“Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called ‘uncircumcised heathens’ by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.”
I’m not sure how long you have known God or how well you feel like you know him, but no matter how long or how well it is not enough. The Jews knew more about God than any other people group on earth. They knew him intimately and he had been directly involved in every aspect of their lives, culture, religious practices, and legal system since the beginning. Yet even the Jews often missed the heart of God, focusing more on earthly practices than on eternal realities.
If you are not a Jewish person by birth, then you are considered a Gentile. You were not part of the original family clan chosen by God, but ultimately his intent was always to offer salvation to the whole world. We know this from the prophets in the Old Testament, like we can read in Isaiah 45:22-23. Before Jesus, the rest of the world didn’t know much about God except what they saw from the life of the Jewish people. With Jesus’ arrival, the message became overt and clear: salvation is for everyone.
Here’s your freedom for today: Jesus wants to bring you close. That phrase “brought near to him” makes me think of an embrace or a close whisper in the ear. A gentle “come here, child.” He’s been whispering to his chosen Jewish children for their entire history, and he’s beckoning to your heart right now. Whether you have known Jesus your whole life or whether you don’t really know him at all, there are deeper places to explore. Don’t be satisfied with your status quo with God. Press in. Go deeper. Come closer. Be nearer than you have ever been before.