Brian Onstead

We live in a culture where a heavy emphasis has been placed on inclusion. Being inclusive of all groups and avoiding offending anyone is the reigning philosophy of our day.

This has impacted both public and company policy. It is illegal to discriminate on the basis of one’s own identity. My purpose here is not to comment on the merit or demerit of this philosophy or to discuss public policy. Instead, I want to address one of the reasons there is such an importance placed on inclusivity. And that reason is that there is a great fear of being excluded. 

There is a fear of rejection, condemnation and being treated as an outcast. Why does this matter so much? Well, let me suggest that the answer lies in a fear of death, which Hebrews 2:15 says everyone innately has. Now, you may be wondering, how does a fear of death have anything to do with the western world’s philosophy of inclusivity or fear of rejection?

This is because the biblical teaching of death involves more than merely physically dying or the spirit departing from the body. Rather, it also includes being rejected as an outcast, being condemned, being excluded. We see this in Genesis where God declared to Adam that on the very day that he ate of the forbidden tree he would surely die (Genesis 2:17). Well, we all know how the rest of the story goes. Adam and Eve ate that forbidden fruit. However, they did not drop dead that very day. Does that mean that God did not keep his word or that he changed his mind? The answer is, death involves more than drawing one’s final breath. It is true that death has a physical component. On that day, Adam and Eve began the process of returning to the dust. We call this aging. 

However, since death is punishment as part of the curse for sin, it also has a spiritual and, one could even say, an emotional component. It involves being excluded, rejected, becoming an outcast. This is seen in Genesis 3 where God cast Adam and Eve out from the Garden of Eden. The garden was not your typical backyard tomato and zucchini plants growing in a raised bed. Rather, it was a special place where God walked with man (Genesis 3:8). But upon sin and becoming unclean, man was banished from God’s presence. Man was excluded and treated as an outcast. And this will be ultimately realized in hell. Jesus speaks of those who are cast out of his presence in a place of outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is part of the pain that comes with the punishment of sin. And this, therefore, involves the fear of death that is inherent in sinful man (Hebrews 2:15). We are afraid of being excluded and rejected. 

Therefore, the world desperately seeks to promote inclusivity and remove any sense of condemnation for sin. Public policy aside, spiritually there is a better way. Jesus has delivered those who trust in him from fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). He did this by dying in the place of sinners. He was rejected, excluded and treated as an outcast as he was crucified outside the camp of Jerusalem, betrayed by his own people, and shamed with insults as he died on the cross. He did this to take the place of sinners who deserve this fate.

All who repent of their sin and place their trust in his payment for their sin will never stand condemned, rejected or excluded before God. Be warned, however, that if you become a follower of Christ, the world will reject and exclude you (John 15:18-19). But believers do not need to fear rejection or exclusion because they have been forever accepted in God’s son.

(Brian Onstead is the pastor at Trinity Bible Church.)