The Key of Knowledge (part 10 of 13)
When John 1:4 states that "In him was life, and that life was the light of men" -- reference is being made to the Light of the Logos that is within each of us. And that organic man as the lost prodigal son dwells in what Jesus portrayed as the "outer darkness" of mind and bein...
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Overview:
When John 1:4 states that "In him was life, and that life was the light of men" -- reference is being made to the Light of the Logos that is within each of us. And that organic man as the lost prodigal son dwells in what Jesus portrayed as the "outer darkness" of mind and being (see Outer Darkness) -- portrays this condition in John 1:5: "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it" . And where John 1:9 states that "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world" , what is being made reference to is the fact that the soul of the holy man Jesus who was coming into the world, was of such a spiritual stature that in becoming One with the Logos within himself, he manifested the Logos in the flesh (see TheTenWords.com). And this is why Jesus became the Anointed (Messiah/Christ) at his baptism in the Jordan when the words of God said for all of mankind to hear: "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee" .
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That this symbiotic relationship of the man Jesus, to the indwelling Logos, was fully understood by his immediate disciples and followers who were known as Ebionite Nazirenes, is demonstrated where Edward Gibbon in the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire states that they believed that Jesus was in ...supernatural union of a man and God... In their eyes, Jesus of Nazareth was a mere mortal, the legitimate son of Joseph and Mary: but he was the best and wisest of the human race, selected as the worthy instrument to restore upon earth the worship of the true and supreme Deity. When he was baptized in the Jordan, the Christ, the first of the aeons, the Son of God himself, descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, to inhabit his mind, and direct his actions during the allotted period of his ministry (Gibbon; The Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire, V.4, P.366). And that he was the first to fulfill the Law within himself, is demonstrated in the words of Hippolytus who stated that the Ebionite Nazirenes believed that: "He [Jesus] was the Christ of God, since not one of the rest of mankind had observed the Law completely. Had any one else fulfilled the commandments of the Law, he would have been the Christ..." And this confirms this statement with respect to the true potential of all of mankind that Jesus taught, as demonstrated in the words of Hippolytus when he wrote that they believed that when anyone "...thus fulfill the law, they are able to become Christs" (Hippolytus, Refut. Omn. Haer. vii. 34 - see http://Ebionite.com ). And this is why Jesus taught that he was our brother -- i.e., "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'" (John 20:17 NIV).
Overview:
The Christian Censorship Of God: Because the Christians who called themselves Orthodox could not come to terms with the words spoken of Jesus at his baptism -- i.e., "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee" (see TheTenWords.com) -- and the spiritual reality that Jesus was a true holy man who had become ONE with the indwelling Logos/Son of God which dwells within all of mankind -- they chose to corrupt the words which the Gospels proclaim as being spoken directly from God to mankind, instead of submitting themselves to the process of picking up their own cross and travailing in TheWay, in order to learn directly from the Indwelling Logos/Son of God which the disciples portrayed as the True Prophet and One Teacher that Jesus taught to seek out and learn from. As explored in TheTenWords.com, after putting their own words in the mouth of God -- censoring and corrupting the very words spoken to mankind -- the Church has promoted the dogma that salvation is achieved through blind belief in the Jesus-god of pagan Rome. While the ONE TEACHER that Jesus commanded all his follower to seek out and learn from, would be able to easily reveal to them how Jesus was a holy man who became the Anointed (Messiah/Christ) at his baptism in the Jordan -- while, by becoming ONE with the Logos/Son of God, that this Manifestation of ONENESS enabled the Logos/Son of God to appear before mankind in the flesh (of Jesus) -- yet, instead of doing what Jesus taught, they corrupted the Gospels and spiritually disenfranchised the Christian world from the Truth and TheWay.
Meet The Teacher - The Spiritual Disenfranchisement Of The Mind: Jesus said: "If You Love Me, Keep My Commandments" (John 14:15). And while some of his Commandments were easily understood, others were more difficult -- including how a seeker was supposed to obtain clarifiction on important issues. And while the standard answer is to turn to the scriptures, it is a fact that nearly everyone not only sees a different message in the scriptures -- but arrives at greatly differing and often conflicting dogmatic positions. Where the equation gets truly confusing is seen in the fact that the Apostle Paul condemned all manmade opinions, factions and sects as a sin of the flesh -- and that such a person who embraces a manmade opinion, should be rejected as one who is turned out of TheWay (see No Sects).
