Putting on the Mind of Christ

[Perspective]

NewRageGuru brought up Revelations in another thread & it got me thinking & brave enough to explore that confusing book. lol

I believe scriptures are meant to be likened to us within, spiritually.
I Cor. 2:16 - "we have the mind of Christ"
Phil. 2:5 - "have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus"
Matt 13:34 "...without a parable spake he not unto them"

I really don't know what Revelation authors intended...
But here's a possible interpretation...(some terms I learned from Putting on the Mind of Christ by Jim Marion)
Those of you into psychology may notice similarities of spiral dynamics... like Freud theory or Erikson's stages of development.

1st seal, a crown is given - birth/life - Archaic & Magical Consciousness
2nd seal, a sword is given - ability to discern good from evil - Mythic Consciousness
3rd seal, balances are had - questioning myths - Rational Consciousness level
4th seal - power was given - can see many perspectives - Vision-Logic Consciousness
5th seal - Shown souls who were slain for the word of God - fears conquered for love - Psychic/Spirit Consciousness
6th seal - earthquakes, sun black, stars fall - see our imperfections "bursts our egotistical bubble" - Dark night of the senses
7th seal - silence, then "all hell breaks loose" with wars & plagues - Confronting "feelings buried alive"- Dark Night/Confronting Shadow Self
Christ reigns - Spiritual union with God, Our Creators - Christ Consciousness

Personally, I don't think we just go up these stages like a ladder. I think, they are more integral... Sometimes, I think/feel composed & mature... & other times, I think/feel immaturely childish. Still, I think Marion helped give a spiritual map for Christians & even explained how Jesus' life shows these steps we are to take spiritually... from birth to death & his resurrection.

Do you think Revelations is about the "last days" of this earth, or do you think it is meant to be applied to us mentally & spiritually? Or both or something different?
What do you think, "Putting on the mind of Christ" means?

Originally Posted by Perspective

Do you think Revelations is about the "last days" of this earth, or do you think it is meant to be applied to us mentally & spiritually?

I think it is a fear-based scripture.

Originally Posted by Perspective

What do you think, "Putting on the mind of Christ" means?

Gaining Christ consciousness.

To me putting on the mind of Christ would mean to think like he did. To approach life as Christ approached it. With the same attitudes and intentions. To view God has he did. To transform into a likeness of Christ in this life.

nightowl

[Perspective]

Hi Tragblack,
It does seem to produce fear, when interpreted as last days chaos.
And you'd think that "spiritual" writers of the bible would be more concerned with spirituality than emergency preparation.
Yet I wonder if maybe people then, had psychic abilities to see the future, as some do now.
What does Christ Consciousness mean to you?

Originally Posted by nightowl

To me putting on the mind of Christ would mean to think like he did. To approach life as Christ approached it. With the same attitudes and intentions. To view God has he did. To transform into a likeness of Christ in this life.

nightowl

Hi Nightowl,
I agree and I wonder how Christ thought. Who is Christ - but what we imagine him to be, right?
Is Christ, only Jesus, who lived 2,000 years ago - or is Christ an ideal, like God?
Most see Jesus/Christ as unconditionally loving, healing & incredibly dedicated to what he believed & taught. Yet, he also struggled with temptation & got angry (when he started throwing a wip around at the money-changers in the temple).
It's also written that Jesus as a child, "grew, & waxed strong in spirit."
Did Jesus/Christ always think & act strong in spirit? Was he all knowing, even from the beginning?
What do you think?

Hi Nightowl,
I agree and I wonder how Christ thought. Who is Christ - but what we imagine him to be, right?
Is Christ, only Jesus, who lived 2,000 years ago - or is Christ an ideal, like God?
Most see Jesus/Christ as unconditionally loving, healing & incredibly dedicated to what he believed & taught. Yet, he also struggled with temptation & got angry (when he started throwing a wip around at the money-changers in the temple).
It's also written that Jesus as a child, "grew, & waxed strong in spirit."
Did Jesus/Christ always think & act strong in spirit? Was he all knowing, even from the beginning?
What do you think?

