The Science of Kriya Yoga

The science of Kriya Yoga, mentioned so often in these pages, became widely known in modern India through Lahiri Mahasaya. The Sanskrit root of Kriya is kri, to do, to act and react; the same root is found in the word karma, the natural principle of cause and effect. Kriya Yoga is thus “union (yoga) with the Infinite through a certain action or rite.” A yogi who faithfully follows its technique is gradually freed from karma or the universal chain of causation.

Because of certain ancient yogic agreements, a full explanation of Kriya Yoga is not available to the general public. The actual technique must be learned from an authorized instructor.

It may suffice to say Kriya Yoga is a method by which the human blood is decarbonized and recharged with oxygen. The atoms of this extra oxygen are transmuted into life current to rejuvenate the brain and spinal centers. By stopping the accumulation of venous blood, the yogi is able to lessen or prevent the decay of tissues; the advanced yogi transmutes his cells into pure energy. It is suggested, that Elijah, Jesus, Kabir and other prophets were familiar with Kriya or a similar technique.

Kriya was a science that was forgotten for a long time but was re-enacted by Lahiri Mahasaya who received it from his guru, Mahavatar Babaji, who rediscovered and clarified the technique after it had been lost in the Dark Ages.

Kriya Yoga was given to the West century by the author of the best selling classic, The Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952) who is considered one of the preeminent spiritual figures of modern times.

Yogananda came to America in 1920 from his native India, and was the first great master of yoga to live and teach in the West for more than 30 years. He is now widely recognized as the Father of Yoga in the West. He founded Self-Realization Fellowship in 1920.  

Babaji told Lahiri Mahasaya, “is a revival of the same science which Krishna gave, millenniums ago, to Arjuna, and which was later known to Patanjali, and to Christ, St. John, St. Paul, and other disciples.”

Kriya Yoga is referred to by Krishna, India’s greatest prophet, in a stanza of the Bhagavad Gita: “Offering inhaling breath into the outgoing breath, and offering the outgoing breath into the inhaling breath, the yogi neutralizes both these breaths; he thus releases the life force from the heart and brings it under his control.” The interpretation is: “The yogi arrests decay in the body by an addition of life force, and arrests the mutations of growth in the body by apana (eliminating current). Thus neutralizing decay and growth, by quieting the heart, the yogi learns life control.”

Kriya Yoga is mentioned twice by the ancient sage Patanjali, foremost exponent of yoga, who wrote: “Kriya Yoga consists of body discipline, mental control, and meditating on Aum.“ Patanjali speaks of God as the actual Cosmic Sound of Aum heard in meditation. Aum is the Creative Word. Even the yoga-beginner soon inwardly hears the wondrous sound of Aum. Receiving this blissful spiritual encouragement, the devotee becomes assured that he is in actual touch with divine realms.

Patanjali refers a second time to the life-control or Kriya technique thus: “Liberation can be accomplished by that pranayama which is attained by disjoining the course of inspiration and expiration.”

St. Paul knew Kriya Yoga, or a technique very similar to it, by which he could switch life currents to and from the senses. He was therefore able to say: “Verily, I protest by our rejoicing which I have in Christ, I die daily.” By daily withdrawing his bodily life force, he united it by yoga union with the rejoicing (eternal bliss) of the Christ consciousness. In that felicitous state, he was consciously aware of being dead to the delusive sensory world of maya.

In the initial states of God-contact (savikalpa samadhi) the devotee’s consciousness merges with the Cosmic Spirit; his life force is withdrawn from the body, which appears “dead,” or motionless and rigid. The yogi is fully aware of his bodily condition of suspended animation. As he progresses to higher spiritual states (nirvikalpa samadhi), however, he communes with God without bodily fixation, and in his ordinary waking consciousness, even in the midst of exacting worldly duties.

“Kriya Yoga is an instrument through which human evolution can be quickened,” Sri Yukteswar explained to his students. “The ancient yogis discovered that the secret of cosmic consciousness is intimately linked with breath mastery. This is India’s unique and deathless contribution to the world’s treasury of knowledge. The life force, which is ordinarily absorbed in maintaining the heart-pump, must be freed for higher activities by a method of calming and stilling the ceaseless demands of the breath.”

The Kriya Yogi mentally directs his life energy to revolve, upward and downward, around the six spinal centers (medullary, cervical, dorsal, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal plexuses) which correspond to the twelve astral signs of the zodiac, the symbolic Cosmic Man. One-half minute of revolution of energy around the sensitive spinal cord of man effects subtle progress in his evolution; that half-minute of Kriya equals one year of natural spiritual unfoldment.

One thousand Kriya practiced in eight hours gives the yogi, in one day, the equivalent of one thousand years of natural evolution: 365,000 years of evolution in one year. In three years, a Kriya Yogi can thus accomplish by intelligent self-effort the same result which nature brings to pass in a million years. The Kriya short cut, of course, can be taken only by deeply developed yogis. With the guidance of a guru, such yogis have carefully prepared their bodies and brains to receive the power created by intensive practice.

The Kriya beginner employs his yogic exercise only fourteen to twenty-eight times, twice daily. A number of yogis achieve emancipation in six or twelve or twenty-four or forty-eight years. A yogi who dies before achieving full realization carries with him the good karma of his past Kriya effort; in his new life he is harmoniously propelled toward his Infinite Goal.

