Grace

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
~ Saint Paul (Galatians 2:20)

The Christian makes bold to claim that Christ is in him, while he is yet in sin. How is it that one, who is frequently unwilling to carry the cross, considers himself worthy to carry the name, of Christ?

It is because within him there is a spark of divine love which, having once encountered, he cannot resist declaring his allegiance to. Even in spite of his weakness, and knowing that this love, which is Christ within him, will continually be scorned, sacrificed, and betrayed by others, as well as by his own crippled will, -- yet, he cannot withhold his admiration and deep intention to be won over completely by this golden aspect of himself, and seed of his highest potential.

This is as if one were suddenly to discover a precious pearl in an old and long-familiar earthen pot. The humble condition of the pot becomes a thing of little consequence, for it is overshadowed by the good thing which resides within.

To all appearances, a man may be corrupt, but every man, no matter how ill-fated, has yet something noble within him; something which cannot be corrupted; which speaks for him, and lovingly assures him that, although presently he may be caught in a web of evil energies, by himself he is never evil, and the life of God within him is purely good. This is the voice of Christ, the Good Physician, who reproves the affliction, but justifies the afflicted.

For if a man be stricken with a disease of a moral and spiritual order, then he ought to be pitied and treated like any other victim of disease. His illness may be of the most dire sort, but no matter how progressed it may be, -- no matter if it has blackened his breast, and spread into his uttermost extremities, -- we must never make the mistake of identifying the afflicted with his affliction. Even if we cannot preserve his health, we must preserve an idea of the man as he might be, were he to be healed of all that contaminates and corrupts his higher self.

To call a man Christian, especially when his thoughts and actions are anything but Christian, is to declare a lofty spiritual truth in the face of fallen nature. It is to say that sin, which may overtake his body and every earthly part of himself, can never take possession of his soul. It is to say that his soul belongs irrevocably to God.

A man who is deathly ill, who cannot arise from his bed, nor speak, nor take solid food, is still a man. There is a dignity which cannot be stripped bare, for it does not depend upon any action, nor success. It is the simple birthright of every child of God.

The doctrine of the inner Christ, here described, honors this fundamental dignity because it justifies by grace, and not by outward signs or accomplishments. While the world honors, above all others, the soldier who defeats his enemies, the spirit honors all soldiers alike; those who have triumphed, as well as those who have fallen in the line of service.

In the sense in which I have understood the term, "Christ" is a noble spark and seed of divinity present in everyone. A person does not need to recognize it, nor to believe in it, nor to name it Christ. It is there nonetheless, as Christ's love is there. What we do with it, -- how we conceptualize it, -- is our business. For my part, I call it Christ, and call everyone a Christian. My hope is that none will be offended, but that all will receive this name, along with the honor it bestows, as a symbol of brotherly love. Not from a desire to convert, but to include.

What, then, does it mean, to call a man Christian? It is, in essence, to call him brother; a fellow child of God. It is to love and recognize him as a member of the body of Christ, even when that member is afflicted, bloodied, broken, or bruised. Even when he seemingly has no love in him, or no power to manifest the love that is in him, he is not cut off from the love that is in Christ. What is necessary is only that he is loved, -- not that he loves.

Christ, having loved us, has fulfilled this necessary part. We are united by his love, whether or not we love. We are called "brother" and are entitled to every good thing. We are treated with great compassion, not because we have loved greatly, but because we are greatly loved.

Is this not precisely what it means, when we say that, "Through the love of one man, the entire world has been redeemed,"? Because one man did not judge, no man was judged. When we allow ourselves to see through Christ's eyes, to see without judgement, we know that it is so.