Reflection for Friday, August 19th 2011

For Paul, the Christ is not “out there.” For him, there is no split between himself as the subject and Christ as any kind of object. Jesus is within, around, and in-between—I cannot say that strongly enough. Christ is the Homing Device, the Inner Knower, a reliable Inner Guidance through an Indwelling Presence that he calls Spirit. Paul believes that we have all been given the basis for inner authority, experience, and knowledge so we can know for ourselves. That is what creates the foundation, not just for Paul’s mysticism, but for ours. We all have this same indwelling witness within us (Romans 8:16) leading us to the same conclusion: you are inherently connected to God!

To live en Cristo is to live inside of a shared energy that is larger than just me, and not just dependent on my private actions, intelligence, or willpower. Paul’s Christianity is not based on mere intellect and will, although he draws them into the entire “two-step ” between the soul and God. He is not anti-rational, but what we would call trans-rational–which leads him to his central doctrine of grace: that surplus of life that is inherent in all things. If we have never experienced this surplus, we cannot possibly understand Paul, because grace is the key to his view of life. Grace, for Paul, is actually another word for God, who is always experienced as a surplus and excess of life!