Faith in Christ is the only dividing line.

An Inconvenient Truth About Exclusion

We are not a club for everyone. Just like ancient Israel excluded certain people, we exclude people too. So, whom do we exclude from the church?

I am glad that June is over and I am done preaching on controversial topics. However, all sermons should be inconvenient. In this text, we are going back to the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses is addressing the people and asking, “Who is to be excluded from the assembly of the Lord?”

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this word “assembly” is translated as ekklesia, which is the exact word translated as “church” in our English New Testaments. Modern translations often avoid using the word “church” here because they don’t want you to immediately associate Old Testament exclusion with the New Testament church. But as we dive in, we will see that the connection is undeniable.

In ancient Israel, the “assembly of the Lord” comprised all the people who were truly part of the covenant community. These were the individuals who could gather for legal matters, vote, testify, assemble for military warfare, and—most importantly—rightly worship before the Lord of all the earth.

Let us pray: Oh Lord God, I pray that you would give us wisdom as we read your Word, and that you would apply it to our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Three Categories of the Excluded

This text comes from Moses’s final speech on the plains of Moab to the Israelites, warning them about who is disqualified from entering the assembly. He outlines three specific categories of people:

1. Those with Physical Blemishes

First, the text states that no one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord. This dealt directly with eunuchs, a class of men that was somewhat common in the royal courts of the ancient world.

2. Those of Forbidden Unions

Secondly, the text notes that one born of a “forbidden union” (or as the King James Version bluntly puts it, a bastard) shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord. I use that older term for a specific reason: it conveys a visceral sense of shame that modern phrasing often loses. This referred to someone who could not prove their parentage, or whose parentage was mixed with non-Israelites. They were excluded down to the tenth generation.

3. The Ammonites and Moabites

Third, no Ammonite or Moabite was permitted to enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them could enter forever.

The Moabites and Ammonites were actually relatives of Israel, tracing their lineage back to Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and the incestuous relationships with his daughters. When the text says “to the tenth generation,” we should understand it the way a person means when they say, “I wouldn’t date you in a million years.” It means never. They were excluded forever, left permanently on the outside.

The Context of the Curse

Why this extreme exclusion? We instinctively dislike excluding people; we want to include everybody. On one level, these laws protected the physical and marital sanctity of the community. But with the Ammonites and Moabites, God gives an explicit historical reason:

“Because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor… to curse you.” (Deuteronomy 23:4)

They refused hospitality, and they attempted to use spiritual warfare to destroy Israel. However, the Lord would not listen to Balaam; instead, He turned the curse into a blessing because He loved His people.

Hiring someone to curse the people of God is dangerous business. It triggers a specific cosmic promise found in Genesis 12:3, where God tells Abraham:

$$I\ will\ bless\ those\ who\ bless\ you,\ and\ him\ who\ dishonors\ you\ I\ will\ curse;\ and\ in\ you\ all\ the\ families\ of\ the\ earth\ shall\ be\ blessed.$$

We see the ultimate fulfillment of this blessing through Jesus Christ, who commanded His followers to go and bless all nations. But we must remember that the flip side of that promise—the curse—is just as real. The Moabites were excluded forever because the curse they intended for Israel bounced off and landed squarely on their own heads. Be careful who you curse.

“I Am the Moabite”

You might be waiting for me to soften this Old Testament context. As the preacher, it’s easy to say, “Oh, you just have to understand the historical context.” But before we find relief, we have to recognize that the reality of exclusion is actually much worse than it appears.

Over the last month, we have talked about heavy, specific sins—from medical assistance in dying (MAID) to abortion. It is easy to admit that we are “sinners” in a vague, general sense. We easily pray, “Lord, forgive my sins in thought, word, and deed.” But when we name sins specifically, we react differently. Shame creeps in.

The terrifying reality is that this curse is not reserved for some far-off, ancient Moabite people. The curse hangs over all the sons and daughters of Adam. As Galatians 3:10 puts it:

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be anyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.'”

Apart from Christ, anyone who sins is under the curse of Adam. When I read about the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the eunuchs, I have to realize that by my own works and merits, I belong on the outside too.

Without Christ, I am the Moabite. I am the forbidden child. I am the eunuch. I am the pregnant teen who got an abortion. I am the transgender individual. I am the divorcé. I am the one who is accursed and excluded from the assembly of the Lord forever.

How, then, can any of us be included?

A Tale of Two Responses: Nehemiah vs. Ruth

On the principle that Scripture interprets Scripture, we can see how this law was applied throughout Israel’s history.

Years later, after the Babylonian exile, Nehemiah picked up this text from Deuteronomy. He observed that the returning Jewish men had intermarried with women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. The situation was dire: half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod and could not even speak the language of Judah.

Nehemiah’s response was fierce. He confronted them, cursed them, beat some of them, pulled out their hair, and forced them to take an oath to stop this compromise. He invoked the historical curse that dated back to Balaam.

Yet, elsewhere in Scripture, we find another story involving a Moabite woman that unfolds differently. The Book of Ruth tells the story of a Jewish family that migrates to Moab during a famine. The sons marry Moabite women, and subsequently, all the men die. The widow, explicitly and repeatedly referred to as “Ruth the Moabite” so that you don’t miss the point, returns to Israel with her mother-in-law.

