Understanding the Kingdom of God預覽

Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles

A very long time ago, centuries before Jesus walked the earth, a song was sung: “Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!” (Psalm 117:1, ESV) This song is a summons for all the nations to worship Yahweh, the God of Israel.

There was a time when only the physical descendants of Abraham (the Jews) were allowed to enter the Temple to worship God. Samaritans and Gentiles (the nations) were kept at a distance. They were not part of God’s family and thus were not allowed to worship God in the Temple. They were far off and alienated from His life-giving presence.

But the coming of Jesus’ reign changed everything! Jesus’ death and resurrection made God’s presence available to all people. One particular herald in the early Church grasped this glorious truth more than any other: The Apostle Paul.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Paul was the most prominent figure in the early Church. Paul, formerly known as Saul, was a persecutor of the Church. He was a Pharisee on a mission to eradicate this Messianic “fringe” movement of Jesus’ followers. However, on his way to Damascus, he encountered the risen Jesus. The King of the very movement that Paul had vowed to destroy became his new Master.

With his conversion also came his calling as an apostle to the Gentiles. Paul had a particularly grand vision of the Church and the Gospel. The victory on the Cross meant that the nations were now Jesus’ rightful inheritance. For Paul, the Gospel was God’s mission of reclaiming the nations for Himself. All the nations are called to come and worship the one true God. Thus, Paul’s job was to proclaim this Good News to the Gentiles.

Paul wrote the letter of Ephesians to Gentile believers. He wanted them to grasp the glorious inheritance they had in Christ. Before they knew Christ, they were far from God as pagan idolaters. But now, in Christ, they had been brought near. On the Cross, the wall that separated Jews from Gentiles was broken down. Gentile believers could receive the same Holy Spirit and therefore become part of the same family: God’s family. They were now part of Christ’s body. They belonged at the Father’s table. They had full access to His presence.

The Temple of God, therefore, consists of people from all races, ethnicities, nationalities, cultures, tongues, and backgrounds. In Christ and through the Spirit, we are united in love. We are one family worshipping the one true God.

If Paul’s life were a song, the chorus would probably exclaim: “Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!” (Psalm 117:1, ESV) Let this be our song as well.