How Quantum Mechanics and Metaphysics has enhanced my faith in Christ

Mar 9:24  Immediately the father of the child cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

I am quite certain that all of us have periods of doubt in our faith. I know that I have and the above passage from Mark's gospel has helped me many times. I have often said the words, Lord I believe help my unbelief. Over the years the doubt has lessened but was still there, however, now that I am taking a second hard look at quantum mechanics and metaphysics with a exhilarated sense of freedom my faith has grown stronger and doubt is almost non-existent.

It comes from looking into quantum mechanics. I am not a physicist, do not understand equations or anything like that. However, quantum mechanics discoveries report things that strengthens my faith in Jesus of Nazareth being the Word/Logos incarnate. Look at  John 1:1-5;  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." This passage explains that Jesus is the creative force of the Father that spoke the universe into existence.

So, quantum mechanics and current science explains that creation is ongoing in the universe. It finds a  couple of strange phenomena. One being dark energy and the other being dark matter. The force that is expanding the universe by constant creation is dark energy, that is energy that cannot be seen. Likewise, it is creating matter that cannot be seen, and from this all of the matter that can be seen springs into being. Sound familiar? It should... Heb 11:3  "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible." Sounds like a perfect description of dark energy to me. Let's rid ourselves of the bad connotation that dark has once and for all. Obviously dark energy, is a term descriptive of unseen energy or energy that is not visible to the eye or any instrumentality we currently have available. This does not diminish my faith in Jesus. On the contrary it strengthens it!

Now then, quantum mechanics also strengthens my believe in metaphysics. At the quantum level there is vibrating energy that flits in and out of material existence. One time a particle, one time a wave, one time in one place, one time in another. This demonstrates that vibrations are important in the building blocks of the material world. Therefore, meditation, crystals, chakra's etc. all make sense and are a part of vibrating energy. This in my view makes room for astrology, numerology, yoga and various other metaphysical practices. When Joel wrote the prophecy that God would pour his Spirit out on all flesh, it means that he would pour out the vibrating energy of the Logos on all flesh. The New Testament explains that Joel's prophecy was fulfilled and thus all flesh, especially humanity has the capability of tapping into that spiritual world.

Because I am willing to accept the supernatural as more natural than the natural, I can communicate with Jesus via his Spirit. Yes, I mean I have conversations with the source via the Spirit. Meditation enhances the ability for this communication to take place. This should not be scary nor surprising. I have heard literally hundreds of my personal acquaintances say that the Lord told them this or the Lord told them that. I believe them! The Lord has told me this and the Lord has told me that and does so frequently, you might even say twenty-four hours per day seven days per week.

God is much bigger than the box that evangelical orthodoxy has created to confine and control. Science has proven the existence of God as the unseen energy that was mentioned earlier is conscious. In fact, the fundamental element of the universe has been called the god particle much to the chagrin of the discoverer as he was an atheist. So for those of you that are afraid that science and metaphysics can destroy faith in Jesus I simply say not so. For me, it has strengthened, enhanced, increased my faith in Jesus.

Why a Literal, Legal-Constitutional Approach to Reading Scripture is Not Profitable

Joh 5:39-40  “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!  (40)  Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.

The first century Jews used the scripture as a legal-constitutional document. Jesus and his first century followers changed that focus. He taught that the scripture had a redemptive purpose. He taught that the entire scripture, and by that he meant the Old Testament as that was the only scripture available when Jesus said what John recorded in the above passage. So, if one is convinced that there is a place for metaphysics in Christianity, and that in fact, metaphysics positively augments Christianity then it is important to understand the purpose and use of scripture. My contention is that for the Christ follower, the scripture is NOT a legal constitutional document between God and humanity. It is not an operation manual for correct living and life styles. And, most importantly, it DOES NOT supplant the Spirit of Christ. Rather it is subservient to the Spirit of Christ in all ways.

