Reimagining the Gospel: The literal meaning, Good News!

Isa 61:1-2  The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;  (2)  to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor.

Evangelical Christianity and Orthodoxy have given connotative, re-purposed, religious meanings to terms and certainly the gospel is one such word. This is one of the reasons that I like the NRSV. It simply gives the English equivalent to gospel which is the phrase good news. For the most part, the way that evangelical Christianity views and defines the gospel, it is not really, good news. However, the gospel is indeed good news. It proclaims that the reign of God is here. The reign of God is among humanity, and in humanity. Further, the driving focus of the reign of God (it can likewise be called kingdom of God,) is FAVOR. Favor you ask? Yes, God's favor toward humanity and the creation.

To emphasize this, two New Testament writers are extremely important. One is the Apostle John, and the other is the Apostle Paul. Both John and Paul emphasized God's favor/grace. I want to refer to it as favor here in this post, but when I write about favor, I am also writing about grace. There is yet another New Testament author that is also integral in the idea of God's favor, and it is the author of Hebrews. This author was likely a disciple of the Apostle Paul, and was greatly influenced by the mystical revelation Paul received.

The synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke have a far less mystical tone and a far more historical tone than does the Gospel of John and parts of the writings of Paul. The Gospel of John and a significant part of the writings of Paul are far more mystical than strictly historical. That is not to say that the mystical revelation of John and Paul is not historically accurate. Rather it is to point out that their writings are more universally mystical. I purposefully use the term mystical because I believe that the word spiritual has a connotation within Christian dogma that makes it much less a favorable term for my purposes. It should also be pointed out that when I say a significant part of Paul's writings I am speaking of the mystical revelation aspects of his writings, and not the rabbinical commentary that Paul was also known for. I have discussed that in another post entitled Paul the Mystic; Paul the Rabbi. Paul's mystical revelation explains the favor of God for all of humanity without purposed, reciprocal expectation on the part of God. God knows that favor is the best way to supernaturally produce love and obedience. It is the favor of God that leads one to change ones mind toward loving one another.

So what is the good news? What makes it good news? The good news is that God was in Christ reconciling the world. The good news is that God is love. The good news is that God keeps no record of wrongs. The good news is that God is a loving parent. The good news is that God is in us and we are in God. The good news is that we have a mediator between us and God, the first born that was chosen to be such from before creation, Jesus the Christ. The good news is that Papa raised Jesus from the dead to show us that we are all eternal. The good news is that the reign of God is already here. The good news is that we can pattern ourselves after Jesus. We can comfort all those who mourn. We can bind up the broken hearts of the broken hearted. We can proclaim liberty to those who have been captive all their lives because of the fear of death. The good news is that we are free to love, and we can feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless and visit the sick and those in prison. The good news is that we have the capability to turn the other cheek. The good news is that we are free to love one another. The good news is that we have a pattern within the life of Jesus to see what Papa is like. Jesus said if you have seen me you have seen Papa. One would not know that were it not for the more mystical gospel of John. Likewise, one would not know that God is love if John had not told us so. Paul defined love and part of the definition was not keeping a record of wrongs.

That is why John and Paul are so important in understanding the more universal gospel of God's favor which is an intricate part of the gospel of God's kingdom. There is absolutely no bad news in the gospel, because if there was it would not be the gospel/good news. 

How to identify a disciple of Jesus

John 13:35  "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

I try to stay focused on this, and I have improved but, quite frankly, I fall short of the mark all too often. I can be short, sarcastic, accusative, and critical of others all too often. Still, that does not mean that I am not improved in having love for others. One thing that I am proud of is that I believe that I have a lot of compassion for others; even my enemies. Where I fall short is with those who seem to be so sure that they are right and that they have the correct understanding of Christianity and what it means to be a Christ follower. This is the place that I find difficult to express and extend compassion. But, I am working on it.

I have slowly, over time, and ever increasingly, come to realize that what is known as evangelical Christianity here in America, does not closely resemble the teachings of Jesus. Nationalism and individualism is not compatible with Christian doctrine. And yet, we have the bulk of evangelicals emphasizing nationalism, and individualism. Furthermore, the main emphasis is on sin. They focus on sin management when in John's gospel it is written that Jesus is the Lamb of God that TAKES AWAY the sin of the entire world. The Prophet Jeremiah, in anticipation of Israel's New Covenant, (which is not a New Covenant to Gentiles because they did not have an Old Covenant,) announced that God would forgive all iniquity and remember it no more. 

We find in the writings of the apostle John that God is love, and Paul defines love in 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen and one of the points made is that love keeps no record of wrongs. If God is love and love keeps no record of wrongs, then it logically follows that God keeps no record of wrongs. This agrees completely with what was revealed to Jeremiah. God does not remember sin. Why would that be? What would be God's motive in not remembering wrongs? Simply put, it would be to produce love, joy, and peace in the recipients of such a gracious gift. Further, it would automatically produce a deep love for God. This deep, abiding, real love for God would automatically, supernaturally cause the recipient to want to please such a gracious God. 

When one believes the truth about God it becomes natural to want to love one another. Jesus said, "no greater love is there than this that one would lay down their life for a friend." But, he takes it a huge step farther. 

Luke 6:27-35  "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  (28)  bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  (29)  If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.  (30)  Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.  (31)  Do to others as you would have them do to you.  (32)  "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  (33)  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.  (34)  If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.  (35)  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked."

It appears to me that most of evangelical Christianity is so busy trying to manage sin and in so doing condemn the sinners that they do not take the words of Jesus seriously in the least. I have to admit that Jesus words are challenging and extremely difficult to follow. However, we must consider them and strive to do them when we realize that because of Jesus, God is not keeping a record of wrongs. Not ANY wrongs!

I think it is important to begin to take Jesus words to heart. Realize that he really meant them. I have heard so many evangelicals say that he certainly did not mean that. Oh yeah? Of course he meant them, and he realized that God's love and grace for each of us would help supernaturally transform us into people that would have God's heart toward all humanity. That is the goal of the gospel message. The gospel is the GOOD NEWS that God loves us and is not keeping a record of wrongs. It is designed to enable each person who believes the good news to become the hands, feet, mouth, and brain of God and actually serve/minister this love to others.

So how do you identify a disciple of Jesus? Agape/LOVE!

Inclusive! Not Exclusive: Reimagining The Object of Praise

Eph 1:3-6  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,  (4)  just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.  (5)  He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,  (6)  to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved

The above timeline shows that we have moved into the new heaven and earth age. It is time to change our minds about many closely held beliefs.

The big mistake that Christian Orthodoxy and Evangelical Orthodoxy have made in their dogma was believing that Jesus' message and benefits were exclusive to those who believe and thereby, fulfill certain rites of passage such as saying the sinners prayer, believing, being prayed up for forgiveness, etc. Here is the reality: The Logos, the Tao, the Quantum Unified Field, of which all humanity is a part of, agreed jointly and severally to be blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (the basic quantum level) through a mediator Jesus Christ. This choice was made jointly and severally before creation for the purpose of bringing honor, glory and praise to the FAVOR/grace of the plan. This plan in and of itself is proof positive that the creative source of the universe is love. Further, it was decided that the aspects of the creative source, godhead would be Parent, Son/Daughter/Sibling, Spirit. In the Christian tradition it is Papa, Jesus and Spirit. All are aspects of the Conscious Creative Source that is known by Logos, and Tao, and for that matter any other name that represents the ONE TRUE GOD.

