“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10
The Good News itself stands accused of not being good. It may not be a new thing. Scripture tells us there is nothing new under the sun (Eccles. 1:9). It is very likely that this is not a new thought, nor a new attack of the devil or the world. You are also very familiar with this accusation, even if you may not have seen it for how deep this accusation goes. In a word, I am speaking of Inclusivity.
Before I go into this topic further, let me just say that the argument of those who champion the cause of being inclusive and rail against the evils of exclusive organizations (like the church) falls apart when applied to their own groups and organizations. The position asserted by inclusivism is that organizations should include people of all beliefs and ideologies into their organizations. However, those who cling to inclusivity will fervently, ardently, and sometimes even physically exclude those who hold beliefs or ideologies that conflict with theirs. While they accuse the church of bigotry and hypocrisy, inclusivity-centric organizations are as much, if not more, bigoted and hypocritical than the church.
Back to the topic at hand. First Peter chapter two gives Christians a message of hope, a message of belonging, and a message of a higher calling.
The good news that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ is actually more than the forgiveness of sins that leads to eternal salvation is available to you (everyone) through the atoning work of the death Christ on the Cross. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve said this before and believe it to be entirely and scripturally accurate – if forgiveness and salvation is all that the crucifixion of Christ resulted in, it would be a grace worth fully denying myself for, and giving my life, in its entirety, to the will of Jesus for the rest of my days. However, Gospel of Jesus is the kind of good news that keeps on adding blessings on top of blessings. None of which I deserve.
In this scripture, we read that we also receive hope (a blessed assurance), we receive a new family with an eternal Father, and a calling to share the truth of God’s marvelous works to all who will hear. And here is the part of the Gospel message that the inclusivists say is not “good” – Those who are not saved, do not receive these things. They don’t have the assurance of a hope for the goodness to come. They are not a part of the family of Christ: the one and only true Lord and God of all creation. They are not lifted up to be messengers, or emissaries, for the eternal living Lord. They are excluded from all of these things – by their own choosing.
And this is offensive to the cult of inclusivity. They want all roads to lead to heaven. They want to live out their own sinful lives according to their own selfish desires. They want the promise of good things without recognizing the giver, much less the goodness of the giver. They want the will of God to bend to them – not the other way around. The want to claim righteousness when they cherry pick the Bible to pull out only what sounds good to them, while berating others for doing the same, when in actuality the studied Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, knows how to rightly interpret God’s Word.
They call the Gospel intolerant, patriarchal, oppressive, and exclusive. To them, the good news isn’t good. They are partly right to claim the Gospel is exclusive. However, it isn’t because the gift of salvation is being withheld from them. It is, instead, because their hard hearts won’t allow for humility, and in their self-righteousness, they are losing out on the greatest gift ever given.
When the Christian hears the anger in the voices and sees the tension in the expressions of others attacking the Gospel of Christ, I pray they see this for what it is: an internal struggle within that person. It is the same struggle that we who call ourselves by the name of Christ went through before repenting and confessing Christ as King, Lord, and Savior. They don’t want the Gospel to be good. They don’t want the Gospel to be real or true. Because that makes it easier. If the Gospel isn’t good, then they can feel good about rejecting it. If the Gospel isn’t true or real, then they don’t have to even acknowledge the offer of salvation as legitimate.
But you, you are a child of God, a member of his house, a royal priest, a holy people who belong to Christ. And you have been set apart to proclaim the truth of His goodness and to shine a light in a dark world. Like them, you were not a part of any lasting family, but you are now a part of an eternal good family. Like them, you were once angry at God, ignored God, or actively denied the existence of God, and so you didn’t know mercy. But now, because of His mercy, you are surrounded by His goodness and filled with His Spirit.
Which leads us to a final thought: how do we, as Christians interact with those who are angry with the Gospel? Let me answer that with a continuation of the scripture we started with.
“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12).
May God bless you who Trust in the Lord and put your Confidence in Him
Faith Of The Centurion 