Was the scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit? My answer to that question is yes, depending on how one views it. If one adopts the method that I believe that Jesus and his first century followers had toward understanding scripture, then in every place that it points to Jesus and redemption it is inspired. This does not mean that much of what is written in both the Old Testament and the New Testament is all redemptive. The fact is that a large portion of it is cultural. Let's take an example from the Old Testament first. Exodus 21:7-11 gives explicit instructions on a man owning a concubine. That is cultural. And example from the New Testament would be Paul's instruction on women in church. That is cultural. Is the scripture inspired when Jesus says that one can call God Papa? Yes indeed! Is the scripture inspired when John tells us that God IS love? Again, absolutely! Is the scripture inspired when Paul writes that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting sin? Most definitely!

Is the scripture the word of God? Nothing makes me cringe more than when someone refers to the bible as the WORD OF GOD. Does the bible contain the Word of God? Yes definitely! If one honestly and sincerely looks at the New Testament writings, and examines every time the phrase "Word of God" is used, they will have to admit that it makes more sense to substitute the word gospel, or Jesus the gospel incarnate, with that phrase than scripture. John was in prison on the isle of Patmos for Jesus and the gospel not the scripture. When Paul penned the words, "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," he absolutely meant the gospel and not the scripture. I will go so far as to say that when one calls the scripture the word of God, one makes the scripture an idol. Do you know how many times Jesus spoke about the scripture or the Law and Prophets? Look it up. You will find a myriad of times. Conversely, how many times did he refer to the scripture as the word of God? Zero! Some will argue that he did in John 10:34-36. That is not true but it would take too many words for this post to address it. Suffice it to say that in that passage he argues that the scripture contains the word of God and does not suggest that it IS the word of God.

So, how do I see the scripture? How does it fit into my belief in metaphysics and quantum mechanics? Well, it is important. It is beneficial. It is where I learned that God is Love. It is the source that explains that I have been reconciled to God. It is the where I discovered that God is my Father. It is where I discover what God is like as a human. I say discover and not discovered because it is ongoing and ever expanding. As a human God was concerned about the marginalized. God was concerned about the poor. God was concerned about the ill and oppressed. God was concerned to demonstrate that love is an action.

The scripture also explains things that are just now being discovered by quantum physics. It explains that the material world is created out of unseen energy. It explains that we are one with the creator, and the creator is in us and we are in the creator. It tells us that the creator is the All IN All. It gives assurances that we as humans do not have to fear the Creator. The love of the creator drives out all forms of fear. There is no need for fear of punishment and those who fear punishment have not as of yet understood perfect love.

Finally, it reveals a pattern to follow for the one who follows Christ. We as Christ followers should give drink to the thirst, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless and visit those sick and/or in prison. We as Christ followers are called to love our neighbors, but we are to love our enemies as well. We as Christ followers are called to be peace makers. I could go on and on but you no doubt get the idea. When read and used properly, the scripture has great value. Conversely, in the hands of the ego minded person, it can be a weapon of spiritual destruction and abuse.

Why I believe Universal Reconciliation is a Historical Fact

I believe in universal reconciliation as a completed work and a historical fact. Yes, I believe that all humanity is reconciled to God by the faithful accomplishment of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is different than ultimate reconciliation in that ultimate reconciliation accepts that all are reconciled at some point in the future, and only some are reconciled now. In fact, let me go so far as to say that I believe that all were reconciled before the foundation of the world, which is before anything was spoken into existence by the powerful loving Word of God. Yes, reconciliation was settled before creation. Redemption was God’s purpose in creation. God created with a single purpose in mind. It was to bring praise to his glorious grace and allow Him to bestow perfect love on his creation. Ultimately it was a plan whereby he could perfectly love his creatures and in turn, they would have the means to genuinely love him back with an intensity nearly unfathomable.

You will no doubt want to say to me, what about choice? What about beings with free will? To that I say each human has a choice to believe it or not. Each human has the choice to walk in this reality while in this earth or not. Each human has the ability to realize that they are image bearers of a loving God and demonstrate this quality in their world. It is the choice of being human on this earth plane. However, in the reality of eternal energy, that reality which quantum physicists are beginning to be able to observe, examine, and can see by repeatable experimentation. They are finding that this ultimate energy field has an awareness and intelligence, and though our understanding is still so primitive, one can only surmise that it is the source of all that is and that it is in fact, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit that holds all things together. The writer of Hebrews said as much. He said that Christ holds all things together by his powerful Word.  Paul told the Athenians that Jesus was the God in whom we live, move and have our being.