Overview:
While the Gospels present countless perplexing problems that divides believers across the spectrum of virtually opinions and sects, perhaps the most perplexing of all is the paradox of the human and divine nature of the soul who lived as Jesus. Does it matter? Christians have not only disputed over the conflicting opinions as to how this question can be answered -- but throughout history have even resorted to killing those who did not agree with their dogmatic position.
-- and, his Commandment was to seek out the One Teacher. Why? Because of the warning of Peter with respect to the true interpretation of the scriptures and the limits of human organic reasoning -- i.e., Peter stated in the Homilies of his disciple Clement: "...therefore great care is to be taken, that when the law of God is read, it be not read according to the understanding of our own mind. For there are many sayings in the divine Scriptures which can be drawn to that sense which every one has preconceived for himself; and this ought not to be done. For you ought not to seek a foreign and extraneous sense, which you have brought from without".
Remember, it was the Apostle Peter who warned: "Hence, O beloved Clement , if you would know the things pertaining to God, you have to learn them from Him alone, because He alone knows the truth. For if any one else knows anything, he has received it from Him or from His disciples . And it is this spiritual reality that is presented in the words: "It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me" (John 6:45 NIV). And if we ask: What does this mean? It means that there is only One Source of Knowledge -- and we must seek out that Source if we are to know the Truth. And to thwart the efforts of those who fail to observe this Commandment -- failing to fulfill the requirements of putting on the Wedding Garment which is necessary to come to the Table of the Lord -- those who fail to "...Keep My Commandments" (John 14:15) -- are cast out into the "outer darkness" of mind and being (see Outer Darkness). But what does this mean? Those who have been cast into the "outer darkness" , have no remembrance, no knowledge, no vision and no perception -- and dwell in a world of illusions which has been portrayed in the analogy of Plato's Cave. Thus, of the lost prodigal sons who are of this world and are under the control of the Citizen of the Far Country, Jesus said: "...And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed" (Matt 13:10-17 NKJ).
Overview:
In confirmation of the warning of Jesus, Peter explained in the above that: "...when the law of God is read, it be not read according to the understanding of our own mind." And while man's carnal interpretations may make sense to his organic reasoning, Peter warns that: "...For there are many sayings in the divine Scriptures which can be drawn to that sense which every one has preconceived for himself; and this ought not to be done." Why? Because only the One Teacher which the earliest disciples and followers of Jesus and TheWay called The True Prophet, could reveal the true meaning of the scriptures that "natural" organic man is inherently blind to (see Mystery Of The Gospel) -- and this is why Peter warned: "...For you ought not to seek a foreign and extraneous sense, which you have brought from without".
If a Christian was to pick up a loaded gun, point it at his head, and pull the trigger, would the Lord reach down and grab the speeding bullet before it could strike him? No, the Christian will conclude, because man has freewill -- even to inflict injury and take his own life. Yet, this same group of Christians attempt to state that when a segment of the Church which called itself Orthodox, entered into a covenant with the Pagan Emperor Constantine -- wherein, Constantine decided what the Church was permitted to believe -- and then corrupted the Gospels to make them conform to the dogma ordained by Pagan Rome (see BibleCorruption.com) -- that the Hand of the Lord would reach down from the Heavens, and stopped those who were committing spiritual suicide, while smiting those who had embraced the religion of the emperor. And this is basically what the Christian world wants the people to believe.
In the same way that those who call themselves Christians have the freewill to shoot themselves in the head, those who call themselves Christians have the freewill to reject the Commandments of Jesus -- reject his commandment to seek out the One Teacher -- and commit spiritual suicide by entering into a covenant with the Pagan Emperor Constantine. Which they continue to follow in this tradition even today.
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The Cosmology Of Mind And The Biblical Paradigm Of Thought:
When Paul wrote that the written text of the Torah amounted to (allegorical) "Jewish fables" (Titus 1:14) -- and a ritual observance of the Torah as practiced by carnal Jews equated to the "letter that killeth" -- i.e., brings spiritual death to those who practice and observe it outwardly. That the Law is spiritual, and is not to be observed outwardly in the ritual manner of the Pharisees, is seen in the words of Epiphanius when he wrote about the Ebionites that they "do not accept Moses' Pentateuch in its entirety; certain sayings they reject... stating Christ has revealed this to me, and will blespheme most of the legislation" (Panarion 30.18.7-9). How can those who are said to be Torah Observant, l blespheme most of the legislation" ? Thus, the Law has a spiritual meaning and must be turned within, in order to overcome in the manner that Jesus did. In Galatians Paul attempts to convey to the readers that the written text of the Torah is an allegory -- demonstrating that the two sons of Abraham are not physical/historical people, but allegorical symbols -- but since he failed to convey why the scriptures were written in this manner, or how to decipher the inner concealed soul and spiritual meaning of the written word, the resulting incompletion has inhibited the believers from gaining any real insight into the true meaning of the scriptures.
