The Spirit Who Unites Us All
The concept of the Christian Trinity is a beautiful idea if properly understood, yet sadly it's been undervalued, misrepresented, and over-theologized
since its inception. Even those Church elders who originated the theology didn't comprehend its authentic meaning.
How can that be true? You may wonder. How could the Church Fathers not have understood a teaching which they, themselves, created?
The answer is quite simple: because Christ has been misunderstood. When the second component of the Trinity is misinterpreted, the entire teaching becomes skewed.
How can that be true? You may wonder. How could the Church Fathers not have understood a teaching which they, themselves, created?
The answer is quite simple: because Christ has been misunderstood. When the second component of the Trinity is misinterpreted, the entire teaching becomes skewed.
Sophia duBay
Erase ... Create Soul Space
An Intuitive Method of Soul Discovery
Most of us are familiar the structure of the Christian Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Father--or, in more
updated terminology, Parent--is the Creator-God, the Source, the One Who Is. Everything emanates from
God, whose energy and breath of life is also known as the Holy Spirit. This Divine Energy is the active
component in our lives, the fuel that propels the vehicle. The Holy Spirit is the God-Flame, the oxygen to our
lungs and the blood of our bodies. It's the compelling force of God, the active constituent that unites us all under
one Godhead regardless of personal creed, ethnicity, or beliefs.
The Son aspect is the part confuses most people. Since 325 CE, when the Council of Nicaea put to rest the various theories and declared a definite doctrine, this piece of the Trinity has been interpreted as belonging solely to Jesus, yet it's time to revise that outlook. If we read the Bible carefully and with an open heart, we discover that Jesus never claimed to be half man, half God in a physical sense. He never said he was the only son of his Abba, even though the words have been put into his mouth by well-meaning but undereducated translators. Even statements such as "I am the way, the truth, and the light" (John 14:6) aren't an assertion by Jesus of his solely divine status, but rather a confirmation of God's power. When we recall that the Greek from which our modern Biblical translations derive didn't contain any punctuation, sentence or paragraph breaks, or capitalization, Jesus' words-and his entire life, for that matter-take on beautiful depths of meaning. Suddenly we realize what Jesus was actually trying to tell us: I AM the way, the truth, and the light.
The Son aspect is the part confuses most people. Since 325 CE, when the Council of Nicaea put to rest the various theories and declared a definite doctrine, this piece of the Trinity has been interpreted as belonging solely to Jesus, yet it's time to revise that outlook. If we read the Bible carefully and with an open heart, we discover that Jesus never claimed to be half man, half God in a physical sense. He never said he was the only son of his Abba, even though the words have been put into his mouth by well-meaning but undereducated translators. Even statements such as "I am the way, the truth, and the light" (John 14:6) aren't an assertion by Jesus of his solely divine status, but rather a confirmation of God's power. When we recall that the Greek from which our modern Biblical translations derive didn't contain any punctuation, sentence or paragraph breaks, or capitalization, Jesus' words-and his entire life, for that matter-take on beautiful depths of meaning. Suddenly we realize what Jesus was actually trying to tell us: I AM the way, the truth, and the light.
I AM is one of the names of God, given to Moses in Exodus 3:13-14. When he asked of God, "If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, 'The God of
your ancestors has sent me to you,' they will ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what should I tell them?" God had appeared to Moses as a bush that was
on fire but not consumed, because the full light of God is too bright for us, in our humanity, to comprehend. This Burning Bush-the Holy Living Flame of
God-responded, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
by Sophia duBay
Copyright 2011 Jennifer duBay Risley
And so Jesus, in his eloquent discourses, was speaking of the power of I AM, which is the Living Flame as described by
Moses' Burning Bush--the flame that is Holy Spirit. In such simple terms, Jesus touched upon the first and last components of
the Trinity, four hundred years before the debate of its theology would even begin.
Going back to John 14:5-6, we read: "Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' Jesus answered, "I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" In other words the Father--the first component of the Trinity--can only be experienced through the living energy of his Spirit-the third component, the Holy Spirit. Jesus was trying to show his followers that true integration with that Holy Spirit is the only way to authentically experience the living unity of God. Through the example of Jesus' life--his method of prayer, his complete devotion to the will of God, and his capacity for perpetual, unconditional love--we too can achieve that full integration.