This brings me to the first proof of universal reconciliation. I am going to show a fairly large portion of Ephesians chapter one. The Spirit inspired Paul to write about the absolute sovereignty of the triune creator. Eph 1:3-14  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.  (7)  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace  (8)  that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight  (9)  he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,  (10)  as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.  (11)  In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,  (12)  so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.  (13)  In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;  (14)  this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

The phrase, before the foundation of the world explains that it was prior to the Word speaking the world into existence. There are two passages in scripture that predate Genesis chapter one. One is John 1:1-5 and the other is the passage above from Ephesians chapter one. John chapter one predates all other scripture, but Ephesians one is next in order. I am not saying that either John chapter one or Ephesians chapter one was written chronologically before Genesis chapter one. What I am saying is that these two passages describe events that predate creation. And what is most important for my purpose is Ephesians chapter one explains God’s motive for creation. It was redemption. Further, it was to the praise of his glorious grace. So, let me ask a question. What would bring more praise to his glorious grace? The fact that he made it so some could choose to be redeemed or that he planned to redeem his entire creation? Of course, it would be to redeem the entire creation. And, Paul states that exactly in verse 10 by saying ALL things. What can possibly be left out of all things? Absolutely nothing!

Paul goes on to say that God accomplishes all things according to his council and will. So, when Peter tells us that he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance then he will accomplish that. In the above passage, Paul establishes the absolute sovereignty of God. So, the first proof is established that God had chosen to redeem humanity before he created them, and the purpose was to praise his glorious grace. Now, what could be the greatest praise for his glorious grace? The answer is genuine love for God. In fact, this glorious grace is the key to enabling one to obey the first and greatest commandment. Once one grasps the plan that God put in motion before he created the world, one cannot help but love God with all their heart, with all their might, and with all their soul. This is the only way to enable real love for Father.

Moving on to the next proof; Rom 5:18 Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. In Adam all died and in Christ all are made alive. Notice what Paul says in the above passage. Does he say that Christ’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for some? Does it say that Christ’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all those who believe? No, it says that Jesus’ act of righteousness leads to justification and life for ALL. Paul begins Romans five by saying that having been justified by faith one has peace with Father. It is important to point out that it is not that people are justified by their faith. No, Galatians 2:16 explains that all are justified by the faith, faithfulness of Jesus. So once again we are confronted with a sovereign act that God does on behalf of humanity to further redemption and reconciliation. It is important to read Galatians 2:16 in either the King James Version, the NET Version or the YLT Version… but if you read it in any Greek Version you will see that one is justified by Christ’s faith and not their own. So now we see that ALL are justified. Would a sovereign God that is love justify someone that would later choose to go to eternal torture?

So now I come to the third proof; 2Co 5:17-21 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  (18)  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;  (19)  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.  (20)  So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  (21)  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Here Paul speaks of the ministry of reconciliation. He says that God/Father was in Christ/Jesus reconciling the world to himself. Notice he does not say that God was in Christ reconciling the elect to himself or those who would one day believe to himself. No, Father was in Christ reconciling the entire cosmos to himself. The Greek word translated world in this passage is the kosmos. Again, after looking at the sovereign God in Ephesians chapter one, who planned redemption before the foundation of the world, reconciled the world to himself in Christ. Let us face the facts here. The entire cosmos is reconciled to God and it is very unlikely that he would allow anyone to perish and not partake of redemption and reconciliation.

I can hear it now. What about hell? What about all those who rejected Jesus in his earthly ministry? Well, that would require more words than I have written here but I will say this. All of Jesus references to hell was connected with the upcoming judgment on Jerusalem and the temple. All of the references to Gehenna were references to the imminent judgment that was to come on the Jews from Rome. Romans chapters nine, ten, and eleven, the place where Calvinists get their doctrine of election is parenthetical to explain why the Jews, God’s chosen people, missed out on redemption and why the Gentiles were saved with only a remnant of Jews that escaped the terror of Roman occupation in the first century. Yet, Paul says at the end of Chapter eleven that ALL Israel will be saved. Rom 11:26-35  “And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob."  (27)  "And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins."  (28)  As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors;  (29)  for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.  (30)  Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,  (31)  so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.  (32)  For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.  (33)  O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  (34)  "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"  (35)  "Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?" This puts the icing on the proverbial cake in my view. Here is another of Paul’s infamous ALL’S. All have been imprisoned under disobedience so that He can have mercy on some? Oh, that’s not what Paul said, God will have mercy on all.  I like how this passage ends Rom 11:36  “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.” This takes us back to the idea of the source in quantum mechanics. From Him, through Him and to Him. And guess what He gets the glory that he had purposed before creation.