The body of the average man is like a fifty-watt lamp, which cannot accommodate the billion watts of power roused by an excessive practice of Kriya. Through gradual and regular increase of the simple and “foolproof” methods of Kriya, man’s body becomes astral transformed day by day, and is finally fitted to express the infinite potentials of cosmic energy the first materially active expression of Spirit.

Kriya Yoga has nothing in common with the unscientific breathing exercises taught by a number of misguided zealots. Their attempts to forcibly hold breath in the lungs is not only unnatural but decidedly unpleasant. Kriya, on the other hand, is accompanied from the very beginning by an accession of peace, and by soothing sensations of regenerative effect in the spine.

The ancient yogic technique converts the breath into mind. By spiritual advancement, one is able to cognize the breath as an act of mind a dream-breath.

Many illustrations could be given of the mathematical relationship between man’s respiratory rate and the variations in his states of consciousness. A person whose attention is wholly engrossed, as in following some closely knit intellectual argument, or in attempting some delicate or difficult physical feat, automatically breathes very slowly. Fixity of attention depends on slow breathing; quick or uneven breaths are an inevitable accompaniment of harmful emotional states: fear, lust, anger. The restless monkey breathes at the rate of 32 times a minute, in contrast to man’s average of 18 times. The elephant, tortoise, snake and other animals noted for their longevity have a respiratory rate which is less than man’s. The tortoise, for instance, who may attain the age of 300 years, breathes only 4 times per minute.

The rejuvenating effects of sleep are due to man’s temporary unawareness of body and breathing. The sleeping man becomes a yogi; each night he unconsciously performs the yogic rite of releasing himself from bodily identification, and of merging the life force with healing currents in the main brain region and the six sub-dynamos of his spinal centers. The sleeper thus dips unknowingly into the reservoir of cosmic energy which sustains all life.

The voluntary yogi performs a simple, natural process consciously, not unconsciously like the slow-paced sleeper. The Kriya Yogi uses his technique to saturate and feed all his physical cells with un-decaying light and keep them in a magnetized state. He scientifically makes breath unnecessary, without producing the states of subconscious sleep or unconsciousness.

By Kriya, the outgoing life force is not wasted and abused in the senses, but constrained to reunite with subtler spinal energies. By such reinforcement of life, the yogi’s body and brain cells are electrified with the spiritual elixir. Thus he removes himself from studied observance of natural laws, which can only take him, means as given by proper food, sunlight and harmonious thoughts by circuitous means as given by proper food, sunlight, and harmonious thoughts to a million-year Goal. It needs twelve years of normal healthful living to effect even slight perceptible change in brain structure, and a million solar returns are exacted to sufficiently refine the cerebral tenement for manifestation of cosmic consciousness.

Untying the cord of breath which binds the soul to the body, Kriya serves to prolong life and enlarge the consciousness to infinity. The yoga method overcomes the tug of war between the mind and the matter-bound senses, and frees the devotee to reinherit his eternal kingdom. He knows his real nature is bound neither by physical encasement nor by breath, symbol of the mortal enslavement to air, to nature’s elemental compulsions.

Introspection, or “sitting in the silence,” is an unscientific way of trying to force apart the mind and senses, tied together by the life force. The contemplative mind, attempting its return to divinity, is constantly dragged back toward the senses by the life currents. Kriya, controlling the mind directly through the life force, is the easiest, most effective, and most scientific avenue of approach to the Infinite. In contrast to the slow, uncertain “bullock cart” theological path to God, Kriya may justly be called the “airplane” route.

The yogic science is based on an empirical consideration of all forms of concentration and meditation exercises. Yoga enables the devotee to switch off or on, at will, life current from the five sense telephones of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Attaining this power of sense-disconnection, the yogi finds it simple to unite his mind at will with divine realms or with the world of matter. No longer is he unwillingly brought back by the life force to the mundane sphere of rowdy sensations and restless thoughts. Master of his body and mind, the Kriya Yogi ultimately achieves victory over the “last enemy,” death.

Spiritual Levels of Love

Can we force love to happen? Each one must ask him/herself to obtain an answer to this question.

How does one start the questioning process?

Many people start with examining their inner life for a source of love. Some people may have grown up without experiencing parental love through a lack of early bonding; others may feel that they have to engage in actions that deserve love. Still other may turn to Religion in search of love.

Perhaps we ought to start by defining what love is, if this is possible.

Many people show love in the ways they hope to receive love (the golden rule of doing unto others as you would have others do unto you) but this assumes ones partner defines love the same way. But in reality people make different assumptions about love.

One wants physical connection, the other wants to go on a walk together; one wants to buy gifts to show affection but the other would rather have him put the money in the bank, or do the dishes, do the laundry because that's to them a definition of love.

When couples start speaking the same language, they begin to feel understood, acknowledged and appreciated. When couples stop making assumptions about what love means to their partner, they start having better conversations and they begin to relate more consciously. Funny how something that seems so simple is actually quite complicated.

God and Jesus

The prompting of this paper is based on my great love for the Triune God and the apocalyptic view with which so many Christians are currently preoccupied.