When the faithful Israelite Boaz steps forward to marry her and redeem her family property, the community does not respond with curses or by pulling out hair. Instead, the elders offer a radical blessing:

“May the Lord make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and Leah… and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah…” (Ruth 4:11-12)

Think about that blessing. They openly mention Perez and Tamar—another historical relationship born out of an explicit, scandalous forbidden union. Yet, from this union of Boaz and Ruth the Moabite came Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of King David. Ultimately, both Tamar and Ruth are explicitly named in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why the Difference?

Why did the men in Nehemiah’s day get their hair pulled out for marrying Moabites, while Boaz received a generational blessing?

The difference lies in cultural assimilation versus covenant faith. In Nehemiah’s day, the people were abandoning their identity; their children couldn’t even speak the language of faith. But Ruth made a radical declaration to Naomi:

“Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)

Ruth pledged covenant faithfulness to Yahweh. The dividing line between inclusion and exclusion is faith. Faith in God removes the curse of Genesis 12 and replaces it with a blessing.

Radical Inclusion Through the Cross

This principle finds its absolute fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Paul reminds us that the righteous shall live by faith. In Christ, we are freed from the generational curses of mankind.

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:13-14)

Faith in Christ undoes the shame and the curse of the law. It brings inclusion into the assembly of the Lord on that basis alone, completely overriding any historical reasons for exclusion.

We see this beautifully illustrated in the Gospels and the Book of Acts:

• The Canaanite Woman (Matthew 15): A woman from a nation Israel was historically commanded to wipe out begs Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus initially tests her, stating he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. But she persists with fierce humility. Jesus marvels, saying, “Oh woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” She is included on the basis of faith alone.
• The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8): An Ethiopian eunuch is traveling home from Jerusalem, reading Isaiah 53. By the strict letter of Deuteronomy 23, this man was permanently excluded from the assembly. Yet, when Philip explains the good news of Jesus to him, the eunuch spots water and asks, “What prevents me from being baptized?”

What prevented him? Historically, his physical condition and his nationality. But Philip doesn’t flip back to Deuteronomy 23 and tell him to wait a few generations. Philip knows that faith in Jesus Christ cleanses the deepest stains and overrides the oldest exclusions. He stops the chariot, goes down into the water with the eunuch, and baptizes him. They enter the water together as equals—one family.

Conclusion: The Church of Half-Breeds and Moabites

I was speaking with a Roman Catholic gentleman recently, and he asked me a sharp theological question: “So, if Adolf Hitler genuinely believed in Jesus Christ the day before he died, he could be forgiven and go to heaven just like that?”

The scriptural answer is yes. Not because his actions weren’t uniquely evil, and not because hell isn’t uniquely hot for people like him, but because none of us get into heaven based on what we have done. We get in solely based on what Christ has accomplished.

The cross has the power to absorb the sin and shame of the ultimate outsider. Faith in Christ brings those who were far off near, renaming them as children, beloved, and family. No matter what scars you carry, what your family history is, or what secrets you keep, you can bring them to Christ and be made radically new.

Four Applications for the Church

1. Praise Christ for Our Adoption

We have been brought into the family of God. His death on the cross made a way for our forgiveness; His becoming a curse freed us from the curse. This is an open invitation: lay down your past, your shame, and your genealogy. By faith, you are brought near with no holds barred.

2. Uphold God’s Ethical Principles

We must not overlook the moral guardrails in these texts. We must honor the bodies God gave us, honor the sanctity of marriage, and guard ourselves against marrying unbelievers. Just as the people in Nehemiah’s day lost their faith through compromise, we are called to build families centered on a shared faith in Jesus Christ.

3. Exclude Only on the Basis of Unbelief

To return to the opening question: whom do we exclude? We exclude those who do not have faith.

We are a church, not a social club. We are not here merely to be a gathering of well-behaved, friendly neighbors; we are here because we have been radically transformed by Jesus Christ. If someone denies Christ by their words or their persistent, unrepentant actions, they are choosing to remain outside the assembly. This doesn’t mean we don’t tolerate doubt—we all pray, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” We are saved by the quality of Christ’s work, not the perfection of our faith. But an honest confession of Jesus as Lord is the baseline requirement for the consumer of the covenant.

4. Include All Who Have Faith

Conversely, we must aggressively include everyone who has faith. No matter how different they look, no matter their political background, their national origin, or their past life experiences, we cannot allow earthly barriers to separate us from true brothers and sisters in Christ.

Faith is our only criteria for exclusion, which means it must be our only criteria for inclusion. It does not matter what a person’s sexual past is, what family chaos they come from, or what gender ideologies they used to be mixed up in. Christ welcomes all who believe in His name.

We are the church of half-breeds, outsiders, and recovered Moabites. We were all once under a curse, but Christ has redeemed us. Let us welcome one another as He welcomed us.

Closing Prayer: Oh Lord our God, we look to you. You are faithful and just. Only by your name might we be included in your assembly and stand here as your people. I pray, Lord, that you would grant us that saving faith. Work in us that we might be born again, and empower us to live faithfully by your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.