His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace. ~Ephesians 2:15

The Father’s great desire is to see a new humanity emerge. A new humanity?

The epic tragedy of our old humanity reaches as far back as the first brother emptying his brother’s blood on the golden fields of earth’s dawn. One only has to look around the world today to see this long, disastrous march of violence and disunity. Of course, there was the generation of Noah, of whom it was said the Lord grieved their violence. Apparently, they were so depraved that the Wise King of the Universe thought it wisest to wash away that entire generation and start anew. Even still, Jesus predicted there would be another generation like that one looming in our future. The 20th century saw the terrors of the communist utopia. To justify their terror, they advised, “You need to crack a few eggs to make an omelet.” Apparently, 100 million murders aren’t enough cracked eggs for the omelet.

So, what on earth has the power to make a new humanity; to recreate a world in disarray? Governments have tried to control the human heart, and cultures have tried to romance it, but only Jesus Christ has the power to transform it, to create entirely new desires, and reinvent the world in the Father’s good love.

Christ is giving birth to a new kingdom and a new race of mankind—a Spirit race. The people of Jesus flow in the leadership of the Spirit and not out of the default divisions of human biology, gender, class, ethnicity, personality, beauty, or talent. They are building his good kingdom and creating the world anew through the Father’s compassion and truth. They are selling all they have and giving to the poor. They are loving their enemies and praying for those who afflict them. They are crying out to God for his life to rise out of our ruins. They are making a highway for their King by raising people out of the valleys of poverty and depression and tearing down the mountains of oppression, lies, and domination. They don’t find their identity in vacations, performance, power, career goals, or sports teams. Like their King, they’d rather serve than be served. And you can find them laboring in the quiet fields of Burundi and in the clustered markets of Ecuador, filling God’s glorious earth with his heavenly beauty.

The strange words of Jesus are still vibrating with intensity, “I have bread that you know nothing of. My bread is to do the will of my Father.” That is our bread too. We are satisfied when the Father uses us to heal hearts and rebuild communities, and we are willing to work with shovel and spade and prayer until it comes to pass.

While the old humanity is busy destroying each other to serve their selfish appetites, the new humanity is busy recreating the world in the Father’s image. That has been his dream from the beginning of creation: a world of peace, rising up under the blessing of a people who love God and live in unity as they find joy in building his kingdom together.

Tags: truth, compassion, kingdom, humanity, peace, government, spirit, healing, nature, goodness, unity, division, warfare, class, violence, racism, wounds, humanism, disunity