In view of the fact that the very Gnostic sources of Islam understood that the two sons of Abraham -- and even the allegorical portrayal of Abraham himself that carnal Muslims believe to be their physical connection to Judaism through Ishmael, the alleged first son of Abraham -- is nothing more than their failure to understand the spiritual meaning of the Qur'an. And while there were originally writings that explained these realities of scripture more plainly, these writings were destroyed by carnal Christians, Jews and Muslims.
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That the literal written word of the Torah is as a cloak for the inner soul and spiritual meaning that the people of a carnal and organic mind of this world are blind to, is seen in the statement of Jewish Mysticism in the Zohar when it warns: "Thus the tales related in the Torah are simply her outer garments, and woe to the man who regards that outer garb as the Torah itself, for such a man will be deprived of portion in the next world." (see No Jew Has Read The Torah ). And if we ask, why has no Jew read the Torah? The Torah being an allegorical portrayal of the disciples own mind and being, employs forms and symbols to present profound truths to the genuine seeker of TheWay. Thus, in the same way that when the scriptures makes reference to swine, dogs, twelve disciples, and even an historical man named Jesus, the portrayal of what is symbolized as Jews, represents a reality of mind and being that must be expanded beyond organic limitations, if one is to achieve the final stage of birth which is allegorically presented in the account of the crucifixion. What is symbolized in the betrayal by Judas, the 30 pieces of silver, and the death of Judas, is merely an allegorical presentation of what must be brought about within the mind and being of the disciple of TheWay. And in this respect, the modern Christians for the most part are far more the disciples of the AntiChrist (see The Church Of The AntiChrist), than were the historical Jewish people.
"For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men;
for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." (Matt 23:13 NKJ)
Overview:
The scriptures are a Living Entity -- and as such, they are threefold in nature and form. What does that mean? The literal text of the scriptures is for the most part allegorical, and is the body -- the mind/soul of the scriptures is for the instruction of true seekers, and its esoteric meaning is not readily apparent to those who have not embraced the process of acquiring true spiritual knowledge and an understanding of the Laws within which each of us are immersed -- and the spiritual nature of the scriptures can only be seen by those who have undergone the process of spiritual transformation of the lower earthly kingdoms, and are pursuing the crucifixion of the body in the pattern that Jesus ordained for those who follow in TheWay. The literal text of the scripture is intended to teach certain moral and physical lessons about life -- and especially in the case of the New Testament, what the true disciple of Christ must do to prepare themselves to learn directly from the One Teacher that Jesus commanded his followers to seek out (see The True Prophet), and from this One Teacher they could receive the Divine Manna/Knowledge of the Kingdom. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and other interactions with the common people, convey to the seeker important lessons about embracing the proper mindset and living a God-Centered spiritual Life which was preparatory to becoming the Final Temple. Paul rightly states: "Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor 3:16 ASV). And only by "...mortifying the deeds of the body" , and becoming the Final Temple, can the believer gain entrance to the Inner Kingdom, and learn directly from the One Teacher.
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The next stage of soul-birth that Jesus states to Nicodemus is necessary to enter into the Kingdom, and the journey in TheWay which is the return of the prodigal son or daughter to their Heavenly Father, can only be accomplished through the transformation of self. Thus, it is written: "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22 NKJ). And this is why Paul Commanded to " Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature" (Col 3:5 NIV). To the degree that Paul warned: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live (Rom 8:13 KJV). It is important to recognize that Paul does not say that a person inherits salvation by the mere proclamation of faith in Jesus, as Christian dogma does today. That the necessary next stage of birth can only be brought about by those who "...mortify the deeds of the body" to the degree that the believer puts "...to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature" -- is simply a spiritual reality that has no place in the modern Christian world. Further, it was to these same baptized and confirmed Christians that Paul warned: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live -- and that the reality of these words remain totally alien to the modern Church and congregation of believers, is the reason why Christians have alienated themselves from the knowledge and reality of the Inner Kingdom, and preach a doctrine which very much parallels that of the carnal Jews who Jesus condemned as apostates to the Word of God.
