Saint Matthew United Methodist Church

Most of the stuff on the internet about the Bible is from conservative sources.

Ever notice that?

I came across this: “When we are born again, we are adopted into the family of God.”

Adopted!

Where from? God made us. Did he give us to somebody else after that?

The writer goes on to say, “Before we are adopted, we are enemies. When we accept Christ, we become children.”

Now, that explains it! That’s why we Christians can be so mean to Jews, Muslims, and Hindus. They are not children of God!

God didn’t adopt them!

Just us!

Only we are God’s children. Those other folks are still enemies.

We are really somebody.

They are—not so much.

The writer continues: “When we are born again, God treats us differently—as family.”

Wow! Did he say that?

Somebody. please, pick my teeth up off the floor. This writer is willing to contradict a central tenet of Jesus’ teaching: God treats everyone the same.

God “sends the rain on the just and the unjust.”

God “is kind to the ungrateful and to the wicked.”

God loves all of us.

As we are.

And we are all God’s children. Natural born. No adoption necessary.

The church is not an exclusive club.

It is not a gathering of the saintly saved.

It is, rather, a gathering of people who know that God loves all humankind.

Every person on earth benefits from God’s grace.

God’s love covers all, excludes none.

And the little song got it right: “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”