²⁸"Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" Acts 28:28

These are difficult words for a Jewish audience at that time. Paul is making a statement on the universal availability of God’s salvation. That stood in contrast to the traditional belief among the audience. They believed that salvation had been offered to Abraham and his seed forever. The most important thing under this scenario was being a child of Abraham to be part of the covenant. Now, they are listening to another Jew who was of the tradition of the Pharisees tell them that God had done and was doing a new thing. God was making everything new by extending the borders of those who could be included under the umbrella of the covenant.

Paul made sure that he indicated that the salvation he was talking about belonged to God. It was God’s salvation and not a human or tribal one. When ownership of salvation is clearly defined then one can search for the parameters of that salvation. Paul understood clearly that it had been the intention of God all along to extend this salvation by faith not only to the children of Abraham. That would make sense if we understand that God is the creator of all humanity. However, one thing cannot be denied and that is the fact that the Jews were the chosen people to be the bearers of this salvation.

No one could challenge the call of God to Abraham to leave his people and go to the land that God would show him. It was not debatable that Abraham became the father of all who would respond to God by faith. Now the same call was being extended to the Gentiles who hitherto had been outside the covenant. If the Gentiles do listen and respond to God by faith, they also become children of Abraham.  

The message of salvation was no longer confined to any group of people. All were invited to hear the message of Jesus Christ. Paul at this meeting was saying something that was not new. Jesus and Peter had already extended the message of the gospel to Gentiles. Paul himself had been given the commission to take the gospel to the Gentiles and that was the reason that he was in chains. Paul was only affirming his life mission to those gathered in Rome who may not know a lot about what he had been up to all along.

We have been entrusted with a salvation that is free for all who will listen. Our task is to carry that message to our generation and to the next. Would you be part of this movement of bearing the message of free grace to any one who would listen?

Stay blessed