Exclusion

FRI., DEC. 6, 1985, 9:08 AM
FARM, STUDY

You have been away for too long a time, o son. You know you have not developed a workable winter “schedule,” and you must do that. Yet it is not completely reasonable that you be here now, but you are. So I offer you one of My many tests – a word that has no direct referent that you know of. What do I want to say about exclusion?

Well, one of the main theological issues in Christianity and in several other religions is exclusion… in contrast to inclusion. Some Christians hold strongly to the doctrine that only Christian will be in heaven… and then only some special, designated Christians, who believe and act in certain circumscribed ways. This is certainly a religion of exclusion, and I certainly am responsible for words that are the basis for that doctrine.

Those words, particularly “I am the Way… no one… except by Me”, must always be balanced against the way I lived life as Jesus and how I functioned as Almighty God.

9:22 / 9:28

As God, in the Holy Scriptures, I chose a people for special attention. In order to give them what I promised I excluded and mistreated others of My creation. And because of this demonstrated preference I wanted these Jews to love and honor Me and be My faithful servants. Now you don’t believe that I was naïve enough to think we – the Jews and I – would “liver happily ever after.” I knew that the Garden scene was over, and that a new realm for spiritual growth had been created. Just as you can function differently in different situations, so can I, in incredibly more diverse ways.

It is difficult to read the Old Testament and come to the conclusion that the main feature of My nature is consistency. With My Jews, My chosen folk, I displayed a range of attitude – from condemnation and exclusion clear back to forgiveness, acceptance, and stark favoritism. And then the New Testament commences with four Gospel stories of My coming into the earth as Jesus, as a Jew, naturally, to be the promised Messiah, the Redeemer and Savior. And what did these chosen people do, led by those most knowledgeable about Me and My Scriptures? Given the theme for the day, they excluded Me from official influence, and they excluded Me from further earth life.

And so you Christians stem from the rest of the New Testament, which proclaims, in somewhat different ways, that non-Jews are no longer excluded, but, alas, those who do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord and God are. How do I feel about the Jews, who still have not accepted Me as Jesus, but who have continued faith in Me as Yahweh and continue the practices of religion that I taught their ancestors, many years back? They are excluded from salvation in Christ. Yet they are still My chosen people… and I love them for that.

You are excluded from this particular chosenness. You shall never be a Jew. Yet you have a call which brings you to Me in a special way… and this very call, if it were known abroad, would cause your exclusion from some circles.