We Are All God's Chosen People

[Guest Soldier of God]

Saint Paul proclaims with equal firmness that this one true God loves all that follow his covenant.

 

Romans - Chapter 3

 

29 Do you think God is the God only of the Jews, and not of gentiles too? Most certainly of gentiles too,

 

30 since there is only one God; he will justify the circumcised by their faith, and he will justify the uncircumcised through their faith.

 

 

Romans - Chapter 9

 

4 They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;

 

5 theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Messiah. God who is over all 3 be blessed forever. Amen.

 

6 But it is not that the word of God has failed. For not all who are of Israel are Israel,

 

7 nor are they all children of Abraham because they are his descendants; but "It is through Isaac that descendants shall bear your name."

 

8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.

[Guest Soldier of God]

Here Paul proclaims God is Lord of the Gentiles.

 

Acts - Chapter 14

 

8 At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth, who had never walked.

 

9 He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him, saw that he had the faith to be healed,

 

10 and called out in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet." He jumped up and began to walk about.

 

11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they cried out in Lycaonian, "The gods have come down to us in human form."

 

12 They called Barnabas "Zeus" and Paul "Hermes," because he was the chief speaker.

 

13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice.

 

14 The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,

 

15 "Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, 'who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.'

 

16 In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways;

 

17 yet, in bestowing his goodness, he did not leave himself without witness, for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts."

 

18 Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.

 

19 However, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

 

20 But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and entered the city. On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

[Guest Soldier of God]

Here we learn that that whole human race may seek Jesus and the kingdom of God.

 

Acts - Chapter 17

 

24 The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,

 

25 nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.

 

26 He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,

 

27 so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us.

 

28 For 'In him we live and move and have our being,'as even some of your poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.'

 

29 Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.

 

30 God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent

 

31 because he has established a day on which he will 'judge the world with justice' through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead."

 

32 When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, "We should like to hear you on this some other time."

 

33 And so Paul left them.

 

34 But some did join him, and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

[Guest Soldier of God]

Here we see that our Lord sacrifices himself to pay for the ignorance of Man and offers paradise to All those that ask for it.

 

Luke - Chapter 23

 

33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left.

 

34 [Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."] They divided his garments by casting lots.

 

35 The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God."

 

36 Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine

 

37 they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself."

 

38 Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews."

 

39 Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us."

 

40 The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?

 

41 And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal."

 

42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

 

43 He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

 

44 It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon

 

45 because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.