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The solid Spirit that approaches the Big Man wears a robe and is very cheerful and youthful, so much so that it makes the narrator want to dance. On Earth, his name was Len, and he was a former employee of the Big Man. During his life, he seems to have been a pretty miserable and angry man, which le...

The solid Spirit that approaches the Big Man wears a robe and is very cheerful and youthful, so much so that it makes the narrator want to dance. On Earth, his name was Len, and he was a former employee of the Big Man. During his life, he seems to have been a pretty miserable and angry man, which led him to murder Jack, a mutual acquaintance of theirs. 2. The Big Man is astonished and outraged to find Len enjoying life in Heaven. He recognizes Len only as a murderer and cannot understand why Len is here in Heaven when he is in the grey town since he believes he himself is a much better man. Len tells him that Jack is here in Heaven too and that he can take the Big Man to see him if he likes. 3. Jesus said that we will be forgiven of all of our sins, not just certain ones. The fact is, if grace is contingent on us, humanity will be lost to Hell. Our view of other people's sins can be harsh, even condemning them as unchangeable or their sins as unredeemable. But what men think about sin is relatively unimportant. What God thinks is infinitely important. God offers grace and mercy to those who repent regardless of the severity of the sin. A sin can only be unforgivable if repentance is impossible. Forgiveness becomes impossible when someone turns their back on the Holy Spirit, repeatedly closes their eyes to God, shuts their ears to His voice, and rejects His Word. As a result, they bring themselves to a point where they can no longer recognize God and become spiritually blind, speaking of "evil as good and good as evil." 4. Paul considered himself the chief of sinners. He was a violent man who desired to destroy Christianity and those practicing it. He participated in murders, arrests, and the abuse of those in the church. Yet in an act of true repentance when he encountered Christ on his road to Damascus experience, he laid down his former life and dedicated his new life to Christ, becoming the foremost evangelist of the first century and writing two-thirds of the New Testament. 5. Len said that he is not ashamed in the sense that the Big Man is thinknking. He most certainly 11 regrets his actions, but since he became a Christian, he is now a new man no longer bound by the sins of his former life. Jesus said that when we continue to relive our past sins, or even our perceived glory days, we will not be an effective witness for Him. It's like trying to drive down the interstate while always looking in the rearview mirror. This will not allow us to be the best driver we can be and will likely cause a wreck. 6. The Big Man's concept of a decent person is being a good person all of his life. He was not necessarily a religious man and made some mistakes, but he had done what he considered to be his best his entire life. He never stole, and he worked hard for everything that he got. In truth, the Big Man wasn't nearly as noble as he thought himself to be, as Len points out. In fact, in his earthly life, the Big Man was abusive to his employees and harsh to his family. His pride, however, will not permit him to admit the things that he did wrong, let alone repent of them. 7. We make God out to be a liar and prove that His Word is not in us when we say that we have not sinned. 8. Len confesses that his hatred of the Big Man back on Earth was the worst thing that he ever did, adding that he murdered him many times in his heart. What the actual murder did was wake him up to realize how truly in need of repentance he was. 9.The Big Man only wants "his rights" and doesn't want anybody's "bleeding charity." This inflated view of ourselves is actually the very thing that keeps us from God. It is an illustration of somebody who will not let loose of his false pride to allow the grace of humility to break through and thus know God. Instead, he should be asking for God's grace and mercy. It's been said that justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you don't deserve. It is God's mercy that keeps Him from destroying His creation in judgment. It's God's grace that gives us forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life in heaven. The Big Man does not want charity, generosity, or mercy, and without this, it is impossible to be saved. 10. Len's invitation for the Big Man to ask for the Bleeding Charity means giving up entering Heaven by his own efforts and, just as bad, relying on Len (a murderer, after all) to help him get there. There is nothing that we can do to earn our way to Heaven outside of accepting God's free gift of grace and forgiveness. Encouraged by his ability to resist both Heaven's charity and Len's "apron strings," the Ghost returns to the bus, grumbling and whimpering along the way.