The Word
The Word
Posted on January 8, 2016 by Rev. Jim Yeaw • Leave a comment
In the beginning was the Word,[a] and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
This is a key scripture in Christian tradition giving us some idea as to the first century concept of God. The writer of John uses the term, “In the beginning.”
We can really only think in terms of time, but God, being timeless, has no beginning. We as eternal souls and as spiritual beings also are eternal. So, “in the beginning” was originally expressed, in Aramaic terms, as brasheeth, a single word meaning timeless or measureless or “before time was reckoned.”[1]
So, the Word existed before time was counted. The Word is the Semitic term, miltha or the Greek term, logos. There is no equivalent in English, so the term “Word” was used. Charles Fillmore in Mysteries of Genesis,[2] states that “Word” denotes wisdom, judgment, power, and in fact all the inherent potentialities of Being. These attributes of God are, in fact, the creative power of God that is our creative power. It includes our creative energy expressed through thought, through intention, and through desire.
In Vedic texts of Hinduism, the same word is Aum or Om, which is considered as the word that represents all life potential or vital force. In English the word is Am or more commonly, I AM. Whenever we see the word, “Word”, we know that it implies the name of God:
In the beginning was the I AM
And the I AM was with God
And the I AM was God.
How many of us pause to consider this name of God? For isn’t it our name as well? This name speaks of our mystical connection. We have forgotten…
It has been over 2,000 years since Jesus walked the earth, speaking of the Kingdom of Heaven within. He, in the Gospel of John, used the words I AM over and over again.[3] Jesus’ words, the word “God”, and the scriptures themselves have been altered, misused and mistranslated over and over again. It is time to make an evolutionary leap in consciousness that will bring unity and clarity to all spiritual teachings. That is the purpose of the Christ[4] – to bring the name and nature of God to life in the hearts of all. In order to do this, it is necessary to heal any part of ourselves that feels, in essence, different from and potentially less than the man known as Jesus. This is true for any spiritual guide that you look to, be it Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed… These words many surprise you, but it is exactly what Jesus taught:[5]
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that believeth, the works that I do shall he do also;
and greater works than these shall he do…
How can we do that? We must believe Jesus more than we believe in our limitations. Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God here and now and within. We call this realm many things: the Tao, the Void, the Rigpa,[6] God, Source… On and on go the words that are used in an attempt to express that which lies beyond our perceived limitations. The Infinite cannot be contained in a word, a name, or many names any more than our essence can be totally conveyed by our name.
When it comes to words, humanity still wants to associate a state of ultimate peace and fulfillment with the word “God”. Consequently this is the most highly charged of all words. It carries every confused vision, every misconception, yet every hope of humankind.
Is God outside of you, inside of you, or all around you? Is God a person or a power? A fantasy or a reality. God may be a name for nothingness, as in some Buddhist beliefs. God is represented as a single man according to some Christian beliefs and as every man by the Hindus. God is silence for the Taoists and sound to the Vedic seers.
God evokes a state of peace for some, and to others, God is a legitimate reason for war.
God has been described as a powerful creator and as meek as a lamb.
The planet earth is God for the native peoples and everything except the physical realm for some New Age thinkers.
The Tantrists find God through sex, yet Catholic priests seek God through chastity.
Why such confusion? Why such disagreement?
In truth, all are correct. God is without an opposite or opposition. God is the manifest universe and also the unmanifest potential of all life. God is exempt from nothing and excludes self from nothing. Not for any reason. Not ever.
How can we remove the encrusted, disfigured concept of the word “God” so as to reveal its innermost truth? If we could fully and clearly convey the complete, indisputable truth of that one three-lettered word and have it be the truth of every heart, all seeking and suffering would cease. If it has been achieved in you, it is not because of that word, it is because of your readiness to feel the truth to which the word points. Awareness does not come through the thoughts the word evokes. Awareness is a felt experience; an experience of God.
We say God, Goddess, All that Is, the Self, Consciousness, Energy, Being, Mahatma, Yahweh, Jehovah, Rigpa, I Am Presence, the Void, Isness, Oneness, Spirit, Tao, You, Me, Love, Light, Us, We, I, He, Her. All these words point to God.
God is the word we use most often to describe all that we do not understand. Once we understand something, we stop calling it God. We used to call a flash of light from the sky a sign of God. We now call it simply lightening. At one time, saving someone dying of a poison would be called a miracle. Now, with medical antidotes, we can achieve a quick response to the poison, rendering it non-lethal. The more we seem to understand, the less we need to ascribe it to God. From this perspective, God has become increasingly narrow in some minds.