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Why did Paul state that salvation is by faith in contradistinction to the works of the Law expressed outwardly in the rituals and traditions of the Jews? From Paul's perspective, an outward ritual observance of the Law in the manner of the carnal Jews, was incapable of bringing about this necessary spiritual transformation and soul-birth. To mortify the deeds of the body takes work -- a great amount of work -- and this work cannot be accomplished through the static faith which our present-day Churches promote. The problem is that these biblical commandments have absolutely nothing in common with the doctrine of faith that was developed by Martin Luther in the Middle-ages. As a priest of the Church of Rome, there was much that was not understood by Martin Luther and the Middle-Age Reformers. They did not know that the scriptures must have what Jesus called the Key of Knowledge applied to them -- and that if you learn to turn the scriptures within yourself, you draw ever nearer to the Kingdom within (Lk 17:20-21). G.R.S. Mead, a foremost authority on the Spiritual Christians who the Roman Church condemned as Gnostics because they sought the Divine Manna of the Inner Kingdom, in his book entitled Fragments of a Faith Forgotten , this explanation of the true nature of the scriptures is put forth: what the Gnostics projected onto the screen [in the form of a ] picture of the universe was in reality a picture of their own minds. Its mythology is a symbolic portrayal, almost a deliberate one, of the forces which operate in the structuring and evolution of the human personality . It was for this reason that Carl Jung called the Gnostic Christians the worlds first and foremost psychologists who understood the very fabric of human consciousness. That there is an Inner Source of Knowledge that is beyond even the most enlightened wisdom of this world, is in fact the very reason why the Apostle Paul wrote: For the truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts (Rom 1:19 TLB). And what Martin Luther and the Middle Age Reformers could never have known, is that Paul's doctrine of faith was based upon the fact that if you embrace the mindset taught by Jesus, and live a consecrated life, the the inner "narrow gate" to the Kingdom (see Gate Of Eden) will begin to open, and you will be able to access this inner Source of Knowledge.
Overview:
Speaking of those who are blinded by the doctrines of men, or attempt to decipher and understand the scriptures without living the life ordained by Jesus as being Consecrated and worthy of a disciple, in the Clementine Homilies the Apostle Peter states of Simon Magus with respect to his inability to comprehend the true meaning of the scriptures: And with us, indeed, who have had handed down from our forefathers the worship of the God who made all things, and also the mystery of the books which are able to deceive, he will not prevail; but with those from amongst the Gentiles who have the polytheistic fancy bred in them, and who know not the falsehoods of the Scriptures, he will prevail much. And not only he; but if any other shall recount to those from among the Gentiles any vain, dreamlike, richly set out story against God, he will be believed, because from their childhood their minds are accustomed to take in things spoken against God. And few there shall be of them, as a few out of a multitude, who through ingenuousness shall not be willing so much as to hear an evil word against the God who made all things. And to these alone from amongst the Gentiles it shall be vouchsafed to be saved. Let not any one of you, therefore, altogether complain of Simon, or of any one else; for nothing happens unjustly, since even the falsehoods of Scripture are with good reason presented for a test.
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What Peter is stating is that the written words of the scriptures contain many falsehoods -- and this is confirmed in the writing of the Church Father Origen in De Principiis, where he wrote concerning the historical and literal factualness of the written narrative of the scriptures: Where the word found that things done according to the history could be adapted to these mystical senses, he made use of them concealing from the multitude the deeper meaning; but where in the narrative of the development of super-sensual things, there did not follow the performance of those certain events which were already indicated by the mystical meaning, the scripture interwove in the history the account of some event that did not take place, sometimes what could not have happened; sometimes what could but did not. What is Origen saying to us? Where the Word found that using events from history could fulfill the purpose of the scriptures, the Word used these historical events, concealing from the multitude the deeper meaning . In this respect, Jesus lived and taught the people the Royal Law of God and the means to gain entrance into the Kingdom. These things are true. But scripture is designed for a greater purpose than to inform us with respect to the past -- scripture is the handbook of those who desire to enter into Life.
