Many assume that God first made salvation available to Gentiles after Christ came. Scripture tells us that is not true. God never changed His method of saving sinners. Salvation has always been by grace through faith. Grace came through Jew and Gentile from day one. What changed when Jesus came was not God’s plan, but how openly it was proclaimed. Grace was always available. The light didn’t come on at Calvary. It broke through.
God has never dispensed righteousness based on genealogy, law adherence, or religious proximity. He settled that question early on in redemptive history. Before Israel was conceived in the womb, before the rite of circumcision was instituted, even before the law was given, God declared a man righteous solely by his faith. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness ~Genesis 15:6. The Apostle Paul explains why God waited until before Abraham received circumcision to declare him righteous. He did this so that Abraham would be the father of all who believe. Jews do not have the exclusive rights to Abraham’s inheritance. Gentiles have those rights also ~Romans 4:9–12. God established the principle early on. He responds to faith, not ethnicity.
God also made it clear from that moment that salvation was never intended to remain within the Jewish nation. When God called Abraham, he told him all families of the earth would be blessed in him ~Genesis 12:3. Then God told Abraham all nations would bless themselves because of him ~Genesis 22:18. Scripture clearly identifies that seed as Christ ~Galatians 3:16. Paul is even more clear that God preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand when He promised blessing would come to the nations through Christ’s seed ~Galatians 3:8. Salvation for Gentiles was not an afterthought. It was promised before the Jewish nation even had a flag.
In fact the Old Testament backs this up with concrete examples, not religious concepts or alphabetic equations. Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute who feared the LORD, believed His power, and acted upon that belief. Because she believed, Scripture says she did not perish with those who were disobedient ~Hebrews 11:31. James confirms her belief was genuine and evident to all who knew her ~James 2:25. Ruth was a Moabitess raised to worship false gods, yet when she turned to follow the LORD she declared, Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God ~Ruth 1:16. God fully received Ruth and placed her within David’s genealogy where we find her in Jesus’ pedigree ~Matthew 1:5. God did not look at their passports. He saw their faith.
God even poured out mercy on whole Gentile cities on occasion. The city of Nineveh repented in response to Jonah’s preaching and God withheld judgment. Jesus Himself confirms their repentance was genuine and it will serve as an accusation against those who do not repent ~Matthew 12:41. Naaman the Syrian was healed after bowing down to God’s word spoken through Elisha. Jesus later cites him as proof that Elisha’s day came when God showed mercy to a Gentile ~Luke 4:27. Again, we see clearly that God had no problem saving Gentiles who feared Him and believed what He said.
Lastly, Scripture never hides the fact that Gentiles were outside of the Jewish covenant system. Paul writes they were foreigners from the commonwealth of Israel and aliens from the covenant ~Ephesians 2:12. That describes their relationship to Israel and role within redemptive history, not God’s desire to save them. In fact, the very next verse says those who were once far away have now been brought near through the blood of Christ ~Ephesians 2:13. Yes, they were distant from the Jewish covenant, but it never was a locked door. God saved Gentiles who trusted Him before the gospel became global.
Which begs the question. How can anyone be saved if Jesus has not yet come? For that very reason. Romans 3:25 says God set forth Christ to demonstrate His righteousness for the forgiveness of sins that were already committed by His patience. God did not ignore sin in the Old Testament He simply did not judge sinners who trusted Him. He allowed them time knowing the penalty had already been paid. Jesus’ death pays for sins of the past, present, and future.
Because shedding an animals blood never took away sin, Hebrews says, It is not possible ~10:4. They looked forward to Christ. Salvation has never been in the ritual sacrifice. It has always been in God’s free mercy applied by faith because of what Christ would do. Hebrews confirms what all who trusted in the Old Testament did. They lived by faith in God’s promises, were counted righteous by Him, and were commended even though they did not get to see the promise fulfilled ~Hebrews 11:13, 39–40.
What did saving faith look like from Gentiles before Christ’s coming? It looked the same as it does today for those who are trusting in Him today. They turned from idols, they feared the true God, and trusted His word when revealed to them. They may not have had the full light of Christ’s finished work, but they responded to what light they had. God has never left Himself without witness ~Romans 1:19–20. However, Scripture is clear that no one is made righteous by sincerity or good behavior. There is none righteous, no not one ~Romans 3:10. When Gentiles are saved it is by God drawing them to Jesus and their responding in faith.
The reason we do not see more examples of Gentile salvation in the Old Testament is not because God shut the door on them, but because Israel was uniquely responsible for passing along what God had given them. Israel was entrusted with the covenants, the law, the patterns of worship, and the promise of Messiah Himself ~Romans 9:4–5. They were the channel through which salvation flowed to the nations, but they did not own salvation. Regardless of that privilege, Scripture still shows God accepted anyone who feared Him and believed what He said.
After Christ dies and rises from the dead, the veil is torn away and the mission goes international. Send disciple to all nations without exception ~Matthew 28:19.
Start with today’s Bible reading → Know the Bible
Views: 4463