However, it was not meant to be exclusively Christian just as Jesus was not meant to be the exclusively Jewish Messiah, rather he was the Messiah of all. The benefits of the creative plan are available to all. Furthermore, as you read on in the Ephesian passage through verse 13, you find that it was a sovereign plan before the the foundation of the world, or in other words, before anything was created that has been created. The creative source accomplishes all things to the counsel (committee) of its will (Eph 1: 11.) It is important to accept the idea that the Creator mystically revealed this spiritual knowledge to individuals through out the history of humanity and the Apostle Paul was one such individual. He received a great deal of mystical revelation about the nature of God, and God's relationship to humanity and the creation in general.

However. it is important to realize that some of the mystical revelation of Christianity was exclusive. Not that it was exclusive to Christians only, but that it was exclusively revealed to Christ followers in the first century. Here is a list, although not exhaustive of the exclusive mystical information that was revealed through Christ followers in the first century CE. It was revealed that God was Papa, Son and Spirit; that God was love and, that love was defined (1Cor 13.) Jesus teaching reveals what it means to love and be loved. Love is being good to your enemies, loving your neighbor as yourself, it is caring for the least, providing them with adequate drink, food, clothing, shelter. When Jesus states that no one comes to the father but by him, it should be understood, that no one comes to the knowledge that God is papa except by him. 

Other important mystical revelations from Christianity emphasize that all are reconciled to the father through the faith of the Son. This is not in an exclusive reconciliation but, an all inclusive reconcilation as well. All are reconciled. There is never a reason for humanity to fear Papa because of love and the declaration of all being righteous. That declaration by the way, was made in Genesis 1:31. All of the exclusive things are a misunderstanding from not realizing audience, cultural, and religious context. Jesus words were spoken to a strictly Jewish audience who were under the Mosaic Covenant. It was not until well after Pentecost that consideration was given that the message could be for the Gentiles as well. The only Gentiles that were considered were God fearers. These were Gentiles that attached themselves to a synagogue and tried their best to follow the Torah with the exception of circumcision.

There was a much bigger plan in the works. In fact, it had been the ultimate plan from before creation. It was a plan that would bring praise to God's glorious grace. After all, it is the grace of God that leads one to change their mind about the goodness and love of God. This revelation was for all of humanity. I think that the mystical revelation revealed to others over the course of human history was intended to benefit all people inclusively. This would include Lao Tzu and the Tao, and it would also included Gautama Buddha. I'm certain that included many others but I mention them because I am most familiar with them.

In the above passage from the Apostle Paul, he clearly states without equivocation that God's purpose in the reconciliatory plan was to bring our praise to God's glorious grace/FAVOR. Yes indeed all humanity has favor with God, all humanity has God as their Papa. They have favor with God even if they are Taoists, Hindu, Buddhists, Muslims. While we can benefit from the mystical revelation they received, they can benefit from the mystical revelation that Christ followers received. Let me just state that this mystical revelation is ongoing and alive and well today!

Reimagining Grace:

Tit 2:11-12  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,  (12)  training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,

One of the misunderstood and misinterpreted concepts in the Christian gospel is grace. Grace is the driving force of the gospel. Grace has always been the case! Grace means favor. The first mention of grace is in Genesis 6:8. It's meaning is Noah found FAVOR. If one looks at the Septuagint, one sees that in Genesis 6:8 the Greek word for grace is Charis. It is important then that we understand that whenever you read the word grace in the New Testament it means favor. So then, the driving force of the gospel message is God's FAVOR bestowed on humanity. The above passage from Titus chapter two could read, "For the FAVOR of God has brought salvation to ALL, training us to be loving (like God) in this present age" (my emphasis and translation.) Evangelical orthodoxy has treated grace like an undeserved step child. That is simply not the case. God, has always been gracious. To be clear, when I use the term God, I mean the creative source of the universe, the Logos, the Tao. I also want to emphasize from the post on reimagining the Godhead that the creative source has three aspects. It is Papa, Son, and Spirit.

Look at this verse from John's gospel: Joh 1:14 " And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Jesus was full of grace and truth or in other words favor and truth. When John goes on to say that the Law was given by Moses but favor and truth came through Jesus, one can correctly conclude that the Law was neither favor nor truth. The Law showed how important the truth of God's favor really was. Humanity needed and deserved God's favor because of Papa's love.

Now when we look again at the passage in Titus chapter two, it is evident that the FAVOR of God brought salvation to ALL! It does not say salvation to some. The true favor is salvation for all. This brings me to the point of explaining how I see the importance of grace and how it operates supernaturally to bring about godliness. This has seemed so clear to me for years and years, but sometimes I wonder if I properly communicate the idea. An idea by the way that flies in the face of human reason and what seems reasonable. And, of course the scripture says that there is a way which seems right to humanity but the end of that way brings death. So grace is the concept where one must suspend reason and yet, the truth is, that grace being the driver of godliness is really the most reasonable concept of all.

Here is the supernatural operation of grace/favor: God grants favor and has brought salvation and reconciliation to all. It is simply a declaration of God. Truly believing and apprehending this knowledge immediately brings peace with God. In turn, peace with God promotes genuine love for God. The reason being is that the favor/grace of God has removed fear. This genuine love for God not based in any type of fear promotes love and peace within us. This is the mindset in which to begin to look at love your neighbor, love your enemies, take care of the less fortunate, turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, and do unto other as one would want done. It is so simple, oh if it would only be believed!

Reimagining Sin/Sins

Heb 3:17-19  But with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?  (18)  And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient?  (19)  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

There are many errors in orthodox dogma. One such area is the idea or concept of Sin. First, it is instructive to look at sin from both the Greek and Hebrew. In Hebrew the word is Chata, and it means to miss the way. In Greek, the word is Hamartia, and it means to miss the mark. This is a far cry from the meaning that Judaism and subsequently Christianity has placed on the words. The connotation for the words sin and sins has had a deleterious effect on Christianity and its adherents. In the above passage from  the Letter to the Hebrews, it is obvious that the writer equates sin, disobedience, and unbelief. What was it they did not believe? It was that God was gracious and had given them deliverance.

Jesus also points to the fact that sin is unbelief. Joh 16:8-9 "And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:  (9)  about sin, because they do not believe in me;" It is interesting that Jesus says, he will prove the world wrong about sin. He is saying you should reimagine sin. Sin is not what you have been taught. The only sin that the Holy Spirit convicts of is the sin of unbelief. Here we have two separate witnesses to the fact that sin and unbelief are synonymous. Now look what Paul states: Rom 1:5 "through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name," Here Paul agrees with the writer of Hebrews and Jesus. Faith or belief is obedience.

The question becomes, how is faith/belief obedience and unbelief sin? The answer is that it is belief in a God that is love. It is a belief in a God that is Papa. It is a belief in a God that is in each of us and each of us are in God. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 13 that love keeps no record of wrongs. Therefore, faith/belief is agreement that God is not keeping a record of our sin and that he loves us unconditionally. If one really believes this message, then one cannot help but reciprocate by loving such a God. From the place of loving Papa, it becomes easy to understand what he wants for all of us. He wants us to love one another. He wants us to even love our enemies. He wants us to do good to those that mistreat us, and guess what, faith in an all loving Papa will birth the willingness in us. It is from the peace and love we receive from a Papa that does not keep track of wrongs. This is the good news. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting wrongs. Guess what, he gave to all of us that believe and understand this the "ministry of reconciliation."

