Why Desire To Be a Gentile?
By R. F. Cottrell
CHRISTIANS are not Gentiles. Paul tells the Ephesians that in time past they were Gentiles; that at that time they were "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world."133Eph. ii, 11, 12. This was their character and condition in time past, that is, before their conversion to Christianity. What were they after their conversion? The apostle answers: "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." Vs. 19. The sum is this: They that were Gentiles are now Israelites. They that were aliens are now entitled to all the blessings and privileges of the commonwealth. They that were strangers are now made acquainted with both the covenants of promise; for the New would not be understood without a knowledge of the Old. They that had no hope, now have the true "hope of Israel," for which Paul was bound with a chain. Acts xxviii, 20. They that were without God can now claim the "God of Israel" as theirs, and belong to his household. Who would wish to be a Gentile? Who would not rather be an Israelite? Who would not choose to belong to Christ, and thus be Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise? Gal. iii, 29. Yet I hear one say, I would keep the Sabbath if I could learn that it was ever given to the Gentiles! My dear friend! can you not, being a Gentile, claim the blessings of the Sabbath on the ground that you are a man? Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man." If you are a man, it was made for you. Gentiles are in a sad condition indeed, if they cannot claim to be men. It is difficult to understand how they can become Abraham's seed, for he doubtless was a man. Still, my friend, if you can in any way become Christ's, you will certainly belong to Abraham's family, and then you will be entitled to all the blessings of the Sabbath here, and to all the promises of the future, based upon your keeping it. "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable [not the old Jewish Sabbath]; and shall honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father [notwithstanding thou wast in time past a Gentile]; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isa. lviii, 13, 14. Now, to be frank with you, my friend, I fear you do not desire the Sabbath for yourself. If you did, I think you would find some way to prove a claim to it. I fear that instead of viewing it as a blessing, you look upon it as against you, and contrary to you. Now this is simply unbelief in the word of Christ, who said it was made for man; that is, to be a benefit and a blessing to him. Now if you can put away this unbelief and have faith in Christ, though you are a Gentile by nature, yet you may delight yourself in the Lord and in his holy Sabbath, and finally have a share in Israel's inheritance, and, in the earth made new, come up from Sabbath to Sabbath to worship Israel's King, the Lord of hosts. Isa. lxvi, 23.