Love does not require a sacrifice on the cross because Love simply forgives

 I think somebody will appreciate the invitation to think out of the box (tradition). Let's consider these questions.

Why would 'you' need grace from a God that is love? WHEN would LOVE have ever stopped loving? Are you sure that you have a clear understanding of what grace is all about? Love would simply forgive! NOT require a son on a cross!

These questions raise a pertinent point about grace because "grace" has often been used in a legalistic way in the christian circles. To some preachers, grace is like having a transaction with God, such as "God gives us his grace only when we give God our faith" or "God needs to punish Jesus to fulfill the law in order to give us his grace and forgiveness". That is not grace; that is legalism disguised as grace because the law is always conditional whereas grace is always unconditional.

Teachings that represent God/Jesus as a vindictive and vengeful divinity are actually anti-Christ because revenge and retribution are against his loving, gracious and non-violent nature. Jesus himself taught people not to return an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but to love their enemies. It is amazing to think how much the mainstream christian teachings that propagate a picture of a judgmental and vengeful Jesus have the gospel upside down that is contrary to his true nature.

The cross simply demonstrates Jesus' love, compassion and forgiveness. He had said "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do". If he had wanted revenge, he would have said something that was condemning.

Since God is love, and love keeps no records of wrong, then it does not make any sense for God to punish or require a sacrifice to atone for people’s wrongs. The “atonement for sin” theology therefore is man’s theology. I think Jesus came to help people repent (change their mindset) about God – that the idea of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” is not compatible with God’s love (which keeps no records of wrong), and that God’s heart is to love one’s enemies. He also came to show us that we are already innocent and perfect/complete, for the kingdom of God (innocence/righteousness, peace and joy) is within each of us.

This also answers the question “If God doesn’t require sacrifice for “sins”, then why did Jesus die on the cross?” because Jesus’ suffering and death was to demonstrate what Jesus himself taught in the sermon on the mount – he did not return an eye for an eye when he was beaten, and instead he blessed those who cursed him, and prayed for those who persecuted him. The cross is a demonstration of the love of God which keeps no records of wrong, and not to atone for so-called sins (which man-made religions have mistakenly taught).

I believe there are people who will appreciate the invitation to think out of the box and question religious traditions, so as to find their own freedom from any kind of bondage of fear and condemnation imposed by organised religions, and experience peace within themselves and with others.

Related posts

Once you start seeing The Love of God, Hell Won’t Make Sense ~Dr. Michel W. Jones
Progressive thoughts on why Jesus died on the cross and whether God’s justice is retributive or restorative

"Doomsday was never God's idea"

"Doomsday was never God's idea; it is a doctrine invented by religion to distract from the powerful message of the cross
Religion cannot bear the thought of an innocent world
That would make them lose both their power and their income"
- Francois Du Toit

I agree with his observation that religion is about power and money, so it is perhaps no wonder they invented the idea of doomsday to control people with fear and make money as well from the sales of their books, CDs, DVDs, etc about doomsday theories.

Yes, God's idea is never about doomsday, but about the unveiling of Christ in us the hope of glory - it is not about the destruction of the physical world but about the transition from the old world system of law and control to the new world system of grace and freedom. The message of the cross is indeed about dying to the old way of thinking and living in condemnation and conformity, and resurrecting to a new and higher way of thinking and living in peace and authenticity. The cross brings to end the illusion of separation and unites humanity as one family of God/Divine Unconditional Love.

God is love, and there is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear. For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

"Be still and know that I am God"

Freedom is the space for existence. Stillness is space for movement. Silence is space for sound. Darkness is space for light. Coldness is space for warmth. God is the freedom, the stillness, the space, the darkness, the silence, the coldness. God is the container, He is the unmanifested for without which the manifested could not exist. The space always was and always will be. We occupy this space whether we know it or not. We live inside God's body and if we stop and become present we will discover that inside every moment something is pointing to His existence. "Be still and know that I am God".

- Joshua Guild

This contemplative post reminds me of a quote I came across earlier in one of Facebook inspirational pages:

"The breath is the manna of the universe. Be still with the manna of your breath and know your soul."
Spiritual Awakenings

I have learnt that God is in the breath and is the breath because God is spirit and our breath is spirit. God is also grace (divine, perfect and unconditional love that is our true identity) and grace is the manna, and so every moment we breathe in grace, our manna. Like what the quote says, when we are still and breathe in awareness, we will know our soul.

Similarly, I like what the above post says about us stopping and becoming present and discovering that in every moment something points to God's existence. Come to think of it, this is true because God is all in all and there is nothing where God isn't and there is nowhere where God is absent. God is in our breath and in between the breaths we take. God is there when we inhale and when we exhale. God is present when we believe and when we doubt.

Like what Joshua Guild says, God is present in sound and in silence, in darkness and in light, in coldness and in warmth, in freedom and in existence. I think this aptly describes the mystery and mysticism of God that goes beyond traditional doctrines of religions that tend to portray a one-sided picture of God. Indeed, God is both the unmanifested and the manifested, as without darkness there would be no light. I think it is comforting to know God lives in those spaces of our life in which we used to think he was not present. Being still, then, causes us to know and acknowledge that God is ever present, every moment, in us, around us, with us and as us, and is always for us regardless of our state of knowing or awareness. Such is the love and faithfulness of God, our highest consciousness.