So then, as the original languages suggest, sin is merely missing the way and missing the mark. In that way, to one degree or another, we are all sinners. However, that does not separate us from Papa and it does not require Papa to punish us. Papa had the Logos declare from the beginning that his creation including especially humanity was very good (Gen 1:31.) Guess what, that is the place that God declared us righteous. That is the place that righteousness was imputed to humanity. It was right after the creation. Jesus merely came to prove that we are eternal and he did so by his resurrection. In addition, he came to prove that we are divine children of Papa, the loving Papa of the universe.

Remember Jesus words, the Spirit was sent to prove the world wrong about sin. They were wrong in how they imagined sin to be.

Reimagining the Godhead: Ephesians 1:3-14

One of the most important mystical revelations of the Apostle Paul is in a letter that is believed to be written by someone other than Paul. For me that does not matter as I believe this portion of the letter is mystical revelation about the nature of our relationship to the creative source. If not written by Paul, it was likely by a student of Paul's using his name for clout. He no doubt heard this from Paul or received additional revelation based on Paul's teaching. I would suggest reading and meditating on a greater portion of this passage. My recommendation is to read Ephesians 1:3-14 to get the complete picture. It also contains important revelation about the nature of the Logos, the Father, Son, and Spirit and causes me to reimagine the Godhead.. Further it imparts the importance of Jesus the mediator. 

John chapter one verse one says the following "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." It does not say in the beginning was Jesus of Nazareth. It does however say that the Word became flesh and dwelt among humanity which is a direct reference to Jesus of Nazareth. So then, the Logos, the Word is stated as being in the beginning with God and that the Word was God. For me it seems clear that the Word/Logos was/is God's consciousness. It is therefore integral with God and all that God is the word is. It is in essence the expression of God and it is the creative source of the entire universe. Jesus was/is indwelt by this expression of God. However, as Jesus was fully indwelt by the Logos, the Logos was still being God and operating on a larger stage in a much bigger role than Jesus. I think it is safe to assume that God is energy and consciousness, or in other words, energy and thought. It is the conscious thought that makes the energy work in specific ways. It is energy and thought, inseparable that is the creative source of all that is. In the western world this source is identified as the Logos but in the east it is identified as the Tao.

Eph 1:3-5  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,  (4)  just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.  (5)  He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

Whenever Paul uses the term Christ he is referring Jesus of Nazareth the one in which the Word became incarnate who was Judaism's Messiah. Jesus revealed three aspects of the Logos/Tao. The three aspects were the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Father is the protector/provider, The Son is the mediator and elder brother/spiritual prototype, and the Spirit is the indweller communicator. All of the three are different aspects of the Godhead, Logos/Tao and all three are eternal. I will refer to the Godhead as simply the source from here on out. By source, I mean Logos/Tao. 

Because I view myself as Christ following Taoist, I want to focus on these aspects mentioned above with a heavy emphasis on the mediator and the spirit. I am interested in Taoism because of how closely it relates to the quantum world and have been interested since being introduced to the book, "The Tao of Physics." But first we must briefly look at the Father. The Father is protector/provider aspect of the source. This is the aspect that represents love. It is the love of a Papa. I believe that love is the purpose of our existence. We came here to learn about love and to learn to be loving.

However I want to spend some time talking about the mediator or the Logos incarnate. Here is an interesting fact. John 1:10  "He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him." The Logos was in the world before the Logos was incarnate. However, no one recognized the fact. All of the commentaries I consulted agree that it is referring to a time before John1:14 and by the context at the time of creation. The question becomes how was the Logos in the world? I believe the logical answer is in our consciousness. If we were created in the image of God, what would that suggest? The answer... conscious energy. This leads to the role of the Incarnation of Jesus of Nazareth. It was spoken of in the above passage from Ephesians. He came to bless us with every spiritual blessing that is in the heavenly places or the quantum level. You can readily see that it was a primal plan. It was a plan set into motion before the creation. Yes, the phrase, before the foundation of the world means before creation. In the Greek, the word translated world is the word kosmos where we get our word cosmos, and refers to the universe. So, prior to creation, it was decided within the Logos that Jesus would be the first born of many, that the Father would be a loving Papa and the Spirit would be the vehicle by which the Logos would dwell among humanity.

What was Jesus mediator of and for? He was mediator of the ultimate covenant. He came to the first century Jewish people during the time they were promised a messiah and a new covenant. It turns out that the source had a much bigger plan. It may be a new covenant to the Jews, but it was the ultimate covenant to humanity. However, Jesus also became a mediator between humanity and the source. He was able to explain the various aspects of the source as Father, Son, and Spirit. He also explained that not only was the source incarnate in him but it was also incarnate in all of humanity if they would but recognize it. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit were in us and we were in them. Still, the Father, Son and Spirit were aspects of something larger and more universal. They were all aspects of the Logos/Tao/Quantum Field... THE SOURCE!

The ultimate covenant was an offer that could not be refused if truly understood and believed. No one would have to teach his fellow human to know the source. All would know the source from the least to the greatest. All would be accepted in the beloved prototype, the first born son, and all would have complete access to the source via the spirit. All could rest in the truth that the source was a loving father that was so intimately loving that the best descriptive term would be papa. All could understand that they were not being judged and that they were simply loved. 

There was a purpose to this however. It was to birth in each and every human the sense of freedom to be able to love in view of such a reality. It is really good news. There is no bad news in it. That is why we are here. It is to participate in the divine nature, to enjoy papa and work in community in the spiritual realm because when we do that we are operating with the source at the quantum level. All of this is facilitated by the mediator. The mediator is the catalyst to venture farther into the spiritual reality of heavenly places at the level of the quantum field. 

Quantum Mysticism: Part 4, The Logos and the Tao

It will be good to back up just a second and quickly review some previous thoughts. In the first post in this quantum mysticism series I stated that my goal was to demonstrate that the creative source revealed itself to many people from many varying cultures and languages across the ages. Here is a fact that I find quite interesting. The period of time from the sixth century BCE to the fourth century BCE was a prolific period in mystical revelation. It is the timeframe that the Hebrew Prophets were foretelling the Messiah and the New Covenant. It was the time frame of Heraclitus and the Stoics. It was the time of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching. It was the time of the Buddha and Zarathustra of Zoroastrianism, and it was the time of the birth of Jainism. Two hundred plus years is such a small dot on an otherwise long timeline that I cannot help but marvel at it. This is evidence that God was giving revelation of spiritual nature of the natural world to many cultures.

It was during this time period that Heraclitus and the Stoics were writing about the Logos being the divine seed, the creative source of the universe. It was also during this period of history that Lao Tzu began to teach about the Tao. The word Tao means "the way" or "the path." Compare what Lao Tzu said about the Tao with what John would ultimately write about the Logos. "And yet this ineffable Tao is the source of all spirit and matter; expressing itself, it is the mother of all created things." (Lao Tzu. Tao Te Ching . Ancient Renewal. Kindle Edition.) The bottom line is that the creative source, God is seen as the unseen, unknowable source of creation. 

