Exclusively Inclusive

When I first became an endurance cyclist, my family was quite impressed by my feats, riding 200 miles in one day in the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride, or climbing Mt. Rainier on my bike. In a phone conversation my daughter joked that I should sign up for the Tour de France, since that's all there was left for me to conquer. I laughed and told her that the Tour de France was a very exclusive club, one that I could never hope to join.

Every year less than 200 of the best cyclists from all over the world compete in the Tour. You must hold a Catergory 1 license from the International Cycling Union, a license which must be earned through years of competing and winning in the lower categories. You must be under contract to one of the best professional cycling teams in the world, and you must be one of their top riders to be chosen for the Tour.

The best cyclist I've ever known personally was a Category 3. He could ride circles around me in his sleep. The STP is very inclusive, however. You just have to sign up before the registration closes at about 8000 riders. True, not everyone is able to finish, and only about 10% finish in one day, but it's nothing like the Tour de France in exclusiveness.

In 1 Timothy 2 Paul tells us that the Gospel is even more inclusive. He writes: "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time" (1 Timothy 2:3-6). Note the emphasis I placed on the word "all."

Jesus spoke the same truth in John 3:16. "For God so loved the world...." God's love wasn't limited to Israel. He loves us all and sent his Son to die for us all. The apostle John tells us that Caiaphas prophesied about this when he spoke at Jesus' trial. "He prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one" (John 19:51-52). John says the same thing in 1 John 2:1: "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." And Paul teaches the same truth in 2 Corinthians 5: "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them" (vs. 19). Thus, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is utterly inclusive. No one is left out. No one is forgotten. No one is excluded.

Yet, in another sense the Gospel is also very exclusive. Notice Paul's statement from 1 Timothy 2 again: "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (v. 5). Notice my emphasis on the word "one". Jesus is the one and only mediator between God and men. There is no other way to get right with God. That's why Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Peter recognized this truth too: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). John also recognizes this exclusiveness: "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-12).

These claims of exclusivity bother some people. They somehow think that all roads should lead to God. But that is not the sense in which the Gospel is inclusive. The free gift of eternal life is available to anyone and everyone who will put their faith in Jesus, because Christ died for all. But Jesus Christ is the only one who can make us right with God. His all atoning sacrifice is the only means by which we can obtain life. There is no other way!