Going back to John 14:5-6, we read: "Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' Jesus answered, "I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" In other words the Father--the first component of the Trinity--can only be experienced through the living energy of his Spirit-the third component, the Holy Spirit. Jesus was trying to show his followers that true integration with that Holy Spirit is the only way to authentically experience the living unity of God. Through the example of Jesus' life--his method of prayer, his complete devotion to the will of God, and his capacity for perpetual, unconditional love--we too can achieve that full integration.
So what about the times Jesus was said to have claimed to be the "son of God" or the "son of Man," and what do those phrases mean?
First, let's look at the meaning of the title Christ. Many modern-day Christians will be shocked to discover that Christ isn't an exclusive title, and doesn't imply "the only begotten son of God." Christos is a Greek word meaning "the anointed one." Even to the earliest followers of Jesus, the title Christ was meant to honor him with the designation of prophet and the greatest of rabbis. Other references to great prophets dotted throughout the Hebrew sacred scriptures (the Old Testament) include Melchizedek, Moses, Elijah, and Elisha, and more.
First, let's look at the meaning of the title Christ. Many modern-day Christians will be shocked to discover that Christ isn't an exclusive title, and doesn't imply "the only begotten son of God." Christos is a Greek word meaning "the anointed one." Even to the earliest followers of Jesus, the title Christ was meant to honor him with the designation of prophet and the greatest of rabbis. Other references to great prophets dotted throughout the Hebrew sacred scriptures (the Old Testament) include Melchizedek, Moses, Elijah, and Elisha, and more.
What about the gospel references to Jesus as the "Son of Man" or "Son of God"? What does "Son of Man" mean, and isn't it the opposite of the
"Son of God"?
Perhaps the best known passages on the idea of Jesus as the "only begotten son" derive from John 3. The first thing to keep in mind is that the gospel of John is the most esoteric in the Bible--because of its Gnostic edge, it nearly wasn't included in the official canonized books of the New Testament. If we interpret the Bible in a literal sense ... well, it doesn't make sense. This is particularly true for a mystical work such as the Gospel of John.
In John 3, we read about the story of Nicodemus, who acknowledged Jesus as "a teacher sent from God" (John 3:2, emphasis mine). This is an important piece to remember, since as children of God, all of us are sent from God ... our mission is to realize how to follow our divine path. As Mark Twain said, "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born ... and the day you find out why." In the purity of Jesus' devotion to Divine Will and authentic love, he embodied the knowledge of his God-given purpose with a fullness that enabled true union with the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel goes on to describe a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in which Jesus says, "No man has ascended to heaven except him who came down from heaven, even the Son of man who is in heaven." (John 3:13) In other words, we must seek Divine Union through the graces of our humanity in order to truly see, feel, and know God. To be a child of God is to seek the alignment that allows us full integration with the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps the best known passages on the idea of Jesus as the "only begotten son" derive from John 3. The first thing to keep in mind is that the gospel of John is the most esoteric in the Bible--because of its Gnostic edge, it nearly wasn't included in the official canonized books of the New Testament. If we interpret the Bible in a literal sense ... well, it doesn't make sense. This is particularly true for a mystical work such as the Gospel of John.
In John 3, we read about the story of Nicodemus, who acknowledged Jesus as "a teacher sent from God" (John 3:2, emphasis mine). This is an important piece to remember, since as children of God, all of us are sent from God ... our mission is to realize how to follow our divine path. As Mark Twain said, "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born ... and the day you find out why." In the purity of Jesus' devotion to Divine Will and authentic love, he embodied the knowledge of his God-given purpose with a fullness that enabled true union with the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel goes on to describe a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in which Jesus says, "No man has ascended to heaven except him who came down from heaven, even the Son of man who is in heaven." (John 3:13) In other words, we must seek Divine Union through the graces of our humanity in order to truly see, feel, and know God. To be a child of God is to seek the alignment that allows us full integration with the Holy Spirit.