What must you do to be saved? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” He is the Passport to heavenly citizenship. He gives you title to belong to God’s people. When God looks down and sees Christ is your hope and sees Christ is in you, He re-classifies you: “My people.” “I will say to them which were not my people, you are my people, and they shall say, You are my God.”

I will say to them which were not my people, You are my people.— Hosea 2:23

When we look out on this world, we see innumerable differences between peoples and nations. We see different nations, different languages, different skin colors, different cultures, different clothing, etc. Who could possibly catalogue all these differences? Within one country or even one city, there are so many different personalities and characters. No two are alike and each one demands its own unique file.

When God looks out on the world, He sees more and He sees less. He sees more differences than we ever can, both national and individual differences. But, in some ways, He also sees less difference than we do. Because for all the incalculable variety, God sees just two people groups: “My people” and “not My people.” That’s it. As simple and stark as that. The Lord Jesus had a similar “filing system.” “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad” (Matt. 12:30).

When the Holy Spirit is working in your soul, you will begin to see the world as God sees it. You will get past all the many external differences in people and you will see that there are but two ultimate categories: “My people” and “Not my people.” When this crystallizes for you, alarm bells will begin to ring in your soul as you see that you are in the wrong group; you are not one of God’s people. God looks down on you and says, “Not my people.”

What must you do to be saved? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” He is the Passport to heavenly citizenship. He gives you title to belong to God’s people. When God looks down and sees Christ is your hope and sees Christ is in you, He re-classifies you: “My people.” “I will say to them which were not my people, you are my people, and they shall say, You are my God.”

Do you say this? If He owns you as His, will you be ashamed or hesitant to own Him as yours?

David Murray is Professor of Old Testament & Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. This article first appeared on his blog, Head Heart Hand, and is used with permission.