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What is the purpose of the scriptures? Surely not to teach us about history -- how can history open the door to the Kingdom within us? And it is this seemingly historical account of the literal written word that Paul referred to as the Testimony of Christ which was the "milk... for babes" . And while the people of the simple faith were incapable of perceiving and understanding the higher reality of the soul and the Mysteries of God, by placing spiritual truths in what appears to he an historical document, accomplishes the necessary task of putting the sacred truths of God in the hands of the people -- in a language they can understand and relate to -- even during that time when they are yet carnal, and unable to comprehend the higher realities of the soul and the Mysteries of God. By writing the scriptures in this fashion, the carnal believer could relate to the scriptures because the writings appeared -- on the surface -- to communicate and manifest a history of the people who were using them. Yet, Origen warns that, even when the scriptures are historically accurate, there is concealed within the narrative a deeper meaning than what is grasped by the carnal reader.
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To his disciple Clement, Peter warns with respect to the ability of Simon Magus to seduce the Gentiles: "...but with those from amongst the Gentiles who have the polytheistic fancy bred in them, and who know not the falsehoods of the Scriptures, he will prevail much. And not only he; but if any other shall recount to those from among the Gentiles any vain, dreamlike, richly set out story against God, he will be believed, because from their childhood their minds are accustomed to take in things spoken against God. What he is stating is that the Gentiles will readily hold unworthy beliefs about God -- and they therefore will be readily deceived with respect to the true spiritual meaning of the scriptures. And the lesson that modern Christians have still to learn, is that many of these falsehoods of the written word are there for a test -- i.e., Peter warns: "...Let not any one of you, therefore, altogether complain of Simon, or of any one else; for nothing happens unjustly, since even the falsehoods of Scripture are with good reason presented for a test. The test is that those who hold unworthy ideas pertaining to God, and fail to live in accord with the Royal Law, are themselves banished from the Kingdom and the Knowledge of the Truth.
Overview:
The True Interpretation Of The Scriptures: The scriptures are an allegorical portrayal of your own mind and being -- and the names that are used, the numbers, and the picture of what appears to be historical accounts or cosmic occurrences or conditions, can also be understood as events of the body, mind/soul and spirit in the life of the disciple. In the same way that Paul called the written word of the scriptures the "letter that killeth" (2 Cor 3:6), the same exact formula with respect to the scriptures is presented in the words: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live (Rom 8:13 KJV). If you attempt to interpret the scriptures after the letter of the flesh, then you have thrown away the Key of Knowledge that you failed to understand in the spiritual sense, and turn the scriptures within yourself: "How terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! For you hide the key to knowledge from the people. You don't enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering" (Luke 11:52 NLT). Christians today who read the scriptures to find the historical Jesus, are no different than the Pharisees who looked only to the letter of the written word -- failing to use the Key of Knowledge to open the inner door to the Kingdom within them. And of those who "...live after the flesh [of the written word], ye shall die."
Overview:
While the scriptures center around the teachings of Jesus, the objective is to become a disciple and enter "in the House" within you and learn the Mysteries of God from the Living Christ. If you believe in Jesus, then you will live in the manner that he taught, and seek the Inner Kingdom. Thus, the scriptures are written in such a way that they can be turned within -- and what appears as historical accounts in the written word of the "letter that killeth" (2 Cor 3:6), becomes events of the body, mind/soul and spirit in the life of the Disciple of Jesus and TheWay. The twelve signs of the zodiac, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve disciples of Jesus, become the twelve spheres of mind of the Tree of Life. And when you are able to do as Paul states and put to death your attachments to the things of this world, and evolve and balance the twelve spheres of the mind -- doing and living the Commandments of the Lord in all things -- then you will find the reality coming to pass that is stated in the Revelation: "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie" (Rev 22:14-15 NKJ). Notice that the dogs, sorcerers, sexually immoral, murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves the (lying) doctrines and philosophies of men over the Truth, are spoken of as remaining "outside" the gates of the City? This is the realm of outer consciousness where man cannot know self, the Inner Kingdom, or God.
Overview:
While the people of this world are the prodigal sons and daughters who are lost and under the control of the "citizen" of this world, only those who hear TheCall and seek to walk in TheWay and enter the Inner Kingdom can find the Promise of Life. Thus, the person who claims to be a genuine believer and seeker, and yet fails to put on the wedding garment (Mt 22:12) -- which is the robe of spiritual union and perfection -- will be cast into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 22:13 NKJ). And where is this outer darkness? Outside the gates to the city -- which from the perspective of the Bible, is the place in which organic man presently dwells. What is conveyed to us here regarding the Kingdom, is that when we open and read the scriptures, what we have before us is the mystical writings of a spiritual people -- writings that are written for the edification of a the prodigal sons and daughters who desire to return to the Kingdom of the Father -- and we can never understand the Mysteries of God through a superficial reading of the literal word of the Bible which Paul called the "letter that killeth" . This spiritual Knowledge that can only be received by the True Disciple, is called the Divine Manna or the Gnosis of the Kingdom. Why do we use the word Gnostic? Because it is the Greek word that differentiates between what we call abstract philosophical knowledge pertaining to this world which is learned in our educational manner of teaching, in contradistinction to knowledge that is learned directly through our inner spiritual experiences and interaction with the Divine. Where the knowledge of this world is philosophical and temporal, the type of Knowledge that is called Gnosis, denotes the Sacred Manna that is given to true holy men and women who live in the Light, and seek the Kingdom of God.