Spiritual Awakening:

Joe 2:28  Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

We are entering a time of profound spiritual awakening. I know, the times seem and look perilous and indeed they are, but there is a spiritual shift happening as well. My goal is to take some of the familiar passages of scripture and couple them with scientific development, and show that "the Source" of the universe, the ALL in ALL is much bigger than the box that religions have tried to limit through dogma. And, that further, awakening to the "Loving Source" is in reality the answer to all the problems. I am reminded of the Beatles song "All You Need is Love." And they were right. Indeed, love is all you need.

I also realize that the passage of Joel posted above, was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost in the first century according to Peter. It is my belief that certain prophetic passages of scripture have recurring fulfillments over time. It seems to me that more and more people are deconstructing their belief system and reconstructing in a way that is spiritual and not religious. Currently, science is explaining the universe in terms that seem spiritual at the core. Dark matter and dark energy causing the universe to expand by constant creation sounds spiritual to my ears. Add to this the experiments that demonstrate that this energy is conscious and I say it is time to drop the mic!

Eastern religions have been speaking about the universe being vibrating energy for over a millennia. It is my view that there is a large amount of information written in the New Testament that can be understood to reinforce this concept. It has been somewhat shrouded by the dogma of orthodoxy that was supporting a specific story about the scripture, the Spirit, the Christ, and God. Yet, undeniably, there are passages that most likely agree with the eastern take on spirituality. Here is a passage that describes the workings of Christ in the creation and sustaining of the universe. Col 1:15-16  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;  (16)  for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He is the image of the invisible God. He created things that can be seen, and likewise, he created things that cannot be seen. This is a great description of the dark energy and dark matter that is identified by physics experiments into the sub-atomic world.

Added to this is the concept that John recorded in the New Testament which is "God is love." This means that the creative energy source of the universe is love as well. It is a place where spiritual awakening can be a benefit to the planet, and to humanity as a whole. For each of us to realize that God is in us and we are in God will facilitate understanding our true identity. That identity is we are beings of love. When we operate at our optimum vibration we manifest love into the world. As we awaken to this reality, it is important to realize that if God is love, then the Spirit of God is love, and the Word of God is love. The fruit of the Spirit is Love. This spiritual fruit is manifested as joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness and self control. 

Spiral Dynamics is a theory and study that explains the upward mobility of culture, understanding, attitudes, beliefs, norms, and spirituality. Ken Wilber Has popularized Spiral dynamics in his on integral theory. You can see the stages he identified in the diagram on the right. Here in the United States There are at least four levels that the population could be divided into. They are the traditional, modern, post modern, and integral. There is evidence of tribal mentality in some fringes and there are also fringes of people at the second and third levels of integral. 

My point in all of this is that there have been many spiritual awakenings over the course of history and I believe that this latest millennium began yet another leap in consciousness and spiritual awareness. I believe that we are on the cusp of a spiritual awakening that will allow more and more people to be involved in love. As this spiritual awakening progresses more and more people will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in their day to day lives. They will become more loving, joyous, peaceful. They will become kinder, gentler, and have more patience. They will see the creator of the universe as love and will more and more see the interconnectedness of all things on our planet. I am hopeful, and I believe with conviction that there is a significant spiritual shift in the works.

The Spirit has been poured out long ago, and now more and more people will begin to gain an awareness of who they are in the Spirit.

Christ Conciousness: Should a Christian Fear the Term?

