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Have you been told
that the New Covenant was made with Israel
and Judah alone and that the Gentiles have no place in
it? To understand who
can take part in the New Covenant, we need
to look at two of the previous covenants God
made with mankind; the Abrahamic and the
Mosaic Covenants.
The
Abrahamic Covenant:
God
called Abram (later changed to Abraham) out
from paganism in his home land to make a
covenant with him. Genesis 12:1-3 says, "Now
the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your
country and your kindred and your father’s
house to the land that I will show you. And
I will make of you a great nation, and I
will bless you and make your name great, so
that you will be a blessing. I will bless
those who bless you, and him who dishonors
you I will curse, and in you all the
families of the earth shall be blessed.'”
(see Genesis 12:1-7; 13:14-17; 15; 17:1-14; 22:15-18).
God promised that He
would make Abraham’s name great (Genesis 12:2), and that Abraham would be the father
of a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:4-5).
God had chosen to raise up Israel as a
people for Himself through him, and to give
them the land of Canaan as a place for them
to dwell in (Genesis 12:5-7; 2 Corinthians 11:22). God also promised to raise up a
descendant from Abraham’s seed who would
become the Savior of the world (Romans 9:4-5). Because Abraham responded to God's
call with an obedience faith, people from
every nation on earth can become members of
God's family and receive God’s promise of
eternal life (Genesis 12:1-3; Isaiah 49:6;
Acts 1:8; Galatians 3:14, 29; Revelation 7:9-10).
The Bible describes Abraham
as the "father of all who believe", and he
is used as an example for all those who
would live by faith alone, just as he did
(Genesis 15:1-21; 22:15-18; 26:1-6; Isaiah 51:1-3; Habakkuk 2:4; Acts 3:8, 16, 25, 26;
Romans 1:17; 2:13; 4:11, 12, 16; Galatians 3:7, 9, 29; 5:2-12; Hebrews 11:8, 17).
The Mosaic Covenant:
God entered into the Mosaic Covenant with
Israel, Abraham’s descendants on Mount Sinai
with Moses as its mediator (Leviticus 26:46;
Exodus 19-24; Romans 9:4). God established
Israel in the land of Canaan to fulfill the
promise He made to Abraham to make from him
a great nation (his physical seed). The
covenant was made up of 613 laws that
included the Ten Commandments (the "Ten Words"), the statutes, and the ordinances
(Exodus 20-40; Leviticus 1-7; 23; Deuteronomy 4-6).
God made His covenant with Israel to
set them apart from the other nations as His
chosen race, His kingdom of priests, and a
holy nation (Exodus 19:1-7; cf. 1 Peter 2:9). The covenant was modeled after the
suzerainty treaties Near Eastern kings made
with their vassals and it was designed to
bring Israel closer to receiving all of the
promises God made in the Abrahamic Covenant.
God promised Israel they would receive
either His blessings or curses depending
upon whether or not they kept the covenant
faithfully (see Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28-30; and 1 Samuel 12:14-15). The Apostle
Paul pointed out that the Old Covenant was
never meant to be a means of salvation. The
purpose of the Law was to make His people
aware of their inability to live up to God’s
righteous standard so that when Christ came,
they would recognize their need for Him
(Galatians 3:24-25). Israel failed to keep
the covenant faithfully and never received
all the blessings they would have received
had they been faithful to God.
God
wanted Israel to be a light to the Gentiles
and for the Gentiles to know that He alone
was the one true God, and that they too
could be blessed like Israel was if they
served Him faithfully.
God loved the
Gentiles and provided for them, and He
instructed the Israelites to love foreigners
as themselves, especially because they had
been foreigners in Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:18-19;
Leviticus 19:33-34). This
included providing for needy immigrants, and
treating them equally under the law
(Leviticus 23:22; 24:22; Deuteronomy 24:19-22;
Numbers 15:15-16). God’s
people were not allowed to mistreat or
oppress a foreigner in any way (Exodus 23:9;
Deuteronomy 24:14-18; 27:19).
Those Gentiles who became followers of
Yahweh would be Israelites in God's view and
could participate in the Passover and the
other Jewish feasts (Jeremiah 12:16; Exodus 12:48-49).
If a Gentile wanted to take part in
the Passover or other feasts they had to be
circumcised and agree to keep the whole law.
Exodus 12:43-49 says, "And the LORD
said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the
statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall
eat of it, 44 but every slave that is bought
for money may eat of it after you have
circumcised him. 45 No foreigner or hired
worker may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten
in one house; you shall not take any of the
flesh outside the house, and you shall not
break any of its bones. 47 All the
congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 If
a stranger shall sojourn with you and would
keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his
males be circumcised. Then he may come near
and keep it; he shall be as a native of the
land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat
of it. 49 There shall be one law for the
native and for the stranger who sojourns
among you." (see Leviticus 12:1-3; 23:4-8)
God wanted Israel to be a living example
and witness to the whole world.
Because of Israel’s example, the whole world
would see the infinite superiority of
worship and service to Yahweh, the covenant
keeping God of Israel (Deuteronomy 4:6-9; 7:12-15; 28:1-13;
Isaiah 49:3-7; 61:9; 62:1-2). One by one the nations would unite
with Israel in serving their God (Isaiah 2:2-3; 11:10; 14:1; 19:18-22; 45:14; 55:5; 56:3-8; 60:1-12;
Jeremiah 3:17; 16:19; 33:9; Zechariah 2:11; 8:20-23).
Because of Israel’s unfaithfulness, God
promised to make a New Covenant to replace
the Mosaic Covenant.
Jeremiah 31:31-33 says, “Behold, the days are coming,
declares the LORD, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and the
house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant
that I made with their fathers on the day
when I took them by the hand to bring them
out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that
they broke, though I was their husband,
declares the LORD. 33 For this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, declares the LORD:
I will put my law within them, and I will
write it on their hearts. And I will be
their God, and they shall be my people."
(cf. Hebrews 8:7-13; 10:15-18).
"This covenant was made with Israel and
Judah, yet the church enjoys the spiritual
blessings of this covenant now. The
Abrahamic covenant was made with Abraham and
his physical descendants, (see Genesis 17:7), who would inherit the land (see
Genesis 12:7; 13:14-15). Yet the Abrahamic
covenant also contained spiritual promises
(see Genesis 12:3) in which the church
participates (see Romans 11:11-27; Galatians 3:13, 14). The new covenant in fact is a
fulfillment of the spiritual redemption
promised in the Abrahamic and Davidic
covenants (see Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:20)." [Nelson's NKJV Study Bible:
Hebrews 8:8].
God always intended to
include the Gentiles in His plan of
salvation.
The Mosaic Covenant had
served as a dividing wall or partition to
separate Israel from the unbelieving
Gentiles (John 4:22; 7:35; Acts 14:1, 5; 18:4;
Romans 3:9; 3:29; 9:4-5; 9:24; 1 Corinthians 1:22-24). The Gentiles had been
kept separated from Israel and were
strangers to the covenants. Christ brought
the two groups together by doing away with
the partition.
Ephesians 2:13-16
says, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once
were far away have been brought near through
the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is
our peace, who has made the two one and has
destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of
hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the
law with its commandments and regulations.
His purpose was to create in himself one new
man out of the two, thus making peace, 16
and in this one body to reconcile both of
them to God through the cross, by which he
put to death their hostility." (NIV)
The New Covenant did away with the
dividing wall and made both groups into one
new group, the church of God (1 Corinthians 10:32). All the divine promises of the
previous covenants find their fulfillment in
Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20; Hebrews 7:20-22; 8:6; 9:15).
Christ abolished
the dividing wall by fulfilling the Law’s
requirements and removing the Law’s
condemnation for all those who believe in
Him (Matthew 5:17; Romans 8:1; Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:1-10). When we are in Christ, we
become a totally new person, part of a new
human race made in Christ’s image, the
second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45, 49;
Ephesians 4:24).
God promised to send
His special servant who would be a covenant for His
people.
Isaiah 42:1-7 says, “Behold
my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in
whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit
upon him; he will bring forth justice to the
nations. 2 He will not cry aloud or lift up
his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3
a bruised reed he will not break, and a
faintly burning wick he will not quench; he
will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He
will not grow faint or be discouraged till
he has established justice in the earth; and
the coastlands wait for his law. 5 Thus says
God, the LORD, who created the heavens and
stretched them out, who spread out the earth
and what comes from it, who gives breath to
the people on it and spirit to those who
walk in it: 6 “I am the LORD; I have called
you in righteousness; I will take you by the
hand and keep you; I will give you as a
covenant for the people, a light for the
nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.”
