Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Hayward Tucker
I didn’t understand much about the He-Man Woman-Haters Club. All I really remember is that The Little Rascals got into a lot of mischief and they had a cute dog named Petey. Spanky was the ring leader, Alfalfa had awful hair and vocal ability, and Buckwheat’s smile was adorable. These are the boys I remember best, although there were several others. Their neighborhood exclusive boys club was against girls and Valentine’s Day.
Being excluded doesn’t promote acceptance or positive emotions, but being included lets us know we’re loved, valued, and appreciated. Before the foundation of the world was laid, God the Father decided that anyone who loved His Son would be loved and accepted by Him as His child. God decided He would adopt all those who believed in and accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord. “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 NKJV). If you’ve ever memorized Bible verses, this is probably one you’ve committed to memory. This scripture is the gospel in a nutshell. God loved everyone, so He sent His Son to save them. Salvation is not an exclusive offer, but rather all-inclusive.
When Jesus was born, the angel told the shepherds, “Don’t be afraid!“ he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to ALL people” (Luke 2:10 NLT). This super-good news was all-inclusive. The word “all” is used to refer to the whole quantity or extent of a particular group. All means everybody. “For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another] (Romans 2:11 AMP). Salvation is offered through Jesus Christ for the good, the bad, and the ugly. No one is ever too bad or too-far gone to come to Jesus. No matter what you’ve done or haven‘t done, His blood washes away every sin stain to make you white as snow. All means all. “He [Jesus] is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him will have their sins forgiven through His name” (Acts 10:43 NLT).
When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord, Simeon was there. He took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God saying, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as You have promised. I have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared for ALL people. He is a light to reveal God…” (Luke 2:29-32 NLT). All people means Jews and Gentiles. God’s mercy is available to ALL, but not all will accept it. His mercy and forgiveness is all-inclusive, but all people have a freewill to accept Jesus or reject Him.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. For it is my Father’s will that ALL who see His Son and believe in Him should have eternal life” (John 6:35,40 NLT). God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are in cahoots together so ALL who believe in the Son will have an abundant life now and eternal life later. There are no restrictions, rules, or regulations required to walk through the open gospel door. The good news is for ALL who choose to believe and receive Jesus as Savior. “…Contrary to man’s perspective, the Lord is not late with His promise to return, as some measure lateness. But rather, His ’delay’ simply reveals His loving patience toward you, because He does not want any to perish but ALL to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 TPT).
The Key: All can smile like Buckwheat because of the all-inclusive invitation to be part of God’s family.