Our
heavenly Father desires that all His children walk in spirit and truth.
He wants each one of us to become firmly established in the faith and
produce much fruit in our lives – to His praise and glory. Indeed it is
the desire of most Christians to be fruitful and to live a life that is
honoring to God.
Peter points out how
blessed we are that in Christ.. we have been given all we need to live a
life of godliness – because God in His goodness and grace called us out
of darkness into His glorious light, by faith. He chose us from the
foundation of the world to be His precious possession – and in His grace
He imputed us with Christ’s own righteousness.
Peter
reminds us of the many precious promises that are ours in Christ, which
free us from slavery to sin as we remain in Him and He in us.. and so
Peter exhorts us to give all diligence to add moral excellence, godly
knowledge and self-control to our faith – and to strive after patient
endurance, brotherly kindness and godly love. Peter knows that such
qualities are the birthright of all who are in Christ Jesus.. and that
if these godly qualities are evident in our lives.. we will become
fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And
yet we read that these spiritual qualities, which are available to all
believers are lacking in the lives of some Christians. Indeed He
describes those that are lacking in godly character as being spiritually
blind and short-sighted, having forgotten all the glories that are ours
in Christ Jesus – despite the fact that we have already been purified
from our former sins.
How sad when
believers who have been saved by grace through faith in the finished
work of Christ, forget who they are in Christ. How tragic when our eyes
become blinded to our sanctified position in Him. What a travesty when
we forget that we have been cleansed from all unrighteousness – by faith
in His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.
But
no child of God can ever stray so far away from his heavenly Father
that he is not able to be returned into His loving arms. No born again
believer can ever fall so far from grace that he is unable to have sweet
fellowship with our Father in heaven re-established – For if any of us
do lack the spiritual qualities that God desires of all His children..
Peter tells us what to do. We are to turn away from all that has enticed
us away from our Saviour. We are to remember all that He has done for
us in His sacrificial work at Calvary. We are to recall the blessings
which are ours in Jesus Christ and we are to return back into His loving
embrace and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.. so that we
too may become spiritually fruitful as we add moral excellence, godly
knowledge and self-control to our faith in Christ.
Heavenly
Father, thank You that in Christ I have all that I need for life and
godliness. I pray that You would help me to keep the eyes of my heart
looking away from the things of this world and firmly looking to Jesus
so that I may not become spiritually short-sighted and forget all that
Christ has done for me – but become fruitful in the knowledge of my
Saviour Jesus Christ – to His praise and glory, AMEN
does salvation mean "knowing Jesus?"
No. The teaching that Jesus is the
only path to salvation, contradicts the teachings of Jesus himself. In the three earlier Synoptic gospels
, Jesus never suggests "believing in him" is the criterion for salvation. In fact, Jesus warns that it is
not those who call him "Lord," who will enter heaven, but those who do the will of the Father. (
Mt. 7.21) In the Judgment scene in
Mt. 25.31-46, (far and away the most detailed description of judgment in the Bible), Jesus says that those who do good works, creating
a better world for the "least of his brothers," actually do it for him whether they know it or not, and will be blessed with his Presence, while those who do not will suffer "burning" in the age-long fire which we've already discussed. Throughout these first three gospels, Jesus doesn't even seem to care if anyone "knows" him or has "a personal relationship" with him! He cares instead that people embrace his teaching—Good News—that the Kingdom of heaven is here, that God is "Father," that in embracing selfless love, we lose our false self, but gain the whole world.
On the other hand, the later gospel of John presents Jesus as the "Cosmic Christ," who is one with the Father, and called "Word", "Light", "Water of Life", and "the Way." The emphasis has shifted from the teaching to the Teacher, in light of his embodiment of the love of God. This Love is called Christ. When Jesus says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by me," (
Jn 14:6) he is speaking of his nature as the love of God made visible. It is only by being filled with Divine Love that we can "come to the Father." By whatever name it is given by followers of whatever religion or no religion, it is the same, and it is "the narrow gate" through which all must come. The human identity of its bearer is not what's important; the essential thing is following his example in loving unconditionally,
becoming Christ. As he said:
This is my commandment, love one another as I have loved you. (
Jn.15.12)
Many passages in the apostles' writings at first glance suggest that belief in Jesus is essential. But the Bible never records the apostles using a threat of "damnation" for not accepting the Gospel. Paul's voice speaks especially strongly about universal salvation. Yet Paul also presents Jesus as the "necessary sacrifice" for sin, implying belief in him is mandatory. The reason for this is found in his letters, where he repeatedly explains his dual mission of presenting the Good News to both the Jews and the Gentiles, and adjusting his message to his audiences, "becoming all things to all men." (1 Cor. 9.19-23). His Jewish audiences demanded to know how sacrifice fits into this message, and so, Paul presents Jesus as the only sacrifice needed, the fulfillment of the Law. To Gentiles, he presents the cosmic Christ, "the love of God made visible," (Rm. 8.39) reconciling all things in heaven and earth to the Father through selfless love. (Eph. 1.10-11).