Perspective,

Well according to Christian history and scripture Jesus, was the Christ/anointed one, the only son of God and even believed by many to be God. I think according to Christian doctrine Jesus the Christ was not an ideal but was God. I suppose on this point about Jesus/Christ being an ideal would probably depend on how your view scripture. Is everything within literal, metaphorical or a combination of both?

My personal opinion is that Jesus was an anointed man of God. Not a savior of mankind, this concept formed from a mistranslation of the Hebrew word mashiah.(messiah). Christ is a English translation of a Greek word Khristos, which mean anointed one. The concept of messiah in Hebrew thought is not a divine God-man, it is a actually physical King or leader.

Christ being what we imagine him to be does not really work for me. He was man, whose views impressed his followers so deeply that they wrote about his life and ministry. He taught something’s that were progressive to what was being taught by Judaism at the time. He had some wonderful teachings that we can embrace and grow with in our lives, but he also was, once again just a man.

He also like you had stated showed his human side in displaying his anger in the temple and many would say this is righteous anger, but anger non the less, he also wept, and even appeared to be stressed over what he believed he was to do, sacrifice himself for all mankind.

It does sound as though he always had a strong spirit or will. He knew what he believed and stuck to it. Jesus obviously was a spiritual person and it showed early in his life. As to him being all knowing I don’t believe this about him because I do not believe him to be God.

I understand that Jesus believed that all mankind should be treated the same. I do agree with this concept. But the eternal punishment for sins does not sound like unconditional love to me, but then again eternal punishment could also be just another doctrine created by the Christian church due to poor translation of the original text.

I guess I don’t sound like a Christian huh? …well to each his own. What rings true to my spirit may not resonate with others and that’s okay too!

nightowl

[psychoslice]

The Christ is always all knowing from the beginning, it is the babe that is born from with the virgin that has never been touched by the outside carnal self, when this is Realized from within the babe is then born and will now grow to its fullness of the living Christ Consciousness, we then as Paul said, "I live yet not I but Christ liveth within me". This Christ is not some man who supposedly lived over 2000 years ago, the Christ is our very nature, the mediator between our inner Spirit and pure Consciousness, or the father as some might call it. And of course this is just a metaphor, as there are many other metaphors, depending on your choice of reference or belief system.

psychoslice,

And of course this is just a metaphor, as there are many other metaphors, depending on your choice of reference or belief system.

I agree, the frame of reference from which you perceive things determines what titles, names, characteristics and so forth that you attach to what you believe.

[psychoslice]

Originally Posted by nightowl

psychoslice,



I agree, the frame of reference from which you perceive things determines what titles, names, characteristics and so forth that you attach to what you believe.

Yes and this is also what the Christians have done, just as all other religions have done, if they all could just realize this there would be less bickering over who has the truth and who hasn't, this pickering is nothing more than arrogance.

[Shabda]

Originally Posted by psychoslice

Yes and this is also what the Christians have done, just as all other religions have done, if they all could just realize this there would be less bickering over who has the truth and who hasn't, this pickering is nothing more than arrogance.

ah yes~! reminds me of a quote...
"Love is the essence of all religion, mysticism, and philosophy, and for the one who has learnt this, love fulfills the purpose of religion, ethics, and philosophy, and the lover is raised above all diversities of faiths and beliefs." Hazrat Inayat Khan

[psychoslice]

Originally Posted by Shabda

ah yes~! reminds me of a quote...
"Love is the essence of all religion, mysticism, and philosophy, and for the one who has learnt this, love fulfills the purpose of religion, ethics, and philosophy, and the lover is raised above all diversities of faiths and beliefs." Hazrat Inayat Khan

Yes that's very nice, that's it in a nut shell, we only need to let that nut grow.