Lao Tzu also talked about Qi or chi. It is the primordial breath. This in the Taoist view is the source of life. It is the animating force. I find that interesting in view of the Hebrew "Ruach" and the Greek "Pneuma." This is where the concept of the Holy Spirit originated. Certainly, this is evidence of universal consciousness revealing similar ideas to disparate cultures. In the Genesis account you have the "Ruach" hovering in the very beginning. There is in this story, the "I am" the "Ruach" and the "Logos." It is the Logos by inference as the text reads and God said. We can see a similarity in Taoism 

Here is another quote from the Tao Te Ching: "The Tao produces unity;  unity produces duality; duality produces trinity; trinity produces all things.  All things contain both the negative principle (yin) and the positive principle (yang).The third principle, energetic vitality (chi), makes them harmonious." (Lao Tzu. Tao Te Ching . Ancient Renewal. Kindle Edition.) I believe that one could easily exchange the word Tao with Logos and it would still make sense in view of the basic understanding of what both Logos and Tao really are. It is also reasonable to understand it in view of the "I Am," the "Ruach," and the spoken word. 

It is not so much that we should add to our beliefs as it is we should tolerate and include the revelation given to others, and not insist on exclusion because the terms and cultures are different. This is not so much a call for people to embrace Taoism along with their Christ discipleship as it is to realize that in Jesus the Tao also became flesh. In fact, in the Chinese translation of the New Testament John 1:14 says exactly that; "the Tao became flesh and dwelt among humanity."

What I believe the revelatory spirit of our current age is calling us to realize is that inclusion is the order of the day and exclusion is counter productive. More important is to realize that we too are not only the incarnation of the Logos but are the incarnation of the Tao as well. When we exclude who is saved, who is loved, who is in fellowship with the creative source we diminish the creator God to being arbitrary and capricious. There is so much richness that Christ followers have to offer other belief systems without being exclusive and demanding that they drop their traditions and understandings in favor of a different more correct set of beliefs. One of the richest offerings Christians have is the concept that "the Tao" is love. I do not need to adopt Taoist ethics as I have sufficient patterns to follow with the teachings of Christ. But, I can benefit greatly by adopting some of the ideas of the interconnectedness of the teaching of the Tao between the Tao and humanity. By embracing Taoism I can bolster my metaphysical understanding of the universe, and begin to improve in my methods of intentionally manifesting the world in concert with the Logos and the Tao.

Quantum Mysticism": Part 3, The Eternal Logos According to John

John 1:1-5,14  "In the beginning was the Word/Logos, and the Word/Logos was with God, and the Word/Logos was God.  (2)  He was in the beginning with God.  (3)  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  (4)  In Him/the Logos was life, and the life was the light of men.  (5)  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it......  (14)  And the Word/Logos became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

Note: In the above passage from John's gospel, I have added "/Logos" to note that John did not say Jesus of Nazareth, but Logos. I do not point this out to say that Jesus was not the Logos Incarnate, but rather to explain that the Logos is greater.

The first claim that John makes about the Logos is that he was there in the beginning. While John anthropomorphized the Logos, and I am not certain that I think we should, "he" is the metaphor that I will use because it is the term John used. There are two more facts that John states about the Logos in the first verse. He was with God (in the beginning) and he WAS God. In verse two he goes on to explain that all things, every thing that was made was made through him. John then punctuated this fact by insisting that there was nothing made in the material world that was not made by the Logos. This alone makes the Logos an unfathomable source.

John goes on to say that in the Logos was life/zoe. This means that in the Logos was the animating force of the universe. Life as we know it was brought to fruition by him. This means life in the broadest sense, and includes the action of particles that creates the material universe. It also refers to the life that is in the plant and animal world. He goes on to make an abstract observation about life. The life is also the instrumentality of light or enlightenment to humanity. Therefore one can conclude that he is also the source of spiritual life. I think it is beneficial to pause and look at the definition of Logos. Here is the definition from Strong's Greek Lexicon: "From G3004; something said (including the thought); by implication a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension a computation; specifically (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (that is, Christ): - account, cause, communication, X concerning, doctrine, fame, X have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say (-ing), shew, X speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work." It is spoken word, written word, reason, and thought. In other words, it is consciousness. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that the Logos is the consciousness and conscious aspect of God. This is proof to me that God was never without the Logos and it is integral to God's existence. Without the Logos, God would not be God.

Verse fourteen states that the word became flesh and dwelt among men. However, there is another interesting verse in between verse 5 and 14. John 1:10  "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him." The Logos was in the world before becoming flesh and the world was unaware of him. Could it be that our consciousness is the Logos as well and we just did not realize it? I think that is likely the case. The purpose then of the Logos becoming flesh in Jesus was to reveal to all of us that the Logos was already in the world through us. When Genesis explains that we were created in the image of God, it is likely referring to having Logos consciousness. When you add the idea that John wrote about in his first letter, that as he is, in the world so are we, it adds validity to the idea that we have been the Logos incarnate all along and were simply not aware of it. I still believe that Jesus was unique as the incarnation of the Logos, but it may only be the result of his perfect faith. Also, the fullness of the Logos is everywhere in the entire universe. It therefore is far greater than could be limited to one human being even Jesus. 

I believe this is where the Logos becomes a mediator. Paul taught according to the letter to Titus that there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity. Jesus certainly is that mediator. He mediates a covenant. The covenant that he mediates allows the following: It is possible for everyone to have complete and intimate knowledge of God. Everyone means from the least to the greatest. The second aspect of the covenant is that God is not keeping an accounting of wrongs. There are those who would argue that this covenant is for Israel alone. But the prophet Isaiah says differently. He wrote, Isa 55:1-3  "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.  (2)  Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.  (3)  Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—The sure mercies of David." The covenant is for EVERYONE! To clarify, what are the sure mercies of David? Well, they are the benefits of the Logos Incarnate. Jesus the mediator is the sure mercies of David. The thing that must be kept in mind is that it is for everyone. Isaiah did not mention the necessity of saying the magic words or praying a magic prayer. Incline your ear.... Listen that is all that is necessary.

This is what John was inspired to write about the Logos and next, I promise, we will look at the Logos revealed to Lao Tzu and see that the Logos and the Tao are synonymous.

 

Quantum Mysticism: Part 2 The eternal Logos

In my view, the Logos is very important in the concept of quantum mysticism. It is my favorite way of describing the universal creative source. The development of the mystical revelation of the Logos was gradual, incremental, and progressive. That is truly the case for all mystical revelation. I think it is beneficial to briefly explain the history and development of the idea of the Logos. I hesitate to use the term doctrine of the Logos because it has exclusive connotations, and I believe that the Logos is one of the most INCLUSIVE concepts revealed. This will be born out as I continue this series of posts on quantum mysticism. I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Logos incarnate but I do not see it in an exclusive way. 

The history of the idea of the Logos being the creative source had its beginnings with Heraclitus the Greek Stoic Philosopher in the sixth century BCE. There are only fragments of his writing that remain today and so there is not a lot of detail of how he saw the Logos. Here is a quote from one of the fragments. “Although this Logos is eternally valid, yet men are unable to understand it – not only before hearing it, but even after they have heard it for the first time … though all things come to pass in accordance with this Logos, men seem to be quite without any experience of it … My own method is to distinguish each thing according to its nature, and to specify how it behaves; other men, on the contrary, are as forgetful and heedless in their waking moments of what is going on around and within them as they are during sleep.” Certainly, this quote set the idea in motion.

