Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
Thoughts for Today:Paul is basically saying to the Jews: "You don't own God." This is a good lesson for us as well because if we are not careful we too can be guilty of limiting what God can do (or has said) based upon our own beliefs and biases.
Throughout the centuries of church history debates have regularly occurred over interpretation of Scripture. The furor and passion of these disputes have sometimes led to denominational or congregational splits. However, the one positive thing that comes out of most types of Biblical discussion is a lot more people open, read, and study their Bibles with greater interest and passion to find out what God has said about a subject. And when God's people read the Word -- revival almost always follows.
In our passage today, Paul sums up God's position on divisiveness within the church: "There is only one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith." I think this statement is God's equation for resolving controversies within the body from His perspective: One God = Same Faith (in Jesus' sacrifice).
Questions to Ponder:Sometimes Christians get caught up in their differences with other denominations rather than what we all have in common: One God = Same Faith. If our focus is placed on our similarities, the disagreements seem a lot less significant. Are other Christians rubbing you the wrong way because they don't see things the same way you do? Where is your focus today? Where should it be? Answer: On Jesus.