I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

The Christian faith is defined by some very rigid doctrines. It makes assertions concerning historical events, abstract principles, and divine matters that are so specific and inflexible that any system that alters or relaxes them cannot still claim to be the same religion, and therefore cannot share in its unassailable foundation. Nevertheless, it is so suitable to all kinds of people, so aptly speaks to their needs and concerns, and so rich in its wisdom and authority that it has a rebuke to correct any transgression committed by a person belonging to any group, that those who fail to grasp the transcendent nature of the gospel sometimes slip into the error of thinking that the Christian faith exclusively belongs to them, that it is intended for their kind, and their kind alone.

The Lord Jesus was a Jewish male in his human nature, but his ministry and influence transcended this, and he circulated among all kinds of people. His disciples included rulers and commoners, men and women, Jews and Samaritans, fishermen and tax collectors, intellectuals and prostitutes, or those who began as prostitutes. He was one man assuming one persona everywhere he went. He never changed his principles and practices, and he never compromised his teachings. Yet all kinds of people were engaged by him in a personal and relevant manner. He refused to become all things to all men, but he demanded all men to forsake all things so that they might follow him. He was indeed exclusive, insisting that he was the only way to God. But he was inclusive in the sense that all kinds of people could find God through him.

The temptation which captures the ignorant is that the Christian faith is so suitable for their own group – since it is suitable for all kinds of people – that they think they possess an exclusive right to the gospel, and that those who do not belong to their group must either be excluded, or be second-class in Christ’s kingdom, or must become like them in order to become a part of the chosen people. Of course, this explains the exclusive mindset of some Gentiles, and the contemporary cliques of believers.

The Jews had a similar mindset for a different reason. They thought that salvation exclusively belonged to them because God chose their nation to plant the seed of the gospel. However, from the beginning God had intended them to be the mere starting point, so that salvation would spread out from them, not that people must come to them and join themselves to them in order to obtain. The result was that, not only did the Jews withheld salvation from the world, but they themselves refused to enter in, and failed to obtain it for themselves.

Christians are ensnared by an illegitimate exclusivity when they limit the gospel to only those aspects of their lives that are most relevant to them. For example, the Christian system is a mind-boggling treasure of intellectual riches. The accuracy and precision of its history, the intricacies of its arguments, the scope and coherence of its doctrines – in short, the intellectual perfection that it evinces from every conceivable angle of study – make it an everlasting fountain of wisdom that satisfies the intellectual elite. But what a tragic error it would be for the intellectual to think that the Christian faith has nothing for the uneducated man.

Likewise, the good news from Jesus Christ rescues the oppressed from despair, and injects hope into the downtrodden. But it would be a mistake for them to think that Christ saves only those oppressed by men. There are those who so resent the wealthy and the powerful that they think these people do not deserve the gospel, as if they deserve it because they are victims. Victims often take on a self-righteous mentality, as if they are righteous because they are victims of oppression. This is a complete delusion. The gospel of Christ saves the oppressed, but it is not only a victim’s gospel.

The Jews have no right to claim it for themselves, and preach a “Messianic” Christianity. That is a desperate attempt to assert a place for their culture, or to exert some control over doctrine and practice. But the promise of salvation was only released through them. It was never intended to remain with them. Neither is it withheld from the Jews. And just as no American should think that the Christian faith is a Jewish religion, no Asian should think that it is an American religion. It does not belong exclusively to any race, gender, or class.

Paul begins his instruction for public worship by expanding our thinking, or our application of the Christian faith. Prayers are to be made “for everyone,” even kings. They are not beyond the power of God or the promise of the gospel. Rulers often stand as hindrances to the gospel, and it is easy for some believers to think that they should pray against them rather than for them. But Paul calls us to enlarge our vision, and our thinking on what God can do with our rulers and with everyone.