The Gospel That Encompasses Everyone

Have you ever felt excluded?  When I was about 12, one of my uncles told me, ‘If you ever do anything like that again, you will never be welcome at my house again.’  I had been playing baseball in their back yard with my younger cousin.  When he slid into home base and I tagged him out, he had started crying.  I thought he was crying because I called him out at home.  My uncle thought I was ignoring an injury that he suffered.  The sternness and intensity of my uncle was devastating to me.  The thought of being ‘excommunicated’ from my little cousin’s home was heart breaking for a 12 year old.

Galatians was written by Paul to clarify the impact of the gospel.  Because some were perverting the gospel by requiring circumcision and the keeping of the law of Moses, Gentiles were in danger of being excluded from the kingdom of God.  Paul will not allow this to happen.  In Galatians 2, he uses two examples to make his point.  On one occasion  in Jerusalem, there were those who wanted Titus to be circumcised.  Paul would not ‘give in to these false brothers for a moment’.  Paul knew that this requirement for Titus was a perversion of the gospel.

On another occasion in Antioch, Peter separated himself from some of his Gentile brothers.  He refused to eat with them because he was afraid of ‘losing face’ with a circumcision group from Judea.  Paul rebuked Peter face to face for his hypocrisy.  By Peter’s actions, he was ‘excluding’ these Gentile brothers from fellowship.

The message of Galatians is that ‘the gospel encompasses everyone.’  Peter knew this.  At the home of Cornelius, Peter said , “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.  I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

We preach a gospel that encompasses everyone.  In your personal life and in our churches, how barrier-free are we?  Do we erect barriers to the kingdom of God or do we eliminate barriers?  The gospel is intended to be a message of inclusiveness, not exclusiveness.  How well is this message being lived by you today?

Prayer:  Lord, help me to understand the message of the gospel.  Help me to welcome into your kingdom Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, male and female.  Help me recognize as my brothers and sisters anyone who accepts your Son Jesus as Lord of their lives.

Terry Brown

Abilene, Texas