Whose Side is God on?

 The Church

When Jesus died and rose again, he abolished the separation between ethnic Israel and the rest of the world (Eph 2). Most Jews still believed they were God’s chosen people because they were children of Abraham. But Jesus made it clear that blood was not as thicker than belief. “Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham,” he told the religious leaders (Matt. 3:9).

Paul explained that because the Jews did not generally accept Jesus as their Messiah, the gospel of salvation was actively brought to the non-Jewish, or Gentile, world. Those who believed in the Jewish Messiah—Jesus—were “grafted in” to the family of God (Romans 9). This concept baffled the Jewish religious leaders of that time. We Gentiles, now the majority members of the church worldwide, have become so comfortable in our “insider” status that we often forget the lesson of Rahab and Ruth.

God is for God. He is not “for” the church in that he is against Muslims, Buddhists, or any other unbeliever. No, he welcomes anyone to his table, because that glorifies him. We are all invited to choose him. In the salvation of any person, the immeasurable power, love, and grace of God are magnified for all to see. His true nature is revealed all the more when a weak, sinful, prideful human repents of her self-love, surrenders to the true Love, Christ, and like Rahab confesses, “Yahweh your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.”

Application Questions

How does my life reflect God’s heart for the people not like me?

What does my church do to shine Christ’s love to my local community?

What is my local faith community doing to invite unbelievers, or those of different faiths, into our sphere?

Boaz left profit on the ground by leaving the corners for the gleaners. What modern equivalent to this generosity occurs in our faith community? How am I assisting the needy?

How can I teach my children that every person deserves respect and a chance to know Jesus?