As human beings, we have a natural tendency to separate ourselves from anything that doesn’t add to our quality of life. Maybe even at the birth of humanity, for our survival as a species, acting harshly towards anything (and anyone) that detracted from our quality of life was a necessity. Maybe, from the very beginning, the slowest runners, the weakest men, those who refused to adhere to a set of rules, were recognized as liabilities and, if accepted, would serve to decrease our chances of survival, so we cut them off, or killed them off. And maybe, because of that, we evolved into a people who rely on division as a way of making ourselves feel more secure.

Nowadays, those who don’t follow the rules, people who at one time would’ve been banished forever for doing so, are sent into exile temporarily, and eventually reintroduced to society. But you know who they are. When they step through security at an airport, when officers run their ID’s, when they apply for jobs and you run a background check, you know who they are. And, to you, they are law-breakers, people who operate on a lower level, people with a known disregard for the rules instituted by “civilized” society, criminals. In reality, the only factor that separates the criminal from the non-criminal is a set of laws that he chooses to ignore, and that disregard comes with a price, the loss of his freedom. Most people, maybe all people, would readily agree, whether true or not, that civilized society operates on a higher plane of existence than the criminal. They’ll tell you that civilized society is all about the greater good of the people, at least it’s supposed to be, which is the reason why certain laws are in place, to keep the peace and protect the people.

So, a criminal is a criminal because he chooses to behave in ways that are unacceptable by society’s standards. An “upstanding” citizen is regarded as such when he seemingly acquiesces to the rules and laws that society deems acceptable. And a Christian is a Christian, not because he doesn’t have the urge to satisfy his flesh, but because he strives to reinforce the thoughts and behaviors that Christ deems acceptable. He will, inevitably, fall short at times, but his failures aren’t an endorsement of popular culture, it’s an admission, in accord with the word, that the “flesh is weak.” He still regards many of society’s ideas of normality as, not just socially unacceptable, but spiritually unacceptable as well. Christian society goes one step further than “civilized” society in saying yes, we agree that killing and stealing and those things are wrong, but we also agree that lying and drinking and smoking and slander and adultery are wrong. The thing that separates the criminal from the non-criminal is the same thing that separates the non-Christian from the Christian, a greater list of laws and rules, ones that extend even into the spiritual realm. And if adherence to a longer list of rules and laws is the measuring stick society uses to distinguish a “good” citizen from a “bad” one, why is it wrong for a Christian to use that same measuring stick in a similar way? Again, the only factor that separates the non-Christian from the Christian is a set of laws that the non-Christian chooses to ignore, but that disregard is a rejection of God. It’s a lost opportunity for salvation that comes with a hefty price. Most people, maybe all people, who would readily agree that “civilized” society operates on a higher plane than the criminal must, then, also agree that Christian society operates on a higher plane than non-Christian society. You see, Christian society is about more than just the greater good of the people, it’s also about the gentrification of the spirit, the refinement of the soul. It’s the reason why certain physical and spiritual laws are in place, to promote peace and protect the spirit, all for the glory of God.

20 thoughts on “A Higher Plane Of Existence”

  1. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
    (Romans 6:23 KJV)

    The following is from (John 10 27-30 KJV)
    27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
    28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
    29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
    30 I and my Father are one.

    “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”
    (Acts 15:11 KJV)

    “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
    Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
    (Ephesians 2: 8-9 KJV)

    I’m not a “religious” person per se. God knows I struggle with “organized religion” for various reasons. His Word states and probably more than just this, that HE . . . . GIVES (whomever) accepts His GIFT of salvation.

    Where is it written . . . . that Jesus snatches His GIFT away from us, and takes our salvation away? He died on the Cross, painfully, (Hebrews 12:2 KJV) “…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…” God’s only begotten Son, died to set us FREE from the law of sin and death . . . . to GIVE us Eternal LIFE.

    Am I understanding you correctly? To be like a human being and STEAL His Gift of Salvation He gives . . . . away? I don’t think so. I can’t find it in His Word anywhere. You find it, and correct me with His immutable Word, OK?

    (Upstanding citizens just didn’t “get caught” breaking laws.) Even while you and I broke manmade laws . . . . along with others readers, because we do that . . . speeding, jaywalking, running red lights, stop signs, etc. Worse! God was good and provided our needs. Correct? We were fed, clothed, had shelter, etc. May not have been the best.