My wish is that the Christian community expands its vision of God and Christ to embrace the whole of creation. I trust that in this paper I am able to keep the mystery of God alive.

Ezekiel 12:2

“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Jesus sent his first disciples on the road to preach to “all the nations” (Matthew 28:19 (NIV) -19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” and Luke 24:47 - and to “all creation” (Mark 16:15) 15 “He was also training them to take risk by leaving their own security behind. This becomes even clearer in his instruction for them “not to take anything with them” (Mark 6:8)  "Take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts and to submit to the hospitality and even the hostility of others” (Mark 6:10 -11). 10 “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them”. Jesus says the same of himself in John’s Gospel (10:7) where he calls himself “the gate” where people “will go freely in and out, and find green pasture” (10:9).

What an amazing permission! He sees himself more as a place of entrance and exit than a place of settlement. It is strange that pastors only notice the going “in” but never the going “out” message.

There is a place and time for being outside, or we never really understand or appreciate the inside. A gatekeeper keeps the gate open in both directions, and knows the right motivation and timing for opening both. Like a good shepherd, he/she leads one to the best pasture at the best time.

Jesus clearly was much more concerned with the journey and integrity, than with presenting mere ideas or belonging to the correct group. 

Jesus was not only teaching or maintaining a purity system (which is to say a “belonging system”); but Jesus used everything, even people’s mistakes and impurity, to bring them to God. That’s good news for everyone. He practiced a process of transformation more than a belonging system.

For example, he says lovingly to an inquisitive scribe, “And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, you are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. ”(Mark12:34).

Jesus was affirming his particular stage on the journey, without telling him that he must travel all the way.

He wanted searchers more than settlers, prophets more than priests, He wanted honest journeyers.

All of these situations are describing the unique and rare position of one who is in tune with the Spirit of God. He/she is always on the edge of the inside. Not an outsider throwing rocks, nor a comfortable insider who defends the status quo, but one who lives precariously with two perspectives held tightly together: the faithful insider and the critical outsider at the same time. Not established safely inside, but not so far outside as to lose compassion or understanding.

The true disciple must hold these perspectives in a loving and necessary creative tension.  It is a unique kind of seeing and living, which will largely leave the disciple with “nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58) while easily meriting the “hatred of all”—who have invariably taken sides in opposing groups (Luke 21:16 -17) - 16 “You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me.                   . 

The true disciple clings to God, and almost no one else.

People hiding inside of belonging systems are very threatened by those who are not within that group.  They are threatened by anyone who has found the answer to his/her being in places they cannot control. 

Matthew’s Gospel refers to this larger place as “the kingdom of heaven.” Where one has found his/her treasure, and is utterly grounded in the “passion” of the transcendent God, which is indestructible and uncontrollable by worldly systems. 

People being attached to the world, will seek their treasures and payoffs in the world. We need to let self centered opportunism pass and focus instead on loving God then all things will be given unto us.

Instead of loving God, many are watching life happen from afar and judging it in accordance with their limited understanding.

Yet God is inherent in life itself? God is the Life Force of everything? God is not an object like any other object. God is the Life Energy in each and everything, which we call Love or Spirit.

No longer should we hold punitive images of God or one that impels us to think that God is apart from us, which has long dominated the Western churches. But instead of the triune God who flows through everything, without exception, and who has done so since the beginning of time. In this regard everything is Holy, for those who have learned how to see with their inner vision. The implications of such a spiritual shift are staggering: every vital impulse, every force toward the future, every creative momentum, every loving surge, every dash toward beauty, every running toward truth, every ecstasy before simple goodness, every bit of ambition for humanity and the earth, for wholeness and holiness, is the eternally-flowing life of the Triune God.

Whether we know it or not! This is not an invitation that one can agree with or disagree with. It is a description of what is already happening in God and in everything created in God’s image and likeness. This triune God allows us, impels us, to live easily with God everywhere and all the time: in the budding of a plant, the smile of a gardener, the excitement of a teenage boy over his new girlfriend, the loving nuzzling of horses, the tenderness with which eagles feed their chicks, and the downward flow of every mountain stream.

This God is found even in suffering and in death of those very things! How could this not be the life-energy of God? How could it be anything else? Such a big definition of life must include death in its great embrace, so that none of our labors will be wasted. In the chirp of every bird excited about a new morning, in the hard beauty of every cliff, in the deep satisfaction at every job well done and even in a clerk’s gratuitous smile to a department store customer or in the passivity of the hospital bed, “the world, life or death, the present or the future—all belong to us; and we belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God,”

That’s the great moment in all divine revelation, when beautiful ideas drop in through intuition to the mind and to the heart, which happens when we move from the level of dogma to the level of experience; when it is not something that we merely believe, but in a real sense something that we know. This is how the divine dance of God can be experience by us all, believers and non believers alike.  

God’s joyous unveiling can melt even the most hardened constrictions, illuminating the way toward union of Spirit, Self, yes even society.

Let us be clear that God is not a being among other beings, but rather Being itself. Nothing human can stop the flow of divine love; we cannot undo the eternal pattern even by our worst indiscretions. God is always winning, and God’s love will win. Love does not lose, nor does God lose. No one can stop the relentless outpouring force of the Divine grace.