However, in the 4th and 3rd centuries, Zeno of Citium defined the Logos as the active rational and spiritual principle that permeated all of reality. They too saw it as the creative source, the divine seed as it were. The person who developed the idea of the Logos definitively was Philo Judaeus. He was born in between 10 and 15 BCE. He was a Jewish Philosopher that was heavily influenced by Hellenistic thought with a Hellenistic education. He was the one that taught that the Logos was the intermediary between God and man. He saw the Logos as both the creative agent and the one whereby humanity could comprehend God. He also saw the Logos as immanent in the world, and transcendent as the divine mind.

Ultimately, it was the Apostle John who revealed to the world that Jesus of Nazareth was the Logos incarnate. His description in John 1:1-4 merely restated what the thought leaders before him had already established. The additional revelation that John gave was that "the Logos became flesh and dwelt among humanity." He introduced the concept of the incarnation. From this revelation the doctrine of the Logos was established in Christianity, but it was framed in an very exclusive way.

The history that I have briefly stated should give the opposite opinion. The doctrine of the Logos should not be exclusive at all. Rather it should be inclusive. Why? Because the spirit of the Logos revealed itself to others outside of Christianity. They played an important role in bringing understanding to the idea of the Logos. This in and of itself should demonstrate the need for inclusion. But there is more and in the next installment we will look at the Tao and see that it is another way of describing the Logos from a different culture, a different language.

It is my position that the Logos plays an important role in defining the New Heavens and the New Earth. I like what was written in Second Peter, "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."  That new heaven and earth was instated by the incarnate Logos. The new heaven and earth is synonymous with the new covenant, and that as well was instituted by the Logos. I want to reiterate that the Logos was not exclusively a Christian concept as it will play an important role as we progress onward looking at quantum mysticism. It may be beneficial to read the first post in this series if you have not already done so.

Quantum Mysticism: Introduction

It is my belief that all human efforts at creating religion and developing spiritual belief systems is an attempt to make sense out of existence, and provide a sense of connection and belonging, to something greater than our individual selves. It is a natural drive, because I believe at the very core of the universe, is conscious energy. Conscious energy is the creative force. Conscious energy, while it defies explanation, is the source of all conscious thought. 

Conscious creative energy is also cyclical. When one observes the material world there are cycles to be observed everywhere. Whether it be the tree leaves giving off oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide and animals breathing in oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide, or the cycle of water with evaporation and condensation, or the life and death of things being born and returning to the soil, cycles are everywhere. There are also cycles of the sunlight and moonlight. Most everything in the material universe is cyclical.

I have developed a diagram that shows how I view the quantum world at its most basic level. At the creative center is pure energy and thought. It is invisible to the material world, and yet all matter is formed by the thoughts of this this creative source. All material things are a part of this source. The centermost circle depicts this conscious creative source.  I have used the colors of spiral dynamic stages in portraying the idea. The center is the engine of the conscious creative source. It is invisible light and matter that is the conscious source of everything in the material world. This includes us and everything in the world we occupy. This may sound arrogant in view of how vast the universe is, but I do not look at it that way. The mere fact that our planet exists as a material world, and that we exist with consciousness on this planet, in this solar system, and in this galaxy makes us uniquely important in our locality. The fact that there is so much more out there in the universe merely emphasizes the absolute grandeur of the conscious creative source.

It seems to me that consciousness as we observe and experience it is synonymous with what we have labeled spirituality. I choose to interchange the terms conscious creativity with spirit and spirituality. Of course, the term mystical and mysticism is synonymous with spirit and spirituality. Therefore, I am comfortable with the term quantum mysticism.

I am not a physicist and I do not have but a basic understanding of quantum mechanics. That is ok. There are those who caution the likes of me making too much out of the connection between spirituality and quantum physics. To them, I simply say chill. I am not certain that science and spirituality will ever be completely compatible. However, there are enough clues throughout the history of religious spiritual thought that shows a similarity between what many sages over the ages have taught and what scientists observe about the material world. 

The mere fact that it is now believed that the universe is constantly and forever expanding is of great interest in the connection I make between the quantum world and the mystical world. As I understand it from a limited if not primitive position, the source of this continual creation and expansion is dark energy combined with dark matter. It is called dark because it is invisible within our material universe. 

Add to this the fact that a group of researchers recently were able to create matter out of light only bolsters my thesis. I don’t understand how they did it but I believe they did it, and it seems that many educated physicist believe it also. They wrote a paper announcing their findings and accomplishment and there was an article published documenting it. So for me it is indeed plausible that conscious energy and the spiritual world are synonymous. It is likewise plausible to me that God, the conscious creative force created all we observe out of the invisible.

This is an introductory post to a series that I plan to write about quantum mysticism that will include Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism, and the interconnected aspects of spirituality and the spiritual world.

Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water

 

John 7:38  "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

The metaphor of living water is found other places in the bible as well. Jeremiah the prophet tells Israel that they have rejected their God who is an eternal well of living water, and in the book of Revelation there is mentioned the river of life. I find it interesting that in Taoism as well, the Tao which is "the way" is often likened to a river that is moving with a constant current. The idea of the river metaphor emphasizes that one must go with the flow. It is taught that the Tao is the source of all that is. Further, it is taught that we humans are in the Tao and are a part of it. So, it would be like swimming in the river. Instead of trying to swim against the flow, it is encouraged to simply go with the flow. In this instance, the idea of the river is an example of living water.

Let's take a look at what the prophet Jeremiah said about living water. Jer 2:13  "for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water." Here Jeremiah's mystical encounter reveals that God is a fountain of living water. It is no doubt that this is the metaphor that Jesus was referring to when he mentioned living water.

The King James Version says "out of your belly" and the NKJV and the NRSV say "out of your heart" shall flow rivers of living water. The Greek Word is "koilia" and it means the abdominal cavity. This is interesting when one thinks about the idea of chakras. Whether it be the heart or the stomach there are chakras in either case. There is the heart chakra and the solar plexus chakra right next to each other in the general area of the stomach and chest. The chakras are important power/energy openings in our body. They are thought to be shaped like wheels. They function in the area of absorbing and releasing energy. The heart chakra is synonymous with our inner being. This is interesting in view of the fact that the biblical record speaks about attitudes and beliefs of the heart. When someone says they believe something in their heart they are saying that they believe it deeply in their inner being.  

The promise from Jesus in the above passage from John's gospel is that one who trusts in, clings too, and relies on Jesus will have a river of living water flowing out of their heart and solar plexus chakras. It is a spiritual thing but an important one. Jeremiah defines "living water" as the source, God. So Jesus is actually saying that out of our solar plexus and heart chakras will flow divinity. This is especially true with one who is in tune spiritually with their chakras. It is the reason that we should keep our chakras healthy and clear. One of the best ways to do this is through meditation and affirmations. I used binaural beats meditation help that is specifically designed with healing chakras in mind. As I meditate while listening to binaural beats I am reciting my affirmations that are geared toward me becoming more and more loving.

So then, since God is love, one who has tuned the chakras through loving affirmations is actually causing rivers of "God Love" to flow out into the atmosphere around them. This is a point where understanding various religious beliefs and practices can be combined to bring about the highest possible vibration as we live our lives. I for one believe that Jesus really meant it when he said "if you trust in, cling too, and rely on me, out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water!"

Manifestation and Affirmations

What would you say if I told you that we all are continually manifesting the world we experience? It is my opinion that this is true both spiritually and materially. We are co-creators with the Word. Jesus came to show us who we really are and what powers we really possess. John's gospel and first epistle add clarity to this. In John's first epistle one can read this: 1Jn 4:17  "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." And, in John's gospel this is written: Joh 14:12  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." This is why I believe that one of the purposes of Jesus ministry was to demonstrate what powers are readily available to us. 