A grace perspective of Jesus

"God sent Jesus to join the human experience, which means to make a lot of mistakes. Jesus didn't arrive here knowing how to walk. He had fingers and toes, confusion, sexual feelings, and crazy human internal processes. He had the same prejudices as the rest of his tribe: he had to learn that the Canaanite woman was a person. He had to suffer the hardships and tedium and setbacks of being a regular person. If he hadn't, the Incarnation would mean nothing."
Anne Lamott ~ "Grace (Eventually)"

I agree with Anne Lamott's grace perspective of Jesus regarding the purpose of his incarnation, which is to be a human being and participate in the fullness of the human experience with all its affections, temptations and temperaments. These would include a full range of emotions and experiences such as boredom, tiredness, sexual arousal, prejudice, shortness of temper, and so on. If Jesus had not been so attuned to the inner voice of the heavenly father (his highest self), he would probably have done some harm to others, like any other human being.

I believe Jesus knew he couldn't be a perfect human being who is prim and proper in every way, and he chose not to put himself under the law, knowing he himself would be disqualified by the ridiculous demands of the law. For example, Jesus said if anyone says to a brother "you fool" in anger, he has committed murder, and if anyone looks at a woman with lust, he has committed adultery. Come to think of it, Jesus being a full-blooded human would have been guilty of both because he has indeed called the Pharisees names in anger, and he certainly would have been sexually attracted to women even though the bible made no mention of that. I think that's why Jesus chose to live by the heartbeat of love instead of the law because love does no harm to a neighbour. Hence, when he lived by the rhythm of love (also known as the unforced rhythm of grace), he got into trouble with the law because on a number of occasions, he broke the law by healing the sick on sabbath days out of his compassion for them.

Jesus is also able to sympathise with our weaknesses and feel what we feel because he was tempted in all things as a human being yet he was without sin (which I believe means that he did not forget his true identity even though he experienced temptations and failures/weaknesses - he held on to the truth that he remained a beloved son of God). Hence, when the Pharisees asked him to condemn the woman caught in adultery, he refused to do so and defended her, and later told her he did not condemn her (because he also did not condemn himself when he committed adultery in his heart) and he reminded her to go and sin no more (as in continue to remember she is still a beloved daughter of God and nothing will ever change her true identity and she can hold her head high and not allow herself to be suppressed or oppressed by religion).

It is therefore encouraging and empowering to see Jesus in the light of grace because he showed us how to be fully human and accept ourselves in the totality of our humanness with all our affections, emotions, temptations and temperaments.

Grace vs ethical rules

"There is a strong tendency within the church for people to extract and teach the ethical framework found in the Gospels. For instance, people might set up a community in which they attempt to live out principles such as giving to someone in need, turning the other cheek and living simply.
There are however a number of interrelated problems with this approach. Firstly it tends to generate guilt. In other words, the more that we hold up certain principles the worse we will feel when we fall short of them.
This leads to the second problem, namely repression. In order to deal with the guilt we will be more likely to avoid a direct confrontation with our failings. In this way we will tend to intellectually disavow what we are doing.
 ....
The trick is to create an atmosphere of love, grace and acceptance where people are not told what to do. Where people learn that heresy which claims that, while not everything is beneficial, everything is permissible. In other words, while there are destructive things we do, they can be brought to the light without fear of condemnation. In such an environment ethical acts will emanate from the body just as heat emanates from light. One will not have to be taught that they should look after their neighbour as if it were something that we need to be told, they will simply be more inclined to do so.
The desire to have ethical rules to follow tends to lead to the action they forbid. This causes the spiral into guilt, repression and disavowed symptoms. In contrast laying such ethical propositions to one side and learning to accept both ourselves and the other in grace opens up the path to what we have set aside."

- Peter Rollins (from "Stop Teaching the Ethics of Jesus!")

 I think Peter Rollins has touched on the core of the gospel, which is love, grace and acceptance, emphasising their supremacy over ethical rules. I learnt that whenever people focus on ethics, rules and principles, they are putting themselves under the law which only produces guilt, condemnation and repression. The more people try to live up to their perceived standard, the more they feel repressed and ashamed of their failures, and eventually the works of the flesh will manifest, such as envy, jealousy, outburst of wrath, and so on. Religious adherence to law and ethics may look impressive on the outside, but people are dying on the inside, by trying to stay on the performance treadmill.

Conversely, when people have a revelation of our true identity as love and perfection, made in God's image, there is no need for outward rules and regulations. We are guided by the spirit of love and grace within, even as we follow the bliss, living by the unforced rhythm of grace freely and lightly. We simply live life intuitively, not going by right or wrong, or the knowledge of good and evil. Even if we make mistakes here and there, we know there is no condemnation and we can simply pick ourselves up and dust ourselves and continue our journey while learning from our experiences. Our true identity remains the same, regardless of our performance, because we are forever innocent, righteous, perfect and blameless, and nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Our part is to keep resting and stop doing, so to speak. The more we rest in our true identity, the more our heart is established in grace, and we will not be tossed to and fro by legalistic or condemning teachings. 

Like what Peter Rollins wrote, people need to stay in an environment of love, grace and acceptance. There is no need to worry about behaviour modification because the more people are conscious of their true identity and how unconditionally loved they are, the more true and effortless transformation will take place from the inside out, and the fruit of the spirit will result - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control. Against such, there is no law. Such transformation takes place subconsciously without people having to try to do anything in order to become something. As we all with unveiled face behold the glory of the lord (our true identity as beloved, beautiful and blameless) we are being transformed from glory to glory into the same image, even by the spirit of grace within us and not by our own efforts. 