Col 1:27  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

1Co 2:16  "For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

I want to address the concept of "Christ Consciousness." For many it has a scary "new age" sound to it. That is quite understandable as the term has a variety of meanings, and is far more universal than many orthodox and evangelicals are comfortable with. In fact, it is a term that has wide acceptance with yoga masters and eastern religions. However, I think that it is a term that should be appropriate to a Jesus follower as well. Christians should not have to shy away from the term.

As you have no doubt discovered, and will continue to do so as these blog articles continue. I have a high Christological view. I am convinced that Jesus of Nazareth is more than simply an ascended master. I view him and have experienced him in the same way that orthodox Christianity does. I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnate Logos/Word of the Source. I further believe that Jesus, during his earthly sojourn introduced humanity to the fact that "The Source/God" is a loving Father that we can be comfortable calling Papa. One of his followers, John stated that "The Source/God is love." This means that the creator is a loving papa.

So how do I view Christ Consciousness? How do I define it? I think a good jumping off point would be to look at what was written in Peter's second epistle. He explains that through Jesus we become partakers of the divine nature. Judeo-Christian teaching states that we are created in the image of God. In other words, we are image bearers of "the Source." So each of us has the Spirit of Christ indwelling us. In fact, Joel the prophet wrote that the Spirit would be poured out on all flesh, and the writer of the Acts of the Apostles stated that was fulfilled on Pentecost. In my view, from Pentecost forward, all humanity had the availability to be partakers of the divine nature. Christ consciousness is available to all.

Christ consciousness is available to those that have the mind of Christ. Jesus the Logos is the powerful Word that holds the universe together, and he is the highest form of energy vibrating all matter into existence and sustaining it, . Moreover, since modern physics has proven that the universe is constantly expanding through creation, making matter out of invisible energy and is conscious, it means that Christ, the Logos is much more universal than previously thought by orthodoxy. 

Christ consciousness however is not a way to transcend humanity. Christ consciousness is the way in which we can be transformed into humanity at its full potential. How you ask? Simple, by understanding the teachings of Jesus and emulating them. Jesus said that all people would know that one was a pupil and follower of Christ by the love they demonstrated for the other. Christ consciousness then is marked by love. If The Source/God is love, and if Jesus is the incarnation of the Word/Logos of the Source/God, then love is the vibration of God energy and thereby the highest possible vibration.

The one with Christ consciousness will be vibrating at the highest level of love. That is how the one ascending to true spiritual awakening will be as well. If the highest vibration of energy is love, then lower vibrations of energy are at work in hate, strife, and all the other behaviors and attitudes that are labeled as evils. Moving into Christ consciousness will help obliterate the lower vibrations that plague our society and are destroying the planet.

We have a choice to dwell on things that are the result of lower vibration or we can begin to meditate on the highest vibrations. There are many ways to accomplish this. It can simply be with meditation but there are tools available to aid in our attempts to meditate and enter into the world of vibrations. One such tool that I use often is Binaural Beats. It is a form of sound that helps you achieve different brain wave states that lead to meditation naturally. In conjunction with this I also use a variety of crystals to help tune and draw higher vibrations.

Finally, we should be aware of the fruit of Christ consciousness. Paul called it the fruit of the Spirit which is the indwelling divine nature that is mentioned in Peter's second epistle. These are the qualities that will accompany Christ consciousness. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control. It is available to all of us, and we should not fear reaching out for other methods and ways to tap into Christ consciousness. Jesus said by their fruit they shall be known, If one is known for their love, their joy, their peacefulness, their patience, their kindness, their goodness, their gentleness, and their self control it follows that is one with Christ consciousness.

The Cosmic Christ, or the Cosmic Logos?

John 1:1-5 NLT  In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  He existed in the beginning with God.  (3)  God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.  (4)  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.  (5)  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

The Gospel of John explains that Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnate Logos. Jesus was/is the creator in the flesh. This message has cosmic implications. And today, with quantum mechanics it has even greater significance because, the language of the New Testament describes what can be quantified and tested. While Jesus is uniquely the Savior in Christian doctrine, the fact is that Jesus the Word is far bigger than that. This brings up a question however. What is the best term to describe this bigger than Christianity Jesus? Is the correct term the "Cosmic Christ" or is it the "Cosmic Word/Logos?" 

