You know, I say this so often, and I’ll keep on saying it as long as the Lord gives me breath. I don’t have any denominational beliefs. I don’t believe like the Baptists, I don’t believe like the Pentecostals, and I don’t believe like the Reformed crowd. I simply want to believe as the Bible teaches.
I don’t want to fall into a ditch on one side of the road or the other. There are two ditches to every road, and it really doesn’t matter which ditch you’re in, if you’re in the ditch, you’re off the road. I want to stay right in the middle of the road where the Bible is.
I currently attend a reformed church, and I’m grateful for the fellowship and the faithful preaching of God’s Word. Yet I’m not a Calvinist, and I’m not an Arminian either. Some people may think I’m confused, but I’m not. I just don’t want to park in any man-made theological system. My desire is simple: I want to fall where the Bible falls.
One of the beautiful truths I see so clearly in the Scriptures is this, God shows no partiality.
The Bible says it plainly in Romans 2:11: “For there is no partiality with God.”
When Peter went to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile, the Lord opened his eyes and he declared, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” (Acts 10:34-35)
James, the Lord’s brother, warns us strongly: “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.” (James 2:1) He even calls favouritism sin.
Now think about what this means for the gospel. God does not play favourites. He doesn’t love some people more than others because of their background, their education, their nationality, or anything else. The offer of salvation is open to whosoever will.
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
And right at the end of the Bible, we read that wonderful invitation: “Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)
John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
The Lord is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
And in Ezekiel He says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11)
Some good brothers teach that God has only chosen a limited number of people, the “elect”, to be saved, and that He doesn’t really offer salvation to everyone else in the same way. But when I look at the whole counsel of God, I see a Saviour who genuinely loves the world, who calls everyone to repentance, and who shows no partiality.
Jesus ate with sinners. He welcomed the outcasts. He wept over Jerusalem. He died for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 says, “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” Let’s park here for a moment. For those who may not be familiar with the word 'propitiation', it means appeasement or satisfaction.
In other words, on the cross, Jesus fully satisfied the righteous wrath of God against our sin. He took the punishment we deserved and turned away God’s anger so that we could be forgiven and brought near to Him.
This is an amazing truth! Jesus didn’t just make salvation possible for a few; He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. What a powerful picture of the width and depth of God’s love and the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice.
Even Paul Washer, a passionate preacher of the gospel, whom I love, has said that propitiation is 'absolutely the most important word in the entire Bible other than the names of God.' It reminds us how seriously God takes sin, and how completely Jesus satisfied God’s justice on our behalf.
So as His people, we are called to reflect that same heart. We are to love people the way Jesus loved them, without partiality, without playing favourites, and without ever thinking that some are beyond the reach of His grace.
I’m not here to win a theological debate or to join anybody’s camp. I just want to stay on the straight road of Scripture. If the Bible says God shows no partiality, then that’s where I want to stand, even if it means standing right in the middle while others are shouting from the ditches on both sides.
My prayer is simple, Lord, help us to believe what the Bible says, to love like Jesus loved, and to treat every person with the same grace and dignity that You show to all of us.
Come to Jesus, my friend. He is calling you today. Whoever you are, wherever you’ve been, the invitation is open. Whosoever will may come.
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