God is relationship itself. Our task is to trustfully receive and then gradually reflect the inner image of God unto the world around us.

This divine mirroring will never stop; mirroring is how the whole transformation process is personally initiated and finally achieved. But we have to be taught how to “gaze steadily into this law of perfect inner freedom, and make this our habit.

Jesus the enlightened one:

John 12:35-37 (ESV)

35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

We must realize that we can know and love God on many levels. Some are the transpersonal level (“Father”), the Personal level (“Jesus”), and the Impersonal level (“Holy Spirit”) and never forget to love our neighbor and all of God’s manifestation.

May the peace that transcends all understanding be with us Amen.

Explanation of Bible Verses

What is the Spirit of adoption?

Answer: Romans 8:15 says, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’(KJV).

This verse contrasts two spirits: an impersonal “spirit of bondage” or “spirit of slavery” and the Holy Spirit, called “the Spirit of adoption.” The Spirit makes us God’s children.

A spirit of slavery is manifested in legalistic religion. Many cults and even some Christian denominations put such emphasis on rule-keeping that they instill fear and a sense of dread in their members. God is presented as a taskmaster who is never quite satisfied with anything we do. The bar is always set a bit too high, so people find religious activities to keep themselves busy in the hope that God will accept them for their effort.

What is the inner man?

The “inner man” is another way of describing the spiritual aspect of a person. The “outer man,” by contrast, would be the visible, external aspect of a person. Human beings were created by God with a spirit, soul, and body (Genesis 1:27; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).

It has been said that we are not bodies with souls; we are souls that have bodies. The body—the “outer man”—is our physical housing through which we experience the world. Our bodies function primarily through the five senses and by meeting innate needs that drive us to eat, drink, and sleep. Our bodies are not evil but are gifts from God. He desires that we surrender those bodies as living sacrifices to Him (Romans 12:1–2). Our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19–20; 3:16).

Our souls are the personality centers of our beings from which our mind, will, and emotions operate. With our souls we choose to either to listen and obey to the dictates of our flesh or to the desires of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16–17; Romans 8:9; Mark 14:38).

The soul is the courtroom where life decisions are made. It is the seat of the self-life and the fountain from which character traits such as self-confidence, self-pity, self-seeking, and self-affirmation originate.

Our spirit is that, where the Spirit of God communes with us. Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). It is within our spirits that we are born again (John 3:3–6).

Our spirit is the parts of us most like God, with an innate knowledge of right and wrong (Romans 2:14–15). First Corinthians 2:11 says, “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

Romans 12:1–2 implores us not to be conformed to this world’s way of thinking; rather, our inner being must be transformed by the “renewing of our minds.” This mind-renewal comes about as we allow the Holy Spirit free rein within our “inner being.”

Romans 8:13–14 says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

What is the human spirit?

Answer:  The human spirit is the incorporeal part of man. The Bible says that the human spirit is the very breath of Almighty God and was breathed into man at the beginning of God’s creation: “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

It is the human spirit that gives us a consciousness of self and other remarkable, though limited, “God-like” qualities. The human spirit includes our intellect, emotions, fears, passions, and creativity. It is this spirit that provides us the unique ability to comprehend and understand (Job 32:8, 18).

The words spirit and breath are translations of the Hebrew word neshamah and the Greek word pneuma. The words mean “strong wind, blast, or inspiration.”

 Neshamah is the source of life that vitalizes humanity (Job 33:4). It is the intangible, unseen human spirit that governs man’s mental and emotional existence. The apostle Paul said, “Who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him?” (1 Corinthians 2:11).

Upon death the “spirit returns back to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7; see also Job 34:14-15; Psalm 104:29-30).

Every human being has a spirit, and it is distinct from the “spirit,” or life, of animals. God made man differently from the animals in that He created us “in His image” (Genesis 1:26-27). Therefore, man is able to think, feel, love, design, create, and enjoy music, humor, and art. And it is because of the human spirit that we have a “free will” that no other creature on earth has.

The human spirit was damaged in the fall. When Adam sinned, his ability to fellowship with God was broken; he did not die physically that day, but he died spiritually. Ever since, the human spirit has borne the effects of the fall. Before salvation, a person is characterized as spiritually “dead” (Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13). A relationship with Christ revitalizes our spirits and renews us day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Interestingly, just as the human spirit was divinely breathed into the first man, so the Holy Spirit was breathed into the first disciples in John 20:22: “And with that [Jesus] breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).

Adam was made alive by the breath of God, and we, as “new creations” in Christ, are made spiritually alive by the “Breath of God,” the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17; John 3:3; Romans 6:4).

Upon our acceptance of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God joins with our own spirit in ways we cannot comprehend. The apostle John said, “This is how we know that we live in Him and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13).

When we allow the Spirit of God to lead our lives, the “Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16).

As children of God, we are no longer led by our own spirit but by God’s Spirit, who leads us to eternal life. (Thy will be done).

 "What can we learn from the life of Paul? Who was Paul?"

Answer:  There is much we can learn from the life of the apostle Paul. Far from ordinary, Paul was given the opportunity to do extraordinary things for the kingdom of God. The story of Paul is a story of redemption in Jesus Christ and a testimony that no one is beyond the saving grace of the Lord. However, to gain the full measure of the man, we must examine his dark side and what he symbolized before becoming “the Apostle of Grace.”

