I am in Ephesians in my daily Bible reading. What an amazing letter from Paul—especially for those of us who are Gentiles. His words remind us of God’s eternal plan: predestination and reconciliation, regeneration and unity.
Before Jesus ascended to His throne as Messiah and King, Gentiles were outsiders. We were cut off from God’s chosen people and far away from His promises. But when Jesus became King, He didn’t come only for Israel. He came to take two groups and make them one new people in Himself.
"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called 'the uncircumcision' by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:11–13 ESV).
That is the miracle of the gospel: those who were far off are now brought near. God never forgot the Gentiles. We were never an afterthought. From the very beginning, His plan was to gather all nations into His family.
Paul calls this the “mystery” of God’s will:
"This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (Ephesians 3:6 ESV).
This wasn’t a last-minute adjustment, as if God suddenly decided to include the Gentiles. No—before the foundation of the world, He had already written us into His story. When humanity gave itself over to the powers of darkness, God set His heart on redemption. Through the blood of Jesus, He brought His eternal purpose to life.
Paul opens the letter with this breathtaking truth:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:3–6 ESV).
Do you see it? We were always in His heart. From the very beginning, before creation, God’s desire was for us to share His life and reign with Him over all things. Sin tried to derail that purpose, but Jesus restored it through His cross.
This is Paul’s message to the Ephesians: Jew and Gentile alike were always meant to be one in Christ. Through His blood, Jesus healed what was broken, united what was divided, and fulfilled what God always intended.
As a Gentile, that truth is deeply personal. I was not forgotten. I was never second-class. I was never outside of God’s eternal plan. From the beginning, I was chosen in Christ. And now, together with every believer, I share in the riches of His grace.
What a Savior. What a plan. What a mystery revealed.
So let me ask you: how does it change your perspective to know you were always in God’s heart? How does it reshape the way you see yourself—and the way you see others?
Take a moment today to sit with that truth. And if you feel led, share your reflections in the comments—I’d love for us to encourage one another with the riches of His grace.