God and People of All Faiths

God and People of All Faiths - In collaboration with ReverendBVR.com

In a world marked by religious diversity and division, the Scriptures reveal a God whose sovereign love extends beyond any single ethnicity and religious boundary—offering restoration and new life to whoever believes in Him. From Amos’s vision of justice for all nations to Jesus’ promise of gathering “other sheep” outside the fold, God’s redemptive mission calls us to humility, inclusion, and faithful witness to the living Christ who transcends all religious boundaries.

Sermon Topic: God and People of All Faiths
Texts: Amos 9:1–12; Romans 2:17–29; John 10:14–18; Psalm 66.
Website: www.reverendbvr.com

Introduction:

In a world torn between religious division and spiritual hunger, the Christian message must speak not only to the faithful within our pews but also to the complex spiritual landscapes of those beyond. The central question addressed in today’s reflection is this:

Is God only the God of one religion? Or is He, in His sovereignty, the Lord of all peoples?

Today’s Scriptures present a powerful narrative arc: from judgment to restoration, from legalism to inner transformation, from exclusivism to inclusive shepherding, and from personal testimony to global praise. Together, they reveal a God whose concern transcends ethnic, religious, and cultural boundaries—a God who relates, judges, calls, and redeems all people, even outside formal religious boundaries.

1. Divine Judgment and Restoration for All Nations (Amos 9:1–12)

The prophet Amos delivers one of the most devastating oracles of judgment in the Hebrew Bible. In 9:1–10, Yahweh is portrayed as a God of terrifying omnipresence and justice. There is no escape from His gaze—not in Sheol, not in the heavens, not atop Carmel, nor beneath the sea (v.2–3). However, the most theologically striking moment comes in verse 7: “Are not you Israelites the same to me as the Cushites? … Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir?” (Amos 9:7)

Here God dismantles any ethnocentric theology that sees Israel as uniquely entitled. The Hebrew כְּבְנֵ֥י כֽוּשִׁיִּ֖ים (“like the children of the Cushites”) challenges Israel’s presumption of privilege. It equates Israel with the people of Cush (modern-day Ethiopia/Sudan), whom Israel regarded as outsiders. All nations, says Yahweh, are part of His providential history. In a single verse, Amos declares a theology of divine impartiality and historical justice. The Exodus was not a singular, exclusive redemptive act—it was paradigmatic of God’s ongoing work among all peoples.

Yet, in verses 11–12, hope emerges:

“I will restore David’s fallen shelter… so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name.” (Amos 9:11–12)

This verse, especially in the Septuagint reading used by James in Acts 15:16–17, underscores that God’s restoration is not only for Israel but includes “all the nations who bear my name” (LXX: πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐφ’ οὓς ἐπικέκληται τὸ ὄνομά μου).

This is a theological revolution: God has covenanted not just with a nation but with all peoples who seek Him.

2. True Faith Beyond Religion (Romans 2:17–29)

Paul’s epistle to the Romans dismantles legalistic superiority with surgical precision. Addressing the Jews who take pride in having the Torah, he asks: “You who preach against stealing, do you steal?” (v.21) Here, Paul critiques religious hypocrisy and moves to his climax: “A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly… No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit.” (vv.28–29)

Paul is redefining covenant identity in spiritual terms. In Greek, the phrase περιτομὴ καρδίας ἐν πνεύματι (“circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit”) recalls Jeremiah 4:4. This inner transformation—not external ritual—determines righteousness before God.

In essence, Paul opens the theological doorway for God-fearing Gentiles. He affirms that those outside the Jewish faith can indeed fulfill the law’s ethical intent, showing that God’s redemptive purposes are never limited to one religious system.

The true sign of belonging to God is inward renewal, not religious label.

3. The Shepherd for All Sheep (John 10:14–18)

In this deeply pastoral passage, Jesus declares: “I am the good shepherd… I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also.” (vv.14,16)

The Greek word used here for “other” (ἄλλα πρόβατα) refers not just to Gentiles but all those outside the present boundaries of the early Christian-Jewish community. Jesus is revealing a radical inclusivity grounded not in religious membership, but in relational knowledge: “They too will listen to my voice.”

This is a direct echo of Psalm 100:3 and Ezekiel 34. Jesus identifies Himself as the divine Shepherd who gathers the scattered flock of humanity into one flock under one shepherd. He doesn’t erase distinctions but unites them in love.

This is not syncretism—it is spiritual integration. The cross is not a symbol of domination, but of sacrificial love. His death and resurrection are the way, not because others have no truth, but because only in Him do all truths find their telos.