So many people today act as if Christ is Jesus last name. His name was Jesus of Nazareth. Christ is the Greek word that means anointed/anointing. It is similar to the word Messiah in Hebrew. In fact, in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) in Isaiah 45:1 Cyrus is referred to as God's Christ. The word used is 'christou.' Then again when referring to King David as the Lords anointed Samuel refers to David as the Lord's Christ in the Septuagint (2 Samuel 1:14.) The point is that it was not the anointing that was the creative force of the universe. It was the Word/Logos. This makes me think that instead of referring to the cosmic Christ it is more accurate to say "Cosmic Word or Logos."

However, since the term Cosmic Christ has been made popular by Fr. Richard Rohr and Matthew Fox it is probably best to continue on with the concept of the Cosmic Christ. The concept is what is important anyway. It makes Christ even bigger than Christianity has made him. As the creative force of the universe, and in the fact that according to the author of Hebrews he is the powerful word that holds all things together. He is in all things and is therefore as interested in the Kosmos that he sustains as the people who occupy it. Therefore, it is incumbent on followers of Christ to protect and preserve the world we live in. In view of the Cosmic Christ it is Christian to be supportive of ecology preservation. 

The Apostle Paul is the one who introduced the Cosmic Christ though he did not introduce the phrase. This is a perfect description of the Cosmic Christ. Col 1:15-17  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  (16)  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  (17)  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. He is the creator of all things. That is things we can see and things we cannot see. This lines up nicely with the current scientific discovery of dark matter and dark energy. Dark energy is still expanding creation in the universe at this time in its history. 

The Cosmic Christ is at the center of the basic building blocks of the universe, the unseen energy that causes vibrating waves to become matter of substance. We do not diminish the importance of Jesus Christ in recognizing and proclaiming this. We actually substantiate the reality of the doctrine of the Logos. It is importance to understand that this Cosmic Christ made this statement in human form. "By this will all humans know that you are my disciples if you love one another." This Cosmic Christ made this statement while in human form as well. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." He said that all should love their neighbor as they love themselves. He said that we should do good to them that despitefully use us. He said we should turn the other cheek. He said that the most important deeds we could ever do was to give drink to the thirsty, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, and visit the sick and prisoners.

All of those things are things we are capable of doing if we simply put our minds to it. Likewise, we can cherish and guard the ecology of the planet we have been given dominion over.

"I am the way, the truth and the life!": is that statement exclusive or inclusive?

Joh 14:5-7  Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"  (6)  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  (7)  If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
Having been raised in a Fundamentalist Baptist family in the 1950's, I was given a view of what John 14:6 meant. It most definitely meant that salvation and the way to God was exclusively by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. There was a formula for salvation at that time. Hear a sermon warning of sin and hell; raising your hand to accept Jesus as your Savior; going down to the front of the church at the altar call; being prayed for, and saying a prayer asking Jesus into your heart. Boom! You were saved. I was quite fortunate in my youth as I had a pastor that believed that once a person was saved they were always saved so that negated the necessity of going down every week to get saved all over again. But, being the sinful young boy that I was age eleven forward, my conscience would build up and get the best of me and by the space of a month or two, I would have to raise my hand and go back to the front of the church at altar call to re-dedicate my life to Jesus.

Being young, and believing my pastor, I was not tormented as some who went to churches that believed sinning could make you lose your salvation. Those poor souls were in constant fear and torment. I'm quite sure that many of them could not wait until Sunday to get down to the front of the church and get saved afresh. Yes indeed, evangelical funadmentalism has done a lot of damage and quite frankly continues to do so even today.

But, is that really what John 14:6 means? Is it exclusive? I have since realized that it is not. First off, lets look at the gospel that this verse is a part of. It is the Gospel According to John. John begins his Gospel with the following statement, "John 1:1-5  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  He was in the beginning with God.  (3)  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being  (4)  in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  (5)  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." This is widely known as the doctrine of the Logos. John states unequivocally that Jesus is the Logos, the creator. The Logos is the creative voice of the source. In my view this changes the meaning of John 14:6. There is but one creator, and there is but one source. Jesus the Logos introduced the concept that "the source," God is a loving Father. It is reasonable to conclude that when Jesus makes this statement to his disciples he assumes and they know that he means the Logos. It also follows that he alone is the one to understand that "The Source" is a loving Father.

