences for which God allows freedom. Scripture also clearly states that there are clear lines of division that should not be compromised. The call to the tough words of Isaiah and the John the Baptist have the gentle and inviting language of Ephesians through which to filter. You don't want to cower away from real differences and real division (the necessary kind of light and dark), but you also don't want to create division where there should be none. Where the Bible is clear, push the gas pedal. Where it is less clear, perhaps caution and patience should be used. I struggle with this. I often wonder if I defend the Truth with enough ferver and defend Christian freedom with enough grace.
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