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Creation Continues
A PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE FIRST GOSPEL. Dr. Kunkel makes a thorough examination of the Book of Matthew from the psychologist's point of view. We have in Matthew's Gospel, he maintains, a magnificent record of the inner experience of the early Christians. It is not difficult to find the psychological key and to unlock the door of this treasure-house. Matthew was deeply interested in the reactions of the first disciples--their fears, doubts, hopes, their amazement, despair, and final awakening to courage and creativity. Dr. Kunkel is an M.D. with more than twenty years of training and experience in psychotherapeutic work and the author of several books on psychology.
- GenresReligion
312 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
26 people want to read
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January 4, 2024
This work is a deep analysis of the book of Matthew, written from a Jungian perspective. The author offers the premise that orthodoxy subverts the importance of spiritual evolution because it fails to recognize the kingdom of heaven in the “here and now”. When we suppose the kingdom can only come at some far future time, we deprive ourselves of the incentive to live it now. Recognizing the presence of the kingdom requires that we differentiate ourselves from the prevalent consciousness of the tribe and come to support the “evolved” point of view that Jesus demonstrated.
The author’s term: “feudalistic spirituality” refers to the religious positions of those who are glued to a static orthodoxy and a fundamentalistic literalism. Medieval Christianity replaced the dynamics of Jesus’ message with static doctrines of heaven and hell, thereby retarding the spiritual progress of humanity. Medieval Christianity framed the “Kingdom of God” as a faraway place in the future, as opposed to the dynamic, creative presence that it truly is. Medieval Christianity imposed the belief that salvation occurs through adherence to rigid doctrines, rituals, proclamations, priests, superstitions, and subservient obedience within a religious hierarchy.
In contrast, this author (Kunkel) derives something very different from the book of Matthew, most particularly that Jesus is the bringer of God’s light to mankind by seeding Himself within the souls of humans, thereby endowing those who cultivate Him with spiritual power. Kunkel sees this as the “virgin birth” that can occur within each of us. Kunkel uses a Jungian term: “individuation”, in reference to this life-changing process, which he sees as evolutionary in scope.
For Kunkel, it is of the greatest historical importance that the true religion of Jesus comes to replace the old feudalistic orthodoxy; this is because of the spiritual retardation the latter imposes upon converts by boxing them into rigid, static concepts. We must outgrow feudalism. The problem is that most people prefer being an automaton to spiritual feudalism rather than accepting the perilous responsibilities of individuation. Most people want the answers spoon-fed to them instead of undergoing the struggles of experiencing them directly.
Individuation
Kunkel identifies two mental perspectives that deter individuation. One is to become obsessed in seeking proof that the Gospels are real through historical research and archaeology. The other is to philosophize the Gospels as relevant only to the fate of mankind or to the “average” man, as opposed to letting it change us personally. Kunkel asserts that Matthew either changes the reader or the reader misinterprets Matthew as merely historical information or philosophical speculation.
Kunkel frames Jesus as the catalyst that precipitates this change, which change he identifies as “the evolution of man”. Baptism is declared symbolic of the drowning out of the old animalistic personality (the egotistical self), in favor of the growing light initiated by synthesizing Jesus’ message within. One is thus, “reborn” (evolved) into a new aspect of reality, as a son of God. We see throughout the accounts of Jesus’ life, that this self-reference “Son of Man” eventually transcends into “Son of God”.
Jesus encountered numerous temptations, just as we do; and we learn through his life that we can only succeed by tapping into God’s power. But God does not spoon feed us every step of the way, preferring instead that we learn and grow. We are left with the need to make decisions, interpret, and act; but we must learn to seek God’s will in resolving our predicaments.
Kunkel shows that most of us are lead astray from connectivity with God by blind adherence to tribal traditions. For example, we may forgo discussions about religion or politics because we have been taught to avoid them in polite conversation. Similarly, we may become entranced by the will of a secular ruler who comforts us with economic benefits, race entitlements, or nationalistic tribalism. Or, we may become the slaves of militants, such as Stalin, who cage us within fear and threats to our physical existence. In much the same way, we often easily acquiesce to gurus, preachers, witch doctors, popes, life coaches, or other priest-like people who we allow to tell us what to think and do.
