Common themes between the New Testament and Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now." Part 2

The all in all....

Eph 1:23 NET Bible  "Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."

The overlaid, and underlying premise of Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" is that at the most basic level, you could call it the God level, all is one, all is present, in other words there is only NOW. Further, Tolle states that we are all connected in the present in the presence of knowing. This is akin to Jesus' teaching that He and the Father are one, and that beyond that, all those who put faith in the gospel message are one with him and the Father. First of all Jesus states this: John 10:30  "The Father and I are one.” What does this mean? Well, it means there is no separation at the core at the underlying essence. But he goes on... Joh 17:20-26  “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony,  (21)  that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.  (22)  The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one –  (23)  I in them and you in me – that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.  (24)  “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world.  (25)  Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men know that you sent me.  (26)  I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them.” There is a lot to unpack here but I will focus on just one verse.

Look at verse 21,  that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. This is a perfect explanation for the ALL IN ALL. Paul uses this theme in so many different places. In Ephesians chapter four where he addresses unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace he writes this. Eph 4:4-6  "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,  (5)  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  (6)  one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." When you couple this with Jesus words in John a compelling case begins to unfold. In fact, this is inextricably linked to the gospel/good news. Not only are we the righteousness of God in Christ, but we are one with the creator of the universe, and further, we are one with one another. Paul expands this theme in passages where he says that their is neither male nor female, Jew or Gentile, slave or free, but rather we are ALL one in the Christ. When I refer to "the Christ," I am not diminishing Jesus of Nazerath. I am however aware that the unifying element in this oneness is the Spirit of Christ that indwells us all and is really our original created state as declared in Gen 1:31. 

When Jesus and Paul are so focused on this oneness, why is evangelical Christianity so focused on otherness? I think it is because sin has been so misunderstood. Ultimately "sin" is not believing the report that God was in Christ, reconciling a fallen world to himself, but more than that, it is not believing God's declaration found in Genesis 1:31. When one embraces the gospel that God has declared humanity righteous through Jesus Christ the last Adam, he merely punctuated his original declaration found in the Genesis passage. He then, supplied the Spirit of Christ to help with our doubt. It is the Spirit of Christ indwelling each of us that enables us to rest in the fact that we are one and that God is indeed ALL IN ALL.

(Note: There are many posts on this blog that show that the author of Hebrews equated sin and unbelief. Just type in unbelief or sabbath rest and you will find them. The fact is that it is a reality.)

So what implications does this have? Well first off, it could go a long way toward healing the great divide found in humanity. If we understand that we are one with God and connected in that oneness it would go a long way toward solving some of our greatest problems. If one could embrace the real gospel and not the perverted gospel that most of evangelical Christianity subscribes to, and if we could understand the real definition of sin, and not the perverted definition of sin that most of evangelical Christianity has embraced it would go a long way toward truly freeing the mind. If one could embrace the correct view of scripture... that of the redemptive narrative.... and reject the perverted view of scripture... seeing it as a legal constitutional document... it would go a long way toward producing the love that God has purposed for all humanity. After all, GOD IS LOVE, and that is another view held by Tolle which will be fodder for a later post.

This love would indeed become a transforming catalyst for all of mankind....

Common themes between the New Testament and Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now." Part 1

1Co 15:31  I die every day! That is as certain, brothers and sisters, as my boasting of you—a boast that I make in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What did Paul mean when he wrote "I die daily?" I think he was saying that the cross has put to death once and for all his ego. The book by Eckhart Tolle, "The Power of Now" speaks to the fact that the mind is the ego. It has a life of its own. It thinks in the past, what happened before, and in the future, what will happen, and it stays away from the present. I am a person with a very active, you could say over active mind. It races on and on and often causes me anxiety. It always is from things that have passed or things that could happen in the future. Most do not happen by the way, and the things in the past really cannot be changed. They are what they are so to speak, and the only power we have at all is in the present moment.

Here in lies the power of justification by faith. The fact is simple, we ARE the righteousness of God in Christ RIGHT NOW! Every moment, we are in the presence of God in the present. It is in the present moment that no weapon formed against us will prosper. It is in the present moment that we are dwelling in the secret place of the shadow of the Almighty. It is in the present that all the promises of God are yes and amen. It is in the present that we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Christ Yes it is true that we were there yesterday, and we will be there tomorrow, but our real power comes from the fact, that we are there now!

