Friday, April 5, 2019
I alone am God. There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be. Isaiah 43:10b
The fact
is unqualified
inclusiveness just does not work.
In every sphere of life and human civilization there are entry points
that define the nature of that sphere, and what belonging to it means; each includes
some, and excludes others. For instance,
to become a member of the military you raise your hand and promise to exclude
those who would do your nation harm. Every
citizen of the world, except one, is excluded from sitting at the Resolute Desk
in the White House Oval Office. A father
is excluded from being a mother. And,
according to Scripture, the supreme, eternal exclusion is God. Hear those words again:
I alone am God. There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be.
The Bible
is 1200 chapters of what God accepts and what He rejects. Those who would dwell on one side or the
other of that equation miss the point entirely.
Inclusion in a group, event, or category presupposes the
possibility of exclusion.
There is a
lot of talk these days of inclusiveness.
Xenophobia, (the fear or dislike/distrust of peoples of other nations)
is vilified as a lack of inclusiveness.
However, if that other nation just happens to
be organizing an invasion force, 200 million strong, with the primary doctrine
of annihilating the western world’s population, suddenly the voice of inclusivity
fades into the background.
Cultural
wars are fought on many fronts. And some
are, without question, in need of being fought.
Putting an end to racism, violence, sexual harassment, and many more are
long overdue. From a theological
perspective, you cannot call yourself a person who loves God and be against setting
captives free, or treating others as you would be treated. However, unqualified inclusiveness would be
to ignore the fact that God requires qualification. For instance, Jesus did say that everyone who
comes to Him will not be rejected (John 6:37). But there IS a qualification
as to HOW you come to Jesus:
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10
The
invitation to Christ is inclusive to all, but it is
an invitation to conform to Christ’s qualification. We do not come to Jesus on our
terms, we conform to what He has said. God does not share His glory, His unique
position of Sovereignty with anyone. For
those who would approach God with impunity, choosing to approach how they wish,
rather than how God accepts (includes), the penalty is rejection
(exclusion).
You can
take inclusiveness to the extreme. For
instance, if a 3 year old files suit in the Supreme Court system to allow him
access to the buttons that control all the nuclear missiles America possesses,
because otherwise it would be discrimination against his human rights…well that
suit would have little chance of getting past even a first year law student,
much less the 9 justices. We do not put
away all the qualifications our legal system has put in place just because someone
feels offended at being told he doesn’t meet all the qualifications.
At the risk
of being lumped-in with mean-spirited fundamentalism, let me apply this
principle of qualified inclusiveness to the church. To become part of the church you ask
God to forgive you for your sins, based on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and
that you recognize the fact that HE is God, and you are not. The qualification is unequivocal, and not
debatable. You accept His invitation on
His terms, and promise to live His way. And
you are accepted, no matter who you’ve been, or what you’ve done. There is no other way to become a true part
of Christ’s body. It isn’t unqualified
inclusivity!
For You Today
Call it a
lack of inclusivity if you will…but that’s what God said. Hear it one more time:
I alone am God. There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be.
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