All of these are subversions that thwart our individual relationship with God; and, like juveniles, we subconsciously adhere to them in order to dodge our individual responsibility for seeking, learning, and growing God within ourselves. Thus, these distractions become pseudo gods that imprison us within their own fiendish delusions and subvert our ability to achieve individuation.
Passive Resistance
Kunkel asks his readers to speculate as to whether human society can ever follow the evolutionary path of Jesus out of war, hate, exploitation and planetary defilement? Can we really evolve spiritually as enlightened human beings? The kingdom of love necessitates our transformation. Jesus demonstrated the way for us to resist these distractions and proceed in the evolutionary path God desires for us, telling us in Chapter 5 of Matthew to: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works.” And, further against karma, as follows:
This does not mean that we become cowards. We must always protect our children and ourselves against perverts; but we do need to rid ourselves of instinctual evil responses. When we respond to evil with more evil, the sum total of evil increases. We must not allow the evildoer to replicate evil within us. Our responses must always be positive such that evil is not allowed to reproduce within us. We must do away with fear, hatred, horror, bitterness, and the whole smorgasbord of negative and destructive energies.
We must pray for our foe, for he is part of the human race that we wish to see undergo evolutionary change. We must cease projecting fiendish images upon one another. Evil is changed into good through the evolutionary process of facing it, surviving its horror, and creatively endeavoring for its remediation.
When we respond to evil without hate or egocentricity, we can find the creative power to “loose, bind, and cast it out”. This may involve biting our tongue or even becoming the scape goat ourselves. It may mean offering forgiveness. Or it may mean confessing our own shortcomings before others and empathizing with the defects others are struggling with. A vast array of good actions come to mind when we endeavor to think creatively about what we can actively do to extinguish ill-will instead of being offended by it. When we are standing in the kingdom, the process of inventing ways for goodness to emerge can actually become fun and joyous, particularly when we understand ourselves as a creative peacemaker instead of a cringing appeaser.
Becoming a Catalyst for the Kingdom
We must not seek morality just for the sake of our ego, merely to make ourselves a better Christian; but rather out of love for how it changes us and how it changes humanity. Sharing with others, particularly the less fortunate, brings us into a new life experience; especially when we give a part of that which we ourselves can use or may need. We must come to understand that we are part of the “daily bread” that is given unto others, to make them grow. Communion means just that, “communion with others”, and it is the “sharing” and “fellowship” that is the point, not the “ritual” itself, as so many mistakenly perceive.
We must learn to hunger for dynamic evolution instead of languishing in static self-preservation. We are all in training for the future life. We must come to cooperate in this divine learning, growing our understanding, and courageously enduring against evil. But to do this we must melt away our egocentric shell.
God is still creating us. Creation is a dynamic, not static process. We are material and God is creating us like a sculptor painfully chisels raw matter into something creative. Kunkel says: “we must expose ourselves to the hammer blows of the Great Sculptor and eventually learn to wield the hammer ourselves”.
When we realize that we were created to evolve the kingdom of God, then the future of mankind becomes our center of gravity, unless we allow ourselves to be subverted by self-comfort and preservation. Our entire life endeavor should be focused upon seeking God’s righteous kingdom and facilitating our spiritual growth. When the Son of Man manifests inside of you, you must either kill Him or change, and if you extinguish Him then you extinguish yourself. The hour is at hand. By your fruit shall we know you.
The Kingdom is Now
We must jettison the idea that “eternity” is something that will begin in the future. Eternity is here already. We are already part of something that exists beyond time. Our challenge is to stay within a state of prayer, single-mindedly focused upon righteousness, right-action, love, caring, and compassion; not allowing ourselves to be led astray by the shams of the world, working diligently for love, sustenance, others, and sacrificing ourselves continually. We must reside in that state of love that is conducive to right action, ushering it in, sustaining it, and embracing it within ourselves and others.
In order to usher in the kingdom, we have to disengage ourselves from external physical dependencies by kindling the fire of God within our hearts. That is why Jesus had to die and leave the disciples; so they could grow beyond physical reliance upon a visible, external miracle-worker and discover the Spirit within themselves. Jesus had to forsake his disciples so they could learn self-reliance and independence, just as God forsook Jesus on the cross, and just as all of our physical selves will be forsaken in death, so that we may gain spiritual form.
