I believe everyone has a reason or circumstance in their life that leads them to distrusting God, questioning God, being angry at God, or simply not believing in God for either a time period of their life or for all of it.  What’s your reason?  My own personal reason for not believing in God for many years was because I grew up with a father who did the opposite of what an earthly father should do.  He abused his role as a father, caused turmoil and discord in the home, and didn’t love me as a father should.  The man who was supposed to be my protector, did the opposite of that.  This was the main reason for my hard heart towards God.  If there is a god, why would he allow such a thing?  If there is a god, what did I do to deserve this?  If god is real, then he’s not very kind.  I had many reasons to not want to believe and these many reasons kept me from actually knowing our heavenly Father.  The sins of my father on earth were a roadblock to my relationship with our heavenly Father.  But what if you’ve got it all wrong?  What if we are asking the wrong questions and we ourselves- are the barriers to actually knowing and loving God?  What if our own hard hearts are the very blocker to having a relationship with the creator of the word?  

I’d challenge you to read this in its entirety and see if this doesn’t make you wonder a little more.  

I recently listened to a podcast episode that had the famous Steve-O from MTV’s previous hit series, Jacka**.  I found the conversation to be super interesting, yet extremely saddening at the same time.  It’s amazing how your perspective shifts when you actually know God and can hear the ignorance about him spoken (and I don’t mean ignorance in a mean way, but truly in a not knowing or understanding way).  To summarize a certain part of the conversation, Steve-O explained that he can’t bring himself to follow Jesus because Christianity is “exclusive” and he can’t get over the fact that “you must believe and follow Jesus in order to get into heaven”.  To paraphrase, he can’t wrap his mind around the thought that the people that he loves may go to hell because they don’t believe in Jesus. Fair.  He doesn’t understand how a loving God can send a “good person” to hell simply for not confessing that Jesus Christ is his savior.  He believes Christianity to be exclusive because you have to believe in Jesus to be included in heaven.  He doesn’t want to be a part of something that excludes so many.  Fair.  But, I have to challenge that thought.  

How can something be exclusive if it is offered to every single person on Earth?  How can something be exclusive if every single person has the option of choosing the very thing that would grant them eternal life in heaven?  How can something be exclusive if you yourself have the choice to choose… if you have been given free will to make that choice?  How can Christianity be exclusive if eternal life in heaven is nothing that is based on your own works, but the work that someone has already done for you?  I have a hard time seeing Jesus or Christianity as being exclusive, when the very thing Jesus did (dying on the cross for us) offers inclusivity to every single person here on earth.  The Bible, which offers the actual Word of God, gives us the option to choose whether or not we want to accept Jesus Christ.  The Bible has been translated into thousands of different languages, so that every nation and every tribe in the world will have the chance to hear the name of Jesus.  “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14 Whole world, inclusive to the whole world, exclusive to those who confess the name of Jesus, yet inclusive of every single person within the whole world.  I struggle with seeing how this is exclusive when it is offered to every single person, yet our own free will is the hindrance that so many have keeping them from eternity in heaven.  

“”For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  A few things I want to point out in this verse… “For God so loved the world”… the world- not exclusive to man or woman, not exclusive to white or black, not exclusive to American or European… the world.  The actual definition of the world is “the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features: all of the people, societies, and institutions on the earth” (Oxford Dictionary).  The world, inclusive of all people, all genders, all nationalities, all creatures.  The world. You, yourself are included in the world.  Which means first and foremost, God so loved YOU.  That means you were included in the very thought God had from the beginning to send his one and only son for the world, for you.  So God so loved the world, inclusive of every single person, all people, inclusivity.  

“That everyone”… everyone, meaning every person, every single person.  So God loved the world and gave his one and only son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish”. This is where the “Christianity being exclusive” part comes into play.  Fair.  So everyone who believes in Jesus will not perish, meaning that those who do not believe in Jesus will not spend eternity in Heaven.  I get how that can be unsettling and quite upsetting for most… but if you are reading this right now- that means you’ve been given the chance to accept Christ.  We don’t even have to go as far as saying to accept Christ, but you’ve been given the chance to seek Christ and ask him to reveal himself to you.  If you’re reading this, you’ve had the chance to hear the name of Jesus and either have a hard heart towards him or soften your heart to His grace.  I would agree that saying you must believe in Jesus Christ to enter heaven does seem exclusive, only if accepting Christ was exclusive to only a few people.  The problem with that claim is that Jesus Christ was sent for ALL people.  Jesus Christ loved the entire world, you and me, your neighbor and my neighbor, all people.  So the same way I opened my heart to Jesus and he revealed himself to me is the same way you can open your heart to Jesus and let him reveal himself to you.  

What fascinates me about our society and world we live in today is that people claim to want acceptance for all people, all behaviors, all choices, all things, even if those very choices and things may lead to destruction.  What if those very choices lead you to not living a “fruitful life” that God has designed for you?  I used to be a person who believed that “all good people go to heaven” and while yes, the intentions behind the claim are kind and beautiful, how does one define good?  Everyone’s definition of good is quite different.  The moral compass for “good” is relative to that person.  So if the “inclusive” claim that all people who are good should go to heaven, what happens if my measure of good is tied to only a few people and yours is tied to a ton of people? Which person’s definition of good goes to heaven? My point in this is that Jesus made a way for ALL people to go to heaven.  Jesus made a way for every single person to rest in eternal joy.  All people have the choice to go to heaven, not exclusive to good or bad people, but to all who put their faith in Jesus Christ.  

“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference between Jew or Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood- to be received by faith.” Romans 3:22-25  Within these “all” statements, you and I are included.  So while some might claim Christianity as exclusive, I’d refute that with the complete opposite.  Christianity is quite inclusive of all people, which brings me back to my original thought in the beginning… What’s your reason for not being included in the “all people” who put their faith in Jesus?  What’s your reason for not putting your faith in Jesus?  Is it your own trauma, your own pain, your own earthly father who may have tainted your views on what a father should look like?  Was it the death of a loved one?  Was it an unanswered prayer?  Whatever your reason, while valid and I’m so sorry that you have that reason, shouldn’t deny your acceptance of Jesus, which leads to eternal life.  What I wish people would realize, is that Jesus can take all your pain and all your hurt.  Jesus can take your questions, your frustrations, your anger towards him, but you MUST bring it to him.You must seek him and let him show himself to you.  A blind person can’t physically see, but a person with their eyes open can and will see.  A hard heart won’t accept love, but a softened heart, ready to receive, can and will be touched by Jesus. This I’m sure of, because my confidence is in Him who is faithful.  God tells us that when we seek him with all our heart and all our soul, he will be found by us (Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13), so what’s holding you back from seeking the Savior of the world?  I challenge you to open your heart to him and let him bring you close.