Gods of the Bible -- Part Nineteen

2001-5-2 11:41:00

What Is God? -- Part Two

We have shown that the English word "God" is not a very accurate word to use for a translation of the ELOHIYM. Even "Gods" does not portray the precise meaning. The most correct description was given by Paul when talking about Christ. If Christ and the ELOHIYM are one as the Christian world believes then a description of Christ is a description of God.

Paul said: "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is THE SAME GOD which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to EVERY MAN to profit withal [...] (Then Paul names the gifts of the Spirit) [...] But all these worketh that ONE and selfsame Spirit, DIVIDING to EVERY man severally as he will. FOR AS THE BODY IS ONE, AND HATH MANY MEMBERS, and all the members of that one body (ELOHIYM), BEING MANY, ARE ONE BODY; SO ALSO IS CHRIST (ELOHIYM). For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, bond or free; and have been all made to drink into ONE SPIRIT. For the body (God or Christ) is not one member, but MANY...And if they were all one member, where were (is) the body? [... ] Now ye are the body of Christ (Gods or ELOHIYM), and members in particular." (1 Cor 12:4-7, 11-14, 19, & 27)

Jesus was not all the Christ there is for the Christ "is not one member, but MANY." He was, however, called "the head of the body." (Col 1:18)  There are many others of us who are Christed (or annointed) to do the works of God as his arms, legs, hands, and other parts of the body of God for there is only "that ONE and selfsame Spirit DIVIDING to every man...."

If we piece together this information with other Biblical statements about God we get an interesting picture. Jesus clearly said: "God is a Spirit." (John 4:24)  God is quoted as saying: "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" (Jer 23:24)  We are even told that he is in hell. (Psalms 139:8)  On the other hand, when Moses was speaking with Jehovah it is written: "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." (Exodus 33:11)  Abraham ate dinner with God, Jacob wrestled with him and defeated him, and Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and the judges in Israel were called Gods.

What does it all mean?

The answer is quite simple. God is one universal Spirit that fills all things and this One Spirit has divided (or multiplied depending on perspective) itself to "every man." When men and women are sensitive to this One Spirit and manifest it they then enter into the Kingdom of God and are called "Gods" or members of the ELOHIYM. In other words, they are members of the body of Christ as Jesus was: "And without controversy great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit." (1 Tim 3:16)

If Jesus "manifested" the God that was in him why can't we? After all, the "word" or Christ which is called an "it" in the Greek "was the true Light, which lighteth EVERY MAN that cometh into the world." (John 1:9)  If we manifest that true light of God then we join the body of Christ or the ELOHIYM and technically can be called Gods in the same reference as people in the Bible have been.

When man becomes a God he is not God in the sense that orthodox Christianity defines the term for they have gone astray of the Biblical presentation. They see New Age people wanting to be Gods according to an orthodox religious definition of him and such is not the case. No wonder they are somewhat alarmed at this idea for their God is a strong authority that is eager to zap everyone who opposes him.

Jesus set the correct example of the use of the powers of God. A certain city refused entrance to Jesus and his disciples, especially James and John were somewhat irritated and said to their Master: "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village." (Luke 9:54-56)

Many Christians do not realize what manner of Spirit they are for in their prayers many of them are praying for the day of fire when (as they think) the peace loving people who seek the God within will be destroyed. If they really want to follow Jesus they should seek to save rather than destroy those with differing beliefs.

On the other hand, everyone with a New Age consciousness is not perfect and a lot of them would like to see fundamentalists believers destroyed by earth changes or whatever means necessary. We must all remember: The Christ comes not to destroy, but to save.

Viewing God as one universal Spirit that has divided (or multiplied) itself into a body of "many members" throughout the universe explains many of the contradictory scriptures on God. The word "God" is used in a dual manner. By the first way of looking at it there is only one universal God that is omnipresent. In definition two, any being in the universe who is one with God and manifests the will of the One Universal Spirit is also God because we are seeing the One Great Life in action.

As we go through the Bible we can see that either God One or God Two will always be applicable. When God says he fills heaven and earth we are hearing God One. When he says that he is a Spirit which no man has ever seen we again have God One. On the other hand, when Abraham ate with God, Jacob wrestled with him and Moses spoke to him face to face we are seeing a reference to God Two. God Two is a very advanced man who has manifested God. Moses, Jesus and the judges in Israel also represented God Two. God One is God the unseen. God Two is God the seen.

Viewing God as a body with many members harmonizes the apparently contradictory scriptures and synthesizes God One and God Two into One God. His Spirit is one life that fills the universe and thus as a body he is one and there is no other beside him, but his body of manifestation has many members and these members are definitely more than one. As members of the body of God they do not fill heaven and earth, and have not created everything there is. Nevertheless, "He that is joined unto the Lord IS ONE SPIRIT." (1 Cor 6:17)  So in a sense then we can fill heaven and earth because all those who join with God (all the millions of them) "is ONE Spirit" and this One Spirit fills heaven and earth.

Joseph Smith said it very well: "The elements are the tabernacle of God; yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples." [Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) 93:35]

This concept is really quite simple to explain by looking at the functioning of our own bodies. The hand does not fill the whole body, but occupies a small volume of it, yet it partakes of the life force and blood supply which does fill the body. There is a constant circulation of this Spirit through the hand and the partaking of nourishment from the blood by the hand causes action that affects the well-being of the entire body.

The mouth is another member and may speak and use the personal pronoun "I," but it is not referring to itself alone, but the body as a whole which includes not only the mouth, but also the head and extends even to the hands and feet.

In the same way men, both mortal and immortal, have referred to themselves as God but they have occupied only a small part of the body of God. Nonetheless, they have partaken of and manifested that "ONE SPIRIT" that circulates through the entire body of God and fills all things. Thus they have access to all knowledge and all power and can say with Jesus: "All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth." (Matt 28:18)

The arm is a small portion of the body, but if the body decides it needs to lift a heavy object then all the power and force of the body cooperates with it. If we say with Jesus: "Not my will but Thine be done" we then join in the body of God and all the power of God in heaven and earth is behind us in carrying out the will of God, or the body of which we are a member.

We can thus sum up the concept of God as follows: The Spirit in man is one Spirit, but divides itself into many members and billions of cells and none of them could have life without the One Spirit in man. God is also One Spirit whose body is the universe and has divided itself into billions of members who share his consciousness.

The drop of water in the wave idea, as mentioned earlier, is another good way of looking at the whole concept of God.

  

-- End Of Part Nineteen --