Paul’s early life was marked by religious zeal, brutal violence, and the relentless persecution of the early church. Fortunately, the later years of Paul’s life show a marked difference as he lived his life for Christ and for the advancement of His kingdom.

Paul was actually born as Saul. He was born in Tarsus in Cilicia around AD 1–5 in a province in the southeastern corner of modern-day Tersous, Turkey. He was of Benjamite lineage and Hebrew ancestry (Philippians 3:5–6). His parents were Pharisees—fervent Jewish nationalists who adhered strictly to the Law of Moses—who sought to protect their children from “contamination” from the Gentiles. Anything Greek would have been despised in Saul’s household, yet he could speak Greek and passable Latin. His household would have spoken Aramaic, a derivative of Hebrew, which was the official language of Judea. Saul’s family were Roman citizens but viewed Jerusalem as a truly sacred and holy city (Acts 22:22-29).

At age thirteen Saul was sent to Palestine to learn from a rabbi named Gamaliel, under whom Saul mastered Jewish history, the Psalms, and the works of the prophets. His education would continue for five or six years as Saul learned such things as dissecting Scripture (Acts 22:3).

 It was during this time that he developed a question-and-answer style of teaching known in ancient times as “diatribe.” This method of articulation helped rabbis debate the finer points of Jewish law to either defend or prosecute those who broke the law. Saul went on to become a lawyer, and all signs pointed to his becoming a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court of 71 men who ruled over Jewish life and religion. Saul was zealous for his faith, and this faith did not allow for compromise. It is this zeal that led Saul down the path of religious extremism.

 In Acts 5:27–42, Peter delivered his defense of the gospel and of Jesus in front of the Sanhedrin, which Saul would have heard. Gamaliel was also present and delivered a message to calm the council and prevent them from stoning Peter. Saul might also have been present at the trial of Stephen. He was present for his stoning and death; he held the garments of those who did the stoning (Acts 7:58). After Stephen's death, "a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem" (Acts 8:1). Saul became determined to eradicate Christians, ruthless in his pursuit as he believed he was acting in the name of God. Arguably, there is no one more frightening or more vicious than a religious terrorist, especially when he believes he is doing the will of the Lord by killing innocent people. This is exactly what Saul of Tarsus was: a religious terrorist. Acts 8:3 states, “He began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.”

 The pivotal passage in Paul’s story is Acts 9:1–22, which recounts Paul’s meeting with Jesus Christ on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus, a journey of about 150 miles. Saul was angered by what he had seen and filled with murderous rage against the Christians. Before departing on his journey, he had asked the high priest for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for permission to bring any Christians (followers of “the Way,” as they were known) back to Jerusalem to imprison them.

On the road Saul was caught in a bright light from heaven that caused him to fall face down on the ground. He heard the words, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He replied, “Who are you Lord?” Jesus answered directly and clearly, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (verses 4–5). As an aside, this might not have been Saul’s first encounter with Jesus, as some scholars suggest that young Saul might have known of Jesus and that he might have actually witnessed His death.

 From that moment on, Saul’s life was turned upside down. The light of the Lord blinded him, and as he traveled on he had to rely on his companions. As instructed by Jesus, Saul continued to Damascus to make contact with a man named Ananias, who was hesitant at first to meet Saul because he knew Saul’s reputation as an evil man. But the Lord told Ananias that Saul was a “chosen instrument” to carry His name before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15) and would suffer for doing so (Acts 9:16). Ananias followed the Lord’s instructions and found Saul, on whom he laid hands, and told him of his vision of Jesus Christ. Through prayer, Saul received the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17), regained his sight, and was baptized (Acts 9:18). Saul immediately went into the synagogues and proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God (Acts 9:20). The people were amazed and skeptical, as Saul’s reputation was well known. The Jews thought he had come to take away the Christians (Acts 9:21), but he had in fact joined them. Saul’s boldness increased as the Jews living in Damascus were confounded by Saul’s arguments proving that Jesus was the Christ (Acts 9:22).

Saul spent time in Arabia, Damascus, Jerusalem, Syria, and his native Cilicia, and Barnabas enlisted his help to teach those in the church in Antioch (Acts 11:25). Interestingly, the Christians driven out of Judea by the persecution that arose after Stephen's death founded this multiracial church (Acts 11:19–21).

 Saul took his first of three missionary journeys in the late AD 40s. As he spent more time in Gentile areas, Saul began to go by his Roman name Paul (Acts 13:9). Paul wrote many of the New Testament books. Most theologians are in agreement that he wrote Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Philemon, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus. These thirteen “letters” (epistles) make up the “Pauline Authorship” and are the primary source of his theology. As previously noted, the book of Acts gives us a historical look at Paul’s life and times. The apostle Paul spent his life proclaiming the risen Christ Jesus throughout the Roman world, often at great personal peril (2 Corinthians 11:24–27). It is assumed that Paul died a martyr’s death in the mid-to-late AD 60s in Rome.

 So, what can we learn from the life of the apostle Paul? First, we learn that God can save anyone. The remarkable story of Paul repeats itself every day as sinful, broken people all over the world are transformed by God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ. Some of these people have done despicable things to other human beings, while some just try to live a moral life thinking that God will smile upon them on the Day of Judgment.

