1 John 2:2: And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
One of the non-believing world’s biggest “problems” with Christianity is its “exclusiveness”. They don’t like Jesus’ words in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no comes to the Father buy by Me.” Jesus is indeed stating that if someone wants to have a relationship with the true and living God, believing that He is the only begotten Son of God and His sacrificial work on the cross is the only way. If we stop the discussion on this component of the faith conversation, you can see this is indeed a statement of exclusivity. The issue is, though, by stopping the discussion with this verse, it excludes other equally important truths.
Today’s verse speaks to one of those discussion components, which is an inclusive statement. All have sinned – no exceptions. (Romans 3:23) The wages of sin is [spiritual] death. (Romans 6:23) All of us are guilty and facing eternal deadly consequences – we’re all in the same boat, and it’s sinking. To be separated from God is to be a child of God’s wrath. (Ephesians 2:3) In today’s verse, Jesus is identified as the answer to be the appeasement, or be the propitiation, for God’s wrath on our sinful condition.
Yes, that is an exclusive statement, but if you’re in a sinking boat in the middle of the ocean, do you really want to get into a philosophical argument with the lone opportunity to save you? Let’s go to one of the most famous verses in all the Bible – from Jesus’ own mouth, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Do you see or hear any exclusions in this statement? There are no “but those who….” or “except these people” after the opening phrase of this statement, “For God so loved the world”.
EVERYONE is loved by God, and EVERYONE is invited to believe. Furthermore, it is God’s desire that EVERYONE believe. Listen to the passion in His voice in Ezekiel 33:11, “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” This loving statement isn’t reserved just for Israel – listen to His heart once again in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
We’ve just seen two extremely clear examples of God’s heart for the salvation of each and every one of His creations. He has made a way. Therefore, the exclusiveness argument then needs to be shifted from being put on God to being put on those who have been given the freedom to choose. And, by the way, that freedom was given to them by God! The argument that supports the exclusiveness of Christ comes from the ones who don’t like being held accountable for their choices.
Let’s get back to the sinking ship visual. Which ship do you want to be in – the one where there are no saving options or the one where there is one? The one that has the saving option is available to you because it is made for everyone. If you don’t like that only option, then you are the one doing the excluding – not God.