The Message of the Book of Jonah

By Jeff Curtis

What is the story of Jonah intended to teach us? We need to be careful about drawing conclusions from the book. In the first place, Christians shouldn’t conclude that members of other religions don’t need to be converted to Christ. God intended for His message of salvation to be extended to everyone. But we shouldn’t overlook the story of Jonah. The Gentiles who were first delivered had to repent of their sins and confess their faith in the one true God. If the book teaches us anything about the salvation of Gentiles in the Old Testament times, it shows that Gentiles had to come to faith in God to be saved.

Lesson One: The book teaches us that not all religions are legitimate. The Bible affirms that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only way to salvation (Acts 4:12). No doubt, there are people who are capable of doing good and yet practice other religions. We might say that other religions contain elements of truth. But the question is “Can one be saved outside of Christ?” The New Testament answer is “No.”

We, as Christians, have no reason to feel superior to others. We are, after all, only sinners saved by grace. We shouldn’t refuse to love people or be unkind to those who practice other religions (or no religion). Instead, we should love everyone and do good to all, with a desire that others will come to a saving faith in Christ.

Lesson Two: The book of Jonah teaches God’s love for Gentiles as well as Jews. While other prophets declared that God held the Gentiles accountable and would punish them for their sins, Jonah made it clear that God called the Gentiles to repent. Only his book shows that God spared them (or saved them) when they obeyed.

The Jews needed understand that God’s love was for all mankind. Throughout their history they saw themselves to blessed by God., where they saw the Gentiles as unworthy of God’s blessings. They were not surprised or saddened to hear the prophets pronounce doom on the Gentiles, but they would have been shocked to discover God wanted to bless the Gentiles as He did the Jews.

Jonah’s story may have been intended to correct this attitude. Israel needed to know that, though they were indeed God’s special people, the Lord cared for the Gentiles also. The book of Jonah teaches that God has always been concerned about all mankind, not just the Jews. Also, the book teaches that the Jews needed to be like God by sharing His concern for all people.

Jonah’s experience teaches God’s people today to love, not hate, those who are outside of God’s family.

Meditate on this:

Psalm 139:7-9

⁷ Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸ If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. ⁹ If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Getting Along with Others

By Jeff Curtis

The principles of Romans 14 can help any time people disagree. Everrtt Huffard uses the passage when talking to couples about getting along in marriage. A principle he takes from this chapter is this: “It’s okay to lose an argument even if you’re right” (Life Maturity and the Family). That statement might seem strange to some of us. Because we want to be right. Always. American statesman Henry Clay (1777-1852) was noted as saying, “I’d rather be right than be President” (Bartlett’s Familiar Quotes). Even more important than being right, we want any who disagree with us to admit that we are right.

Paul’s discussion in Romans 14 revolved around the eating of meat controversy in the first century church. He left no doubt regarding who was right on that issue. He said that the one who ate “vegetables only” was the “weak” brother (14:2). He said that “nothing [no food, including meat] is unclean in itself” (14:14) and identified this as the “strong” position (Romans 15:1). Nevertheless, Paul made it clear that some things were more important than being right on that issue.

“It’s the Least I Can Do”

by Heath Rogers

“It’s the least that I can do.” This is often a polite response to an expression of gratitude, especially when one realizes they could have done more. Such may be an expression of humility, but it could also be an accurate statement if one has made a minimal effort. We are used to hearing the expression, and sometimes say it ourselves. However, such should never be the attitude towards our service to God.

Think about it. In saving us from our own sins, God did not put forth a minimal effort. Pay attention to the words of Romans 8:32 - “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all…” God gave His only begotten Son to secure our salvation (John 3:16). Is He honored by “the least we can do”?

Jesus did not put forth a minimal effort to save our souls from an eternal hell. Pay attention to the words of Philippians 2:8 - “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Jesus willingly went to the cross in our place. Is He honored by “the least we can do?”

Meditate on this:

1 John 4:20-21

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.