When we read the story of Paul, we are amazed that God would allow into heaven a religious extremist who murdered innocent women and children. Today, we might see terrorists or other criminals as unworthy of redemption because their crimes against humanity are just too great.

The story of Paul is a story that can be told today—he isn’t worthy in our eyes of a second chance, yet God granted him mercy. The truth is that every person matters to God, from the “good, decent,” average person to the “wicked, evil,” degenerate one. Only God can save a soul from hell.

Second, we learn from the life of Paul that anyone can be a humble, powerful witness for Jesus Christ. Arguably, no other human figure in the Bible demonstrated more humility while sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ as Paul. Acts 20:19 tells us that he “served the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to [him] through the plots of the Jews.” In Acts 28:31, Paul shares the good news of Jesus Christ: “Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul was not afraid to tell others what the Lord had done for him. Paul spent all his days, from conversion to martyrdom, working tirelessly for the kingdom of God.

Finally, we learn that anyone can surrender completely to God. Paul was fully committed to God. In Philippians 1:12–14, Paul wrote from prison, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much bolder to speak the word without fear.” Despite his circumstances, Paul praised God and continually shared the good news (see also Acts 16:22–25 and Philippians 4:11–13). Through his hardships and suffering, Paul knew the outcome of a life well lived for Christ. He had surrendered his life fully, trusting God for everything. He wrote, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Can we make the same claim?

What is the difference between religion and spirituality? From a Christian perspective.

Answer:  Before we explore the difference between religion and spirituality, we must first define the two terms.

Religion can be defined as “belief in God or gods to be worshipped, usually expressed in conduct and ritual” or “any specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code of ethics.”

Spirituality can be defined as “the quality or fact of being spiritual, non-physical” or “predominantly spiritual character as shown in thought, life, etc.; spiritual tendency or tone.”

To put it briefly, religion is a set of beliefs and rituals that claim to get a person in a right relationship with God, and spirituality is a focus on spiritual things and the spiritual world instead of physical/earthly things.

The most common misconception about religion is that Christianity is just another religion like Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc. Sadly, many who claim to be adherents of Christianity do practice Christianity as if it were a religion. To many, Christianity is nothing more than a set of rules and rituals that a person has to observe in order to go to heaven after death.

That is not true Christianity. True Christianity is not a religion; rather, it is having a right relationship with God by receiving Jesus Christ as the Savior-Messiah, by grace through faith. Yes, Christianity does have “rituals” to observe (e.g., baptism and communion). Yes, Christianity does have “rules” to follow (e.g., do not murder, love one another, etc.). However, these rituals and rules are not the essence of Christianity. The rituals and rules of Christianity are the result of salvation. When we receive salvation through Jesus Christ, we are baptized as a proclamation of that faith. We observe communion in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. We follow a list of do’s and don’ts out of love for God and gratitude for what He has done.

The most common misconception about spirituality is that there are many forms of spirituality, and all are equally valid. True spirituality is possessing the Holy Spirit of God as a result of receiving salvation through Jesus Christ. True spirituality is the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in a person’s life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Spirituality is all about becoming more like God, who is spirit (John 4:24) and having our character conformed to His image (Romans 12:1-2).

What religion and spirituality have in common is that they both can be false methods of having a relationship with God. Religion tends to substitute the heartless observance of rituals for a genuine relationship with God.

Religion can be valuable in the sense that it points to the fact that there is a God and that we are somehow accountable to Him.

Spirituality can be valuable in that it points out that the physical world is not all there is. Human beings are not only material, but also possess a soul-spirit. There is a spiritual world around us of which we should be aware. The true value of spirituality is that it points to the fact that there is something and someone beyond this physical world to which we need to connect. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of both religion and spirituality. Jesus is the One to whom Christians are accountable.

Question: "Why should I believe in organized religion?"

 Answer:  A dictionary definition of “religion” would be something similar to “belief in God or gods to be worshipped, usually expressed in conduct and ritual; any specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code of ethics.” In light of this definition, the Bible does speak of organized religion, but in many cases the purpose and impact of “organized religion” are not something that God is pleased with.

In Genesis chapter 11, perhaps the first instance of organized religion, the descendants of Noah organized themselves to build the tower of Babel instead of obeying God’s command to fill the entire earth. They believed that their unity was more important than their relationship with God. God stepped in and confused their languages, thus breaking up this organized religion.

 In Exodus chapter 6 and following, God “organized” a religion for the nation of Israel. The Ten Commandments, the laws regarding the tabernacle, and the sacrificial system were all instituted by God and were to be followed by the Israelites. Further study of the New Testament clarifies that the intent of this religion was to point to the need for a Savior-Messiah (Galatians 3; Romans 7). However, many have misunderstood this and have worshipped the rules and rituals rather than God.

Throughout Israel’s history, many of the conflicts experienced by the Israelites involved conflict with organized religions. Examples include the worship of Baal (Judges 6; 1 Kings 18), Dagon (1 Samuel 5), and Moloch (2 Kings 23:10). God defeated the followers of these religions, displaying His sovereignty and omnipotence.