4. A Universal Song of Praise (Psalm 66)

Psalm 66 begins with a command to “shout for joy to God, all the earth!” (v.1). It praises a God whose deeds bless all nations, not only Israel. Verses 5–7 invite everyone to witness God’s works—echoing the universalism found in Isaiah 66:18 and Zechariah 14:9.

In verses 16–20, the psalmist shares personal testimony: “Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.” (v.16)

It is noteworthy that the psalmist appeals to “all who fear God”, not only Israelites. This reinforces the biblical motif that reverence for God is what binds the nations, not a shared ethnicity or dogma.

5. God Speaks Outside Religious Boundaries: Biblical Precedents

From Genesis to Revelation, God’s voice often crosses religious boundaries:

• Melchizedek (Genesis 14), priest of God Most High, blesses Abraham.

• Abimelech (Gen. 20): A Philistine king hears God in a dream.

• Pharaoh (Gen. 41): An Egyptian receives prophetic dreams of famine.

• Jethro, Moses’ Midianite father-in-law, worships Yahweh after witnessing His deeds.

• Balaam (Num. 22): A Gentile diviner becomes a conduit of God’s word.

• Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2): A pagan king receives apocalyptic revelation.

• Naaman the Syrian is healed and worships Israel’s God.

• Nineveh (Jonah 3): A Gentile city repents and is spared.

• The Magi, Gentile astrologers, are guided to worship Christ.

• Pilate’s wife (Matt. 27:19): A Roman woman dreams a divine warning about Jesus.

These narratives remind us: God’s revelation is not monopolized by religious insiders.

6. Living in a Multi-Faith World: The Call of the Gospel

Religions are the footprints of humanity’s attempt to understand the Divine. Yet God is not confined to any single human religious system or cultural framework. As the Apostle Paul proclaimed to the people of Athens: “The God who made the world and everything in it… is not served by human hands… and he made from one man every nation… that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him” (Acts 17:24–27).

In this light, Hans Küng’s observation is well taken: “There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions.” This echoes a deeper biblical truth: God is already at work among all peoples through His providence, common grace, and the ever-advancing reign of Christ.

To affirm that “God is God of all” is not to relativize the gospel, but to deepen our understanding of its scope.
Jesus is indeed “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)—but He is the way for all, including those not yet reached or named, for “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

This vision calls the church to fourfold faithfulness:

• Humility: For “who has known the mind of the Lord?” (Romans 11:34). We do not control/ possess God; we bear witness to Him.

• Repentance: For using religion as a tool/weapon of exclusion. Christ came not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17).

• Witness: Not to a religion/system, but to the living Christ, whose grace transcends systems and cultures.

• Hope: That others—yes, even those of other faiths—may one day hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow Him (John 10:16).

Long before Küng, the Scriptures affirmed: God is at work among all people—not just through dialogue, but through divine initiative, providence, and mercy.

Jesus did not come to establish/found a religion but to inaugurate the Kingdom of God. He declared, “The Kingdom is within you” (Luke 17:21). His call is for transformation, not conversion to a system. He invites people of all cultures into communion with the living God.

His call is one of transformation, not mere assimilation—an invitation into communion with the Triune God, not just adherence to external forms.

In a multi-faith world, the church is not called to triumphalism or retreat, but to faithful presence, bearing the fragrance of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14–16) and joining in God’s mission to reconcile all things in Christ (Colossians 1:20).

7.Application: A Call to Humble Faith and Love

In our increasingly pluralistic society:

1. Let us avoid spiritual superiority. As Paul teaches, inner transformation is greater than outward conformity.

2. Let us recognize that God may be at work in people we least expect—across religious, cultural, and national boundaries.

3. Let us be like the psalmist, ready to share what God has done for us—not to impose, but to invite.

4. Let us live the gospel with integrity, embodying Jesus’ love so that others may hear His voice through us.

8. Closing Prayer

God of Abraham and Abimelech, of Sarah and Hagar, of Israel and the nations, You who spoke through dreams and prophets, through storms and whispers— Open our eyes to see Your hand at work in every heart that seeks You. Help us live with humility, rooted in Your truth, and clothed in Your grace. Teach us to recognize Your voice in surprising places, And empower us to love across boundaries, That we may be one flock under one Shepherd. In Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, we pray. Amen.

9. Bibliography

• Bauckham, Richard. Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World. Baker Academic, 2003.

• Brueggemann, Walter. The Prophetic Imagination. Fortress Press, 2001.

• Dunn, James D.G. The Theology of Paul the Apostle. Eerdmans, 1998.

• Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament. HarperOne, 1996.

• Küng, Hans. Christianity and the World Religions: Paths of Dialogue with Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Orbis Books, 1993.

• Wright, N.T. Jesus and the Victory of God. SPCK/Fortress, 1996.

• Yee, Gale A. Amos and Society. SBL Press, 1987.

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