It's a little difficult to explain in brief terms, but I'll do my best.
Throughout the Old Testament, God worked through the nation of Israel, Abraham's descendants. Abraham was a faithful follower of God, and in turn God promised that his descendants would his chosen people, that he would use them to spread his word to the nations and bless them in several ways. All of the prophets of the Bible came out of the nation of Israel, and God made it clear that the Messiah would also be of Jewish descent.
When Jesus came, he came first to the Jews - he was a Jew himself, and his Earthly ministry was largely directed at the Jews. The salvation he died to give us, however, is for all people, but God, honoring the promise he made to Abraham, sent his Son first to the Jews, then to the "Greeks", which in this context really means the rest of the world (some translations say "Gentiles" rather than "Greeks", which basically means "non-Jews"). The apostle Paul, when he wrote these lines, was writing to a church in Greek society where there would have been strong distinction between the Jews and the other citizens of Greece, so all non-Jews would have been simply considered "Greeks".
I'm tired, I expect this explanation isn't completely coherent haha.
If you'd like to discuss it further or ask any other questions, feel free to PM me or come to the Enlisted to Endure forums, which anyone is free to sign up for. We have a section for questions and discussion
Originally Posted by Codepunk
It's a little difficult to explain in brief terms, but I'll do my best.
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