In the Gospels, the Pharisees and Sadducees are depicted as the representatives of organized religion at the time of Christ. Jesus constantly confronted them about their false teachings and hypocritical lifestyles. In the Epistles, there were organized groups that mixed the gospel with certain lists of required works and rituals. They also sought to put pressure on believers to change and accept these “Christianity plus” religions. Galatians and Colossians give warnings about such religions. In the book of Revelation, organized religion will have an impact on the world as the Antichrist sets up a one-world religion.

 In many cases, the end result of organized religion is a distraction from the intent of God. However, the Bible does speak of organized believers who are part of His plan. God calls these groups of organized believers “churches.” The descriptions from the book of Acts and the Epistles indicate that the church is to be organized and interdependent. The organization leads to protection, productivity, and outreach (Acts 2:41-47). In the case of the church, it could better be called an “organized relationship.”

Religion is man’s attempt to have communion with God. The Christian faith is a relationship with God because of what He has done for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. There is no plan to reach God (He has reached out to us—Romans 5:8). There is no pride (all is received by grace—Ephesians 2:8-9). There should be no conflict over leadership (Christ is the head—Colossians 1:18). There should be no prejudice (we are all one in Christ—Galatians 3:28). Being organized is not the problem. Focusing on the rules and rituals of a religion is the problem.

What is religiosity?

Answer:  Religiosity can mean “piety” or “the state of being religious”; however, for the purpose of this article, we will consider the secondary definition of "the exaggerated embodiment of certain aspects of religious activity." To be religious is to be “excessively or sentimentally religious” or to practice one’s religion in a meddlesome way. Thus, religiosity is characterized by excessive involvement in religious activities. Religiosity usually entails extreme zeal outside of and beyond the norms of one’s faith. It is more than affection for religion; it is affectation in religion. Religiosity usually reflects one’s individual beliefs more than those of the religious organization itself. Another term for religiosity, though less common, is religiousness, “the state of being superficially religious.”

To summarize, religiosity is a term used by Christians and non-Christians alike to refer to religious activity in the extreme. Religiosity is an inappropriate devotion to the rituals and traditions of a religion. Religiosity is something that should never be a characteristic of a follower of Jesus Christ, but, sadly, it sometimes is. Whenever a Christian takes his/her eyes off of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, religiosity/religiousness can be the result. It is often easier to observe the rules, rituals, and traditions of a religion than it is to maintain a passionate relationship with the Lord.

 How can religiosity be avoided? It is a matter of perspective and priority. What is the priority? Is it worshipping and following the Lord Jesus Christ, or is it fulfilling the rituals of a religious organization? What is the perspective? Do we serve God in order to “earn” His love or to be seen and admired by other people, or do we serve God because we love Him and are grateful for the wonderful salvation He has provided?

Religion, ritual, and tradition are not the problem. The attitude behind the religious practice is the problem.

Question: "What is true religion?"

Answer:  Religion can be defined as “belief in God or gods to be worshipped, usually expressed in conduct and ritual” or “any specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code of ethics.” Well over 90% of the world’s population adheres to some form of religion. The problem is that there are so many different religions. What is the right religion? What is true religion?

The two most common ingredients in religions are rules and rituals. Some religions are essentially nothing more than a list of rules, do’s and don’ts that a person must observe in order to be considered a faithful adherent of that religion, and thereby, right with the God of that religion.

Two examples of rules-based religions are Islam and Judaism. Islam has its five pillars that must be observed. Judaism has hundreds of commands and traditions that are to be observed. Both religions, to a certain degree, claim that by obeying the rules of the religion, a person will be considered right with God.

 Other religions focus more on observing rituals instead of obeying a list of rules. By offering this sacrifice, performing this task, participating in this service, consuming this meal, etc., a person is made right with God.

The most prominent example of a ritual-based religion is Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholicism holds that by being water baptized as an infant, by partaking in the Mass, by confessing sin to a priest, by offering prayers to saints in Heaven, by being anointed by a priest before death, etc., God will accept such a person into Heaven after death.

Buddhism and Hinduism are also primarily ritual-based religions, but can also to a lesser degree be considered rules-based.

True religion is neither rules-based nor ritual-based. True religion is a relationship with God. Two things that all religions hold are that humanity is somehow separated from God and needs to be reconciled to Him.

False religion seeks to solve this problem by observing rules and rituals. True religion solves the problem by recognizing that only God could rectify the separation, and that He has done so.

True religion recognizes the following:

1. We have all sinned and are therefore separated from God (Romans 3:23).

2. If not rectified, the just penalty for sin is death and eternal separation from God after death (Romans 6:23).

3. God came to us in the Person of Jesus Christ and died in our place, taking the punishment that we deserve, and rose from the dead to demonstrate that His death was a sufficient sacrifice (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

4. If we receive Jesus as the Savior, trusting His death as the full payment for our sins, we are forgiven, saved, redeemed, reconciled, and justified with God (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9).

True religion does have rules and rituals, but there is a crucial difference. In true religion, the rules and rituals are observed out of gratitude for the salvation God has provided – NOT in an effort to obtain that salvation. True religion, which is Biblical Christianity, has rules to obey (do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not lie, etc.) and rituals to observe (water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper / Communion). Observance of these rules and rituals is not what makes a person right with God. Rather, these rules and rituals are the RESULT of the relationship with God, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone as the Savior.

