10-10-2008, 01:53 PM
There is always a certain amount of tension over the nature of God between Trinitarians and JWs, past and present. It should be funny really, that we think we can expound well on the nature of God. Then we have the added difficulties of describing the essential qualities of Christ and the spirit.
I often think one of the problems in engaging fully in this topic is the fear of mysticism, because of its connection to Eastern thought. I’m convinced that the WS, at least on the surface, had no tolerance for esoteric thought at all. What was hidden was heathen to them, perhaps. Or maybe their secret was to pretend to hate hidden things, while working on their real agendas behind the scenes. I can only guess.
But there are sacred secrets in the scriptures, and there are mystical concepts. Not everything is unknowable, I guess. John 17:3 says that everlasting life comes from knowing God and Christ, so we must be able to get our heads around these divine creatures in at least one way. I think that way is where their personalities are concerned, and not their essences. Lots have been written about the divine nature of God, and how His Son, although begotten, is divine as well.
Holy spirit is not so easy to define in character or essence. The WS have made it simple – the spirit of God is His inanimate force. They see no personality, no character there, only power. When some Bible versions say ‘he will teach you all things’, he means it to them.
Western Christian thought allows for the concept of mysticism in the body of Christ. It is a sacred secret, like the union of a man and a woman but more significant. It produces oneness in the body, whether male or female, Jew or Greek etc. But do we see it as a mystical union, where many become subsumed into one? How close is this concept to the Eastern alternative of all humans containing an element of the divine, and they become subsumed over time into the cosmic divinity? Is this a bridge too far? Should we stop at the union of the body of Christ, and not extend it through to the union of all in all?
If the idea of unity can be looked at this way and considered scripturally valid, is it tough to transfer this understanding to the relationship of the Father and the Son. Whether they are the begetter or the begotten, they are united as one. ‘I and the Father are one’. Or are we to understand this unity as unity of purpose, and extend that logic back to the body of Christ?
And we still haven’t discovered the essential nature of the holy spirit. One brother referred to it as ‘Jehovah by remote’, meaning that both God’s power and personality were extended across the divide to further His plans and help and teach His people. It would not be difficult to concede unity of thought and essence to God and holy spirit in this case. Then add the unity between Christ and His Father. Lastly, add the unity of the body of Christ. All are one – very mystical!
I often think one of the problems in engaging fully in this topic is the fear of mysticism, because of its connection to Eastern thought. I’m convinced that the WS, at least on the surface, had no tolerance for esoteric thought at all. What was hidden was heathen to them, perhaps. Or maybe their secret was to pretend to hate hidden things, while working on their real agendas behind the scenes. I can only guess.
But there are sacred secrets in the scriptures, and there are mystical concepts. Not everything is unknowable, I guess. John 17:3 says that everlasting life comes from knowing God and Christ, so we must be able to get our heads around these divine creatures in at least one way. I think that way is where their personalities are concerned, and not their essences. Lots have been written about the divine nature of God, and how His Son, although begotten, is divine as well.
Holy spirit is not so easy to define in character or essence. The WS have made it simple – the spirit of God is His inanimate force. They see no personality, no character there, only power. When some Bible versions say ‘he will teach you all things’, he means it to them.
Western Christian thought allows for the concept of mysticism in the body of Christ. It is a sacred secret, like the union of a man and a woman but more significant. It produces oneness in the body, whether male or female, Jew or Greek etc. But do we see it as a mystical union, where many become subsumed into one? How close is this concept to the Eastern alternative of all humans containing an element of the divine, and they become subsumed over time into the cosmic divinity? Is this a bridge too far? Should we stop at the union of the body of Christ, and not extend it through to the union of all in all?
If the idea of unity can be looked at this way and considered scripturally valid, is it tough to transfer this understanding to the relationship of the Father and the Son. Whether they are the begetter or the begotten, they are united as one. ‘I and the Father are one’. Or are we to understand this unity as unity of purpose, and extend that logic back to the body of Christ?
And we still haven’t discovered the essential nature of the holy spirit. One brother referred to it as ‘Jehovah by remote’, meaning that both God’s power and personality were extended across the divide to further His plans and help and teach His people. It would not be difficult to concede unity of thought and essence to God and holy spirit in this case. Then add the unity between Christ and His Father. Lastly, add the unity of the body of Christ. All are one – very mystical!