How do you find yourself responding to all this talk about discrimination these days? It has expanded far beyond racial issues and now includes gender, religious, ethnic, social status, financial, sexual, and the list goes on. Our culture is being victimized by politicians seeking power or others with immoral agendas. It feels as though we are in an earthquake triggered by intense competition between parties seeking the largest market share of public opinion. It reminds me of high school and college days when students competed by searching to find an emotionally charged, controversial issue to publicize their name. This harmless learning exercise temporarily divided the student body until someone was elected. Today, that same process has evolved to the place it is no longer just a person being elected. It is over ideologies to be forced upon our culture. Today, it has become disgustingly hostile and seriously divisive. Instead of resolving errant biases, it is crushing our democracy.
What exactly is discrimination? It is to treat another person differently or less favorably for some reason. I find it interesting that the theory of evolution in nature is based on survival of the fittest, which is discrimination against the weakest. Medicine is all about discriminating against sickness or the least effective medicine. It begs the question then, does God discriminate? The answer to that question depends upon the perspective.
The Bible tells us God shows no partiality (Romans 2:11, ESV). Another translation of that verse reads, For God judges everyone by the same standard (Romans 2:11, TEV). This could mean God is very open-minded and inclusive. But is He? The Bible says, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, NLT2). Everyone is very inclusive word. But what happens to inclusiveness when you add the qualifying words who believes in him? Isn’t there a form of discrimination in the fact God doesn’t treat those who don’t believe in Him the same way He does those who do? Jesus, the Son of God, explicitly stated, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6, NLT2). That is discriminating against all other gods or religious leaders. However, this discrimination is not about race, gender, sexual preference or personal perspective. Each person will stand before Him on level ground. There, He will hold each person accountable for their personal choices while on living on this earth.
The most remarkable thing is, God is not just inviting each human to make a hard choice. He offers the same incentive to each person who chooses to believe in Him. He offers an intimate friendship with Him, the Lord of Host, Almighty God, Creator of all the galaxies of the universe and every inanimate and animate animal and human. That blows the circuits in my finite mind! That would be exceedingly better than being intimate friends with the most powerful world leader, wealthiest man/woman, or most esteemed celebrity. And as His very close friend, just being in that tight relationship over time, He literally transforms how we think, what we value and how we behave into being like Jesus while He lived on this earth.
All this comes with authentically believing and trusting His truth, wisdom, and knowledge instead of being governed by our own independence. As we approach Good Friday and Easter, it is a vivid picture of what must happen to each person when they encounter Christ. We are called to vicariously die to our self-centered thinking along with Jesus dying on the cross. AND vicariously come out of the grave with Him into a new way of living on this earth. Just as the cross had to precede coming out of the grave, so our death to self must precede His life being planted within us. The way you know this transition has occurred is the desires within you have begun to change. As you simply follow those deep desires to love and obey Him, you will continue to die to more and more of your old way of thinking and behaving. This transformation is so significant. He offers this only to those who chose to fully believe, love and follow Him.