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As G.R.S. Mead concludes on page 176: The claim of the Gnostics was that a man might so perfect himself that he became a conscious worker with the Logos; all those who did so, became 'Christs,' and as such were Saviors, but not in the sense of being the Logos Himself . Where the people of the simple faith looked upon the word Christ , as Jesus' last name, the Spiritual Christians understood that what this term meant was the Anointing of the mind of the disciple that permits the seeker to learn from the inner Logos -- i.e., the Mind of God. In the revelation of his spiritual Gospel, it was this receiving of the Anointing that Paul speaks about throughout his Epistles. When the disciple receives the Anointing -- this Anointing of the mind of the disciple in the Greek, denotes one who is Anointed, or the Christ.
It is for this reason that the believers of the simple faith are not yet Christians, because they have not yet received the Anointing -- which is impossible to receive without embracing the proper mindset and consecrated lifestyle. Moreover, the Anointing is not philosophical or rhetorical -- as becoming a believer -- but is an actual illumination of higher consciousness that permits the disciple to use more of their mind that the natural man is capable of using in his organic condition. A person cannot be a genuine Christian -- i.e., an Anointed one -- without possessing the knowledge of their pre-existent soul. A person cannot possess the knowledge of the soul, without knowing the previous lives that the soul has lived. In Pistis Sophia, one of the sacred books used by the Spiritual (Gnostic) Christians, which name in English means the Book of Faith-Wisdom , Jesus states: But if he shall have sinned once, twice, or thrice, they shall reject that soul, sending it back again into the world according to the form of the sins that it may have committed; the form whereof I will declare unto you hereafter. But verily, verily I say unto you, that even the righteous man that hath committed no sin at all cannot be brought into the Kingdom of Light, forasmuch the seal of the mysteries of that kingdom is not found upon him. Once for all, I say unto you, a soul cannot be brought into the kingdom, if it be without the mysteries of the Kingdom of the Light .
Overview:
In this quotation we not only see that the Spiritual Christians understood that Jesus taught the reincarnation of the soul -- sending [the soul] back again into the world according to the form of the sins that it may have committed -- but what we have here is the genuine foundation of Paul's doctrine that man can do nothing on his own, and can only be saved through faith in Christ. The problem arises when we do not understand the difference between Jesus -- the historical man -- and Christ -- the Anointing of the mind -- or the Logos, or Mind of God. It is this reason also that believers fail to understand the declaration in the beginning of the Epistle to the Romans where Paul writes that: When the Gentiles do the things of the Law, without the Law, they become a Law unto themselves, and can be saved. It is further this reason that we do not understand when Paul says not to seek the Jesus after the flesh, but rather the Christ of the Spirit.
In the article on Christian Mysticism, the Encyclopedia Britannica writes regarding Valentinus, who was considered orthodox in the beginning of the second century, and states: He believed that human beings are alienated from God because of their spiritual ignorance; Christ brings them into the gnosis (esoteric revelatory knowledge) that is union with God. Valentinus held that all human beings come from God and that all will in the end return to God. Other Gnostic groups held that there were three types of people -- 'spiritual,' 'psychic,' and 'material' -- and that only the first two can be saved. The Pistis Sophia is preoccupied with the question of who finally will be saved. Those who are saved must renounce the world completely and follow the pure ethic of love and compassion. They will then be identified with Jesus and become rays of the divine Light . While this reality may sound foreign and strange to the modern Christian, it is in fact parallel to the parable of the prodigal son. But since the modern Christian rejects the important teaching on the pre-existent soul that evolves to perfection over the course of many lifetimes, because they adhere to the doctrines of a Circus Prostitute (see The Ten Reasons Why Christians Reject The Pre-Existent Soul), they remain hopelessly lost in the quagmire of this world of the "outer darkness" (see Divine Strategery)