11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Whoever” repeated twice, drawing authority from the Old Testament and written by an inspired apostle, is an invitation presented to everyone. There is no question that the Gospel is to go out to the entire world. Jesus commanded with divine and absolute authority, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). God “is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (1 Peter 3:9).
This invitation extends not just to the Jew, but also to the Greek. Here Paul uses the term “Greek” to refer to the non-Jews, reflecting the pervasive, Hellenistic influence of the day. The Jews tended to think the message of the Gospel, as Paul preached it, reduced the Jews to being no different from anyone else, removing their exceptionalism. However, they didn’t remember that their special status with God was a blessing to be extended to all the nations of the earth. The original promise to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, from whom they all descended, was this: “[I]n you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:3).
No, the Jews’ status was not being reduced by the Gospel, as though it were some kind of demotion. Rather, the Gospel promotes all non-Jews to the lofty status of being God’s people as well. So today, the distinction is not between Jew and non-Jew, but between “whoever believes” and those who do not! And in fact, today believers come from most every nation on the earth, every ethnic group and from all kinds of religious backgrounds. And the missionary endeavor continues to reach all the remaining unreached, so as to share the wonderful riches of God with “all who call on Him.”
There is no scarcity of God’s wealth of grace. When more people come to Christ in faith, they don’t leave less blessing for those of us who are already believers. His grace, like everything else about God, is immense and immeasurable. Recognizing that Jesus is the Lord of the Bible, Yahweh Himself of the OT, and calling on Him for salvation, brings the promise of God. That person “will be saved.” And when God says a person is saved, nothing can separate that person from God’s love (Rom 8:39). Absolutely nothing! And this is available to whoever will call on the name of the Lord.
Lord, thank You for saving me. I am wealthier than the richest man on earth.
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