"Awake to your innocence and remember who you are. You are the music, you are the melody, you are the song. You are a workmanship created in love." - HM

Spiritual interpretation of the scripture

Any god whether it be a Yahweh, an Allah, a Jesus, a Mother, or a Father is a manifestation of the subconscious mind to establish security in a perceived 'unsettling' world. I am Yahweh, the God-Man standing, Allah is my anatomy (Arm, Leg, Leg, Arm, Head), Jesus is my Self-deliverance from Sin (ie, the lower nature). My brain is Mother and Father (Right and left); the Mother being my creative nature; the Father being my analytical mind. It's all me playing 'hide-and-go-seek' on myself. — with Silas Rodriguez.

I agree with my best friend on the spiritual interpretation of the passage from the scripture about "honouring one's father and mother, that it may go well with you" that it is actually about honouring both sides of our brain - the creativity and intuitive aspect as well as the logical and analytical aspect of our brain. Indeed, the letter (literal interpretation) kills (or condemns), but the Spirit (metaphysical interpretation) gives life.

On a similar note, it occurred to me recently that the passage in 1 Corinthians about honouring God in our body and in our spirit is meant to be interpreted spiritually as well. Committing spiritual adultery is to be under the law (system of do's and don'ts). Hence, we are exhorted to stay under grace and be attuned to our true identity in Christ, that is not attached to any label or false identity such as prostitutes or murderers. Our true identity is divine unconditional Love, which is eternal and will never change. Yes, it is interesting to see scriptures in a new light that brings freedom, hope and life into our life.

Nuggets of encouragement (Feb 2011)

The more we talk and meditate about the gospel, the more we are conscious of and walk in the victory and freedom Jesus has accomplished for us at the cross.

God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit share with us the same divine nature of love and non-violence.

Emmanuel - God is always with us and He has equipped us with everything we need to prosper and have good success.

God gives His beloved sleep.

What is desired in a man is kindness, grace and mercy.

Keep expecting good things to happen, for surely His goodness and love chase my beloved and I and our family down all the days of our life.

Jesus is wild and untamable - He is the epitome of power, love and sound mind. It's fun and exciting to flow with him.

Allow ourselves to be pampered and cared for by the Lord, and He will give us the prayer of our belief system.

God's ways are ways of grace and mercy.

We are God's poetry in motion, created for his pleasure.

Jesus came to redeem us from identity crisis, and restores to us our original blueprint of His image and glory.

With humility comes wisdom and honour. God gives grace to the lowly.

Jesus came to serve. We are blessed serving, ministering and building up one another.

We are defenders of the weak, comforters of the weary and healers of the oppressed.

We live by your grace. We rest in your all-sufficient grace. Your strength is made perfect in weakness.

We create as we speak - blessings and glory and honour and goodness and love!

Speak to the rock about who we are in Christ and what we have in Christ.

God is one with us. He does not dwell in duality.

Redemptive imagination about our oneness with God is the power to heal the world with peace and love.

Today we choose life by putting on the mind of Christ by aligning our thoughts with God's, and we will live the abundant life.

Our strength is to lift up the weak, and our wisdom is to set the oppressed free. We are blessed to be a blessing.

Enlightenment. Awakening. Realising we are all one with God in Christ and there is no duality.

Dare to speak our mind for liberty's sake. Don't care what people think. Don't let the seed of blessings die unborn. We create what we speak.

When we are flowing with love, joy and peace, others are also set free from oppression and bondage.

The best things in life aren't things. We can do no big things; only small things with a big heart.

We may be only one person to the world, but we can be the world to one person.

True freedom is found in serving faithfully my loved ones - that's blessed captivity.

Angry preaching comes from angry preachers

 "Angry preaching comes from angry preachers. If you attend a church where the preacher fusses and fumes and yells at the congregation you should consider leaving it because you the listener are not being respected. No one should be yelled at. Respect yourself and your family enough to not subject yourself to it.

If you want to snuff out the flame in someone's heart, tell them what the Bible says about their mistake. Tell them "I told you so!" Tell them how God hates what they did. And when you're done you will have taken what little spark of a life there was left and turned it into a smoldering ember nearly extinguished" Scott Livengood

Judgment and condemnation always kill life whereas understanding and compassion will always nurse life back to health.
~ Skip Newby

 "A preacher can be disrespectful without yelling too. Those are the sneaky ones".EDK

I  agree with Scott Livengood, Skip Newby and EDK - angry and/or disrespectful preachers are to be kept at a distance for the sake of our peace and dignity, so that we are not subject to their abuse. We would rather be where there is gentleness and compassion instead of judgment and condemnation. The letter (literal interpretation of scripture and law of telling people do's and don'ts)
kills and condemns, but the Spirit (symbolism and unconditional love and grace of unveiling our true identity of beauty and perfection) gives life and builds people up. May we continue to follow the
unforced rhythm of grace and rest in the kingdom of heaven within,  even as we love the religious people from afar.

 For myself I can say, that if there is a God, and he is such a being as [the Universalist] describes, I can bow before him and give him all my heart. He says God is love, made the world in love, and in perfect wisdom, and well adapted to serve the divine purpose.

