All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

Ephesians 2:3

Amazingly, the law-abiding Paul bundled himself with all people when he wrote, we were by nature deserving of wrath.  That is Paul writing, a law-abiding Pharisee from birth.  He says, “we.”  As he looks at things through the eyes of God’s salvation, he realizes that all his efforts to please God by obeying the laws laid down by the Pharisees gained him nothing as far as eternal life was concerned.  And the Gentile ways of trying to please God were just as futile.  So, he was like all people, deserving of wrath.

Paul saw Jews and Gentiles, all mankind, as thwarted in their search for God because they were all driven by the cravings of the flesh, following its desires and thoughts.  Even in their search for God.  The Gentiles, through the ages, designed their ways to obtain God’s favor, always futile, of course, ending only in selfish desires writ large.  So both Jewish and Gentile ways of trying to please God brought no salvation at all, just guilt and hopelessness.  Both Plato and Moses came short even though Moses was much closer!  That is how I see it.

Now, all are welcome!  The sacrificial life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s Son, makes an entirely new existence possible.  In this Kingdom of God all are welcome, ALL!  I need to let that sink in.  These days I am thinking some about family history, etc.  That is very interesting and is a gift of God for our welfare.  Our new family is what is most important!  As I shape my thinking around that everything changes.  Family is good, oneness with God is far better.