The Father and I are One
by Brendan McPhillips
John 10: 27-30:
Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
Now there’s a lot to discuss in these short lines but I just want to focus on the key line that is the main
issue through the whole chapter; “The Father and I are one.” These words literally prompt his critics to
attempt to stone him for blasphemy.
Was Jesus into self-aggrandizement when he said “the Father and I are one” and later in the same
Chapter, “the Father is in me and I am in the Father”? In other words did Jesus literally mean himself,
the man, Jesus of Nazareth when he uses the personal pronouns “I” and “me” or did he mean
something more? I suggest that he meant something more than his temporary, human self when he
says these truths. He is referring to his divine self. His eternal, immortal soul which is the true child of
God. Jesus is holy, a word derived from whole (which implies two selves), meaning He fully united his
spiritual self and human self. He perfectly expressed his divinity through his human self while on this
earth.
Why didn’t Jesus use more precise language to explain this idea? He did. He was using the
language of his faith. His use of the personal pronouns I and me is related to the language used by
God at the burning bush in response to Moses’ question of who should I say you are and God replies
“I am who am” and “tell them I AM sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). The use of personal pronouns
corresponds to the idea of individual divinity.
The important point of this is that you also have a divine self and in fact you are the divine self who is
expressing itself in this world. In this Chapter of John when accused of making himself a God Jesus
answered “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”?”. In other words Jesus was teaching us
that we are also divine.
Critics and unthinking people will incorrectly assume that I am suggesting that we are God. We are
not the One, transcendent God who created and sustains heaven and earth. We are the immanent
god, a figurative child of God, who is simply seeking to express divinity on this earth. We are similar
in kind but not in degree to God. Just as a thimble full of the ocean is similar in kind to the entire
ocean but in no way can it sustain the whole planet as the ocean does.
Our divine self is but a spark of the eternal flame. And, although the spark leaves the flame, it is
forever “of it” and it can never be otherwise. In this sense the spark and flame are one just as you and
the Father are one.
http://www.brendanmcphillips.com/father-and-i-are-one
by Brendan McPhillips
John 10: 27-30:
Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
Now there’s a lot to discuss in these short lines but I just want to focus on the key line that is the main
issue through the whole chapter; “The Father and I are one.” These words literally prompt his critics to
attempt to stone him for blasphemy.
Was Jesus into self-aggrandizement when he said “the Father and I are one” and later in the same
Chapter, “the Father is in me and I am in the Father”? In other words did Jesus literally mean himself,
the man, Jesus of Nazareth when he uses the personal pronouns “I” and “me” or did he mean
something more? I suggest that he meant something more than his temporary, human self when he
says these truths. He is referring to his divine self. His eternal, immortal soul which is the true child of
God. Jesus is holy, a word derived from whole (which implies two selves), meaning He fully united his
spiritual self and human self. He perfectly expressed his divinity through his human self while on this
earth.
Why didn’t Jesus use more precise language to explain this idea? He did. He was using the
language of his faith. His use of the personal pronouns I and me is related to the language used by
God at the burning bush in response to Moses’ question of who should I say you are and God replies
“I am who am” and “tell them I AM sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). The use of personal pronouns
corresponds to the idea of individual divinity.
The important point of this is that you also have a divine self and in fact you are the divine self who is
expressing itself in this world. In this Chapter of John when accused of making himself a God Jesus
answered “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”?”. In other words Jesus was teaching us
that we are also divine.
Critics and unthinking people will incorrectly assume that I am suggesting that we are God. We are
not the One, transcendent God who created and sustains heaven and earth. We are the immanent
god, a figurative child of God, who is simply seeking to express divinity on this earth. We are similar
in kind but not in degree to God. Just as a thimble full of the ocean is similar in kind to the entire
ocean but in no way can it sustain the whole planet as the ocean does.
Our divine self is but a spark of the eternal flame. And, although the spark leaves the flame, it is
forever “of it” and it can never be otherwise. In this sense the spark and flame are one just as you and
the Father are one.
http://www.brendanmcphillips.com/father-and-i-are-one
| "May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, Oh Lord, My Rock and Redeemer." Psalms 19:14 Dearest Lord of my being, Thank you for blessing me with all that I need to be the best that I can be. I am so grateful for your love, light, and peace. May I always be aware of your presence and may I love and honor you above all things. I need you in my heart, in my soul, and in my life now and forever. Amen |
| astrologizing.net Sabbath Devotionals The Sabbath; Sat. March 6, 2010 |
| BIBLE READING NEW TESTAMENT John 10: 30 I and the Father are one. John 17: 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me |
| BIBLE READING OLD TESTAMENT Deut. 6: 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/ shema.html |
| HOMILY; Oneness Metaphysically, The Law of Oneness states that the Lord our God is ONE and all moves and has its being within Him. So it is with the Self. We live in a world that is connected to everything else through the One Mind, the Mind of God. Because of the Divine Presence within us, we each have access to the Mind of God. Because of this, everything we think, do, and say affects all others and the Universe around us. http://www.themetaphysicalsociety.com/The_Universal_Law_of_Oneness.html |
| Imagine back to the very beginning of the world; way back before there was anything, but the consciousness of God who said, " Let there be light; and there was light. God saw that it was good. Then we have the seven days of creation or the BIG BANG and like star wars, things began to move out from God in every direction. We could say that there was a big bang of matter, mind, and spirit; all part of the Godhead who called it forth from his mind. That is why new thought says that there is only one mind and we all share in it. As everything proceeded out from God, it wasn't simply let go, but formed a web and connected all matter, mind, and spirit. Jesus, himself, knew this. That is why he taught: Matthew 5:27-28 27 You have heard that it was said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.” 28 But I am indeed saying to you that every one who looks at a woman to want her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. When we first read this we may think it is unfair, but we need to realize that every action, word, and THOUGHT we have affects the whole world in some way; because we are connected. We are ONE. |