Romans 3:29-30 : Or is God the God of Jews only? is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also: if so be that God is one, and he shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. The Jews did not think that God would recognize a Gentile, unless he became a part of the Jewish nation. In their estimation he was the God of the Jews only--a tribal, or national, God. Many of the early Christians of Jerusalem taught that Gentile Christians had to be circumcised and keep the law, or they could not be saved. They could see no salvation for any but Jews; hence, they demanded that Gentile Christians become Jews. It is a pity that this tribal idea of God is now being advocated, with slight modifications, by Christians among Gentiles. Paul had much contention with those who had that conception of God. This one verse, properly considered, will destroy any such false conceptions of God. He is the God of both Jews and Gentiles--the God of all nations. He is equally related to all and all are equally related to him, for he is one. He is not one kind of God to the Jews and another to the Gentiles. It would seem that Paul meant to make a distinction between the phrases "by faith" and "through faith," else why use the two phrases? But the distinction, if any, is too subtle for me to discover.