Men and women in the Bible
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5. Who are the Gentiles? |
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The
Gentiles are those who are not Jews by birth. The Hebrew word for Gentiles is
goyim, which means ‘nations’ or
‘peoples’. |
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We are
Gentiles in Christ Jesus because we have believed in the Lord Jesus, and
since we have believed in Jesus Christ, even though we are called
‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (because they
have been circumcised in the body by the hands of men) and we were foreigners
to the covenants of the promise and excluded from citizenship of Israel, now
in Christ Jesus we are members of the people of God because God has made the
New Covenant with us also, and we became fellow citizens with the saints. In
other words, since we are Gentiles by birth, we once were not part of the
people of Israel, who are the people to whom God revealed His word through
His prophets, the people God chose above all people to be a special treasure
and a holy nation to Him, and to whom He promised to send the Messiah to save
them from their sins; and since the Messiah was sent to the lost sheep of
Israel, and not to the Gentiles, we once were without God, without Christ and
did not have any hope. But one day it pleased God to send His salvation to us
as well, and by faith in the promised Messiah, that is, Jesus Christ, we
became children of God, Christ became our Lord and Saviour, and we received
from God a good hope by His grace. |
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Therefore
we Gentiles are bound to glorify God for He had mercy on us in Christ Jesus,
for now He calls us ‘His people’. The following prophetic Bible verses attest
that we must glorify God for His mercy: “Therefore I will give thanks to You,
O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name” (Psalm 18:49 –
NKJV); “Rejoice o Gentiles, with His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43 – NKJV);
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!” (Psalm 117:1
- NKJV): “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as
a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting
place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10 – NKJV). |
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To God,
therefore, be the glory now and forevermore. Amen. |