Isaiah 49:7-9 says, “Thus says the
LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy
One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the
nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall
see and arise; princes, and they shall
prostrate themselves; because of the LORD,
who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who
has chosen you.” 8 Thus says the LORD: “In a
time of favor I have answered you; in a day
of salvation I have helped you; I will keep
you and give you as a covenant to the
people, to establish the land, to apportion
the desolate heritages, 9 saying to the
prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in
darkness, ‘Appear.’ They shall feed along
the ways; on all bare heights shall be their
pasture;”
Jesus Christ fulfilled
Isaiah’s prophecies.
Matthew 12:17-21
says, “This was to fulfill what was spoken
by the prophet Isaiah: 18 “Behold, my
servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with
whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my
Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim
justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not
quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear
his voice in the streets; 20 a bruised reed
he will not break, and a smoldering wick he
will not quench, until he brings justice to
victory; 21 and in his name the Gentiles
will hope.”
Luke 4:18-21 says, “The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he
has anointed me to proclaim good news to the
poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to
the captives and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty those who are
oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the
Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the
scroll and gave it back to the attendant and
sat down. And the eyes of all in the
synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began
to say to them, “Today this Scripture has
been fulfilled in your hearing.” (see also:
Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 11:5; 12:18; John 3:34).
Jesus Christ is a light to the
nations.
Acts 13:47 says, “For so the
Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made
you a light for the Gentiles, that you may
bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
Jesus Christ is the “new” covenant.
It is only through Him that we can have an
eternal relationship with God. God said He
would make a covenant with His people, and
that covenant is Jesus Christ. All those who
are in Christ become members of God’s family
and take part in the New Covenant of grace.
The Promised New Covenant:
Hebrews 8:13 says, “In speaking of a new
covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.
And what is becoming obsolete and growing
old is ready to vanish away.”
Jesus
introduced the New Covenant to His disciples the night before
He died.
Luke 22:17-20 says, “And he
took a cup, and when he had given thanks he
said, “Take this, and divide it among
yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now
on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine
until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he
took bread, and when he had given thanks, he
broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This
is my body, which is given for you. Do this
in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the
cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup
that is poured out for you is the new
covenant in my blood.”
The word "new"
refers to something completely unlike what
had come before. It refers to being
different in both kind and quality. One of
the major differences between the Mosaic
Covenant and Christ’s New Covenant is there
is no distinction made between the Jews and
the Gentiles. Christ's offer of salvation is
universal and open to everyone who trusts in
Jesus Christ alone for their salvation.
Everyone is welcome in the New Covenant.
Jesus shed His blood to take away the sins
of the whole world, not just those of
Israel.
John 1:29 says, “The next day
[John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward
him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world!“
The
Apostle Paul was called by Christ to share
the good news of the gospel with the
Gentiles.
Galatians 2:1-7 says, "Then
after fourteen years I went up again to
Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along
with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation
and set before them (though privately before
those who seemed influential) the gospel
that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order
to make sure I was not running or had not
run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with
me, was not forced to be circumcised, though
he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false
brothers secretly brought in — who slipped
in to spy out our freedom that we have in
Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us
into slavery — 5 to them we did not yield in
submission even for a moment, so that the
truth of the gospel might be preserved for
you. 6 And from those who seemed to be
influential (what they were makes no
difference to me; God shows no partiality) —
those, I say, who seemed influential added
nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they
saw that I had been entrusted with the
gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter
had been entrusted with the gospel to the
circumcised.”
Unlike the Mosaic
Covenant, the New Covenant provides complete
atonement for our sins.
The
Old Covenant required daily animal
sacrifices as a reminder of the people’s
sin. It was a set of “external regulations
that only applied until the time of the New
Covenant (Hebrews 9:10). The Old Covenant
was fulfilled by Christ (Matthew 5:17). “The
law is only a shadow of the good things that
are coming—not the realities themselves”
(Hebrews 10:1). “The reality . . . is found
in Christ” (Colossians 2:17). The New
Covenant involves the superior ministry of
Jesus Christ that was “established on better
promises,” and is superior to the Old
Covenant in every way (Hebrews 8:6).
The Old Covenant Law was given to
demonstrate that no one is righteous before
God and that no one can save themselves
(Romans 3:10, 11, 20). God’s people were
“held in custody under the law” (Galatians 3:23). They had to rely on a sacrificial
system that looked forward to the coming of
Christ and justification by faith (Galatians 3:24). “But when the set time had fully
come, God sent his Son . . . born under the
law to redeem those under the law”
(Galatians 4:4-5). When the Son of God died
on the cross, God “canceled the charge of
our legal indebtedness, which stood against
us and condemned us; he has taken it away,
nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14).
