The Selective Gospel

Today I realized that I believe in the Selective Gospel.

This is not good.

I'm pretty sure this not an actual term, but I'm christening it so.

Definition: The Selective Gospel is the belief of one individual that only a select few individuals are allowed to be a part of/accepted into/believe in, the actual biblical Gospel found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Selective Gospel is based on the foundation that certain individuals are not worthy of entering the kingdom of God due to their personality or past. However these selections are mostly based on their interactions with the aforementioned one individual.

The Selective Gospel is a horrible thing I adhere to. I'd like to say that I am quite tolerant when it comes to people, that I don't judge you right away, and that even when I get to know you that I maintain an infinite amount of graceful padding for any potential hurt or pain you will cause me. Unfortunately none of that is so. I tend to judge people quickly (whether acting on it or not) and that padding is more like a block of wood that hurts when you land on it.

I state freely that the Gospel is for anyone, anywhere, anytime. But more specifically that tends to mean that the Gospel is only for people I tend to like. Remember those group of kids in school who where the social misfits, often outwardly awkward or quiet, insecure and shy? Well my Selective Gospel says that anyone of those people are welcome to believe. But the popular kids with their designer bags and clothes that partied on the weekends? Nope the Gospel is not for them.

Okay so you might think that I'm just a disgruntled misfit who couldn't hang out with the "cool" kids and therefore think this way. Maybe in part you're true. But more so is that I realize that because I view these people as overly ostentatious, self-centered, rich kids I find that they have no place, be it not right to believe in the Gospel.

This is one of my worst sins.

To project my individual feelings of these people onto the image of God himself is like playing God...I don't have to tell you why that's wrong. What I see when looking at them is exactly the way God looked at me, before Christ came. Overly ostentatious, self-centered, rich kids who think they have it all together.

It's ironic too because I know that behind those masks those kids were always the ones with the most insecurities, the most issues in life, the most complications. They just acted that way because they were broken...just like me.

The funny thing is that by believing the Selective Gospel I'm essentially admitting and acknowledging that I am unable to be saved. That I am as annoying and obnoxious as those kids I used to not like in high school. What a humbling thought that is...

The truth is that the true Gospel specifically states that the Selective Gospel is a lie. That true grace does not discriminate nor does it give up on or judge. It is not based on qualifications from previous interactions or current situations. It's all-inclusive.