He then made a family, all of them have sinned, and some of them have fallen very low, but God is determined, according to [the Univers alist], to stand by His family, every one of them, let come what will come, till he makes all of them respectable.

This standing by His family, as every true Father ought to do, is what I like in [the Universalist's] idea of God. But if there is a God, and he has created a family and will at last turn against most of them, and in burning wrath cast them into Hell forever, as [traditional Christianity] describes, I should hate him—he is not as good as I am, for I propose to stand by my family and every member of it for as long as I live. It is an insult to ask me to love and worship a God who is guilty of doing what we would detest in an earthly father. –Robert Ingersoll

 Yes, like what Robert Ingersoll said, a loving God (according to universalists) is a true Father who loves his family unconditionally and stands by them come what may, and is worthy of our worship and admiration. But a vengeful god (according to traditional christianity) who consigns most of his family to eternal torture is not worthy of our attention and respect - I would say that kind of god is only a mental projection of the human ego or shadow.

We know that Jesus came to reveal who the true Father is, for we who has seen him has seen the Father - one who is kind, gracious and compassionate. We also understand that those who hold on to the idea of a mean, vengeful god are also mean and condemning to others because that is their worldview that causes them to behave that way. Hence, Jesus had prayed for the Father to forgive such people, for they knew not what they were doing, for indeed in their unconscious state, they did not know what they were doing. They probably didn't know how much harm they caused when
they quoted bible verses to judge or condemn people because they thought they were serving god, when actually they were serving their ego. (Paul used to persecute others thinking he was serving god, until he encountered the grace of Christ.) As for us, we will continue to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves when dealing with religious people,

Be aware of how you feel at all times

"Be aware of how you feel at all times. Your feelings will point out where the subconscious blockages of pain are."-Jason Hairston

 I suppose being aware of how we feel at all times is part of living and being in the present moment, practising mindfulness and meditation. We can watch our feelings pass by, just as we observe our thoughts come and go, like passing clouds in the sky, without necessarily engaging or acting upon our thoughts or feelings. Our feelings may or may not be validated, depending on how we perceive things, since I learnt that life is a matter of perception. I am not sure what the quote meant by subconscious blockages of pain - if they refer to guilt and regrets about the past, I would say it is only human to experience such feelings, since we all tend to do some self-reflection and wish we could have done something better (I tend to do self-evaluation from time to time, such as in the area of my work). 

 I believe even as we embark on this inner journey, it is also good to remember that our past - whether shortcomings or achievements - does not define us since our true identity is based on that which is unchanging and eternal - beloved, blameless, beautiful and perfect spiritual beings on a human journey - we are here to have a human experience. This is how we can reconcile to our highest self (the Father) whenever we come home and remember who we really are and awake to our innocence, being embraced in divine unconditional love. Being aware of our feelings at all times thus becomes a meditation practice in which we make peace with ourselves, and experience inner bliss. 

As the verse goes, "Having been made righteous by faith (awakening to our true identity of innocence and perfection and wholeness), we have peace with God (our highest self) through our Lord Jesus Christ (representative of our human race, our true identity), in whom we have access in this grace (divine favour) through faith." We can continue to expect wonderful things to happen to us because we are beloved and precious children of the universe.

"Behold, now is the day of salvation. Now is the time of favour." Every day is a good day because we are accepted in the Beloved.

Daily Meditation: Signposts on the Way to God

 How do we know about God's love, God's generosity, God's kindness, God's forgiveness?  Through our parents, our friends, our teachers, our pastors, our spouses, our children ... they all reveal God to us.  But as we come to know them, we realise that each of them can reveal only a little bit of God.  God's love is greater than theirs; God's goodness is greater than theirs;  God's beauty is greater than theirs.

At first we may be disappointed in these people in our lives.  For a while we thought that they would be able to give us all the love, goodness, and beauty we needed.  But gradually we discover that they were all signposts on the way to God.
- Henri Nouwen

I think this is a gracious view of the various people in our lives, including pastors. I have come to see that while I can be grateful for pastors who have contributed in my life, in terms of preaching the gospel of grace and unveiling God as our loving Father, I am also learning to see them as humans who are subject to fallibility.

As I am growing and learning new things beyond mainstream christianity, I have grown out of my former church pastor's teachings. When I look back at the institutional church system from the outside, I begin to see that it has pros and cons. The upside is that it favours those who are part of the system, as the members get to enjoy the privilege of fellowship. The downside is that it draws a clear distinction between those who are "in" and those who are "out" of the system.

For example, those who do not subscribe to a particular church system's teachings are seen as "apostates" or "heretics". This is especially so if the church institution leaders are insecure and feel threatened by what is seen as a challenge to their "authority".

Secondly, megachurch pastors tend to be regarded as celebrities, who are usually too busy or important to address queries and needs of the church members. They would usually delegate the tasks to their appointed leaders and deacons. While having a busy schedule is understandable, we can't help remembering Jesus for being different from most megachurch pastors. Jesus made time for everyone, regardless of their social status, whether be they Roman centurions or fishermen or widows or Samaritans.  Jesus sees and treats everyone as equal.

Thirdly, I have ceased to be reliant on church pastors to feed me with daily manna. Maybe the fivefold ministry of apostles, evangelists, teachers, preachers and pastors are only applicable in the old covenant system of law during Paul's time in the first century AD. Once the new heavens and new earth began in AD70, as the new covenant of grace took effect, we no longer need a preacher to teach us about God. After all, the new covenant said "None shall teach his neighbour 'Know the Lord', for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest."