“In Christ Jesus you are all God’s children
through faith” (Galatians 3:26).
The
main purpose of the Old Covenant was to
point us to Christ: “The law was our
guardian until Christ came that we might be
justified by faith. Now that this faith has
come, we are no longer under a guardian”
(Galatians 3:24-25). The Law was added
“because of transgressions until the Seed to
whom the promise referred had come”, and was
made null and void by the New Covenant of
Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:19; Jeremiah 31:32; Hebrews 8:13; 10:9).
Jesus
Christ fulfilled the law perfectly so we
could be redeemed and made right
with God. “A man is not justified by
observing the law, but by faith in Jesus
Christ. When we put our faith in Jesus we
are justified by faith, not because we
observed the law, because by observing the
law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16).
Now that we serve Christ as
Lord and Savior, we have been freed from
the Law's demands to be justified freely by
His grace through Christ alone (Romans 3:24; 4:16; 5:2; 5:15-21). Romans 6:14
says, “For sin will have no dominion over
you, since you are not under law but under
grace.
A time of transition:
It took some time for the Jewish believers
in the early church to understand that Jesus
had fulfilled the Law of Moses and that it
was no longer binding on His followers
(Matthew 5:17-19; Romans 10:4; Hebrews 9:10; 10:1). Many of the Jewish Christians still
went to the temple for prayer and some of
them kept the Jewish festivals (Acts 2:1; 2:46; 3:1). Stephen seems to have
been the first Christian to clearly
understand that Christianity was not bound
by the Old Covenant law (Acts 6:13-14). Both Jesus and Paul
made it clear that the Old Covenant Law was given to Israel
alone and was not meant for the Gentiles (Mark 12:29-30;
Romans 2:14; 9:4-5; Ephesians 2:11-12).
In
Acts 11, Peter recalled his vision about the
Gentiles receiving salvation. Peter had a
vision in Joppa that involved animals
considered unclean under Jewish law, and God
told Peter to “kill and eat” those animals.
The message was that God had declared those
animals clean, and by extension, the pagan
Gentiles were clean as well. Peter reported
the events to the Jerusalem church but the
believers there were skeptical at first
(Acts 11:3; 11:7-9; 11:15-18). However, when
Peter told them that the Gentiles received
the Holy Spirit with their conversion, the
believers in Jerusalem started to accept the
Gentiles as brothers and sisters in Christ
with full rights and privileges under the
New Covenant. Peter was not always
consistent though, he still wanted to please
the Judaizers when they came to Antioch.
Galatians 2 records a confrontation
between Peter and Paul over how to treat the
Gentile converts to Christianity.
Some men came from James who insisted that
Peter and the other Jews were wrong to eat
with the Gentile converts because they had
been forbidden to do so under the laws of
the Mosaic
Covenant. Paul saw that Peter’s behavior
threatened the gospel of justification by
faith alone and implied that all Christians
had to “live like Jews” under the New
Covenant in order to be justified before God
(Galatians 2:14).
Paul had to
confront Peter over his hypocritical
treatment of the Gentiles.
Galatians 2:11-16 says, "But when Cephas came to
Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because
he stood condemned. 12 For before certain
men came from James, he was eating with the
Gentiles; but when they came he drew back
and separated himself, fearing the
circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the
Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so
that even Barnabas was led astray by their
hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their
conduct was not in step with the truth of
the gospel, I said to Cephas before them
all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a
Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you
force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” 15 We
ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile
sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not
justified by works of the law but through
faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have
believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be
justified by faith in Christ and not by
works of the law, because by works of the
law no one will be justified."
Peter
realized his error and took a bold stand for
the Gentile converts at the Jerusalem
Council.
The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15).
Some of the Jewish Christians
still believed the Gentiles should be
required to keep the laws of the
Mosaic Covenant since new converts to
Judaism were required to keep the Law under
the terms of the Old Covenant. A
council was convened to determine if the
Gentile converts needed to become Jews and
follow Jewish ceremonial laws in order to
become a Christian. Under the terms of the
Old Covenant, a Gentile had to be
circumcised and become a Jew to be a part of
the covenant community. Circumcision was one
of the signs of the covenant that God
established to show that the male Israelite
was a follower of Israel’s God (Genesis 17:9-14; Exodus 12:43-49; Leviticus 12:1-3). These Jewish
Christians were still thinking in terms of
the Old Covenant’s requirements to join the
community. But when Christ gave His
disciples the New Covenant, He replaced the
Old Covenant laws and regulations with the
New Covenant, law of Christ (Mark 12:28-31;
Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
The council decided that the Church was
not obligated to keep the laws of Moses
(Acts 15:1-10; 15:28-29). The Apostle Peter
said that forcing the Gentiles to keep the
laws of Moses would be like placing a yoke
around their necks (Acts 15:10; c.f.