Have you never wondered why people seem to be healed instantaneously only to return later to the same condition? I believe that in the present moment they are healed but they soon revert back to the past or begin to worry about the future. They are healed because God is in the present moment. That is where he resides. All moments to God are now, that is how he can see past and future.  He does not occupy the past or the future. Why, because the only real time to God is now. Everything is now. The alpha and omega (beginning and end) is now. While this is impossible for our MIND to fathom, as the past and future is its playground, it is never the less reality that all that really exists is now. This moment. Faith to overcome the ego is "now faith."

As this blog post series continues,  we will see that the mind, the false self is inextricably linked with the flesh, in such a way as "the now" (present) is often wasted on egoic pleasure and pain. We will see that when Jesus spoke of denying oneself, he was speaking of the false self the egoic mind. We will also see that the only way to overcome the false self is in the present, through the power of the gospel, declaring that we are the righteousness of God in the present moment. Didn't John the apostle tell us that it is not yet known what we will be, but we will be like him/Jesus in every way. Guess what, we are exactly that in the present moment.

The place of "The Fall" in the redemptive narrative.

Eph 1:3-8  "Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.  (4)  For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.  (5)  He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,  (6)  to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.  (7)  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace  (8)  that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding."

Look at verse four of the above passage. God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Simply put, before the foundation of the world is before creation. So then, the verse could easily read, for he choses us in Christ before he ever created anything. Further, verse six says that the purpose was to bring praise to his glorious grace. This has profound implications indeed. It shows beyond possible doubt that redemption was God's purpose in creation.

God knew that humanity could not properly handle the knowledge of good and evil, and he knew that humanity could not praise him without the knowledge of good and evil, and likewise, he knew that given the choice, humanity would chose the knowledge of good and evil. This is precisely why he/God made redemption his first purpose in creation, and it was done with wisdom and understanding.

Further to this point, the knowledge of good and evil is the source of ALL human depravity. Coupled with mortality, the inevitable death that we all face, we have been given the survival instinct to aid in keeping us alive in all forms of danger, both physical and psychological. It is the capability to judge. All judgment comes from the knowledge of good and evil and it is interesting that Jesus said, "judge not lest you be judged." However, with humanity, having the knowledge of good and evil, this is an impossible commandment.

The source of all evil comes from groups of people having power, deciding issues in their favor, and then judging themselves right and others wrong. It is the source of all greed. The knowledge of good and evil, coupled with death causes greed due to self preservation. Think about it. This self preservation is necessary for humanity to survive. This is the situation that humanity needed to be redeemed for and from.

I am writing this post to add understanding to a previous post which follows below. I am repeating it because it will offer additional insight and illumination. It will show that way in which the Holy Spirit using the gospel of grace can help humanity overcome the effects of this necessary fall.

(Joh 1:29)  The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

What is the sin of the world? What did John the Baptist mean when he spoke those words? These are interesting questions, and the answers go along way in explaining what the nature of the gospel really is, and why it was such good news. You can find many posts on this blog that show that the writer of Hebrews equated sin and unbelief. In fact, the sin of the world is unbelief, and I will strive to show you why this is so.

The first clue is found in the very first chapter of the very first book of the Old Testament.

Genesis 1:27-31 explains the source of the sin of the world. God decreed that everything that He had created, including male and female was "very good." To protect humanity from not believing this decree He commanded them not to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The reason for this was that once they gained that knowledge they could decide for themselves what was good and what was evil and not believe God's decree. His decree is found in (Gen 1:31)  "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day." Yes, God declared that all creation including humanity was very good, and the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil wiped that out. They saw themselves as naked and decided that it was not good. Of course, only God knows what is truly good.

Jesus mission, was to bring the Spirit of God into the world so that humanity could believe that they were in fact good based solely upon God's declaration. Paul wrote; (Rom 5:1)  "Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." It was the faith of Jesus, being willing to die, knowing that God would raise him from the dead, that justified humanity. Isaiah prophesied this way" (Isa 53:11)  "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many: and he shall bear their iniquities." What was his knowledge? It was perfect faith in the Father. This came from the Holy Spirit that had landed on him at his baptism. He was certain, even unto death that God would raise him from the dead. The gospel provides the method and means for humanity to gain that Spirit and believe God's declaration/decree. We apprehend this faith by believing the gospel message that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting trespasses, and declaring humanity righteous.