Therefore, everyone knows God intuitively. Everyone can listen to the still, small voice of God for himself or herself. We may learn from others when they share their insights about God and their encounters with God, but we can only truly experience God for ourselves.

I have come to see the danger of depending solely on a preacher to share about God because we can become confined to or restricted by the preacher's own theological box. Besides, by doing so, we would be subjecting ourselves to the mood swings and emotional experiences and religious sensibilities of the preacher. What if the preacher gets up one Sunday morning and decides that God is displeased with him about something, and he starts to preach a message that focuses on sin management? This will invariably affect the minds and emotions of the listeners.

Fourthly, megachurch pastors are probably more susceptible to becoming a victim of their own success, so to speak, if we were to measure success by their popularity, compared to pastors of smaller ministries and denominations. Some of them may have started well when they preach grace at the expense of themselves being criticised by more legalistic preachers. But the moment they become well-known, they may become addicted to fame and recognition.

What happens when people around the world experience spiritual awakening and start questioning traditional doctrines on the literal hell, rapture, literal second coming of Christ and penal substitutionary theory of the cross? Are the same pastors willing to bear the costs of exploring these questions and display intellectual honesty to admit they might be mistaken in their interpretation of the Bible if they were to consider certain principles, such as time references, audience relevance and symbolism used in the Bible? The costs of being intellectually honest may include being ostracised by the mainstream church circles, losing support of their peers, losing church membership, being labelled as heretics, and experiencing their own spiritual crisis, not to mention the risk of losing their regular income in the process, along with their comfortable lifestyles.

"There are few things more dangerous than inbred religious certainty.”
― Bart D. Ehrman 

At the same time, I do not want to come across as being judgmental, because as the saying goes, when I judge someone, it reflects more about me than about the other person. Besides, if I were to be in their shoes, would I be certain I would not have made similar decisions and faced similar dilemmas? I have been "unconscious" myself in the past as I was also involved in mainstream christianity for several years, and I used to think such church doctrines and programmes were "normal".

Then again, I would not be true to myself if I were to close my eyes to what is happening in the world today. Maybe there is a fine balance between making an observation and making a judgment. By being aware of what is happening, and by questioning the status quo, I may be helping both myself and others to come to terms with the whys behind the whats. In this case, I am questioning why the church institutional systems, particularly mega church institutions, are continuing to function the way they do (as corporate entities) and the preachers seem unwilling to question doctrines that are based on the illusion of separation (such as literal hell and literal second coming of Christ and sin and penal substitution). Perhaps this is a question only the preachers can answer for themselves honestly.

As for me, I am still growing and evolving. I have come to a place where I think everyone needs to have the freedom to explore spirituality on their own and come to their own conclusion. Each of us is a mystic, and we are our own preachers. We are our own pastors. We don't need to rely on someone else to pastor us or save us. We are our own saviours. We don't need any external saviours.

We are saved by grace through faith, yes, and yet grace is not separate from us. We are saved daily by our own repentance (change of mind to believe the gospel). We are saved by our own thoughts and beliefs about who we really are - Christ in us the hope of glory.

The implanted Word that is able to save our souls is not an entity separate from ourselves. We are the implanted Word. We are the good news. We are the mirror image of our Beloved, in whom we live and move and have our being. As we behold our true divine Self, we are being transformed into His same image from glory to glory.

Peace and blessings.

Related post:
Our Purpose - Joshua Guild

Nuggets of encouragement (Jan 2011)

We are all God's beloved children, in whom He is well pleased and delighted. We are all complete and fulfilled and blessed in Christ.

His mercies are new every morning. Enjoy the gift of the present. Don't regret the past or worry about the future.

Jesus' presence is always in the present. He is our I Am.

God's unmerited favour is found in the present.

Preaching to ourselves helps renew our mind too.

Jesus, hide us under the shadow of your wings, and keep us as the apple of your eye.

(Expecting favour on royalties.:)

Jesus is our right place, right time. He is our favour, our restoration, our rest.

Jesus is the high priest of our confession. His hand of blessings always gives grace to us His people.

We receive abundance of grace to reign in life as we cast our cares on Him, for we gives grace to the humble.

We sought the Lord and He heard us and delivered us from all our fears. He speaks shalom to our situation and restores our soul.

Keep hearing the ram's horm proclaiming Jesus' work has been finished. (Jewish perspective)

Have a different spirit of faith. Take heed what and how we hear. We believe, therefore we speak.

Change the course of destiny for the better by speaking words of blessings.

His grace (unmerited favour) is sufficient for us; His strength is made perfect in weakness.

We are forgiven much, because Jesus (our true self) loves us much.

It is the goodness and kindness of God (our highest self) in His consuming fire of love that leads us to repentance (change of mind to believe the good news of grace and peace).

God gives grace to the humble who are casting all our cares on Him, for He cares for us.

Guard the finished work of Jesus because only His finished work works.

God wants us to eat from the tree of life and live by His unmerited favour.

Our happy God richly gives us ALL things to enjoy.

We are created for love. Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends.

Enjoy and rejoice in the Lord (our true identity) always.

With Jesus in the centre of our lives, everything remains whole and integrated.

Jesus is more than willing to bless and prosper and make us whole. Lord, your blessings be upon us as you will.

We can experience God's best every single day. He (our highest self) is God of more than enough!