The first question to ask is how was Jesus in the world? What did he do? The answer was that he was able to manipulate the material world through his faith by the aid of the Holy Spirit. He was a supernatural instrument of the Holy Spirit while he lived on this earth. He did this through performing miraculous works. All of the gospel records are replete with miracles he performed. In many places in the New Testament writings we are told that we are actually in Christ and the Father and that they are likewise in us. Paul states that we are seated in the heavenly places in Christ, and Peter writes that we are partakers of the divine nature. The preponderance of the evidence is overwhelming. We are indeed co-creators with the Logos. 

Here is a fact in my view. We ARE continually manifesting our world and circumstances. The question becomes are we being intentional and are we doing things to cause us to vibrate at the same level as the universe? Well, the above passages from John tell us that the universe is vibrating love. Love is the highest vibration. The proverb states that as a man thinks in his heart so is he. I realize that it is speaking of a miser not really willing to share his bread, but I also think it can be taken as an overall principle. What we think about with intention is what the universe uses in our manifesting. The goal then should be to raise our thought vibration. This is important to help us align with the universe and the divine nature.

I have learned that I cannot properly love others without loving myself. To this end, I have developed a practice of affirmations that will cause me to love and become love. But most importantly, it will help me take the first critical step of loving myself. If I do not love myself, how can I possibly obey Jesus in loving my neighbor as myself. Unfortunately, orthodox evangelical dogma has caused us to loathe ourselves rather than love ourselves. So, developing healthy realistic self love is the first step in manifesting in concert with the universe.

My Affirmations:

• I am uniquely created in the image of the creator. I bear the image of God
• I am greatly loved and highly favored by my creator. I am of great worth to the creator. My creator seeks and desires my highest and best life.
• I am prosperous because I deserve to be prosperous.
• I am continually and effortlessly attracting health, happiness, and wealth.
• The creative energy source of the universe is love and I was created in love for love’s sake
• I am imaginative and creative in all that I do. I am manifesting the highest possible vibration of the material world at all times
• My main substance is light which is energy
• I am the light of the world
• I am the bread of life
• I am the mind, vision, hands, feet, mouth of the creative source which is love
• I am loved as I learn to love myself and the more I love myself the more I will realize I am loved.
• Health, happiness, wealth, kindness, love, patience are mine in abundance
• I resolve this day and every day to consciously manifest the highest vibrations
• This is the key to my success!

Notice that the affirmations all begin with I am or I, my or mine. It is important to state them in the first person and in the positive sense. Also, I need to daily remind myself of what the characteristics of the creator is. Since the New Testament declares that God is LOVE, then I need to read those characteristics putting me in the first person. I want these traits to be mine in an ever increasing way.

Co 13:4-8a I am patient, I am kind, I rejoice in the success of others, I am humble, I am gracious, I am giving, I am happy go lucky, I forgive continuously, I rejoice in justice, I rejoice in truth, I bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things. I never end. 

This is a way to align yourself with the universe and a starting point for manifesting your highest vibration with intention.

Paul the mystic and the strong delusion; Moving toward an informed unified theology

2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

This post is for all to consider. That would be those within a more evangelical stance, and those who are finished with organized church, and every place in between. Because of that, I want to address 2 Thessalonians for those who no longer believe Paul was the author. To those individuals, for me it is similar enough in doctrine to be a result of the teaching of Paul. This would mean that even if Paul is not the author this verse was part of the revelation Paul shared. I always make a distinction between Paul the mystic and Paul the rabbi. This particular verse in my view is from Paul the mystic, and is no doubt a mystical revelation he received from the spirit of Jesus. It is similar in nature to the word Paul shared with the Ephesian Elders in Acts chapter twenty. It speaks of a time when the message of the gospel and the church would be tainted and changed. Everything I write here is predicated on the fact that I view Jesus of Nazareth as the unique incarnation of the Logos.

So then, what would be the implications, if in fact, what we have come to accept and celebrate as church is but a strong delusion? What if orthodoxy is a lie? Here is my short view. If it is not a lie, we should all be either Roman Catholics or affiliated with some branch of Eastern Orthodoxy because they indeed have apostolic succession. I personally do not believe this is the case because I believe that the dogma they have offered us is the strong delusion. This would mean that from the second century forward, after the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem the church was off the rails. Further, by the time of the famous councils, it was a complete train wreck. That would require that we reverse engineer the gospel of Jesus and the kingdom and also the mystical revelation of Paul et. al.

Act 2:42  "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." What needs to be recovered and rediscovered is the apostles' doctrine or teaching. The starting point for this would be the synoptic gospels as they present the teachings of Jesus and the gospel of the kingdom of God. It was in a nut shell, "change your mind, the kingdom of God is here!" While it was first expressed to first century Judaism it was to be a universal message. The main contribution of Judaism was that it presented "ONE GOD." According to Jewish teaching there is not a pantheon of God's but in reality one true creator God. This idea is not completely unique because others have had revelation of the same concept. Two that come to mind readily is Heraclitus, a Greek Stoic philosopher from 500BC, and Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher from the same period. Heraclitus saw the creator God as the Logos and Lao Tzu saw the creative source of the universe the Tao. 

It is not altogether a surprise that the first century church saw the teachings of Christ as somewhat exclusionary. They did not have the benefit of hindsight afforded us in the 21st century. We now have the capability to explore and understand a plethora of beliefs about creation, its purpose, and the creative source. We have the ability to explore the beliefs and views of many religions and philosophies. We also have the input from quantum physicists. From this exploration of various ideas one can begin to see a unified theological view emerge. For example one can see a common thread between the Sermon on the Mount and the Four Nobel Truths and the Eightfold Path. Likewise, one can see a common thread between the mystical revelation of the Logos in John's Gospel and the Tao.

Further, if one observes the teachings of Jesus in the synoptic gospels, and the mystical revelation found in the epistles, one can see a lot of clarity added to universal theological truth from the New Testament teaching. This is true when one focuses on Jesus' "redemptive purpose" view of the scripture, and the ability to separate the mystical universal revelation from the Judaic legal material.  It requires one to discern between Paul the Mystic and Paul the Rabbi. It also requires one to be aware that some of the writings such as James, and the epistle's of Peter were written with a Jewish audience in mind. 

Let me reiterate what I stated in the very first paragraph. I see, Jesus of Nazareth as the UNIQUE INCARNATION OF THE LOGOS. Thus, I see him as the mediator between humanity and the source. Therefore, I do not intend to state that Jesus is merely one ascended master of many. However, I believe that it is a huge mistake to exclude any of the ascended masters throughout human history. Likewise, I believe that they play an important role in a unified theology. For full disclosure, I have not explored all of them. I am not really familiar with Hinduism or Islam. I am more familiar with Buddhism and Taoism, and I feel that I am very familiar with Christianity and all of its iterations.

In my view, the "strong delusion" is the exclusionary aspect that Christianity has adopted. It comes from a flat literal reading of Christian scripture that does not take into consideration cultural and historical nuance in context. A unified theology of necessity is inclusionary. If there is but one creative source, and if we are a product of it, then all humanity is included. I will end on this final thought. The Christian scripture teaches that God is Love. Therefore, it is naturally reasonable that the creation was created in love and intended to participate in love.