The physical Jesus dies for us when we outgrow feudalism and become integrated with the spiritual Jesus. Jesus said: “My going is for your good. If I do not depart, the Helper will not come to you: whereas if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7). As long as we rely on physical proof, we remain unable to grow out of physicality. We must become incubators for Christ within, not idolators to things without.
Just as Jesus had to depart, so the historical records of scripture must be somewhat blurred so that we are encouraged to seek spirituality within ourselves instead of finding it as a physical fact. We are not to worship the Bible, the cross, the cathedral, the pope, or anything external. The physical Jesus made an exit so that a new spiritual consciousness could arise that is far beyond any sort of coerced obedience. Like the disciples, we too must paradoxically gaze into the empty tomb, out into the emptiness of space and time, in order to gain impetus to seek internally.
The Process of Change
We can gain that same inner spiritual fire that the disciples found if we acquiesce to harbor it. However, we must experience offenses, hinderances, stumbling, and other resistance in order to stimulate our consciousness to a higher level. It is like self-discovery of your inner capacity to produce art, as opposed to having someone simply assign you the role of an artist. When we come to harbor Jesus within, God assists us in properly incubating our spiritual selves in a way that can survive physical demise.
However, the more we grow spiritually, the greater becomes the temptations to misuse our newfound power. God is eager to help us if only we maintain an attitude that will enable us to use God’s help properly. But changing our inherited religion necessitates that we challenge the authorities. We must overcome the Pharisee. We must overcome the Herod. This is a difficult challenge; how do we do it?
We enter the kingdom when the Son of Man takes shape inside of us. Kunkel refers to this as: “the process of transmutation of one form of energy into another”. Essentially, it is a process of physicality turning into spirituality. There occurs a transfiguration of matter into spirit. Kunkel quotes Matthew in this regard, as follows:
It seems almost impossible to do this when we are so controlled by racial instincts, tribal habits, subconscious complexes, and powerful egocentricity. Even so, we have enough freedom to take small steps, which can lead to more and more freedom. But doing so necessitates that we disengage from the glitter of the worldly distractions that we cling to so desperately.
Ushering in the kingdom must take precedence over our health, loved ones, pathological accumulation, mammon, social standing, religious merit, and anything that is an obstacle for us, otherwise our life becomes a spiritual miscarriage. In this regard, Kunkel cites chapter 7 of Matthew: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, you will know them by their fruits.” (7:15-20)
Tap Into Evolutionary Power
Jesus suggested that his followers may one day accomplish even greater works than He. Jesus exited earth to leave us in the storms of life so that we may find and try out the powers of our own faith. Kunkel sees this mysterious power as the same creative power that forced fish to evolve into birds and cavemen into civilized personalities. In support of the potential manifestation of these powers, Kunkel cites the following versus out of Matthew.
Kunkel cites the Renaissance and the Reformation as evidence for the ongoing evolutionary process, as society begins to free itself from the rigid orthodoxy of feudalistic spirituality, totalitarianism, indoctrination, and elitist manipulation. Kunkel cites the Sermon on the Mount as demonstrative that prayer, fasting, and giving alms are keys to gaining higher consciousness. When we pray, we find conference with God and the righteousness that God desires for us; the very things that make us flourish, that make mankind flourish, and that accelerate the kingdom of God. When we pray vehemently. we become agents for God. We must first ingest spiritual life in order to be able to give spiritual life to others.
Conclusion
Ultimately, we discover that the great judgement foreordained in scripture is actually self judgement because the Judge is the inner “Son of Man”, the Spirit within us. In Chapter 12 Jesus remarks: “I tell you, on the day of judgement men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
As Kunkel says: “we cannot be mistaken regarding the simple decision between evolution or regression because, if we deny the Spirit of creation, we are lost”. We must come to know that we are underway on a journey, and that great decisions and sacrifices lie ahead of us. We are traveling amidst mysterious change; the scenery is moving around us, and even our physical composition is altering, as we age and explore our way to the new spiritual existence. We are all heading for a rendezvous with physical death, beyond which only the spirit will endure. We must be energized by God’s energy, not burned by it.