God's grace and goodness is ever flowing bountifully and freely in our life, regardless of our performance.

What is desired of a man is kindness.

Enjoy heaven on earth on our way to heaven.

In Christ, we are healthy. We walk knowing we are healthy and whole.

We know our God is God of more than enough. We can experience His best every single day, every moment.

God (our cosmic consciousness) wants us blessed more than enough. Hallelujah.

Let not the Word sown in our heart be stolen or choked by cares of this life.

At all times, we will bless Him, His praise shall be in our mouth, our soul makes its boast in the Lord.

Dec 2010 Grace Nuggets (Think About His Love)

Grace is always supplying because love is always giving.

The best way to experience God’s blessings is to enjoy the Lord every moment. Never feel rushed, stressed or pressurised. Rest in God’s grace who is always supplying to us.

It doesn't matter how much theology we know. It's how much we are willing to believe and receive God's oversupplying love and grace and enjoy our blessedness in Christ.

You are our hiding place. You shall preserve us from trouble; You shall surround us with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:7)

God has made us masterpieces, created in His glorious image.

"I love my Master, my wife and my children. I will not go out free", for true freedom is found in a loving family relationship.

 It is His (and our) joy, pleasure and glory to overlook a transgression. (Proverbs 19:11)

We are a new creation in Christ, made in His glorious image, a masterpiece beloved and whole, blessed to be a blessing.

Remove condemnation and the outward symptoms will disappear.

Expect good because God's favour is on us in Christ.

It is the goodness and kindness of God that leads us to repentance (change our mind to believe the good news of grace). Keep expecting to experience His goodness!

Surely goodness and love shall chase us down all the days of our life and we will dwell in Christ (or Christ consciousness) forever!

Create a beautiful world and glorious future with positive words of faith.

God (our highest Self) sees us all holy, righteous, blameless and above reproach. We are beloved and valuable in Christ.

Experiencing the perfect love of God casts out every fear, and faith becomes operative.

"Think about His love, think about His goodness, think about His grace that brought us through."

"For as high as the heavens above, so great is the measure of our Father's love. Great is the measure of our Father's love."

The revelation of the gospel is the revelation of the fullness of Christ in every one of us.

 Love life and see good days, and speak positive words of faith and blessings.

The Spirit love of God perseveres and sustains soul love, as in the marriage between Christ and the church.

"In the light of the king's face is life, and his favour is like the latter rain."

It's all about Jesus (our true identity) and His finished work because He and us are One. He loves us so much.

See one another as finished and perfect workmanship in Christ. We are blooming wherever we are planted.

Expect the favour of God (cosmic consciousness) wherever we go. It is our Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom (righteousness/innocence, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit within us) where all our needs are met.

Jesus is love in action. He came to serve and give His life for us. He (our true Self) continues to live in and through us.

We are believers in Christ who live by His indwelling life.

Every day is Today for us to enter into rest. Jesus is our today, our rest.

Jesus always sees us His bride without spot, wrinkle or any such thing because as He is, so are we in this world.

Life begins when we realise who we are in Christ.

Nuggets of encouragement (October 2010 archive)

"Much more we who receive abundance of grace (free divine favour) and the gift of righteousness (our true identity as Love and Innocence) will reign in life through Jesus Christ."

"The Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not be in want. He wants us lie down in green pastures. He leads beside still, quiet waters. He restores our soul. He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Surely goodness and love shall chase us all the days of our life. And we will dwell in the house of the Lord (in our higher consciousness) forever."

"The way God corrects people is to give them revelations of Jesus (being their true identity), not condemning them but lifting them up."

"We are transformed when Jesus (the law) is read and we see His glory (grace and mercy reflected in us) unveiled in the Scriptures."

"You can pray for anything (to your highest Self), and if you can believe that you've received it, it will be yours. Mark 11:24 God has made us victorious."

"When we know and receive the riches of Christ (the truth of who we are), we will experience and manifest the fullness of God as a corporate body of Christ (the whole Universe)."

"Broaden your horizons. Set your sights higher."

"People who are not under law (performance-based system) live long because they are not sin-conscious (or lack-conscious). Stay under grace."

"The blessing of the Lord makes us rich and He adds no sorrow or painful toil to it."

"The glory of Jesus (the personification of Love, whom we all are) is to overlook a transgression (and seeing only our own perfection and beauty)."

"Arise, shine, for our light has come." :) (We are the Light!)

"I love my Master, my wife and my children. I will not go out free. I shall serve my Master (our true Self - our divine Oneness) forever."

"Life is precious. Use time and money to love people."

"Use our words to create a bright future."

"Truth spoken with grace makes people feel warm and accepted (because truth is always about unconditional love who believes the best of us)."

"Thank You Abba You have gone ahead of us to prepare each day, and it is a blessed day." :)

Thank You Lord Jesus (our true Self) You daily load us with benefits."

"When we are physically and mentally rested, the promptings of the Spirit become sharper."

"He (our old Adamic identity) was chastised for our peace. He (our true identity) established us in the new covenant of peace. When we believe this, we shall be led forth with peace." (Isaiah 53-55)

"People may not remember what we say, but they will remember how we make them feel welcomed and loved. Kind actions out of the overflow of Love speak volumes." (Luke 7 and John 12)

"Some things are universal, for example, meditation, sowing and reaping. But lasting peace and grace and agape love and rest for the conscience and completeness is found only in Jesus (Christ), our true identity."