This is precisely the way that the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world, purposed to be slain before the foundation of the world, takes away the sin/unbelief of the world. The gospel is merely proof of the good news spoken by God in Genesis 1:31. The ultimate purpose Paul states in Ephesians chapter one is to the praise of God's glorious grace. It is to promote real and lasting love for God that is the only way that the first and greatest commandment can be obeyed. When we understand the gospel by faith through the Holy Spirit, we cannot help but love such a gracious and good God! And, this faith which is from the Holy Spirit can help us overcome greed and love one another.

The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world... What did John the Baptist mean?

(Joh 1:29)  The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

What is the sin of the world? What did John the Baptist mean when he spoke those words? These are interesting questions, and the answers go along way in explaining what the nature of the gospel really is, and why it was such good news. You can find many posts on this blog that show that the writer of Hebrews equated sin and unbelief. In fact, the sin of the world is unbelief, and I will strive to show you why this is so.

The first clue is found in the very first chapter of the very first book of the Old Testament.
Genesis 1:27-31 explains the source of the sin of the world. God decreed that everything that He had created, including male and female was "very good." To protect humanity from not believing this decree He commanded them not to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The reason for this was that once they gained that knowledge they could decide for themselves what was good and what was evil and not believe God's decree. His decree is found in (Gen 1:31)  "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day." Yes, God declared that all creation including humanity was very good, and the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil wiped that out. They saw themselves as naked and decided that it was not good. Of course, only God knows what is truly good.

Jesus mission, was to bring the Spirit of God into the world so that humanity could believe that they were in fact good based solely upon God's declaration. Paul wrote; (Rom 5:1)  "Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." It was the faith of Jesus, being willing to die, knowing that God would raise him from the dead, that justified humanity. Isaiah prophesied this way" (Isa 53:11)  "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many: and he shall bear their iniquities." What was his knowledge? It was perfect faith in the Father. This came from the Holy Spirit that had landed on him at his baptism. He was certain, even unto death that God would raise him from the dead. The gospel provides the method and means for humanity to gain that Spirit and believe God's declaration/decree. We apprehend this faith by believing the gospel message that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting trespasses, and declaring humanity righteous.

This is precisely the way that the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world, purposed to be slain before the foundation of the world, takes away the sin/unbelief of the world. The gospel is merely proof of the good news spoken by God in Genesis 1:31. The ultimate purpose Paul states in Ephesians chapter one is to the praise of God's glorious grace. It is to promote real and lasting love for God that is the only way that the first and greatest commandment can be obeyed. When we understand the gospel by faith through the Holy Spirit, we cannot help but love such a gracious and good God!

Jimmy Carter is right and many evangelical presuppositions about scripture are WRONG!

I have recently seen criticism of former President Jimmy Carter for his statement in 2015 that he thinks Jesus would approve of gay marriages. This is a theme that is frequently crossing my Facebook page lately. While it is old news it is relevant to the point of what effect presuppositions have on scripture interpretation. It has been the one of the focal thrusts of this blog to show that evangelical presuppositions are completely off the mark in many respects when it comes to scripture interpretation. I think that the resurgence of this story is to try to throw shade on other interpretations of the scripture. It is a last ditch move to resist a spiritual paradigm shift that will not be thwarted because it is a correct and necessary shift.

So, did Jesus see the scripture as a rule book? Absolutely not! He saw it as the story of redemption and a story about Him. John 5:39-40 states that the purpose of the scripture is to point to Jesus so that people can find life in him. I have proven beyond possible doubt in the posts of this blog that the scripture is the story of redemption, and not a rule book, especially for the New Covenant era. So much of the misunderstanding comes from ignoring that there is a natural transition in the scripture with a strong Jew/Gentile distinction. While the Jews saw the Old Testament as a constitutional legal document, Jesus and his first century followers that wrote the New Testament overthrew that notion in favor of it being the good news of the redemption narrative.