    I can’t wrap my brain around Jesus being the sacrificial Lamb, our Risen Savior . . . . then taking it away. (Hebrews 12:2 KJV) “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;…” Our Holy God and the Trinity wouldn’t be real.

    Does that make sense? Sounds like too much work and worry, then we’d boast . . . . and it wouldn’t be Grace. (I learned it all from the Bible, and wrote about it. I think it’s called “A Snippet of Truth”.)

    Please correct me if I’m confused. I did a confusing reflection upon my own life. Anything is possible at this point. I pray for those whom God burdens me, and you are literally one of them. I do what I say. I’m for real, and don’t read you as a criminal, but an inspiration!

    Thank you, AGAIN!

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  2. Hello.
    I’m not sure I understand your question here, when you write:

    “Am I understanding you correctly? To be like a human being and STEAL His Gift of Salvation He gives . . . . away? I don’t think so. I can’t find it in His Word anywhere. You find it, and correct me with His immutable Word, OK?”

    From what I do understand, I believe you’re asking me if I believe God would take away the salvation that He gives us as a gift, right?
    My answer is, “No, I don’t believe God will give us the “gift” of salvation and then take that “gift” back.” For a second I was wondering where you might’ve gotten the idea that I may possibly believe this, and then I reread my post and found the part of my writing that might’ve sounded this way. Was it the following part?

    “The sole factor that separates the non-Christian from the Christian is a set of laws that he chooses to ignore, and that disregard comes with a price, the loss of his salvation.”

    If, indeed, the above quote is the section in question, let me explain what I meant: We know that “whoever believes in Him (Jesus)” will have “everlasting life.” So, yes, God gives this gift of salvation, but he gives it to “whoever believes in him (Jesus).” The only way to accept the gift of salvation that He offers is to believe in and accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior. It says that in John 3:16.
    In the above quote I was writing about “laws” (believing in Jesus like John 3:16 instructs) that the non-believer “chooses to ignore” and, because of THAT, he loses his chance at salvation. Instead of writing “…and that disregard comes with a price, the loss of his salvation” I should’ve written “…and that disregard is the rejection of his salvation, a hefty price to pay.”

    Hopefully this sheds light on my intended meaning.

    Thanks for reading and commenting.
    I always enjoy chatting and interacting with you.
    God bless.

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  3. BINGO! Thank you! (Wiping my brow…) That was it. I read it over and over. I’m not a trained or skilled writer like you. The style I’m ‘testing’ right now is a gift from God, so it rolls of my mind and confuses me.

    I felt weird questioning you, but so many are confused with that one issue. They don’t believe “once saved always saved”, which is also very telling. One either believes God’s Word in it’s entirety or not. He is also our Source of Belief, too.

    It’s almost surreal to “talk” about, because I had nothing to do with it (you understand). Christ came to me. I certainly did not choose Him, BUT His timing was perfect as He knew . . . . I was empty of my own self.

    You help make me “run faster” mentally and spiritually.
    Thank God we crossed paths.

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  5. Good morning, John. One of my family members was incarcerated years ago, when he was young (early twenties) and he experienced a lot of hardship once he was released, in putting his life back together. God has been truly awesome and amazing in blessing him and changing his life since then. From that experience of what he went through, I feel your passion and compassion for the unfairness of society and some people not allowing a person to move on from previous incidents that they’ve already paid for. Sometimes, the challenges we go through are vehicles to realize and work out our calling to reach out and lift others up in a positive way.

    I understood Ikat’s questions, because I had the same ones as I read your post, but am so heartened by the the dialogue between the two of you below. Thank God for the blood of Jesus that paid it all, covering our sin and making the way of salvation possible, because if it depended on me, I would be lost! The conversation between to two of you is what fellowship is all about. So good!

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    1. Hello. My post wasn’t as clearly written as it could have been. I began with the intention of going one way with it and ended up going another way. As I wrote that particular line I kind of thought that my words might be received in a different way than I intended, but that was my fault for kind of rushing through the piece. I have since edited that one line.
      I count myself blessed to have “met” people like you, Jen, and like Ikat. I enjoy chatting with you both, and with everyone else who has visited the blog and interacted with me.
      God bless.