Our heavenly Father gives us power to get wealth, that HE may establish His covenant of grace."

If spirituality be your food of love, pray on

Indian nasi briyani, anyone? :)

Many of us who used to be in the grace-universalist-preterist-progressive Christianity circles have embarked on our own spiritual journey that goes beyond the confines of mainstream Christianity. For example, a Facebook friend who used to consider herself an evangelical Christian fundamentalist has embraced a kind of Hindu mysticism, though according to her, her current belief system is not affiliated to any particular branch of Christianity or ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).

It is good to see people embarking on different spiritual journeys to discover God for ourselves in our own ways. I've come to see the various religions or belief systems as merely a stepping stone - a finger pointing to the moon - and then, we are off on our own in search for the truth within our heart.

I think a revelation of grace and an understanding of our oneness of God is essential so that in the process of exploring other belief systems, we continue to guard our heart against anything that might be legalistic or propagate a sense of separation from God. Life is a more colourful and exciting adventure when we revel in our freedom to discover our true Self in various paths - after all, we know God/Unconditional Love transcends boundaries, and no one belief system has a monopoly on God/Love.

Love is perhaps so vast and multifaceted, that it takes a multitude of belief systems and philosophies to express its infinite varieties of colours and music. Our search and experience in life and spirituality will be personal and meaningful, and our communion with others will be interesting as we learn from one another's insights and experiences. It's like eating from a huge buffet, and yet having our own customised diet best suited for our needs at the same time.

I borrowed the above analogy of food and spirituality/religion from Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Living Buddha, Living Christ" where he wrote "To me, religious life is life. I do not see any reason to spend one's whole life tasting just one kind of fruit. We human beings can be nourished by the best values of many traditions."

Summary of the gospel of grace from preterist-universalist and mystical perspectives

Here is a summary of the preterist-universalist view of the gospel of grace that I have been learning about the past couple of years, though my mindset has continued to evolve from this view some time last year to embrace a more metaphysical view, that includes gnostic or mystical aspects (such as interpreting God as our highest self, rather than a separate entity).

"Hell" can mean grave (Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek), which also has a metaphorical meaning of "hidden". So hell/hades can symbolise ignorance or amnesia (of our oneness with God, and of our true divine identity).

"Gehenna" - Jesus was referring to the garbage dump in Jerusalem (Ge - valley; henna - Hinnom; the Valley of Hinnom). Metaphorically, it symbolises the condemnation that the Jews experienced in their conscience during the tribulation, because they (mistakenly) thought their "god" was punishing them when the Roman army attacked their city.

The "Last Days", as I understand it, was referring to the end of the Old Covenant Age - the end of the Jewish religious system, the end of the law system. It also symbolises the end of the law mindset (doing in order to become), thereby the end of the separation mindset.

The ministry of reconciliation, as I understand it, is about God (our highest self) reconciling to ourselves through our true identity - Christ Jesus. To me, to be reconciled with God is to be reconciled with our true divine self, with the Universe - there is no more enmity or inner battles or condemnation in our own mind or consciousness - so we are completely at peace with ourselves.

There is no so-called future hell or lake of fire to be saved from. The lake of fire has already happened in AD70. The old identity in Adam (that was attached to external circumstances or performance) has already been done away, and it signified the end of condemnation. The only thing for people today is to awaken to their true identity (in Christ), or as spiritual beings on a human journey.

So that's my view in a nutshell in this stage of my journey. I think even the word "Christ" is not necessary for awakening - it is probably just specific to the Judeo-christian culture in the Middle East. Buddha or Krishna etc will do just fine as well - as long as it is about awakening to our true divine nature of Unconditional Love and Light in every one of us. :)

Nuggets of encouragement (September 2010)

 
Jesus (our true identity) is the radiance of God's glory, the perfect expression of His grace, truth and love.

Marriage is about we, us and ourselves and Jesus (our true self and origin) in our midst. :)

It is the goodness and kindness of God (our highest self) that leads us to repentance (changing and renewing of mindset) - He (the divine) is ever blessing us. Keep expecting His goodness and grace!

Believe the best in people - don't focus on faults. Let God (the divine universal love) change us as we focus on loving and building up with grace.

Every step of the way, whatever we are doing, we praise the Lord (our true self), for He is GOOD and His love endures forever.

Preach the Word - Jesus and His finished work (ascension with all of us in higher consciousness of love and unity) - in season and out of season.

God (our highest self) has chosen the weak (as appeared in the natural) to confound the mighty (seeming illusion).

Keep appreciating what we do have because we have everything we need - we are complete and powerful. :)

Every step of the way, our heavenly Father (Unconditional Love) loves us and thinks good thoughts towards us.

Every breath we take, God's lovingkindness and tender mercies surround us and embrace us.

We are whole, complete, blessed!

Take time to meditate and feed on the love of Christ (our true identity and origin) who reconciles the universe (You-niverse) to our true self.

In Christ (Love), we live and move and have our being.

Keep expecting good things to happen because we are one with Christ and co-heirs with Him.

Our God (highest self, Unconditional Love, Universe) shall supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (our true identity).

Nuggets of encouragement (August 2010)

We are not just a face in the crowd. We are favoured children of God. We are a precious blessing wherever we go, bringing refreshing and peace and joy and acceptance.

Jesus is meek and lowly, noble and honourable, gracious and compassionate and full of mercy - and so are we in this world!

