Jews And Gentiles

Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 

Romans 3:29-30 

Redemption is for all manner of people. The Jews received the law from God and scrupulously followed it, or so they thought. Their expectation was that God would accept them for their obedience. They heartily despised the Gentiles, which included everyone who was ‘uncircumcised.’ Paul has spent two and a half chapters proving that everyone lies under the condemnation of having broken the law of God. He has set forth his main thesis statement in the preceding verses. Now as he moves toward his presentation of justification by faith he recaps, in a comparative statement, that God justifies the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. This lays the axe to the root of the tree of any illusion that anyone is justified by works. We need this reiterated in an abundance of ways in various contexts. Without it we drift into the kind of religion which has become most common, a Christless dependence on some form of works to make us acceptable to God. Paul continually, both implicitly and explicitly brings us to faith. This faith is not some vague concept. It is distinctively faith in Christ. He is at the heart of it all for both Jews and Gentiles.  

Our Great and Gracious God, 
we rejoice that You all kinds of people. 
We praise You that they will form a great multitude, 
which no one can number. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning