#1518 The I Word

 

…22And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.… Romans 3: 23-24

9What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin. 10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.… Romans 3: 9-11

Let's get a definition of inclusion that everyone has access to on the internet:

Inclusion is, by the Oxford Dictionary definition, 

1. The act of including or being included within a group or structure.
2. The practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities or resources for people who otherwise might be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or intellectual disabilities and members of other minority groups.

As I stated before in Diversity, I believe that we as human beings are made in the image of God, everyone, and I believe what the Bible says, and science now confirms, that we all come from the same common parentage. We have the greater in our common than we do in our differences. It is one race, the human race, and from that comes all manner of diversity, giftedness, different shades of melanin, even albinism, and ethnic, tribal or cultural diversity. The greater I would appeal to is our humanity, being made in the image of God, for we can find within the cultural, things that should not be defended, in that they go against the first order of being human. For example, and we gave this before, Hitler and Nazi Germany, a culture that I believe to be wrong and against the image of God in it's fellow creatures. Another example that I would not defend or protect would be cultures that do human sacrifice, groups that practice cannibalism, cultures that sexualize children or abuse them in other ways. It is not racist nor wicked to want to exclude such behaviors, quite the contrary. 

In the verses at the beginning of this we are all included, regardless of our opinions, regardless of geography or skin color, all have sinned, all fall short, no one is righteous of themselves. The outcome of that, what is owed to everyone in accordance to that commonality is this:

…22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6: 22-23

Now some will start pulling their hair out, and if they haven't already then here comes the Biblically exclusive statements about the answer to the inclusive statements above:

5“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”… John 14: 5-7

Notice Jesus doesn't say "A way", like the coexist movement, no, He is "The Way", as in the only way, and "no one" comes to the Father, no one is made right with God by another way. We all belong to the group that needs Christ, needs something not found within us, but outside of us, provided for us. This angers many, but I believe the Creator has the right over His creation.

The Bible doesn't allow for there being your truth and my truth, Buddha, Mohammad, humanism, atheism (which is just like humanism), Jehovah's Witness, Mormonism, Roman Catholicism and Christianity etc. as all equal ways which come to the same end. I would argue that all but one reach the same end, and that is not an apostate form of Christianity, not a Christ that you made in your imagination, but the Christianity that trust not in self but Christ alone as your redemption from the wrath of a Holy and just God, Who being so, and being the eternal, infinite being, will be in the same capacity forever opposed to sin. It is this Christianity, marked by being born again, granted the grace of repentance, trusting in the sacrifice of Christ for the sin of which you are guilty, that is the way God provided. Now people get angry and say that isn't fair, like Cain they think God must accept my vegetables, and when they find he does not then they hate their brothers and sisters who believed and obeyed. They did not want God, did not want His way, His provision, and they even go so far as to say they don't need it because they do not accept His definition of sin. Some see themselves as righteous, some say there is no God, or if it is the God of the Bible then they are so smart and beyond the One Who created them, far more compassionate then Him, that they would choose to die in their sin with the hope that there is no God to answer to or that hell is not so bad as some preachers tend to think. Well, you are right, those preachers are finite beings with finite understanding, and so I would imagine that it is not as bad as they say, but rather far worse. 

1“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2But the one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.… John 10: 1-3

…7So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.… John 10: 7-9

…7to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house. 8I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols. 9Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”… Isaiah 42: 7-9

The prophet Isaiah spoke these things about Jesus 700 years before He arrived.

…5But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.… Isaiah 53: 5-7

So what about DEI? How does this all play out in the work world, the unstable world? As a Christian I believe that regardless of what you believe I still have to look across the table and see myself. I have hired and worked with people of all ethnicities, with the hypomelanistic, the hypermelanistic, atheists, cult followers, homosexuals and transgender. In fact, I would challenge anyone else's claims to inclusion, as I only favor things that are in accordance with the job. I include people that fly and stand under a host of banners, many of which I disagree with politically, religiously and morally, but all I ask is that they respect the rights of others to look different than them, their right to work and provide for themselves and their families. I ask that they also respect the rights of others to disagree, and to promote values that actually help at work, like attendance, job knowledge, experience, and work ethic. I disagree with people who lean towards and have openly stated in front of me, that, "I will pull the race card, the girl card,' or, 'I check off more boxes than you because I am gay, or transgender, or a cat that uses these pronouns." Yes, that is in quotes. As a Christian I believe you can not only disagree with me but even hate me and still I must see your value as one being made in the image of God. 

…19Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.… Romans 12: 19-21

I do not agree with the concept I have seen with much of the DEI related talks and material, the concept of intersectionality. Calling CRT a theory is beyond a stretch as well. It is in no way inclusive to say that because you check off these boxes that you should not have a voice. It is in no way inclusive, and it is also outright and downright racist to say that because you check the box of whiteness, and then intersect with the sin of being heterosexual, top that off with being male, middle aged, and God forbid, Christian too, then you should not be able to talk about race or inclusion. The truth does not belong to any group based upon their color or sex. It is something that must be found, and must be able to stand on it's own, it is for those who love it, and it is colorless, blind and indifferent to our feelings. Regardless of your ethnicity you can only speak what you know, and to speak the truth you must know it, and yet some have recognized it but spoke other than the truth in order to deceive. But here is another inclusive statement regarding men and the truth:

…18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.… John 3: 18-20

I recently listened to a Ted Talk where someone was discussing the topic of DEI and the ideas of "covering and authenticity". He went through a host of different groups who identified as covering, basically not being their authentic selves, not coming out if they were gay, bisexual, or even suppressing their hurt over perceived wrongs committed by people who said something that hurt their feelings. Some people even covered because they were white and that was not one of the supposedly marginalized groups, but they felt like they were being overlooked for promotions etc., because they were not in one of the groups recognized by intersectionality. Others hid their feelings he said because of the stoic position that men shouldn't cry or be that emotional. Some people hid that they felt sick or were struggling because they did not want to project weakness. I will not say that there is never racism involved in some peoples' decision making process, in fact, I would say most of the answers and knee jerks coming out of this DEI stuff is quite racist, and I refer you back to the two previous posts. But I would ask you this, if authenticity is important and when you come out as gay, and I tell you that you were never actually hiding it that well to begin with, what is it that you want from me? I am still going to treat you the same, expect the same work from you, expect the same respect from you, and I am still going to defend your personhood, but are you going to be inclusive of me if I don't agree with you? Let me put it to you like this, you tell me, "Calvin, I don't think that I can be myself around you because I haven't been authentic with you, I have been covering', and I say, 'speak up man or woman, spit it out." And you say, "I am gay, or I believe myself to be a woman trapped in a man's body, Calvin, what do you think?" Like I have tried to make clear all along, and this is my answer. When someone ask me a direct question I give them a direct answer, I tell them the truth. "My friend, I love you, and above you, I love the God Who made you but Who has also spoken on these very things. I believe Him to be eternal, so unchanging, not bound by time or mistakes, but sovereign overall and perfect. I will not change what He says regardless of governments or current cultural demands, no man has that right, and if I did tell you other than what He says then that would not be authentic on my part, and it would be the most unloving thing I could do to another human being. To tell you what you want to hear right now, to tell you that this is not sin, that God will not judge according to His word, that would cruel on my part, to believe in the God of the Bible, to know that there are eternal repercussions for sin, and then to tell you, don't worry about it, that is truly hateful. Now I ask you, is there room in your "inclusion" for me?" I go by what God says, and He has been very clear on all these things. Listen carefully, we are all under a time of great grace, where we are not under a Theocracy, that it is not do this and you shall live, as though the law can save, but these things are still considered sin and Christ will come back one day to judge. I ask that you read this and think about it, not for my sake, but yours.

…12If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both must surely be put to death. They have acted perversely; their blood is upon them. 13If a man lies with a man as with a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 14If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is depraved. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that there will be no depravity among you.… Leviticus 20: 12-14

…4If you see your brother’s donkey or ox fallen on the road, you must not ignore it; you must help him lift it up. 5A woman must not wear men’s clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing, for whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD your God. 6If you come across a bird’s nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, you must not take the mother along with the young.… Deuteronomy 22: 4-6

…9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, 10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.… 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11

If you can see yourself in any of these verses, I know I can as someone who has been a fornicator, a liar, a gossip, a drug addict, a thief and rebellious towards my mom and God. If you can see yourself, see what God calls sin as sin and repent, He saves sinners. Herein is great hope for you.

…31Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Luke 5: 31-32

Below is a great link to Voddie Baucham teaching on Social Justice and the Gospel. I would encourage you to listen so that you are not stuck in a bubble about these things. Culture has a tendency towards sucking up which leads to everyone following the masses like in the Emperor's New Clothes. It is not healthy and it mistakenly attacks those who disagree and accuses them of being unloving because they prefer to tell the truth. Do I, as a Christian, believe we should make sure that people are included in our places of work, that they be respected as our equals, that they be able to work without harassment or bullying? Absolutely, and I have fought openly against those who have promoted hostile working conditions. I understand how people feel when treated like that because I have experienced it myself. I have epilepsy, and as new Christians me and my wife were at a job fair, she was waiting in the lounge area while I went back for an interview. I made it through the first part of the interview and was accepted, but I had listed my epilepsy on the sheet and when they noticed this, one of them went out into the lobby and told someone else, "we don't want this one, he has seizures." Well, my wife was out there with our new baby, and she is not shy about these things and told them, "you can't do that; it's discrimination." They back pedaled and gave me the job, but it was more than a little awkward showing up where people didn't want you, but I did, and I worked hard. I have had seizures at another place of work and HR ask me not to "come back till your doctor can say that you won't have another; you need to go on disability." I told them, "you can't do that, it's against the law, it's discrimination, and I will see you or a lawyer on Monday." They made some calls and then someone higher up said, see you Monday. I also learned as a Christian that I need to have some grace with them, and also as a father that I need to be more responsible about my condition, so I went back to a neurologist to see what had changed in the last 15 years, and they did some testing and I have now gone seizure free for over six years with my current treatments. I am a huge proponent of making work available to those who want to work, even if it means putting in a wheel chair ramp, elevator, or making special work benches to accommodate the handicapped. I love places like Publix where they give jobs to the mentally disabled, and it's exciting to see just how excited they are with being a part of something, contributing. My wife volunteers with a lady who has down syndrome and is about 70 some odd years old, and she gets great satisfaction being where the people are and seeing a job well done. So I think inclusion like that is important, but not without honesty, not without the truth, not excluding logic and reason.