Prioritise rest as rest is our greatest responsibility.

Expect the favour of God to work in our life, health, relationships, finances, work today because God treats all of us as Jesus.

Speak blessings because our tongue is like the rudder of the ship, setting the course of our destiny. :)

Keep sowing, keep blessing, and God will bring a harvest in people's lives.

The more we talk about and meditate on the truth of "Christ in us, the hope of glory". the more it becomes a living tangible reality in our lives because what we are conscious of will ultimately manifest. :)

"Rest in the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will make your ways come to pass."

Appreciate what we have because God (our highest self) has blessed us with so much, with the best for us. Thank You, Abba!

When God (our highest self) makes it happen, it's beautiful and effortless. "Commit your ways to Him and He will bring it to pass."

Build our consciousness on Christ by spending time to behold His glory and grace. Children are naturally righteousness-conscious.

God (our highest self) is pleased with us all the time because He sees us in the perfection of His Son (our true identity).

Heaven (our highest consciousness) is where Jesus (our true self) is - His love makes a difference.

Jesus is our perfect representative, and since His thoughts are holiness to the Lord, we are accepted before God (our highest self).

The more we rest, the more we see God's grace in our lives. :)

Jesus is our perfect representative, and we are a reflection of His glory and goodness.

Knowing we are God's beloved gives us dominion in life (over death and condemnation and fear).

God favours us and has crowned and encircled us with glory and honour.

Small acts of kindness are powerful seeds of God's love to help others succeed in life.

"I stand, I stand in awe of You (our highest self). You are marvellous beyond description, too wonderful for words."

God has made us sufficient to be a minister of the new covenant, ministering grace and peace, life and righteousness and no condemnation to people.

Be ourselves, for God has made us unique and complete in Christ.

Jesus (our true identity) is lion and lamb, majesty and meekness, mighty to save yet lowly to serve.

Jesus (our true self) came not to be served but to serve (willingly, out of revelation of kingship and sonship), and give His life as a ransom for many (to redeem ourselves from the illusion of separation and fear).

Jesus is our joy; we don't have to do anything to become joyful.

Taichi and the gospel of grace

I think taichi is the art of converting any opposing force into the energy of love. The practice seeks to understand that the other is attacking from the place of feeling wounded because people who are hurting tend to hurt others. Similarly, Jesus is the taichi master who sees all our hurts and wounds, and transforms the ashes into beauty. He willingly laid down His life so that our old, wounded and fragmented self can be buried with Him, and we are raised with Him in our new, resurrected and glorious self.

The Pharisees sought to kill Jesus because they were hurting inside. They knew not what they were doing when they wanted to crucify Him and mocked at Him. Instead of seeking to placate them or take revenge on them, Jesus sought their highest good and prayed for the Father - the God in them - to forgive them so that they would not suffer from guilt and condemnation later on.

Jesus is said to be a lucid representation of our true identity, who came to reconcile us to ourselves, or rather, our highest self, also known as God our heavenly Father. The heavenly places is not so such a physical location as it is our highest consciousness. Jesus came down from heaven - from our highest consciousness - to where we were in our blindness - and opened the eyes of our heart and see with our inner vision the reality of our identity.

Personal devotional thoughts (July 2010)

There is nothing more fulfilling than being preoccupied with the knowledge of Christ (who is our true identity) in all His fullness.

God (our highest self) is love and love keeps no records of wrongs, and love never fails.

Thank You Lord (our higher consciousness and our true self), for Your lovingkindness is better than life.

Faith is having a good opinion of God (who is our highest self, who takes care of even the minutest detail in our lives).

Give thanks in everything because of His grace and our worth (our original design and value).

Rest in the Lord (our higher consciousness) and wait patiently for Him.

Jesus (our true identity) is in the present (I Am). Peace and joy is found in encountering Him in the simplest things in life. :)

God's presence is found in the present.

Focus on living in the present, for He (our love consciousness) takes care of the future.

We experience life and victory when we focus on Jesus (our true identity) and meditate on His goodness and love.

The more we know Jesus (our true identity who is beloved and complete), the more grace and peace is multiplied in our lives.

Righteousness is not based on what we do. Righteousness (or innocence) is based on who we are because Christ (our true origin and identity) is our righteousness (and innocence).

We are all complete in Christ and the beloved of the Father (our highest self).

As Jesus is, so are we in this world. See eveyone through His eyes of love and wisdom.

A life of being under grace is a life of thanksgiving for God's constant supply (within us).

As Jesus is healthy and strong and favoured, so are we in this world, and the Holy Spirit (our inner witness in our heart) bears witness with the truth.

Every time we worship God (our true self - feeling good about who we are), we are redeeming the time.

As our days, so shall our strength and rest be. Every day, we are growing stronger, healthier and more youthful. :)

Grace as a Living Reality

I have been reflecting recently that while there is a place for preaching the gospel of our inclusion in Christ, there is perhaps a greater importance and significance of living out the gospel in real life. When we make others feel appreciated and welcomed, regardless of their race or belief system or background, etc, we are actually indirectly proclaiming the gospel and telling them that they are precious and valuable, without necessarily using gospel language or bible words like Jesus or salvation. I will continue to meditate and munch on this food for thought as I also realise that for grace to be grace, it needs to be inclusive and a living reality.

"Always preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and IF NECESSARY USE WORDS." - St Francis of Assisi