Romans 15:9
[9] and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” (ESV)
In our modern day we who are Gentiles do not realize what a special thing it is that we are included in the body of believers. It was God's desire that the Gentiles would glorify God for his mercy. Sadly, that was not necessarily the Jews' plan. The Jews despised the Gentiles and struggled to understand why God would offer salvation to those who were outside of the Law.
In the Old Testament the only way that a person could be a part of the people of promise was by being a faithful Jew. If a Gentile was to be a part of God's people he would have to go through a process of becoming a Jew. This would also include being circumcised, regardless of what age he may be at the time of becoming a Jew.
In Genesis 12:3 God told Abram, later named Abraham, "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." The Jews were very proud to be descendants of Abraham. They were not enamored with the idea of all nations being blessed through Abraham. They were more than content to be the recipients of God's blessings, withholding those same blessings from the Gentiles.
The idea that God would be praised among the Gentiles was considered very offensive to the Jews. Even though the Apostle Paul was writing to a new race of people, the body of Christ, the Jews still had a hard time reconciling how God could include the Gentiles with them. As Paul tells us here, this was part of God's plan from the beginning.
Is there someone in the body of Christ that you have a hard time accepting? Remind yourself that it was God's plan all along. How can you demonstrate love to this person? How can you let them know that you are glad they are part of the family?
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