Exclusive, not Excluded
Have you ever joined a “shoppers’ club’? Maybe, from your local grocery store, you joined the “members-only” club. You didn’t have to pay anything, but you did have to choose to join to get a card that gives you the member discount on your groceries. Not everyone chooses to get the discount, but anyone can sign up and receive the benefits of membership on their first purchase.
Perhaps you joined a senior adult group in which you get discounts on purchases or hotel stays, exclusive offerings not given to non-members, even if they are senior adults, too.
That is “exclusive.” You must belong to get the benefits or the discounts. Anyone who wants the benefits can join. No one is “excluded from joining, but only the “exclusive” members receive the benefits or promises of the benefits. A person must choose and act to join.
People say Christianity is “exclusive”, for which they are right. Unfortunately, they often mean that it “excludes” people from belonging, which is not right. God says He wants everyone to belong and receive His “exclusive” blessings and benefits that He has promised to those who believe. But, He does not “exclude” anyone from belonging. His salvation is open to all who believe (John 1:12, John 3:16–17). You have to choose whether you want to belong; you are not “excluded” from belonging.
Today, you can get God’s gift of eternal life. You are never “excluded;” you can receive His gift and receive His “exclusive” benefits, starting immediately!
