This morning I came upon the following text from Ephesians 4:15 NIV:
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ."
As I read it, I was suddenly grasped by what a very literal interpretation actually afforded.
Though of late I am less of a literalist, in this case, interpretation from a literalist perspective affirmed something I have long pondered, so in contrast with the dispensational approach learned as a child. That is, the now long awaited second coming of Christ.
As an aside, it seems the Institutional Church has long attempted to box in our theology for purposes of control and a collective and principled doctrine. I get that, yet interpretations among those most engaged in the church are as broad as the denominational spread across Christianity. Given the scores of denominations, one has to ask, "How's that working for you?"
Yet, when I allow my mind to be open to the Spirit, a both/and, often mystical message seems to emerge. Some thoughts near heretic-like when compared to doctrinal beliefs acquired during my 50 year spiritual journey within the Institutional Church.
Such was the case this morning.
It didn't help, that I had just read a post from a well respected, theologically sound Southern Baptist mentor, entitled, "I Cannot Use the Word Inerrancy. . . and have the appreciation and respect I hold so profoundly for the Bible.”
So, here I go!
When I read the above verse with an awareness of the progressive work that has historically occurred within the Body of Christ over millennia, taking into consideration the major shifts about every 500 years or so, each providing more clarity as to the doctrines of Christianity, could it be that we are in reality becoming the Christ, the very One whom we are awaiting?
Is "Christ in us" truly "the hope of glory," with our long awaited return of a bodily Jesus, once framed by the disciples and reinforced by dogma, merely their manifestation of grief, their thoughts limited given that they were so close to the man, Jesus?
Was the work necessary for this mystical transformation truly "finished" upon the Cross, the ressurection only a necessary proof of such power to transform humanity?
Was His Transfiguration also a necessary prelude to the Ascension, the well respected Moses and Elijah there as a testimony of such realities, then His cloud like Ascension a complete and total dissipating of the physical Body?
Could it then be that the Christ, the Presence within the man, Jesus is now forever among us, even dwelling in us! Now and forever changing us into his image daily, though religion still demands an additional work beyond such a simple "metanoia", a mental reset of our religious tendencies.
Jesus's entire life was about such a reset!
Again, the hundreds of variants among believers themselves a testimony to the self determined individual journey, though all hopefully headed toward a collective and corporate demonstration of what was earlier manifest in Jesus!
Is the necessary repentance which John spoke of, simply a shift to a new mindset that affords one to walk into the empowerment previously promised by the ressurected One? A "going under" illustrated by water baptism, then more collectively demonstrated by the empowerment at Pentecost, still yet a new priesthood of believers as defended by Luther's Reformation. Later yet empowered by a charismatic renewal, as broad as Vatican II, though not yet fully revealed, though all Creation "groans" for that day!
Too mystical for us to comprehend? Likely so, given that religion is so prone to lock us into a rigid, concrete thought, totally resistant to change.
However, all of that is of no real consequence, if in fact this was the intent of this Being known as Love, who became flesh and dwelt among us...so that eventually "in every respect we become the mature body of Him who is the head, that is the Christ."
What if we are immersed in Christ's love and Christ is in us, though to what degree our choice!
Think of that!