By Grace, to the Glory of His Name
From the beginning, God’s redemptive plan has been global in scope, reaching beyond the boundaries of Israel to embrace people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The promise to redeem the Gentiles is not a New Testament innovation but a thread woven throughout Scripture, demonstrating God’s eternal purpose. From the curse pronounced upon Canaan, the descendant of Ham, to the declarations of the Gospel of Luke, we see the consistent revelation of God’s intent to glorify Himself by redeeming the nations.
1. The Curse of Ham and the Seeds of Redemption
The narrative of Noah’s curse upon Ham’s son, Canaan, in Genesis 9:25–27, has often been read as a moment of divine judgment. After Ham’s dishonor toward his father, Noah declares:
“Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers. He also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.’”
At first glance, this curse appears to isolate Canaan and the descendants of Ham to perpetual servitude. Yet, nestled within this pronouncement is a glimmer of hope for the Gentiles. Japheth, whose descendants would populate much of the Gentile world, is blessed with the promise of enlargement and inclusion in the “tents of Shem.”
This prophecy anticipates the eventual incorporation of Gentiles into the covenant blessings mediated through Shem’s lineage, culminating in Jesus Christ. The curse upon Canaan underscores the reality of sin’s consequences, yet it also highlights God’s providential plan to extend grace and redemption even to the nations descended from Japheth and Ham.
2. The Promise to Abraham: A Blessing for All Nations
The next significant moment in God’s redemptive plan for the Gentiles comes with the call of Abram in Genesis 12. God declares:
“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing… in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2–3).
Here, God sets apart Abraham and his descendants to be His covenant people. Yet, from the beginning, the scope of this covenant is universal. The promise to Abraham is not restricted to Israel alone but includes the Gentiles, as Paul later emphasizes in Galatians 3:8: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’”
Throughout the Old Testament, glimpses of this promise appear. Ruth, a Moabite, becomes part of the lineage of Christ. Rahab, a Canaanite, is redeemed and brought into God’s covenant family. These examples reveal that God’s purpose has always been to use Israel as a light to the nations, drawing Gentiles into His saving grace.
3. The Prophets: Proclaiming God’s Glory Among the Nations
The prophets of Israel consistently affirm God’s intention to redeem the Gentiles. Isaiah declares:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
This Servant, whom we recognize as Christ, is not merely the Redeemer of Israel but the Savior of the world. Similarly, in Isaiah 19:24–25, Egypt and Assyria—nations often hostile to Israel—are included in God’s covenant blessings:
“In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.’”
These passages challenge any notion that God’s plan was ever limited to one ethnic group. Instead, they reveal a God whose purposes are global and eternal.
4. Jesus and the Gospel of Luke: The Fulfillment of God’s Purpose
The Gospel of Luke is particularly rich in showing how Jesus fulfills God’s plan to redeem the Gentiles. Luke, often writing to a Gentile audience, emphasizes the universality of the Gospel, demonstrating that Christ is the Savior of all peoples.
A Savior for All People
In Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth, the angel announces to the shepherds:
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).
Simeon’s words in the temple echo this universality:
“My eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:30–32).
From the very beginning of Jesus’ life, His mission is framed as one that extends to the Gentiles.
Jesus’ Ministry to the Outsiders
Throughout Luke’s Gospel, Jesus engages with Gentiles and those considered outsiders by Jewish society. He heals the servant of a Roman centurion, praising the centurion’s faith as greater than any in Israel (Luke 7:1–10). He casts out demons from the Gerasene demoniac, a Gentile living in the Decapolis (Luke 8:26–39). He commends the Samaritan leper for his gratitude and faith (Luke 17:11–19).
These interactions reveal that Jesus’ ministry was not restricted to the lost sheep of Israel but extended to all who would believe in Him.
The Parables of Inclusion
Luke’s Gospel contains parables that underscore God’s purpose to include the Gentiles in His kingdom. The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15–24) vividly illustrates this:
When the invited guests (symbolizing Israel) refuse to come, the master commands his servant to bring in the poor, crippled, blind, and lame. Finally, he sends the servant to compel people from the highways and hedges—symbolizing the Gentiles—to fill his house. This parable reflects God’s determination to gather a people for Himself from every nation.
5. The Cross: The Culmination of God’s Redemptive Plan
The ultimate fulfillment of God’s purpose to redeem the Gentiles is found in the cross of Christ. In Luke 23:47, a Roman centurion witnesses Jesus’ death and declares, “Certainly this man was innocent!” This confession foreshadows the faith that many Gentiles would later place in the crucified and risen Christ.
Paul’s writings affirm that through the cross, Christ has broken down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile:
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility… that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace” (Ephesians 2:14–15).
Through His death and resurrection, Jesus secures redemption for all who trust in Him, fulfilling the promise made to Abraham and the prophecies of the Old Testament.
6. The Great Commission and the Church’s Mission
The Great Commission, recorded in Luke 24:46–47, explicitly calls for the Gospel to be preached to all nations:
“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
The church, empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, carries forward this mission. When Peter preaches in Acts 2, people from across the Gentile world hear the Gospel in their own languages—a foretaste of the global harvest to come.
Paul’s ministry further exemplifies this mission, as he becomes the apostle to the Gentiles, proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ to those outside Israel.
Conclusion: To the Praise of His Glorious Grace
God’s eternal purpose in redeeming the Gentiles is a testament to His sovereign grace and His desire to glorify Himself through the salvation of all peoples. From the curse of Canaan to the covenant with Abraham, from the prophetic declarations of Isaiah to the ministry of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, Scripture reveals a God whose redemptive plan encompasses the entire world.
This plan reaches its climax in the cross and resurrection of Christ, where Jew and Gentile are united in one body, reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus. The church’s mission is to carry this Gospel to the ends of the earth, proclaiming the glory of the God who redeems sinners from every nation.
As we marvel at God’s work, let us join in the song of the redeemed, crying out with the heavenly chorus:
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
May God continue to fulfill His eternal purpose, drawing the nations to Himself, to the praise of His glorious grace.
Reformed Faith Insights 