We cannot afford to choose intransigent retardation over spiritual growth. Orthodoxy is about obedience. Obedience must be replaced by cooperation. We must co-create instead of repress. We are to think, study, decide, grow, take steps, and progress by infusing ourselves with the Spirit of Christ, then, so-merged, we may ascend.
-End-
The author’s term: “feudalistic spirituality” refers to the religious positions of those who are glued to a static orthodoxy and a fundamentalistic literalism. Medieval Christianity replaced the dynamics of Jesus’ message with static doctrines of heaven and hell, thereby retarding the spiritual progress of humanity. Medieval Christianity framed the “Kingdom of God” as a faraway place in the future, as opposed to the dynamic, creative presence that it truly is. Medieval Christianity imposed the belief that salvation occurs through adherence to rigid doctrines, rituals, proclamations, priests, superstitions, and subservient obedience within a religious hierarchy.
In contrast, this author (Kunkel) derives something very different from the book of Matthew, most particularly that Jesus is the bringer of God’s light to mankind by seeding Himself within the souls of humans, thereby endowing those who cultivate Him with spiritual power. Kunkel sees this as the “virgin birth” that can occur within each of us. Kunkel uses a Jungian term: “individuation”, in reference to this life-changing process, which he sees as evolutionary in scope.
For Kunkel, it is of the greatest historical importance that the true religion of Jesus comes to replace the old feudalistic orthodoxy; this is because of the spiritual retardation the latter imposes upon converts by boxing them into rigid, static concepts. We must outgrow feudalism. The problem is that most people prefer being an automaton to spiritual feudalism rather than accepting the perilous responsibilities of individuation. Most people want the answers spoon-fed to them instead of undergoing the struggles of experiencing them directly.
Individuation
Kunkel identifies two mental perspectives that deter individuation. One is to become obsessed in seeking proof that the Gospels are real through historical research and archaeology. The other is to philosophize the Gospels as relevant only to the fate of mankind or to the “average” man, as opposed to letting it change us personally. Kunkel asserts that Matthew either changes the reader or the reader misinterprets Matthew as merely historical information or philosophical speculation.
Kunkel frames Jesus as the catalyst that precipitates this change, which change he identifies as “the evolution of man”. Baptism is declared symbolic of the drowning out of the old animalistic personality (the egotistical self), in favor of the growing light initiated by synthesizing Jesus’ message within. One is thus, “reborn” (evolved) into a new aspect of reality, as a son of God. We see throughout the accounts of Jesus’ life, that this self-reference “Son of Man” eventually transcends into “Son of God”.
Jesus encountered numerous temptations, just as we do; and we learn through his life that we can only succeed by tapping into God’s power. But God does not spoon feed us every step of the way, preferring instead that we learn and grow. We are left with the need to make decisions, interpret, and act; but we must learn to seek God’s will in resolving our predicaments.
Kunkel shows that most of us are lead astray from connectivity with God by blind adherence to tribal traditions. For example, we may forgo discussions about religion or politics because we have been taught to avoid them in polite conversation. Similarly, we may become entranced by the will of a secular ruler who comforts us with economic benefits, race entitlements, or nationalistic tribalism. Or, we may become the slaves of militants, such as Stalin, who cage us within fear and threats to our physical existence. In much the same way, we often easily acquiesce to gurus, preachers, witch doctors, popes, life coaches, or other priest-like people who we allow to tell us what to think and do.
All of these are subversions that thwart our individual relationship with God; and, like juveniles, we subconsciously adhere to them in order to dodge our individual responsibility for seeking, learning, and growing God within ourselves. Thus, these distractions become pseudo gods that imprison us within their own fiendish delusions and subvert our ability to achieve individuation.
Passive Resistance
Kunkel asks his readers to speculate as to whether human society can ever follow the evolutionary path of Jesus out of war, hate, exploitation and planetary defilement? Can we really evolve spiritually as enlightened human beings? The kingdom of love necessitates our transformation. Jesus demonstrated the way for us to resist these distractions and proceed in the evolutionary path God desires for us, telling us in Chapter 5 of Matthew to: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works.” And, further against karma, as follows:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you."