In many of the Facebook posts about this, evangelicals smugly quote scripture and verse claiming to show that the former president is wrong. The problem with that is their presupposition that the scripture is a legal constitutional document is completely off the mark, and a total error for New Covenant saints. This being the case, all of the book and verse quotations are off the mark as well when taking a legal constitution approach to the scripture.

I should of course offer my presuppositions' that I arrived at after rigorous scripture study. First, the phrase word of God denotes the gospel, or Jesus the gospel made flesh. Second, that the purpose of scripture was to present to humanity a redemptive narrative that would assure a person that God's purpose in creation was to love humanity and have a relationship with it that results in true adoration of this gracious Creator/God.

Now, since Jesus introduced God as a loving Father, it can be reasoned that God wants what is best for his creation. Therefore, I can conclude with Jimmy Carter that Jesus would approve of a loving monogamous relationship period. The reason is that a loving monogamous relationship is vital in providing the peaceful stability for individuals that need partners. I am not excluding those individuals who are comfortable to be forever single, and do not require intimate relationships for fulfillment. I am not personally aware of such but undoubtedly they exist. That aside, Jesus in my view of scripture would be supportive of all relationships that were mutually loving and monogamous.

If you are a person that has a high view of scripture, do not be alarmed. I do also, however, not presupposing that it is intended to be a legal constitutional document from God to humanity does not in anyway diminish the sovereignty of God, nor the divinity of Jesus as redeemer. If you think it does you are merely incorrect in your assumptions.

Intelligent design and the bible...

Joh 5:39-40 NET  "You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me,  (40)  but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life."

If you were to read all of the posts on this blog, you would indeed find that the preponderance of evidence establishes the fact that the bible/scripture is the redemptive narrative. Further, its main function is the story of redemption. It is not a law book. It is not a manual for correct living. It is not a science book. Rather, it is a love story that explains God's love for humanity and all that He created.

I have never been comfortable believing that all of life on this planet just evolved. Certainly, there is an element of evolution within all living things but not to the degree that all life evolved from one primordial cell. But by the same token, I am not comfortable with the six day creation. I believe it to be a metaphor or an allegory. For this reason, I think that the theory of ID or intelligent design makes a lot of sense to me.

I do not have a scientific mind or a scientific bent. I am intuitive. I think it could be best described as a mystic. I would like to use the definition from the Oxford Dictionary; "a person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect."  I think that the second clause in this defining sentence best describes how I see myself as a mystic. I want to focus on the idea of one who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect. This supports my sentiment in the above paragraph.

When one looks up Intelligent Design (ID,) one soon finds that there is a fierce debate going on among those who claim to be ID scientists and Darwinists. It seems that the Darwinists try to lump ID scientists with creationists. They do it to discount the science of ID, but I have read enough to see that the Darwinists are as Shakespeare once wrote, "protesting" a tad too much. ID scientists do not demand that one follow the explanation of the Bible. They merely claim to prove what to me is obvious; that is, that the theory of irreducible complexity flies in the face of the entire biological world evolving from one primordial cell. I don't suggest that I understand it in the least, but I have given enough key words so that you can look it up for yourself. Rather, the mystic in me tells me that it is correct.

Those evangelicals that demand a literal reading of Genesis are completely wrong in my view. This is not a plea for creationism over evolution. I do KNOW however that the bible does not lose its inspirational authority if the first part of Genesis is allegorical. In fact, it does not lose its inspirational authority if the story of Adam and Eve is allegorical. Thinking that it does merely shows a limitation of understanding and provides the ammunition to Darwinists to show that creationism is anti-intellectual.

By the same token, it has never made sense to me that "beings" as complex as those living on this earth, especially humans, but the entire animal kingdom included as well just evolved from cosmic accidents. Rather, for me it shows a highly complex, and very orderly existence that demands a creative force, a designer if you will allow the term. I believe that force is the God of the universe, and that in fact, Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the incarnation of God in human flesh to bring redemption by proving that we are eternal beings, and that there is life and existence beyond this earthly dimension.