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      1. Hi John. I thought I replied back to this one, but I guess I didn’t. I was pretty sure I understood the intent of the piece and the aspect I had questions about was clarified. It provided an opportunity for discussion, so it’s all good.

        I’ve enjoyed reading your posts and “chatting” (that sounds so funny, lol) with you as well. Your posts cause me to think about things from a different perspective, which is always good!

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      1. Good morning, John. For me, the questions I had were answered in the dialogue between you and Ikat. Others when they read the post and comments may have other questions/thoughts that come to mind. That’s okay, because we’re not all at the same place in our journeys. The important approach to take (which I know you will) is to ask God to allow you to see any question/concern through His eyes and how to apply scripture, accordingly. ☺

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  6. Love your very real and honest words. I can really relate to what you are saying. We are all rebels. Every one of us. I know I am. I’ve never been incarcerated, but I’ve certainly never been much of a rule follower. I tried being a good Christian girl who did all the right things for a while, hooing it would save my marriage at the time, my family, my very damaged soul. It didn’t. I failed. A lot. And then I questioned, and gave uo. I felt God calling me to him about 5 years ago, and I knew it was the only way. I thought this meant purging my life of all my rebellious activities, but instead I just felt a sort of comfort. What I’ve come to realize is that it’s not about following rules. It’s about trusting in my Comforter, my Healer. As I leaned on Him, my desire to be rebel seemed to shrink, and I noticed a deepened strength to say no to certain temptations that I knew were destructive. My focus shifted, and I just wanted different things, good things, things that encouraged and helped others. It hit me that the times when following the rules seemed the most important, and the most difficult, were also the times when I was the most self centered. Just my take on it 😊 God bless, looking forward to reading more from you.

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    1. Hello. Thank you for stopping by, reading, and commenting. My aim with this post was to look at 3 different types of people
      (1) The criminal
      (2) The non-criminal/non-Christian
      (3) The Christian
      Though it may not seem like it, I wanted to draw parallels between the three. But I also wanted the person in the middle, the non-criminal/non-Christian person, to (1) see the similarities between himself and the criminal, but also to realize (2) that the Christian isn’t much different either because he still has these desires of the flesh, like any other man, and (3) the only thing that separates them all is just a law or two, be it societal or spiritual, that one follows and the other doesn’t, and to conclude that they are all more closely linked than most would care to admit. I wrote it because I know that many people look down on the ex-con because he broke the law without ever truly taking a look a himself. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)
      My intended message isn’t conveyed as clearly and effectively as I’d hoped, but I tried. Either way, the lack of clarity opened up a moment of discussion, a chance to chat further about Our Father. Praise God.
      Thanks again.

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      2. Sorry if I misunderstood! I see what you mean about showing the parallels, you conveyed it perfectly, I guess we all just see things from a unique perspective that speaks to us differently. I’ve had lots of posts where people read a message totally different than what I believed I was writing. So sorry if it seemed like I wasn’t getting it!

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      3. No need to say sorry. I readily admit that it wasn’t as clear as I wanted it to be. You weren’t the first person who wondered where I was coming from. The obscurity was my fault, not yours. I’m one of those people who does not mind admitting to his own fallibility, as I am human. It happens. 🙂
        Thank you for commenting and giving me the opportunity to explain the message I intended to convey.
        You’re awesome.
        God bless.

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  7. Hello. Thank you for stopping by, reading, and commenting. My aim with this post was to look at 3 different types of people
    (1) The criminal
    (2) The non-criminal/non-Christian
    (3) The Christian
    Though it may not seem like it, I wanted to draw parallels between the three. But I also wanted the person in the middle, the non-criminal/non-Christian person, to (1) see the similarities between himself and the criminal, but also to realize (2) that the Christian isn’t much different either because he still has these desires of the flesh, like any other man, and (3) the only thing that separates them all is just a law or two, be it societal or spiritual, that one follows and the other doesn’t, and to conclude that they are all more closely linked than most would care to admit. I wrote it because I know that many people look down on the ex-con because he broke the law without ever truly taking a look a himself. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)
    My intended message isn’t conveyed as clearly and effectively as I’d hoped, but I tried. Either way, the lack of clarity opened up a moment of discussion, a chance to chat further about Our Father. Praise God.
    Thanks again.
    God bless.

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