Depending on what translation you’re reading, the Bible mentions the term ‘Gentiles’ about 102 times. This term, describing people other than the Israelites, non-Jews, bears significant meaning for modern readers of the Bible. To understand the term’s definition, one must examine the distinctions among Judaism, Christianity, and the meaning of “salvation.”
Gentiles as Non-Jews
In order to understand what ‘Gentile’ means, let’s consider the opposite. Scripture explains how the Creator-God called a specific people-group to Himself. They were called ‘Israel’ or ‘the Israelites’. According to the Book of Genesis, this nation received God’s covenantal promises to Abraham and walked with God for the rest of time.
The term comes from the Latin word “Gentes” (nations). God’s special people, the Jews, were called to be holy and set apart. They had to live according to God’s way and not the way of the world around them. “…separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors” – Ezra 6:21
(Some context: This sounds like judgment in modern language, but the so-called ‘unclean practices’ that were common in those times included child sacrifices and worse. They were not called to condemn them, but rather to “be a light for the Gentiles” – a common phrase in Scripture.)
Was Jesus a Jew?
From a modern Christian perspective, Jesus Christ’s own religion is a topic that is often placed under the microscope by deity and laypeople alike. Was he also a Gentile then?
Jesus was a Jew. It is believed that he was sent first and foremost to the Jewish people in an answer to their cries for God to send a Messiah – a concept theologians describe as ‘particularism’. The Jews are still God’s special people. However, Jesus was not the typical Jew.
The very reason for Jesus’ death was that he intentionally and continually subverted Jewish customs. He allowed his disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath, he did miracles outside of the Temple, he dined with sinners, and made friends with tax-collectors. Jesus was atypical in his treatment of Gentiles. Instead of being the forceful Davidic king that the Jews hoped for, he came as a humble man who lived simply.
Salvation Redefined
The message of Jesus was not only directed at the Jews; it was for everyone. In Jesus’ perspective – and the worldview that is now prevalent among many in the West – salvation is available to all. However, Jesus instructed his disciples to prioritize the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6) – the Good News is for the Jews first.
The Pauline letters subvert the idea of a Gentile with Scriptures like Galatians 3:28 that states: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)
As seen in this verse, the Apostle Paul, was particularly passionate about ministry among the Gentiles.
In the Biblical New Testament, the Gentiles responded positively when the Gospel was shared with them and many turned from their ‘Gentile’ ways and converted to become followers of Jesus instead.
Most of Us Are “Gentiles”
The issue of being a Gentile, or a non-Gentile, touches on the deeply human need of ‘Belonging’. This even comes up in modern television series like Netflix’s widely acclaimed “Nobody Wants This” where the plot is a Jewish rabbi falling in love with a… (you guessed it) Gentile woman!
Old Testament Scriptures (like Gen 12:3, Is 2:2 and 49:6, 60; Ps 22:27 and 86:9) indicate that eventually God will call all nations of the earth towards Himself and they will all worship Him together – there will be no longer be any separation between Gentile and Jew. This is echoed in the New Testament too:
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne” – Revelation 7:9
