That's what a good friend of mine told me the other day over lunch.
How do you respond to that? At face value, it seems to be a good thing, right? I mean, to exclude people is wrong and unfair. We are taught that it is just plain not nice.
I don't pretend to believe that my epiphanies are "new", but in my struggle over this issue it struck me today: The exclusivity of God equals His glory and our good.
We are a bunch of sinners, so 9 1/2 times out of 10, we exclude people because we are mean and unfair...we just don't like him "them". However, in God's case, exclusivity is not negative. I would like to encourage you and myself to see God's exclusivity as only positive. How is it positive? The exclusivity of God is positive in the 4 following ways (and this is not an exhaustive list):
1. It solely and rightfully attributes glory to the one and only Triune God.
Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Luke 4:8
And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”
2. It shows God to be a jealous God.
Deuteronomy 4:24
For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
3. It shows God to be good (just and merciful).
Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
4. It provides security for the believer in Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
If God is who He says He is than He has to be exclusive. He is the only one deserving of glory because He is the only true God. Christ is the only one who can save, so not telling His creation this truth would make Him mean and unjust...not the other way around. If the Triune God is the only true God and the only one able to save, then He has the right to be jealous if His creation does not attribute this truth to Him. Finally, God's jealousy is also a jealous love. If Christ is the only name among men by which we must be saved and we belong to Him as His people, then He must be exclusive. He will not tolerate competition for His glory and love. He will pursue us with His jealous love until we arrive home in His heaven. We also don't have to be worried or confused about whether it is the right thing or not to turn to Jesus if He is the only source of salvation. If we are in Christ then we are eternally safe and secure. John Calvin said: It is beyond dispute that some awareness of God exists in the human mind by natural instinct...[but, we must come to believe] ...that there is not an atom of light, wisdom or justice, power, integrity or truth to be found anywhere but flowing from Him and generated by Him...[he also says]...All men give indiscriminate homage to God, but very few truly worship Him. There are plenty of pretentious rituals but little sincerity of heart.
So it is good for God to be exclusive. He can be no other way (He will not and cannot misrepresent Himself). It is also good for us to proclaim Him as being exclusive. Anything else is a lie and would not point to the jealous and loving salvation only found in Christ.
The exclusivity of God equals His glory & our good.
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