A World of Grace

In my last posting I unpacked what it means to declare something to be before ”the foundations of the world.” I clearly defined that the term “world” in this matter represents one or two possible worlds: the world created by God, or the world created by humanity. Furthermore, I established how grace, when understood from the viewpoint of the world established by Cain, the first person to create a city, is grace which is founded on a sacred/judicial basis which minimizes the pleas of the victim over the sentence of the guilty. I declared this to be Killer Grace, a construct of humanity, not of God.

In that post I wrote the following:

Okay, what is Abel crying out for? He is the victim. Recognize that any answer you’re about to give has to be placed next to the comment which Paul made declaring how the blood of Jesus speaks greater than the blood of Abel. Both victims, both have blood spilled before the foundations of the “world,” both are crying out for us to hear…

We have no clue what Abel’s blood is crying out about. Almost anyone you talk to about this incident will claim that he was crying out for vengeance, restitution for the unprovoked taking of his life. They make this claim because our entire Judeo/Christian world of justice is founded on the concept of an “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” Restitution is exacted from the guilty to compensate for the loss to the victim – even to the point of death of the guilty.

The Greater is Calling

Now we need to look at just what Paul was referring to when he claimed how the blood of Jesus speaks greater than Able. Jesus, too, was a victim, unjustly killed for political reasons. If you think otherwise, then you have been drinking the Kool-Aid of the deluded religious fanatics who shall remain nameless.

Unlike Abel, we have a number of clues of what the blood of Jesus speaks. The first clue can be found right at the cross when Jesus cries out, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Another clue occurs with the woman caught in the act of adultery. After Jesus has dispersed the crowd by telling them that only the person who is without sin can throw a rock at her, which leaves her with no accusers, Jesus looks at here and state, “I find nothing in you.” Clearly there are many clues, but the grandest of them all is the entire story of the prodigal son.

With just these clues we can deduce how the greater things that his blood speaks about is forgiveness, blamelessness, and restoration. These attributes are what kingdom grace looks like simply because in the Kingdom of God grace is the active power of His love.

Bewilderment at Victims

I don’t typically like to bring current events into this arena, but a recent episode is a prime example of Kingdom grace in action. The assassination of Charlie Kirk has shocked the world in many ways, both in the very act, but also in the diverse and ofttimes radical responses of so many. I have no comments to offer about any of these. My focus here is simply on the actions of his family which bewildered so many people.

It is clear that Charlie’s wife and children are victims in this drama. Yet, it was his wife who demonstrated, for the whole world to see, what Kingdom grace is like when she forgave the individual who took her husband’s life. At the memorial service for Charlie, this is what Erika Kirk said:

“My husband Charlie he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life…On the cross, our savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do.’ That young man. I forgive him.”

While many who claim to be “believers” applauded her words and actions, it still caused a swirling ripple throughout the rest of the world. “How could she do such a thing?” was the most often asked question. When pressed as to why such a response was made about her actions, it became clear that the raw severity of the act placed upon the hearts of these people dealt a choice to either act in accordance with their familiar world dictated by restitution or be forced to recognize a higher power at work. For many, they still have not been able to come to terms with her actions.

Well, There You Go

There is a saying which goes, “There I go but by the grace of God.” There a some who adopt this as their final push into an area in their life where their own actions were unable to produce the results they were looking for. In essence, life is now a crapshoot, and God only knows the results. Unfortunately, these people never heard what Albert Einstein said on the subject, “God doesn’t play with dice.”

Our comings and goings are purely the grace of God. It is the activating force of His Love, His character. It is not ranked on a numerical hierarchy simply because there is no higher number in the Kingdom of God than one. It is never an afterthought simply because the entirety of the Kingdom operates NOW, hence there is no after. When you declare God IS, Grace IS too. But also, forgiveness IS, blamelessness IS, and restoration IS. This is a world you know not of even though it is the world you originated from. It just might be time to consider a homecoming.

Hopefully the following song will pique your interest in making that homecoming journey.

True Home in God