False religion is doing things (rules and rituals) in order to try to earn God’s favor. True religion is receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and thereby having a right relationship with God – and then doing things (rules and rituals) out of love for God and desire to grow closer to Him.

May God’s grace be with us

Note:

Teaching about the soul and the spirit has caused much confusion in the Christian world. Some say that the soul and the spirit are the same thing; others say they are different. The Apostle Paul makes a clear distinction between the two. Paul teaches that our spirit resides in the spiritual realm; it is the inner part of us. Our soul, by contrast lives in the mortal or physical body. Our spirit is the real us, the essence of who we are. Our body is the physical expression and our soul is the non physical one. Our soul and body are one and both are distinct from spirit.

Understanding the distinction between soul and spirit affords us a better understanding of some critical truth.

We are secure, because the Holy Spirit lives in us.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NKJV)

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone [a]defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

1 John 3:9 (NKJV)

9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

Living a righteous life pleasing to God cannot come from mortal flesh

The spirit is the element in humanity that gives us the ability to have an intimate relationship with God. Whenever the word spirit is used, it refers to the immaterial part of humanity that “connects” with God, who Himself is spirit (John 4:24).

The word soul can refer to both the immaterial and material aspects of humanity. Unlike human beings having a spirit, human beings are souls. In its most basic sense, the word soul means “life”. The soul and the spirit are connected, but separable (Hebrews 4:12). The soul is the essence of humanity’s being; it is who we are. The spirit is the immaterial part of humanity that connects with God.

The soul and the spirit are connected, but separable (Hebrews 4:12). The soul is the essence of humanity’s being; it is who we are. The spirit is the immaterial part of humanity that connects with God.

The soul can refer to the whole person, whether alive on earth or in the afterlife.

the human soul is the part of a person that is not physical. It is the part of every human being that lasts eternally after the body experiences death.

The human soul is central to the personhood of a human being. We don’t have a soul, we are a Soul. We have a body.” In other words, personhood is not based on having a body. A soul is what is required. Repeatedly in the Bible, people are referred to as “souls” (Exodus 31:14; Proverbs 11:30), especially in contexts that focus on the value of human life and personhood or on the concept of a “whole being” (Psalm 16:9-10; Ezekiel 18:4; Acts 2:41; Revelation 18:13).

Where do we go when we die? It is up to us. God offers us the choice. God invites us to come to Him. It is our call.

If you feel God drawing you to faith in Christ (John 6:44), come to the Savior. If God is lifting the veil and removing your spiritual blindness (2 Corinthians 4:4), look to the Savior. If you are experiencing a spark of life in what has always been dead (Ephesians 2:1), come to life through the Savior.

Spiritualizing Human Relationships II

Seeing Through the Spiritual Eye

Spiritualizing our contacts with others means feeling our basic original spiritual connection with one another; that is, that we all are part of that divine being, one without a second, ever pure, ever free and ever blessed and relating to others on that plane. This should be spontaneous and easy, but yet in practical life it appears to be an uphill task, it becomes just a mental process. We are not creating a real spiritual relationship, but rather effecting a change of attitude.

Directly or indirectly, we have to try to assert our essential relationship with the Divine within. We are all tiny waves and bubbles in that vast ocean of consciousness called Reality or God. Any bubble to bubble, or wave to wave relationship comes and goes, bringing both happiness and misery in its wake but our central relationship is to God.

Our identity is centered in our mind, predominantly in ego consciousness. Our relationships with others are normally in and through the ego, which is characterized by the attitude of “I” and “mine. To spiritualize the ego, we are asked to expand ourselves by including others. Jesus said that we should love God with all our heart, mind and strength and love our brothers as ourselves. Objectively, we make the whole world our own. Subjectively, we are instructed to connect ourselves with the Infinite or God. We need to connect our ego and the egos of others with the infinite consciousness or God. When I belong to God, all others also belong to God. If I’m a part of God, all others are a part of God. If I’m a child of God, all others are children of God. If I’m one with God, everyone is one with God.

This is how the ego gradually becomes mature so that any relationship with the spiritualized “I” and “mine” naturally becomes spiritual. Any true relationship is through spiritual consciousness. In theistic language we relate to everyone in and through God only. Cover everything with God.

When we do this, our ordinary relationships gradually become more refined. How do we do this? To start, we do this through using our creative imagination; we imagine that we are all always spiritual, always divine. Because we are imagining a fact, in course of time that imagination becomes a reality. This is an excellent spiritual exercise that should be extended to every area of life. If we practice like this, gradually we will be able to relate to others with love and wisdom.

Another important method is to raise oneself to a spiritual level and then communicate with others by letting God’s Spirit, rather than the ego speak through us.

That is how spiritual minded people need to handle all issues regarding relationships. Mere heart-to-heart talks or counseling will have only a temporary effect. Sometimes when two people are confused and relationships become sour, heart-to-heart talks may exacerbate the situation.

The central point is: we have to rise to a higher level of consciousness; thereby our interactions with people become spiritual.

For many, this approach is new and foreign. Just try it and see how it will change your life.

For Christians, take the life of Jesus as an example. In Jesus words, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

                                           Matthew 12:50 (ESTV)