One of the consistent truths that runs through the entire Bible is how salvation is offered by God through faith. God, knowing we cannot save ourselves, reaches out to both Jew and gentile. To the religious Jews of Jesus’ time all gentiles were considered “unclean” but this differentiation illustrates the self-righteous attitudes that keep sinners from coming to faith in the God.
From the New Testament in Luke 5, Jesus declares that He has come to save sinners. Although He primarily focused on Jews during His earthly ministry He did not only minister to Jews. Jesus was extraordinarily popular as a teacher, a healer, a maker of miracles, and one who reached out to Jews of low estate (e.g. tax collectors and prostitutes), those who were considered outcasts and unclean by the religious Jews of the day.
29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30]And the Pharisees and their scribes complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” – Luke 5:29-31
A classic example of how God meant to reach out to the disenfranchised is the story of the Samaritan Woman, a gentile to whom He openly revealed Himself as the Messiah in a one on one conversation. Not only was she a Samaritan woman (in a strongly patriarchal society), but she was publicly known with a checkered past, having had multiple failed marriages and who was living with a man whom she was not married. God has no partiality to anyone as long as they come to Christ by FAITH… that means you too.
The whole chapter of John 4 is amazing, but I will just draw the portion when Jesus revealed Himself to her.
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship. what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him. – John 4:21-28
This leads me to one of the Old Testament passage from Isaiah that describes Yahweh’s attitude towards those whom he accepts, with His kindness and mercy, into His family, into His eternal realm through Faith.
Salvation for the Gentiles
ISAIAH 56
Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
For My salvation is about to come,
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who lays hold on it;
Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Do not let the son of the foreigner
Who has joined himself to the Lord
Speak, saying,
“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;
Nor let the eunuch say,
“Here I am, a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
5 Even to them I will give in My house
And within My walls a place and a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
That shall not be cut off.
6 “Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—
7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be accepted on My altar;
For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says,
“Yet I will gather to him
Others besides those who are gathered to him.”
Irresponsible Leaders
9 All you beasts of the field, come to devour,
All you beasts in the forest.
10 His watchmen are blind,
They are all ignorant;
They are all dumb dogs,
They cannot bark;
Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
11 Yes, they are greedy dogs
Which never have enough.
And they are shepherds
Who cannot understand;
They all look to their own way,
Every one for his own gain,
From his own territory.
12 “Come,” one says, “I will bring wine,
And we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink;
Tomorrow will be as today,
And much more abundant.”
In this passage from Isaiah, God speaks about foreigners and even eunuchs, people who had no hope of an earthly legacy, but through faith and a contrite heart, could be blessed with God’s eternal legacy, declared as one of royal family.
Isaiah 56 finishes with warnings to those, especially leaders and watchmen whose responsibilities to lead the people in God’s ways and to be vigilant. Instead, they are obsessed with self-satisfaction, greed, gluttony, indulging in their own way, taking for granted the long suffering, mercy, and grace of God.
Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all humanity able to be reconciled to a Holy and Just God.
For a one minute explanation of the Gospel, watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCP9UcC7BzE
For a review of the Ten Commandments: https://www.challenyee.com/the-ten-commandments/
CKY
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