His Love for the Nations
“And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”
Revelation 5:9
Worthy, worthy, worthy! These will be the shouts of praise and songs of worship that erupt from around the throne of God. The heavens will roar with all the adoration that is due Him. Languages from every tribe, village, and nation will be present because He is worthy. The Lord Most High desires and deserves complete and perfect love from those whom He loved.
This begs the question for us to discuss –
Whom did He love?
The simple answer is –
He loves you, He loves me, and He loves all that still do not know Him.
But what about the bigger picture of His love?
Unfortunately, over the past two thousand years, there have been quarrels and arguments amongst Christians and non-Christians alike about the sacrificial love of our God. Some have made arguments that indicate God has pre-selected only some to be saved and those are the people that He has truly loved. Others have contended that God’s love and sacrifice was, and is, so complete that all people (past, present, and future) will be saved even if they never surrender to Jesus. Personally, I do not align or agree with either of these arguments!
God’s love is unconditional, uncompromising, and without any fault! His love is so perfect that any person can be saved no matter how atrocious they may have sinned. His love is so unfathomable that it cannot be contained to just one people, one generation, or one geographical location. While the beginning of God’s story focused on a single, specific group of people, through the sacrifice of Jesus, the Kingdom of God is now available to ALL!
Our loving Father extended some incredible promises to His people throughout the generations. Let’s take a quick look and be reminded of His expansive love.
In Genesis 12, we find the Abrahamic Covenant. The Lord makes a covenant with Abram and promises that all families (all nations) on earth will be blessed. This blessing will come through the family line of Abram (Abraham), onward through Israel, and ultimately through Jesus the Messiah.
The prophet Habakuk declares in chapter 2 verse 14, “For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.” A promise is given that God’s presence, glory, knowledge, and salvation will be accessible and present across the entire earth.
On the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit is poured out and people begin to speak in new languages. Those looking in on the scene were able to identify a number of these languages as being from foreign lands. In God’s mercy and demonstration of power, His Holy Spirit was equipping those in the upper room for international ministry.
In Galatians 3:26-29, the Apostle Paul addresses the contentious beliefs of preferring one nationality over another. He also chooses to address the false and demeaning belief that men are better or should be preferred over women.
26
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
We could enumerate many more examples that display the Lord’s love and mercy for ALL nations and ALL people. Hopefully, through these few examples, and the others that the Holy Spirit may have brought to your mind, you are embracing the idea that God makes no preference and doesn’t play favorites.
One concluding thought to consider.
For those who live in the United States or other Western nations, there has been an overly patriotic sentiment that jades our Christianity. In the first Gulf War in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I recall hearing self-proclaimed Christians calling for the utter annihilation of Iraq and its allies. This continued on through the Desert Storm, the War on Terror in Afghanistan, and other wars/conflicts in various parts of the world. People would worship Jesus on Sunday, but practically endorse genocide the other six days of the week. I am certain that this is not the character becoming of a person who is truly in love with Jesus. While war is inevitable, our hearts should be in-tuned and aligned with God’s love for ALL people and ALL nations.