Bible Verse of the Day Friday October 21st, 2022

Ephesians 2:19-20 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

As seen throughout the history of the beginning of the Christian Church, from the first service, during the festival of Pentecost, through the writings of Paul, Peter, and all the other New Testament writers, there was a religious and social division between the Jews and The Gentiles. For the most part, the Jews considered the Gentiles sinners because they did not have the Law and consequently could not follow the Law, which meant no salvation for the Gentiles. 

During His earthly ministry, Jesus had instructed His apostles concerning the dividing wall between the Jews and The Gentiles. We see this in the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19-20), as well as the last words of Jesus before He ascended to Heaven, " you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). We see that Jesus dealt with Peter on this issue, as witnessed during the time of the conversion of Cornelius and his household (Acts Chapter 10). Paul taught this during all of his missionary journeys. With all of this information coming through Peter and Paul straight from the risen Christ, there were still certain Jews that would not accept the Gentiles unless they were converted to Judaism, agreed to be circumcised, and followed the Law.

Verses 19 and 20 clearly show that all people, not just the Jews, are part of the Kingdom of God, members of His household, and heirs to the Royal Family of God. So, verse 20 of this writing shows the solid rock on which Jesus built His gospel. This scripture indicates that all people of the world are recipients of the promise of Abraham (Genesis 17).

We are all not only full-fledged citizens of the Kingdom of God; we are complete and equal members of the Family of God, part of His household. As Christians, we are a new entity in Christ Jesus; we are no longer what we were in the world. The Church is not a patchwork sewn into the quilt of the nation of Israel; it is an entirely new body. The term “foreigners and strangers” used in this verse was the Jewish term for Gentiles in the writing of this scripture. The Jews of that day referred to Gentiles as “strangers.”

There are no outsiders or interlopers in the royal family of God; as Christians, we have solid citizenship in Heaven for eternity. Every member of the family of God holds equal prominence; to consider a fellow member of God’s family with disdain is to discount the things God esteems. There are no homeless in God’s community. Christians belong in a way that we have never experienced before. We enthusiastically anticipate the day we will be with our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. In the interim, we are to represent Him while we are on this earth as God’s diplomats and envoys, ambassadors for Christ Jesus.

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