Today we continue reflecting on this passage from the letter to the Romans. The apostle Paul, the author of this letter, is an expert in Jewish law and had lived his life obeying it. He was part of the Pharisees, an important religious group. Because of this religious and social context, Paul had followed carefully the rules that separated Jews from Gentiles and did not relate to anybody who was a Gentile. Paul’s zeal to obey God’s law had gone so far that before believing in Jesus he mercilessly had persecuted, punished, and killed Christians.

But when Paul encounters Jesus, the experience completely transforms his life. God chooses him to share the gospel of Jesus with the Gentiles, those he had once despised.

With this background in mind, we recognize further depth in Paul’s statement that there is no difference between Jew and Greek, or Jews and Gentiles. These words go against everything Paul once believed. Paul recognizes that God has torn down the wall of separation to bring salvation for all, not just for a chosen few.

In our own communities we too have been taught to despise certain people who society deems less worthy and to exclude them from our circles and even from the church. As followers of Jesus we are called to challenge those beliefs and practices and to include the excluded. The transforming message of the gospel is for all, and all who believe belong in the body of Christ; for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”