If there is a reformation needed, it would be to bring together otherwise disparate beliefs into a universal theological whole.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

God is love: What are the implications of this phrase? Could it be universalism?

1Jn 4:7-8  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  (8)  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1Co 13:4-8a  Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant,  (5)  is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs.  (6)  Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.  (7)  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  (8)  Love never ends.... 

When the apostle John penned the words God is love, and the apostle Paul defined love, the word translated love is the Greek word agape (ag-ah-pay.) It means love, affection, and benevolence. According to Jesus, God can be compared to a loving father, in fact he called him papa. So then, when one considers the fact that God is love, and further considers the biblical definition of love, one must come to terms with these figures. There are 7.8 billion people on planet earth. Only 2.55 billion are Christian. However, evangelical Christians that believe in the "born again" experience number only 500 million. That is but 6% of the world population. There are 500 million Buddhists, 1.2 billion Hindu, 1.9 billion Muslims, and 1.4 billion that are non religious. These figures are staggering. When you think about the people who die every year and those born it comes out to be a lot of people. One cannot possibly justify the idea that 94% of all the people that are alive will spend eternity in conscious torture. Yet, most of the 500 million evangelicals believe just that.

What needs to be stressed is that if one believes that God is love, and if one believes the definition of love revealed to the apostle Paul, then 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a describes God's nature. Notice it says that God, "keeps no records of wrongs." Jesus said that the Father has given all judgment to the Son and the Son replies that He judges no one. Jesus said on the cross, Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing. Jeremiah said that under the new covenant, God would forgive sin and remember it no more. Jesus said this is my blood of the New Covenant for the remission of sin. 

Ok, so I know that technically, many of the manuscripts leave out "new," which is true of the Wescott-Hort that many of the newer translations rely on heavily. It is generally thought to be more correct, and is from an earlier manuscript. However, in this case, I think there is a plausible, more reasonable view for the Textus Receptus being correct in this instance. The original manuscript that Westcott-Holt depends on is the Codex Vaticanus, dated somewhere in the fifth century or in the early to mid six-hundreds. By that time, the church would be greatly under the Gentile influence and would have forgotten much of its Hebrew roots. Therefore, the concept of Jeremiah's prophecy of a New Covenant would be less important to the Gentile believe and could have likely just referred to it as covenant, when in reality the New Covenant of Jeremiah was the intended covenant. 

Further substantiation of this is found in the epistle to the Hebrews. There, Jeremiah's prophecy is referenced verbatim and New Covenant is used in the Greek (kainos diatheke.) In my view, it is highly likely that Jesus addressing his Jewish companions would have said, this is my blood of the "New" covenant that was shed for the many for the remission of sins. Much more likely than he would have said this is my blood of the covenant. It is indeed safe to assume that Matthew 26:28 was in fact referring to the New Covenant.

With this in mind, then the above description of God being love and the definition of what the characteristics of that love is, overwhelmingly suggests that eternal tortuous punishment does not fit in that understanding of God. That concept of hell and punishment must be set aside based on that alone, but there are further proofs that God's love, forgiveness, and acceptance are universal. One of the greatest proponents is Paul himself. In his mystical revelations, that he shared with the various churches, his universalist tone was widespread indeed. Statements like in Adam all die, and in Christ all are made alive; in Adam all are condemned, and in Christ all are justified (Romans 5,) lead one to believe in the universal nature of God's mercy.

There is more from Paul. Statements like God was in Christ reconciling the cosmos/world to himself not counting their trespasses, and that God had placed all in unbelief that he might have mercy on all. Paul also tells us in the first chapter of Ephesians that God's purpose in creation was redemption. The language "before the foundation of the world" is really before creation. If God's purpose in creation was redemption, what sense does it make that all would not ultimately be redeemed? None!

The most amazing thing to me is that evangelical orthodox dogma twists what they believe to be literal. They make Jesus statements about hell/Gehenna literal and they will not accept the word ALL as literal. For them, all does not really mean all, go figure! There is a way in which the statements about hell and judgment make sense. It of course requires a nuanced understanding and that does not fit well with literal dogma. Yet, go back to the staggering numbers presented in the first paragraph. Find a literal plausible way, that a God who would eternally torture 94% of all living people because they did not accept a correct way of believing, is a God who's nature is love. Of course it cannot be done. It can only be accepted when one closes their minds to logical thought of the implications.

There are other more realistic ways to understand the concept of hell/Gehenna, and there are other more reasonable ways to understand the judgment seat of Christ. So much of the scripture that is taken literally is not literal at all. It is metaphor, hyperbole and simile. Apocalyptic writing is hyperbolic and metaphorical in nature. As literal as evangelical's take the scripture, I am surprised that most do not run around with their eyes poked out and their hands cut off. Ah, but alas, there is only interest in a set of beliefs that one can mentally assent to while avoiding things one might actually do. I am quite sure that when we all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that our understanding will be crystal clear, and some of us, perhaps even me might just hear, you are going to be held back and will have to stay another cycle in third grade.

Paul the Mystic, Paul the Rabbi: A confusing dichotomy that is detrimental to the mystical message.

 2Co 12:2-4  "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.  (3)  And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—  (4)  how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."

What we know about Paul the Mystic began on his journey to Damascus to persecute the church. That was his first mystical experience. Prior to that from all we know, Paul was simply a trained rabbi that sat at the feet of Gamaliel, a student of the venerated Hillel. It is important however to realize that Paul had two influences throughout his ministry. It is difficult to separate the mystical Paul from the rabbinical Paul. This is the source of most of the confusion surrounding Paul's teaching. Let me give a clear example of what I am writing about. Here are two passages that show both Paul's. The first is the mystical, and the second is the rabbinical. Rom 5:20  "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more," and Rom 6:1-2  "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  (2)  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" The confusion comes into play when we let the voice of the rabbinical Paul over-ride the mystical Paul. In effect, Romans 6:1-2 nullifies Romans 5:20. At least, in my time in evangelical Christianity most pastors and teachers have had the rabbinical Paul quash the mystic.

This is only important insofar as it either establishes or negates, the love, mercy, and grace of God. My view is that it is ONLY unconditional grace, which produces the love within an individual that will lead to genuine supernatural transformation. In this way, Paul the rabbi negates the important revelation received by Paul the mystic. In reality, it is Paul the mystic that adds clarity to the message of Jesus. Jesus ministered in two ways. He taught what it means to love, and what love actually looks like. He also demonstrated the ethereal supernatural nature of the world by suspending physical laws. In my view, it is very likely that Jesus did preform these supernatural feats because there are many reported in Mark's gospel which is considered to be the first gospel written. I am not of the number that doubts the miracles. The truth of the matter is this. Jesus as the incarnate Logos, creative Word, was able to spiritually take advantage of the fact that the world we occupy is basically composed of energy without corporeal substance. In other words, the one who sustains the world with his powerful word, can change it by his word. 

My point is this. Paul the mystic is important in our understanding and Paul the rabbi is not. As Jesus taught us how to love and act loving, Paul the mystic gave us the supernatural formula for being transformed into love itself. His formula was simply to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. Renewing the mind to what? The mercy and grace of God! See, that is what drives the love train. It is the unconditional, unwavering, unimaginable, and inexhaustible love of God that is the catalyst. New covenant people, new creations, have no business concerning themselves with Paul the rabbi. If it had a positive purpose at all, it was limited to the conditions of the first century and the melding of Jews and Gentiles. I really do not believe it had a purpose beyond Paul's compulsion to hang on to his Judaic beginnings. 