In summary:
I'm not concerned with dealing with every difficult passage in Scripture here-others do this better than I (see box). Yet ultimately, it is not the Scripture we rely on for knowing God is love, and saves all. It is God/Love only, and knowing that One
directly.
Doubt everything on this site before you doubt love.
Doubt the Bible before you doubt love.
Doubt yourself before you doubt love.
Doubt all that you believe to be God, before you doubt love.
Never doubt love.
God is love.
Stages on the Journey
Anyone who undertakes this adventure of striving to know God
directly, soon learns that it doesn't happen instantly; there are stages
to the process. Eastern Orthodox Christians often envision it as
Jacob's ladder, leading to upward to God. Western saints, such as
Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Ávila, and
John of the Cross
use other analogies, such as going deeper within the "Interior Castle."
Evelyn Underhill describes the stages as awakening, purification,
illumination, surrender or the "Dark Night of the soul," and divine
union.
Matthew Fox describes it as a four-fold path.
The usefulness of these analogies is limited. Any attempt to describe
the process of awakening to the indescribable is essentially drawing a
map on water. One thing is certain, however. There will be
letting go—of
fears, desires, and even your self. And as more is released, more is
received. (Or so it appears—really we just get rid of what is blocking
us from seeing God's perfect goodness that was already there all along.
The wonder of God's own Self.
Mystics over the centuries have advised
spiritual practice for the releasing and receiving that is the essential rhythm of this life. In more familiar terms,
meditation.
If you're surprised because you've never heard your minsters urge you
to meditate, you're not alone. Most Christian denominations,
particularly the newer ones, have little history. But the
stillness of meditation, or contemplation [from
con (with) +
temp
(time) literally, "time with" God] has been the foundation of spiritual
practice from the beginning centuries to the present. It's concentrated
practice in releasing.
Let go. Let God. Let go. Let God. These are the two endless rhythms of the soul in the mystical life.
dangers?
You may have heard that mysticism is dangerous. It's occultic, it's
not Christian, it "begins in mist and ends in schism," and so forth. All
of those allegations are false, at least concerning an authentic
mysticism as seeking the direct knowledge of God. Nevertheless, just as
with everything else that can be experienced in this lifetime, there are
some things to be aware of.
The greatest real danger is of attitude.
Pride can lead to spiritual deception, mistaking intellectual change for spiritual progress.
Fear can cause us to give up, and rationalize away the need for transformation.
Holding on
to experiences is probably the most subtle pitfall. On this adventure,
you may encounter God in thrilling ways, with experiences of spiritual
ecstasy. (Or you might not.) You might have experiences of miracles, of
supernatural insight, of visions, of having healing power, and so
forth. (Or you might not.) The experiences, when they come, if they
come, are for you to be encouraged, to keep on letting go. Seeking to
repeat a feeling or experience is a very, very, common distraction.
Another thing you might want to be aware of is
loneliness.
Since most Christian bodies have no teaching of mysticism past perhaps a
few approved experiences (speaking in tongues, for example), it is
going to be hard to find company for this journey, which is one of the
reasons I created this website. Jesus called this way of living in the
Kingdom of heaven "the narrow path," and said few find it. Furthermore,
few even care!
He also said "foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the
Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." This is also true. No church—no
institution of any kind, really, is designed to be a home to those who
want to truly want to follow the Son of Man this way, which means going
beyond institutional experience. You will feel tired from time to time.
You will have
periods of dryness, and may want to throw in the towel for a little while. Or even a long while.
The work itself is your rest, your meeting-place with God, the Restorer of your being.
Also read:
The essential practice:
meditation.
Encountering God in all things:
Biblical panentheism.
Revisiting the teaching of
hell and salvation.
The transformation:
union with God—theosis.
Have a good day my beloved brothers and sisters. Please pass this blog on and be part of getting me known as an artist. Your brother of Christ and all the saints, Peter.
