Romans 3:29

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Thursday, 21 March 2013

Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, Romans 3:29

The case against favoritism, prejudice, and presumption has been fully substantiated. The Bible makes it perfectly clear that there is one God. The great affirmation of this fact is quoted by observant Jews around the world each and every day –

“Here O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Deuteronomy 6:4

Jesus restated the truth of Deuteronomy 6:4 when He cited it in Mark 12:29. The concept of there being but one God is reaffirmed repeatedly throughout the rest of the New Testament as well. If there is only one God, then He must be the God of all. This fact is being presented in order to establish what is already painfully obvious, but which Paul will clarify anyway in the following verse.

The Jewish nation traces its ancestry back to Abraham through Isaac, but Abraham had another son also, Ishmael. Because both of them came from Abraham and Abraham was justified by faith prior to the rite of circumcision, and then Abraham and both sons were circumcised, then it must be that God is the Justifier of all people apart from the law.

The circumcision mandated in the law cannot be a source of boasting or one which makes a claim on God because it was actually instituted prior to the law and after Abraham’s declaration of righteousness. And the declaration was made based on faith; simple belief in God’s promises.

Life application: It can be deduced apart from the Bible that there is only one God. When we peer into the pages of the Bible, we need to continually remind ourselves that He is the God of all people. When it seems as though He treats different people differently, it is because we are misunderstanding what He is doing and why. In the end, all must come to Him in exactly the same way – by faith alone. Don’t forget this fact and be reassured that God is completely fair in how He deals with all people.

O Lord, when I stand back and look at the Bible as a whole, I see that Your hand is equally upon all people. You are perfectly fair in how You deal with us. When You show mercy on us, it is not because we deserve it, but because of Your infinite goodness. I know that the life I have been given through Jesus is completely unmerited and so I receive it by faith and with eternal gratitude. Amen.

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