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.