Galatians 5:1). According to Acts 15, no one
is required to become a Jew or keep any of
the laws from the Old, Mosaic Covenant.
The Abrahamic Covenant, not the Mosaic
Covenant is what defines God’s people in
every age. Galatians 3:14 says, “so that in
Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might
come to the Gentiles, so that we might
receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
Those who are led by the Spirit are
Abraham’s “spiritual” offspring.
Romans 8:12-17 says, “So then, brothers, we
are debtors, not to the flesh, to live
according to the flesh. 13 For if you live
according to the flesh you will die, but if
by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of
the body, you will live. 14 For all who are
led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15
For you did not receive the spirit of
slavery to fall back into fear, but you have
received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by
whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit
himself bears witness with our spirit that
we are children of God, 17 and if children,
then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs
with Christ, provided we suffer with him in
order that we may also be glorified with
him.”
Galatians 3:28-29 says, “There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither
slave nor free, there is no male and female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And
if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s
offspring, heirs according to promise.” And
Ephesians 3:6 says, “This mystery is that
the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of
the same body, and partakers of the promise
in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
Anyone who receives Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior is the spiritual heir of Abraham
and have all of the same rights and
privileges promised to Israel in the
Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants (Galatians 3:7-29; 4:22-31; Romans 4:12-21; 9:7-8).
God’s promises are fulfilled
through the Church.
God’s
original plan was for Israel to become a
light to the Gentiles, and a holy nation
(Exodus 19:5-6), but when they rejected the
covenant, God raised up a special people
from among all of the nations of the earth
to fulfill His divine purposes through the
New Covenant Church.
1 Peter 2:9-12
says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his
own possession, that you may proclaim the
excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once
you were not a people, but now you are God’s
people; once you had not received mercy, but
now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I
urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain
from the passions of the flesh, which wage
war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct
among the Gentiles honorable, so that when
they speak against you as evildoers, they
may see your good deeds and glorify God on
the day of visitation."
All of the
promised blessing Israel could have received
had they been faithful are fulfilled
through the New Covenant, people of God.
The New Testament makes it clear
about who can take part in the New Covenant.
Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of
God has appeared, bringing salvation for all
people,”
Matthew 28:19 says, "Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".
Acts 2:17 says, “’And in the last days it
shall be, God declares, that I will pour out
my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, and your
young men shall see visions, and your old
men shall dream dreams”
1 Timothy 2:4
says, [God] “desires all people to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Jews and Gentiles form one body of
believers in Christ Jesus.
Romans 2:28-29
says, “For no one is a Jew who is merely one
outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and
physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and
circumcision is a matter of the heart, by
the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is
not from man but from God.”
Romans 9:7 says, “and not all are children of
Abraham because they are his offspring, but
“Through Isaac shall your offspring be
named.”
Romans 10:12-13 says, "For
there is no distinction between Jew and
Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all,
bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of
the Lord will be saved.”
Colossians 3:11 says, “Here there is not Greek and Jew,
circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian,
Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all,
and in all.”
Salvation is a free gift
offered to everyone who believes.
All
we have to do is exercise faith in Jesus
Christ, the one who fulfilled the Old
Covenant Law on our behalf and brought it to
an end through His sacrificial death on
Calvary's cross.
Romans 10:9-13 says,
“because, if you confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will
be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes
and is justified, and with the mouth one
confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture
says, “Everyone who believes in him will not
be put to shame.” 12 For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; for the
same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his
riches on all who call on him. 13 For
“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.”’
The New Covenant is
open to all. Jesus Christ was the promised
seed, who takes away the sins of the world
and has made good on God's promise to
Abraham to bless both his physical offspring
and all the other people of the world who
choose to live by faith in the Son of God (Genesis 12:1-3; Romans 3:22; 4:16-24; John 1:29;
Galatians 2:20).
We can all share in
Christ’s inheritance. John 3:16 says, “For
God so loved the world, that he gave his
only Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life.”
No
matter what color your skin is, or what race
you come from, God's promise of eternal life
is available to you when you put your faith
in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation
(Romans 8:9-11; Hebrews 9:15).
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