This does not mean that we become cowards. We must always protect our children and ourselves against perverts; but we do need to rid ourselves of instinctual evil responses. When we respond to evil with more evil, the sum total of evil increases. We must not allow the evildoer to replicate evil within us. Our responses must always be positive such that evil is not allowed to reproduce within us. We must do away with fear, hatred, horror, bitterness, and the whole smorgasbord of negative and destructive energies.
We must pray for our foe, for he is part of the human race that we wish to see undergo evolutionary change. We must cease projecting fiendish images upon one another. Evil is changed into good through the evolutionary process of facing it, surviving its horror, and creatively endeavoring for its remediation.
When we respond to evil without hate or egocentricity, we can find the creative power to “loose, bind, and cast it out”. This may involve biting our tongue or even becoming the scape goat ourselves. It may mean offering forgiveness. Or it may mean confessing our own shortcomings before others and empathizing with the defects others are struggling with. A vast array of good actions come to mind when we endeavor to think creatively about what we can actively do to extinguish ill-will instead of being offended by it. When we are standing in the kingdom, the process of inventing ways for goodness to emerge can actually become fun and joyous, particularly when we understand ourselves as a creative peacemaker instead of a cringing appeaser.
Becoming a Catalyst for the Kingdom
We must not seek morality just for the sake of our ego, merely to make ourselves a better Christian; but rather out of love for how it changes us and how it changes humanity. Sharing with others, particularly the less fortunate, brings us into a new life experience; especially when we give a part of that which we ourselves can use or may need. We must come to understand that we are part of the “daily bread” that is given unto others, to make them grow. Communion means just that, “communion with others”, and it is the “sharing” and “fellowship” that is the point, not the “ritual” itself, as so many mistakenly perceive.
We must learn to hunger for dynamic evolution instead of languishing in static self-preservation. We are all in training for the future life. We must come to cooperate in this divine learning, growing our understanding, and courageously enduring against evil. But to do this we must melt away our egocentric shell.
God is still creating us. Creation is a dynamic, not static process. We are material and God is creating us like a sculptor painfully chisels raw matter into something creative. Kunkel says: “we must expose ourselves to the hammer blows of the Great Sculptor and eventually learn to wield the hammer ourselves”.
When we realize that we were created to evolve the kingdom of God, then the future of mankind becomes our center of gravity, unless we allow ourselves to be subverted by self-comfort and preservation. Our entire life endeavor should be focused upon seeking God’s righteous kingdom and facilitating our spiritual growth. When the Son of Man manifests inside of you, you must either kill Him or change, and if you extinguish Him then you extinguish yourself. The hour is at hand. By your fruit shall we know you.
The Kingdom is Now
We must jettison the idea that “eternity” is something that will begin in the future. Eternity is here already. We are already part of something that exists beyond time. Our challenge is to stay within a state of prayer, single-mindedly focused upon righteousness, right-action, love, caring, and compassion; not allowing ourselves to be led astray by the shams of the world, working diligently for love, sustenance, others, and sacrificing ourselves continually. We must reside in that state of love that is conducive to right action, ushering it in, sustaining it, and embracing it within ourselves and others.
In order to usher in the kingdom, we have to disengage ourselves from external physical dependencies by kindling the fire of God within our hearts. That is why Jesus had to die and leave the disciples; so they could grow beyond physical reliance upon a visible, external miracle-worker and discover the Spirit within themselves. Jesus had to forsake his disciples so they could learn self-reliance and independence, just as God forsook Jesus on the cross, and just as all of our physical selves will be forsaken in death, so that we may gain spiritual form.
The physical Jesus dies for us when we outgrow feudalism and become integrated with the spiritual Jesus. Jesus said: “My going is for your good. If I do not depart, the Helper will not come to you: whereas if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7). As long as we rely on physical proof, we remain unable to grow out of physicality. We must become incubators for Christ within, not idolators to things without.