When one takes a wooden literal interpretation of all scripture one creates a false image of God's purpose for humanity. Ephesians chapter one establishes that God's purpose in creation, before the foundation of the world, which is before creation, was to bring about the praise of his glorious grace. The gospel explains that God reconciled humanity to himself for this very purpose. I can assure you that to keep the intent of the scripture, as stated by Jesus, recorded in the above scripture passage from John, it is not necessary to view the bible as a science book, or a rule book. It is in fact a book that explains the gospel of Jesus Christ and the reconciliation bought by his life, death, and resurrection.

We will be exploring more about the essence of Jesus earthly ministry and what God had clearly intended when he sent Jesus to earth. It will be liberating and it will eliminate so much of the schizophrenic teaching that is replete in orthodox Christian doctrine. Most especially that of the evangelical variety of Christianity.

The guarantee of the Holy Spirit is our inheritance.

Eph 1:13-14 AMP  "In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]. [Joh_7:39; Act_2:33]  (14)  The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God's own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory."

Many times in this blog, I have forcefully and unapologetically proved that believing the gospel is our obedience. It is not easy to do as those who cry "easy believism" would like to have accepted. They are way off the path, and have missed the true message of the gospel. God wants us to believe that he is a loving Father that has redeemed us and wants us to be at peace with Him. In fact, I have stated often that peace with God, based on justification by faith, is the catalyst for transformation, It gives us the transformative power of love. God's love for us, promotes deep and abiding real love for Him. The gospel of grace is the factor that allows us to obey the first and greatest commandment. It is to love the Lord God with all our heart, with all our might, and with our whole being. The truth of the gospel message is the only thing that can bring about real love for God free from fear.

It is the Holy Spirit that allows us to believe the gospel and thereby love God wholeheartedly. This is the reason that the Holy Spirit is the seal, the guarantee, the pledge, the foretaste of our inheritance. The fact is that once one hears the gospel of grace, believes it with the aid of the Holy Spirit, then one has the Holy Spirit as a constant companion eternally. That's right. You cannot lose or alienate the Holy Spirit. While you may grieve it, you cannot lose it. The Holy Spirit is the comforter, the teacher, the advocate, the paraclete.

Look at what Jesus tells his immediate followers about the Holy Spirit. Joh 16:7 NET  "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you." and  Joh 16:13 NET  "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come." Yes, the Holy Spirit is a constant companion. After his baptism, the Holy Spirit was Jesus constant companion as he walked on the earth in the flesh. He always believed the Holy Spirit as it was his link to the mind of the Father and likewise, the Holy Spirit is our link to the mind of Christ. Paul told the Philippians to let the mind of Christ be in them. Of course, the way to accomplish that is to listen to the Holy Spirit.

So then, how can you know that you are listening to the Holy Spirit? The answer is simple, very simple indeed. The Holy Spirit will always speak about the things that promote the fruit of the Spirit. Of course that is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness and self-control. The Holy Spirit will promote these within the individual. The Holy Spirit will not condemn. The Holy Spirit will not scold. The Holy Spirit will not punish. After all the Holy Spirit is also called the comforter.

Once again, I like the way the NET Bible interprets this passage. Joh 16:8-11 NET  "And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment –  (9)  concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;  (10)  concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer;  (11)  and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned." So many people erroneously say that the Holy Spirit convicted them of this or that. They are absolutely wrong because they have wrongly understood what Jesus was saying. Jesus was speaking of the religious world of Judaism when he used the term world. That will take an entire blog post to prove that but for now, just accept it as I am completely confident that the evangelical definition of the world is completely erroneous.

He is going to prove the religious authorities wrong about their understanding and practice of sin, righteousness and judgment. The author of Hebrews equates sin and unbelief as interchangeable throughout his letter. Sin is unbelief as it was in the garden. Now, the ultimate sin is not believing that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Likewise, the religious authorities were wrong about righteousness. Humanity was righteous because God had declared them righteous (Gen 1:31.) And they were wrong in their judgment because the ruler of this world, Satan had been judged (Rev 12:10-12.) I suggest that you read that passage in the NET Bible. When God raised Jesus from the dead, Satan was judged at that very moment. He thought that through the first Adam he could bring death and separation between God and humanity, but alas, the LAST ADAM, put him to open shame when he rose victorious over death.

That dear friend is the "truth" that the Holy Spirit will convince us of if we but open our hearts, minds, ears and eyes.