“5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:1-11 ESV)

The ready soldier has embraced Church’s (dogmatic’s) “both/and”: simultaneously, that is to say, we are sinners and yet justified. Simultaneously, the friendship is blissful (heaven’s product) and calculating (eel-like, clever, aware). More, we are encouraged nonetheless to hear a different “set of voices”, that it wasn’t a Thank You we were fishing for, nor a compliment we preened ourselves for (smiling winsomely), nor an Honorarium we secretly coveted. Hark to the day when Christ’s own immediately address such Cynicism to say, All is forgiven. Oh, of course you and I… like two peas in a pod. Of course, you and I, bearing the good fruits of Heavenly Life Together. We are Family! We embrace, and that not with one foot devilishly forced down upon the other’s foot.

More, the stages of War… does anyone even take not any more when one side does literally forgive last night’s bombing raid, forgive it already and precisely because it is Impossible to Forgive. Because we own each other’s sins as much as each other’s prevariant, pregnant, Determined survivalism of the species. We are bearing Life for Tomorrow. We are with child of the Latter Days. And if this isn’t cause and reason for the menfolk in our midst to rally forth with a Shout, then nothing is.

Christ’s is a strange victory, because He had the chutzpah to address the eventuality of His own persecution and death, as well as His eternal Kingship… but somehow it was all a lot of blustery talk, wasn’t it? Wasn’t He just a pompous herald of Nothingness? Of nothing more than some Father-cult, some Discipleship or healing cult? Things gestating, taking shape well before Modernity’s view that it all is familiar and quite (nearly) cliche by now. 

To the two peas in a pod. To the signing up, “I am family of the groom, family of the bride”. Each rallies around that alien lifeform Engaged, alien lifeform called Curiosity Factor, not an enemy per se but a being of Goodness, Good Will. The marriage supper of the Lamb, the pangs of birth pain, the fact our own calculations always up the ante until Revenge, Eternal Slight, Permanent Disrespect, has only escalated to nothing. Has escalated minus that Hero who is sane and sagacious, willing to Fight, and Listening Closely for just whom is flipping over a new leaf already, some cultures… some in our own midst, are under Extreme Duress, from their poverty or station in life, from an evil overlord, overlady, from the slow stain of sin introducing (inventing anew) the classic sins of lust and conflagrations, drugs and dopes, lies and greed. So the illusion that all is—for us, at least—society motoring along in all Freedoms and Opportunities… this Illusion calls upon each of us to feel the pinch a bit, as if Accused. We stand Accused. We fight not with flesh and blood, but with Sin in High Places, a clergy, even, determined just to ruin Christ events from ever occurring (for this they will glibly, obstinately give their lives, even).

That is, what was supposed to be a set of Accolades and Oomph, muscle and Lore behind the individual solitary Soldier… the reverse has occurred, and all Pedigree, all Credentials (militant or otherwise), all Associations… the scoffing mockery of the soldier, and all these things are themselves called into question. People lose their very respect for Echelons of Power. The dutiful front-line soldier: satan says, “doesn’t everyone just ‘get’ that she or he is unworthy, a joke, an opportunistic little tyrant or clown?”. And we do the same, forgetting the principalities and powers behind a former Friend turned Enemy. All that they—call it a downmarket magic touch—have accumulated. The legions of lawyers badgering all National Bastions of Power, with lawsuits intended to make it illegal even to raise a fight in response. People forgetting that Knife Through Butter of absolutely wild-eyed accusations that undermine the very fabric of personhood, that forget: our best assets are not codified in Law or Lawsuit, but are taken on Trust, on Faith that the next generation will be “good folk”, the Certainty that our own families: to these we are indebted and grateful for, because something Special is curated unto its one-day fruition.