Just as Jesus had to depart, so the historical records of scripture must be somewhat blurred so that we are encouraged to seek spirituality within ourselves instead of finding it as a physical fact. We are not to worship the Bible, the cross, the cathedral, the pope, or anything external. The physical Jesus made an exit so that a new spiritual consciousness could arise that is far beyond any sort of coerced obedience. Like the disciples, we too must paradoxically gaze into the empty tomb, out into the emptiness of space and time, in order to gain impetus to seek internally.
The Process of Change
We can gain that same inner spiritual fire that the disciples found if we acquiesce to harbor it. However, we must experience offenses, hinderances, stumbling, and other resistance in order to stimulate our consciousness to a higher level. It is like self-discovery of your inner capacity to produce art, as opposed to having someone simply assign you the role of an artist. When we come to harbor Jesus within, God assists us in properly incubating our spiritual selves in a way that can survive physical demise.
However, the more we grow spiritually, the greater becomes the temptations to misuse our newfound power. God is eager to help us if only we maintain an attitude that will enable us to use God’s help properly. But changing our inherited religion necessitates that we challenge the authorities. We must overcome the Pharisee. We must overcome the Herod. This is a difficult challenge; how do we do it?
We enter the kingdom when the Son of Man takes shape inside of us. Kunkel refers to this as: “the process of transmutation of one form of energy into another”. Essentially, it is a process of physicality turning into spirituality. There occurs a transfiguration of matter into spirit. Kunkel quotes Matthew in this regard, as follows:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (7:13-14)
It seems almost impossible to do this when we are so controlled by racial instincts, tribal habits, subconscious complexes, and powerful egocentricity. Even so, we have enough freedom to take small steps, which can lead to more and more freedom. But doing so necessitates that we disengage from the glitter of the worldly distractions that we cling to so desperately.
Ushering in the kingdom must take precedence over our health, loved ones, pathological accumulation, mammon, social standing, religious merit, and anything that is an obstacle for us, otherwise our life becomes a spiritual miscarriage. In this regard, Kunkel cites chapter 7 of Matthew: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, you will know them by their fruits.” (7:15-20)
Tap Into Evolutionary Power
Jesus suggested that his followers may one day accomplish even greater works than He. Jesus exited earth to leave us in the storms of life so that we may find and try out the powers of our own faith. Kunkel sees this mysterious power as the same creative power that forced fish to evolve into birds and cavemen into civilized personalities. In support of the potential manifestation of these powers, Kunkel cites the following versus out of Matthew.
If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (17:20)
I say unto you, he that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father. (John 14:12)
Kunkel cites the Renaissance and the Reformation as evidence for the ongoing evolutionary process, as society begins to free itself from the rigid orthodoxy of feudalistic spirituality, totalitarianism, indoctrination, and elitist manipulation. Kunkel cites the Sermon on the Mount as demonstrative that prayer, fasting, and giving alms are keys to gaining higher consciousness. When we pray, we find conference with God and the righteousness that God desires for us; the very things that make us flourish, that make mankind flourish, and that accelerate the kingdom of God. When we pray vehemently. we become agents for God. We must first ingest spiritual life in order to be able to give spiritual life to others.
Conclusion
Ultimately, we discover that the great judgement foreordained in scripture is actually self judgement because the Judge is the inner “Son of Man”, the Spirit within us. In Chapter 12 Jesus remarks: “I tell you, on the day of judgement men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
As Kunkel says: “we cannot be mistaken regarding the simple decision between evolution or regression because, if we deny the Spirit of creation, we are lost”. We must come to know that we are underway on a journey, and that great decisions and sacrifices lie ahead of us. We are traveling amidst mysterious change; the scenery is moving around us, and even our physical composition is altering, as we age and explore our way to the new spiritual existence. We are all heading for a rendezvous with physical death, beyond which only the spirit will endure. We must be energized by God’s energy, not burned by it.
We cannot afford to choose intransigent retardation over spiritual growth. Orthodoxy is about obedience. Obedience must be replaced by cooperation. We must co-create instead of repress. We are to think, study, decide, grow, take steps, and progress by infusing ourselves with the Spirit of Christ, then, so-merged, we may ascend.
-End-
November 19, 2018
I found this book a very insightful, and helped me view Matthew in a new light.
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