What is a Gentile?
"The Samaritan woman said to him, 'You are a Jew. I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?' She said this because Jews don’t have anything to do with Samaritans" (John 4:9).
"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life" (John 3:16).
"I want to preach it because I’m not ashamed of the good news. It is God’s power to save everyone who believes. It is meant first for the Jews. It is meant also for the Gentiles" (Romans 1:16).
A Gentile is anyone who isn't a Jew.During Bible times, God's chosen people was Israel. They were known as Jews. Anyone who wasn't a Jew was a Gentile. It didn't depend on the color of your skin, eye color, or hair color. If a person wasn't a Jew, you were known as a Gentile no matter what country you came from.
The Jews didn't like the Gentiles. They saw Gentiles as being "pagans" and "unclean." In other words, the Jews didn't see why God would want Gentiles in His family. Jesus made it clear that He was going to die for all people, including the Gentiles. Jews and Gentiles alike could believe in Jesus and be adopted into God's family.
Jesus doesn't place us under labels. He died for both Gentiles and Jews. Jesus loves each one of us. The Bible makes it clear that we are all equal and that God doesn't have favorites. Gentiles aren't Jews and they aren't Israel, but all Gentiles can accept Jesus and become part of the family of God.
