Have you ever felt left out of a group, made to feel like you don’t belong, and are not welcomed? Children in school and around the neighborhood sometimes make clubs, where some are allowed in and others are kept out. Though it isn’t as common today as it used to be, adults sometimes do the same thing. Hurt feelings and anger can follow. Our churches should never be a place where one feels less than welcome because of their background.
In our passages today, Paul is is addressing converted Gentiles in Ephesus. These people had recently been followers of pagan gods, or were without any real faith at all. The true God was completely foreign to them, and they were seemingly without hope and on the road to damnation.
However, the message of Christ had been preached to them, and they accepted. They were now part of the Body of Christ. The barrier that had kept most Gentiles from coming to a belief in the true God had been broken down, and Gentiles were converting in significant numbers. Though they came from a background completely void of any belief in the one true God, they no longer were to be considered outsiders. They should no longer be looked at as the feared and despised others. They were now part of the household of God.
The same is true for those who convert today from a non-Christian background. Those who were raised as a Christian or are from a Christian background should not look at them as what they were, or as less of a Christian. Those who converted from a non-Christian faith or background should not look at themselves in that manner either. Once one is a part of the body of Christ, their old self is dead, and is no longer seen by God. We should have the same mindset as well.
Sin has separated everyone from God, regardless of their race or background. In Jesus the Law was fulfilled and our sins were forgiven (vs 14-16). Those who believe in Jesus have been reconciled to the Father and grafted into the covenant He made. Before we were saved we were spiritually dead in sin, and could not have fellowship with God. When we received Jesus as Savior, we could then come to the Father anytime (vs 18). Jesus’s sacrifice on Calvary procured that for us.
Jesus has offered salvation to everyone. He has broken down the wall of prejudice, and reconciles all believers to God, unifying us in one body. Through Jesus we all have access to the Father. We are no longer foreigners or aliens to God.
Let us not be proud of our own upbringing, for we are all sinners. If we have accepted Christ, we are saved by grace through His death on the cross. No one is saved or damned as a result of their heritage. There are no strangers, foreigners, or second-class citizens in God’s kingdom. Redeemed sinners all become members of God’s family.
No comments:
Post a Comment