Paul the mystic, the one who was taken up into the third heaven, received revelation that is crucial to progressing as a follower of Jesus. He discovered that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ. The heavenly places are synonymous with the quantum/ethereal level where all of the material world is created and sustained. He was told that Christ followers were the body of Jesus. That means that Christ followers are the hands, feet, voice, and mind of Jesus here on earth. This is revelation of the mystical union that all disciples should have. He was made aware that the first purpose in creation was redemption. It was to the praise of God's glorious grace and it was not to praise God per se but to be so convinced of God's mercy, love and grace that we could not help but love God! Not just a little bit but really, really, really, love God with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, and ALL our strength! It was to love God so much that it would transform us into love itself. Paul the rabbi was still concerned with rules. Paul the mystic saw a glimpse of the freedom of the manifestation of the sons and daughters of God!

My prayer is that we will all be able to begin to discern the difference between Paul the mystic and Paul the rabbi, and appreciate the revelation he received without the constraint of his rabbinical fears.

The Mystical Paul: Ephesians and Colossians, and the authorship question and why it is important.

For me, Paul the mystic is the important ingredient in all of his writings. In many ways, Ephesians and Colossians are by far the most mystical. It is not my intent to discuss whether or not he was mysogonystic, and for that matter, all the other problems that Paul presents to many people these days. My approach to Jesus and the gospel is quite metaphysical in nature so the mystical aspects are what I focus on to a great degree. To make sure that I present a balanced view, equal to that in my view are the actual teachings of Jesus about loving and what that means and looks like, but that is not the topic of this. The focus here is on two of my favorite epistles that have been attributed to the Apostle Paul. I acknowledge that all the early church fathers without exception attributed both letters to Paul. It is only in recent times that theologians have questioned Paul's authorship, and from what I have discovered in exploring this, they have some convincing arguments. It is not conclusive, and the split is about half and half with scholars today. The point of this article is that based on the content of the two epistles, it does not really matter to me, because they both contain, mystical revelation about "The Word" that is spiritually, metaphysically sound, and very consistent with the rest of the mystical revelation of Paul. Further to the point, they were both so largely influenced by the mystical Paul that they were no doubt a product of his teaching and revelation knowledge even if not authored by him. To a lesser degree, the same can be said of the pastoral epistles but they are more problematic as well. This article focuses on Ephesians and Colossians.

By mystical and metaphysical I mean that they explain directly and by innuendo, the mystical ethereal nature of the source of the universe. They act as explanations of the more mystical and esoteric sayings in the gospel of John. They illuminate the ongoing creative work of the Logos/Word. An example of a writing that is definitely Pauline in theological nature but now almost universally not attributed to Paul directly is the letter to the Hebrews. As early as 255 AD the authorship of Hebrews was considered unknown, and while the Roman Catholic Church insisted it was written by Paul, that was dogmatic rather than based on linguistic reality. In my view authorship is not important as long as the majority of leaders and followers considered it to be important to the overall narrative of what they believed.

So the point of this is that mystical understanding and revelation about the nature of spiritual reality was the one of the most important aspects of the message of Jesus and his followers. Paul states that Jesus did not think it robbery to be equal with God in Philippians and in Colossians he states the significance of the Word, and Jesus being the Word Incarnate. Col 1:15-17  "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:  (16)  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:  (17)  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." Jesus is the Word as reported by John in his gospel, and is the divine creative seed as reported by the Stoic Heraclitus in 500 BC, and is the "Tao" as reported by Lao Tzu in roughly the same time frame as Heraclitus.

There is a lot of metaphysical significance in the above passage because it is even more plausible given the recent advancements in quantum mechanics. It also expresses the idea that Jesus, a prototype human, is the image of the invisible God. The invisible God being the creative source at the basic quantum level. In other words, the invisible God used the body of Jesus to communicate to us. While I also believe that the invisible God communicated to us through many individuals across history, among them being Heraclitus, Lao Tzu, Gautama etc., I believe that the incarnation of the Logos was unique. I believe that Jesus came to universally unite humanity with the understanding that God is a loving Father, to set aside the concern over our being acceptable to our papa. I think that this message was co-opted and hijacked by orthodoxy and instead of uniting became more divisive than the rest. Further it added fuel to the opposition making the division more entrenched. Instead of embracing the seers of other cultures and times, the choice was made by orthodoxy to exclude them.

In my view, Christianity's biggest contribution should be the teachings of Jesus respecting loving and what that means, and the metaphysical spiritual foundation of corporeal, material universe and that the source of all that exists is love at its most basic quantum level. In addition Paul's message should be stressed and the world should know that God was in Christ reconciling the entire cosmos to himself, that he has indeed poured out his spirit on all flesh, and that he is not counting sin against anyone, ever. The main scripture for substantiating that claim is found in Paul's writings and it is found in the first chapter of Ephesians. Paul the mystic plays a critical role in this. Ephesians 1:4 says this: "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight in love." John then tells us that God IS love and Paul gives us God's character and characteristics. 1Co 13:4-8  "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  (5)  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  (6)  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  (7)  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  (8)  Love never fails." 

In view of the above passages, it is apparent that current orthodox/evangelical doctrine has it twisted.

 

What my love for my Pet Yorkie Zeke teaches me about the Father's love

 1Jn 3:1a  "See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children"

Jesus introduced the fact that we are God's children and He is our Father. In fact, Jesus called Him Abba Father, which is similar to our affectionate term "papa." My wife calls me papa when ever she is referring to my relationship to Zeke and quite frankly, I consider myself his papa. I spoil him and love him and in my eyes he really can do no wrong.... even when he does wrong :)

I make this point because when we think of God as our father, I think we make the analogy of a loving human father, and that is fine to do, but God is so far above us that the comparison breaks down in reality. This is why I think that my love for Zeke, and my relationship with him is so instructive in understanding the Father's love for me and for you.

Zeke can be very selfish and yet, still I love him. I am getting to the age where I take naps frequently, and Zeke usually takes them with me. If he is laying on the bed, in front of my pillow, often times he will not move, and if he does it is with pained reluctance, and yet still I love him.

He will make messes sometimes and I just clean them up and still I love him. Why, because the things he is doing are just natural to him being a dog.  Occasionally he will tear up paper some where and I simply clean it up and continue to love him with all of my heart. Why, because he is just doing what he was created to do and I love him because I have chosen to love him and he has a special place in my heart.

I often hear the Spirit reminding me of the Father's love for me as I think about my love for Zeke in the various circumstances that come up. Right now he is curled up at my feet laying content because he knows that I love him, I feed and water him, I protect him from danger, I take him to the vet to keep him well. I have no way of knowing exactly what his cognitive capabilities are, a lot of the time he seems to be able to understand more that one would think he can, but none the less, because I am a human with speech, and the ability to drive and work, and because I am in a position to take care of him it seems that I am advanced in capability beyond him, not to the degree of course, but not unlike the Father's superiority over me.

I have no ill will against him at all. I have no desire to punish him. I merely want him to be safe and secure and to trust and love me. That, I believe is exactly the way the Father feels about you and me. I am writing this because I want to be able to express the way that I believe the Father truly loves us and rebuff the idea that he is out to punish at every instance. That He demands perfect obedience and adherence to the Law.

So, there is a lot to learn from my love for Zeke, and I hope you have benefited from my insight.

This post is a repost from my paradigm shift blog....