Jehovah Is Near

Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth (Psalm 145:18). God is near regardless of race, for all are created in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26). From the first man, Adam, God made all nations of mankind who dwell upon the earth (Acts 17:26-29). This generation has not "cornered the market" on racial prejudice; we read about it in Bible times: "For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans" (John 4:9). When God draws near, He makes no distinction between individuals based upon their race.

God is near regardless of sex. While history has seen great partiality shown between the sexes, God created both male and female in His image (Gen. 1:27). And while there are obvious physical differences between the sexes (the woman is the "weaker vessel", 1 Pet. 3:7), and differing God-given responsibilities for the woman (1 Tim. 2:12-15), God does not distinguish between them regarding their salvation in Christ and the hope of heaven: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ ... there can be no male and female; for ye all are one man in Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:27-29).

God is near to those regardless of their social and economic standing. God’s ability to draw near to man is not conditioned upon whether he is materially rich or poor, neither does it depend on how much formal education one possesses. The apostle Paul, concerning his divine charge to preach the gospel, said, "I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians ..."(Rom. 1:14). The distinction between a Greek and a Barbarian concerned how "cultured" they were. But there was no distinction regarding who would hear the gospel. God desires to draw near to all, regardless of their social circumstance in life.

D. Richardson