Matthew 28:16-20
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Everyone is created in the Image of God...So God's LOVE and salvation are ultimately available to everyone, regardless of their beliefs or actions or who they are or where they are from....God's LOVE and the gospel is for the poor and the rich...The gospel is not racial or for just one culture but for all cultures...The gospel is not country specific, it is for all nations...From this belief, if the gospel excludes anyone, then its message of love and redemption loses its universal significance and becomes conditional, undermining its core values...Then it also undermines the Teachings of Jesus...
If the gospel benefits just certain groups or individuals at the expense of others, it raises questions about its true message of love, forgiveness, justice and equality...This perspective emphasizes the need for a gospel that promotes liberation and empowerment for all, regardless of their social status or circumstances...And this is what Jesus taught...
Jesus Teaches inclusivity...Some argue that the gospel's is all about inclusivity...But some see Jesus saying that He is the Only Way to God is a narrow path to heaven and salvation and brings up questions about inclusivity...But Jesus is the Unique One and is the Only Absolute Truth...He was with God in the beginning...Truth has to be exclusive to be Truth...A color cannot be both red or green at the same time...So those who do not follow Jesus or believe He is the Messiah of the Old Testament, then that can cause issues...If you do not believe in Jesus then that can create divisions and hinders His message of hope and love and this inclusivity...But Jesus teaches us to love our enemies...No matter who the enemy is...He LOVES both believer and unbeliever...And Jesus tells that the Greatest Commandment is to love God and to love neighbor...And our neighbor is everyone...He shows no favoritism...That is why He told His Disciples in the Great Commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me...Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...And surely I AM with you always, to the very end of the age.”...We must note, He said all nations...This perspective suggests that Jesus' Gospel message should be inclusive, is truly universal, and offers hope and meaning to everyone, regardless of their adherence to specific doctrines or rituals...
Author and former Pastor Rob Bell said: “If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody...And this is because the most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people and convince them to join...It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display...To do this, the church must stop thinking about everybody primarily in categories of in or out, saved or not, believer or nonbeliever...Besides the fact that these terms are offensive to those who are the "un" and "non", they work against Jesus' teachings about how we are to treat each other...Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor, and our neighbor can be anybody...We are all created in the Image of God, and we are all sacred, valuable creations of God...Everybody matters...To treat people differently based on who believes what is to fail to respect the Image of God in everyone...As the book of James says, "God shows no favoritism." So we don't either.”...