God’s acceptance is not about performance

After I became a Christian, the local church I attended knew of my past. I’d been divorced. In their eyes, this was like a virus and most of them thought I should be disqualified from doing anything in the church, even that I should not be baptized.

Sometime later, my hubby and I attended a teachers’ banquet at the invitation of his cousin. Everyone talked to me like I was an equal. I’d only taught Sunday school and Bible studies, but I knew the joys and challenges of their craft. Conversation came easy. Then one of them asked me where I obtained my degree. At that time, I didn’t have a degree and the strangest thing happened; as soon as I told them, everyone stopped talking to me.

Both incidents describe the human condition. We have criteria or value systems to define others. If they don’t fit, they are disqualified. However, this is a hurtful bias. It should never happen in the church. Our acceptance of people should be like that of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul expressed this attitude when he wrote to Christians about their practice of relying on outsiders to settle their disputes. He reminded them . . .

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9–11)

We are all in the same boat. We have all sinned, regardless of our employment, history, or present circumstances. Even though faith changes our lives, Christians must never forget that our justification is not about those changes; it is because of what Jesus has done for us by the power of the Holy Spirit. As I often say to people, my acceptance of others is not based on their performance. If it becomes that, then I’ve forgotten who I am. I’ve also forgotten the foundation of my acceptance with God. It is about His grace, not my performance.

Tozer exalts the church today because it is the only institution that can claim a heavenly origin. Without the work of the Lord in our lives, we would not exist. However, those outside the church have their criteria or value systems and will point to the flaws. Because of our sinfulness, the church and individual believers battle and to the world, that appears to be a failure.

However, outsiders also realize that our faith has imitators, false teachers, and includes people who make a profession of faith but do not live it. Because of this, they wonder who or what is the true church. Christians might also wonder.

Some of the criticism and rejection people have toward the Christian church is valid. We do not measure up, yet our relationship with Christ is not based on our performance. If it were, no one could be saved. Instead, it is about faith, and faith expressed in various ways. One of them is our agreement in prayer . . .

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:19–20)

Despite the claim of some, large groups are not the criteria. As Tozer says, “The Church is found wherever the Holy Spirit has drawn together a few persons who trust Christ for their salvation, worship God in spirit and have no dealings with the world and the flesh.”

The Church is not like other organizations that depend on structure, goals, and people-power. The church as defined above is people gathered to pray and worship in total dependency upon the Lord. We know that we would not exist apart from His grace, and we know we cannot function without His power. Because of that, there ought never be any rejections for any people based on any human value system.

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Jesus, faith in You levels the field. The Bible speaks of not knowing people according to the flesh. You do not evaluate people based on their education, background, or behavior. Anyone who belongs to You is in Your Church and highly valued. May I have Your attitude, not forgetting Your criteria, not putting people into human or temporary categories, but considering each one part of Your Body and beloved by You, our loving Savior.