This means that the entry into the source is the Logos. Now fast forward to 2020. Physicists now know that the universe is composed of the matter we see, but likewise, and much more abundant is matter that we cannot see. That is not where it stops. The universe is likewise filled with an energy that we cannot see that is expanding the universe by continual creation. But wait, there's more! This invisible energy and matter is conscious. I am not making this up. The bulk of the space in the universe is filled with dark matter and dark energy. It is surely the creative source. When Paul wrote about heavenly places in Christ Jesus, he no doubt was referring to this source.

Heaven is not somewhere outside of creation. It is at the center of creation. The Logos is currently in that creative conscious region of the universe and by the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Logos, we are there also. That is what Paul meant when he wrote we are seated in heavenly places in and with Christ Jesus. Peter said we are partakers of the divine nature. That is simply another way of stating the same thing. It is recorded that we are children of the light. John stated that in the Logos was life and the life was the light of humanity. However, it is not an exclusive club. There are 7.8 billion humans on this planet at any given time. Many are dying and more are being born, so the 7.8 billion is much more when you consider that. Only 2.3 billion are Christian which leaves 5.4 billion who are not.

Yet, the Prophet Joel said that a time would come when God would pour out his Spirit on ALL flesh and Peter declared that the time was Pentecost in the first century CE fifty three days after the resurrection of Jesus, the Logos. What Spirit was poured out? It was the Spirit of the Logos. Paul stated the following. Rom 5:18  Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. The question becomes, how many will acknowledge and believe who they really are in the spirit?

Heavenly places, the creative source of the universe, is available to all who will see, the way, the truth, and the life. It is not about exclusive entrance to a place called heaven outside of the world. It is an entrance to the eternal present now. It is an entrance to the eternal. It is spirit and it is energy. Spirit = Energy. While I admit that we all only know in part, I am confident that this is what Jesus was talking about when he said, I AM the way, I AM the truth, I AM the life, and no one is excluded.

Jesus of Nazareth, the Mediator between Humanity and The Creative Source

1Ti 2:5  "For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human,"

As stated and implied, I am a follower of Jesus. I have a relationship with Jesus. I know that he is always with me, even when I do not acknowledge him. It is by his indwelling Spirit that the connection exists and yet, it is important that he has human form. I have often seen him in my minds eye. I do not see visions of him in my actual material space, but I see clear images of him being with me, interacting embracing me etc. I find it interesting that the image I see is not the one of the relative of Michael-Angelo that is such a popular representation. I see him as one who closely resembles the person who portrayed him in the movie "The Shack." He is a thirty-something man with dark hair, fairly short with middle eastern features. 

This is the Jesus that I want to follow more closely and try to emulate his teachings about loving the other as I love myself. He is the one who communicates with me. He illuminates passages of scripture and he explains situations to me from a cosmic perspective. No, I am not any more insane than most, and quite frankly, in view of the division and strife in the world today, I am really quite sane, and I do not say that in a proud way, but with the most humility I can conjure up. There is a definite purpose however to this confession. I want to try to explain as I see it the connection we have available to us to the unseen world of creative energy and love. Jesus for me truly is the mediator. He connects what I know in my knower with what I speak, write and think. He is simultaneously the ultimate Word/Creator, and the loving mediator.

This quality of Jesus, brought to life by his Spirit does not diminish in any way the Powerful Word that holds the material world together.It does not diminish the fact that he has overcome death and is now residing in the All in All. I think that the All in All is descriptive of the Godhead, and he is the embodiment of that "The Source." He helps us make sense of the unexplainable. He gives us the assurance that the All in All loves us deeply and wants the best for us. He likewise assures us that the All in All has us in eternal clutches. He helps us apprehend with our limited understanding the grace of God that is poured out in unlimited measure on all who will be humble in the face of the All in All.

He is the one that promised that we as partakers of his divine nature would do even greater works than he did when he was incarnated among humanity. I am not sure that they would be greater in accomplishment as his miraculous works were quite supernatural and equally profound, but if not greater in deed, certainly greater in scope.

