#50 CHRIST FOR EVERYONE 8-28-26
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is bigger than our boundaries. Christ did not come for a certain class of people. He came for people. He did not come for the impressive. He came for the broken. He did not come for the worthy. He came to make sinners worthy through His grace. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Christ is for everybody.
His love and acceptance know no bounds. It is not based on race. The gospel does not belong to one nationality. Jesus died for Jews and Gentiles, for every nation, tribe, people, and tongue. Peter learned this lesson when God showed him that “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34). The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Every person comes the same way. Every person needs the same Savior. Every person is invited to the same grace.
It is not based on religion. Religion can become a wall if we allow our traditions to become more important than Christ. Jesus did not come to create another system in which people could boast about their religious accomplishments. He came to reconcile sinners to God. “There is neither Jew nor Greek for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Christ is greater than our labels. He is greater than our backgrounds. He is greater than everything we have built around Him.
It is not based on ritual. We cannot purchase God’s love through ceremonies, traditions, or outward performances. The Pharisees had rituals, but many of them missed the Redeemer standing right in front of them. The thief on the cross had nothing to offer except faith in a dying King, yet Jesus gave him hope beyond the grave (Luke 23:42-43). God’s grace cannot be reduced to human performance. Our confidence is Christ.
It is not based on resources. It is not based on riches. Jesus welcomed people who had nothing. He received the poor, the hungry, the helpless, and the forgotten. James warned against showing favoritism toward the rich (James 2:1-5). The kingdom of God cannot be bought. A person’s bank account does not impress heaven. Whether a person has a fortune or an empty pocket, that person needs the same Savior. Rich or poor, powerful or powerless, Christ is for everybody.
It is not based on royalty. Jesus did not reserve His grace for kings and queens. He touched lepers. He ate with sinners. He welcomed children. He spoke with Samaritans. He stopped for blind beggars. He called fishermen. He received tax collectors. He forgave the guilty. He sought the lost. The King of kings came not merely to those who occupied earthly thrones but to those who were sitting in the darkness of sin. His kingdom is open to all who come to Him.
And it is not based on restoration. Sometimes we think we must get ourselves cleaned up before Christ will receive us. But Christ is the One who restores us. The prodigal did not return to his father with a record of accomplishments. He came home broken, and his father ran to meet him (Luke 15:20). Jesus does not say, “Restore yourself and then come to Me.” He says, “Come to Me” (Matthew 11:28). The Savior receives broken people and begins the work of making them whole.
So what is our acceptance based upon? The Redeemer. Not race. Not religion. Not ritual. Not resources. Not riches. Not royalty. Not restoration. Christ alone is our hope. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
That is why the gospel can be preached to everybody. The same Christ who saved Paul can save you. The same Christ who welcomed the outcast can welcome you. The same Christ who forgave the sinner can forgive you. There is room at the cross for the poor and the wealthy, the educated and the uneducated, the famous and the forgotten, the religious and the irreligious. Christ is for everybody because everybody needs Christ.
The question is not, “Am I good enough?” The question is not, “Do I have enough?” The question is not, “Do I belong to the right group?” The question is, “What will I do with Jesus Christ?” He is the Redeemer. He is the Savior. He is the door. He is the hope. And He is the only basis upon which any of us can stand accepted before God.
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Lord Jesus, thank You that Your love reaches everybody. Tear down every wall we build between ourselves and others. Teach us to see people as You see them. Help us never to trust in anything we have or can do. May we trust only in You, the Redeemer who loved us and gave Himself for us. Amen.
BDD
