… to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, since they are your glory. (vv. 6-13)

Until Jesus Christ came and revealed the Father’s plan for the Kingdom, the Israelites believed that they alone were God’s chosen people. Christ was hated by the Jewish leaders because He revealed the true meaning of being “chosen.” Bloodline and genealogy, in themselves, have nothing to do with being chosen by God for salvation. Even King David’s lineage included Ruth, a Moabite woman.

Therefore, no one should be misled by claims that a person is chosen by God simply because of physical descent from Abraham. Abraham became the father of all believers because he was declared righteous through faith. That saving faith was not his own achievement but a gift from God.

Then he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (Ephesians 2:8)

Paul spent his entire Christian life explaining this truth. Yet many who claim to be Christians strongly oppose what he taught. They assert that God saves every human being and attempt to support their view by quoting Paul’s writings. However, this is a simple misinterpretation of his teaching.

Paul devoted much of his ministry to explaining that the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, are saved by faith. His message was not that every individual without exception would be saved, but that salvation is granted by God’s grace through faith and is not limited to a particular nation, ethnicity, or bloodline. The inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s plan of salvation was one of the central themes of his ministry.

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

“All people” does not necessarily mean every individual who has ever been born on earth, but rather people from all groups—both Jews and Gentiles. Faith may appear to be a condition for salvation, yet faith itself is a gift from God. Therefore, we conclude that salvation ultimately depends on God’s choice and grace, not on human effort or lineage. Some are chosen for salvation, while others are not.

For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.” (John 3: 17-21)

As I have written before, we do not know who is truly chosen by God and who merely claims to be chosen in order to deceive others. However, I know that I have been chosen, and that knowledge humbles me because I know that I have done nothing to deserve it.

The Reformed tradition teaches the doctrine of election. However, many people dislike what they do because they place too much emphasis on heritage, lineage, or belonging to their community. In doing so, they can create an exclusive culture of the “chosen” while missing the very point of God’s grace. Some in the Reformed denominations become hostile or prejudiced toward those of different ethnic, cultural, or social backgrounds. They may act as though others are beyond God’s salvation. In this way, a denomination becomes hypocritical, like the Jewish leaders. Nevertheless, we should not make final judgments about individuals. We do not know whether there are true believers—or those whom God will bring to faith—in any community. God knows His own people and will save them according to His purpose.

Yet Christianity is not ultimately about my salvation or your salvation; it is about the Kingdom of God. We should not speculate about things we have not seen with our own eyes. Instead, we believe what God has revealed in Scripture. We have heard of the Kingdom through the testimony of God’s Word. The Kingdom is not a product of human imagination or philosophical speculation. It is real. It has substance, reality, and fulfillment in Jesus Christ and in the promises of God.

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— (1 John 1:1)

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (vv. 20-21)