He is not only a mediator but he is likewise a loving mentor. He is the Master Teacher and we are the students. To be his student is to embrace what he taught. He does not demand perfection, rather simply a willingness to try to love the other as one loves oneself. He wants us to consider turning the other cheek and have that be the impetus for our actions. He reminds us that the only way that the world will know we are his students is by an uncommon love and respect for the other. He teaches that peace and justice is the way of the All in All. It is a shame that his message has been co-opted by followers who are not committed to the way of peace and love. I believe however that we have begun an age where people will become ever increasingly aware of their purpose in creating a peaceful loving world.

Creating the seen out of the invisible: Dark energy and the letter to the Hebrews.

Heb 11:3  By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews, wrote before anyone knew of a science called physics, much less the theory of quantum physics. And yet, he clearly stated a principal that we now understand about the universe. The universe is ever expanding and the reason is that a phenomena called dark energy is continually creating more space as it expands. Dark energy cannot be seen and really cannot be understood beyond the effects it exhibits. Dark energy and dark matter are totally invisible. Not just to the naked eye. It cannot be seen at all. I often recall the comment of the astronomer J.B.S. Haldane. He said, "The universe is not merely stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine." This coupled with the fact that quantum physics shows that the quantum world is aware of being observed says a lot about the creator. My personal belief is that the energy of the universe is thought from the mind of God. We cannot see our thoughts but they are a very important part of creativity. 

It was not only the writer of the letter to the Hebrews, but the Apostle Paul as well spoke of the unseen. 2Co 4:18  "because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal." The temporary world where things are in a constant flux is not eternal. However, the invisible world is eternal. That idea sounded supernatural prior to quantum mechanics and the discovery of dark matter and dark energy. Now it seems that it may be a natural part of the cosmos. While it is not explainable, it is an important part of understanding the material world. Again, while dark energy and dark matter cannot be seen, the effects they have on visible matter are without question and quite necessary to explain the seen universe.

It is not a great leap in my view then to see this as the spiritual world. Metaphysical masters have spoken about the energy of the unseen for at least thirty-five centuries. You have the book of Genesis stating that the known material universe came into being by the spoken word of God. Look at this passage from Gen 1:1-4  "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,  (2)  the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.  (3)  Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.  (4)  And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness." This is a statement that could easily be explained by the way in which dark energy continues to expand and create more space in the universe. There really is no reason to get up tight about seeing the hand of God in quantum mechanics. I can anticipate that some may think that this understanding diminishes God in some way and that is simply silly.

What it should do rather is help us realize that God is so much bigger than the box that so many religions have confined "the source of all that is" into.  On the most basic sub atomic level we are all vibrating energy that is part and parcel of the source. In reality we are all one with one another. We are interrelated by the stuff we are made from. The amazing part of this is that over the ages the Spirit of God has revealed these secrets to many. Five hundred years before Jesus of Nazareth walked among humanity, it was revealed to Heraclitus and the Stoics that the logos/word was the creator and creating force of the cosmos. They called it the divine seed. The Apostle John informed us that this divine seed the logos/word was made flesh and dwelled among the first century followers of Jesus.

An important thing for us to understand is that since we are at the most basic level vibrating energy, we can most assuredly communicate and participate in the unseen world. In fact, I am certain that this is precisely what Paul referred to when he said that the believer was seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Think about it. Heaven is not above us. The sky is above us. If one is standing on the earth in the USA and looks up to the sky they will be pointing toward the opposite direction of some one standing in Australia. Not only are these two continents in two opposite hemispheres but they are roughly on opposite sides of the earth as well. Heavenly places refers to a dimension or plane within the universe. It is a place in which the source resides.

It is the place that our soul originates which is our spirit or inner man. It is a place that we can freely access through prayer and meditation. If we begin to understand who we are, what we are really made of, and the purpose for which we were created, we will begin to walk in that purpose which is to love and be loved. We are loved by God the Source, the Word, and the Spirit. We are loved so that we can in the image of the creator love others and be loved by others. What a different world we would have if we came to believe this.... really believe it. We are embarking on an age when this realization will come to fruition.