However, when we begin to sense the Spirit of all things, with all names, in all places, and the essence behind each form and expression, we find that the word “God” expands again to encompass everything.
For centuries, most of humanity has held an extremely dysfunctional image of an outside, anthropomorphic[7] God. This is severely limiting the human race in every endeavor and is causing much suffering.
In order to break free, this conditioned, misleading view must be dropped. As part of this inquiry, we must ask ourselves as to how we relate to God?
I’d like to invite you to close your eyes and be still. Just say the word, “God”. What images or thoughts emerge? What does God mean to you? Do you feel anger towards God, fearful of Him, or do you feel ambivalent, as if the word were merely a symbol of a vague unseen power?
Do you feel love towards God, or do you feel neglected? Regardless of your response, you must someday explore this relationship, for your path to inner peace spirals through its essence. To do this we must finally resolve all the issues that stand between us and our world, between you and your family, between you and yourself, between you and me, between you and God. This will enable you to experience the peace that comes through your unity with God.
Since we command what we understand, are you ready to reclaim the power of your life? That is why we are here. Life, another name for God, wants to extend itself and expand itself. It does so through you.
This is our individual and collective purpose – to give expression to God, to be the Living God. It is through us that God comes to know Itself. That includes you. God looks on Its Self and only sees beauty and love. That also includes you.
Reflection Questions – worth studying, reflecting and discussing –
In what ways is “God” synonymous with you? Is I AM your name also?
…it is necessary to heal any part of ourselves that feels, in essence, different from and potentially less than the man known as Jesus. In what ways is this true?
How can we remove the encrusted, disfigured concept of the word “God” so as to reveal its innermost truth? If we could fully and clearly convey the complete, indisputable truth of that one three-lettered word and have it be the truth of every heart, all seeking and suffering would cease. Do you agree?
Is the sense of God expanding or contracting in you?
I’d like to invite you to close your eyes and be still. Just say the word, “God”. What images or thoughts emerge? What does God mean to you? Do you feel anger towards God, fearful of Him, or do you feel ambivalent, as if the word were merely a symbol of a vague unseen power?
Do you feel love towards God, or do you feel neglected? Regardless of your response, you must someday explore this relationship, for your path to inner peace spirals through its essence. To do this we must finally resolve all issues that stand between us and our world, between you and your family, between you and yourself, between you and me, between you and God. This will enable you to experience the peace that comes through your unity with God. In what ways is this true?
This is our individual and collective purpose – to give expression to God, to be the Living God. It is through us that God comes to know Itself. That includes you. God looks on Its Self and only sees beauty and love. That also includes you. Do you agree?
We invite you to join in the discussion. This text is on facebook
[1] Errico, Rocco Aramaic Light on the Gospel of John Noohra Foundation, 2002, p. 10
[2] Fillmore, Charles Mysteries of John Unity House, 2003, p. 11
[3] As you read through the book of John, you will encounter eight different conversations in which Jesus makes very specific, far reaching, outrageous statements about himself. Jesus does not just claim to know these things, or explain these things. He blatantly claims that He is these things. If true, the implications, and impact are tremendous. The implications reach deep into our real, daily lives. The impact involves life-changing transformation with everlasting consequence.
John 6: 35, 48 I am the bread of life
John 8: 12, 9:5 I am the light of the world
John 8: 58 Before Abraham was, I am
John 10:9 I am the door
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd
John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life
John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life
John 15:1 I am the true vine
[4] See Yeaw, James, ed. Unity Metaphysics, Unity Spiritual Center, 2015, p. 164-65: Christ abides in each person as potential perfection. Each of us has within ourselves the Christ idea, just as Jesus had. We must look to the indwelling Christ in order to recognize our divine origin and birth.
Christ is not a person. It is not Jesus. Christ is a degree of potential stature that dwells in every person.
Christ in you is your hope of glory,[4] for it is that of you that is of God and is God being projected into visibility as you. Christ in you is your own spiritual unity with the Infinite, the key of your heath and success.
Christ is a divine idea. It is the name of the perfect pattern of wholeness which is present in all of us. The Christ within is our true essence and our divine nature. It is the presence of God within us.
[5] John 14:12
[6] Rigpa is a Tibetan word, which in general means ‘intelligence’ or ‘awareness’. In Dzogchen, however, the highest teachings in the Buddhist tradition of Tibet, rigpa has a deeper connotation, ‘the innermost nature of the mind’. The whole of the teaching of Buddha is directed towards realizing this, our ultimate nature, the state of omniscience or enlightenment—a truth so universal, so primordial that it goes beyond all limits, and beyond even religion itself.
[7] Ascribing human qualities to God.
