Answers from the Word

Last week, a friend asked about the nature of reality and consciousness in relation to our "physical" association with God. (Depending, on the identification of "reality" and "consciousness," the word "physical" might also accompany a growing list of terms that need clarification.)

Wow! What a challenging topic to address!

It is absolutely NO ACCIDENT that God is unable to be empirically proven outside the realm of pure faith. The Almighty wills it! Repeatedly, God placed the ancient Patriarchs in seemingly impossible situations that could only be addressed by spiritual faith rather than a natural explanation by research and experimentation.

For this reason, consider 2 Corinthians 5:7, "We walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God's promises]." In another place, the apostle declared, "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?" (Romans 8:24)

God does NOT require our obedience based on scientific proof, but rather faith alone, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

Thus, any futile exercise to "prove" God is a waste of time and a crime committed against the Divine ... because He demands acceptance through "faith which worketh by love (Galatians 5:6)," and not the result of laboratory tests.

Let's return to our original question, "What exactly is 'reality' and 'consciousness'?"

Well, think about this ...

WHAT IF ... God does NOT reside OUTSIDE or APART FROM the created Cosmos, but rather EVERYTHING THAT APPEARS TO BE REAL actually inhabits/exists inside the Mind of God? Thus, consciousness does NOT emanate from our limited minds ... but originates outside of us from the infinite eternal realm. As a result, we "tune in" to the Mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5) who appeared in the "construct of time and space" so we could know the unknowable God (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Apart from the existence of God, there is no such thing as REALITY! If we inhabit the universal consciousness of the Mind of God, then God cannot be seen by us. Since we exist within and are unable to see from the outside, "No one has ever yet seen God." (John 1:18) Consequently, to be visible, the all-encompassing God came down to us and revealed Himself in a form that was like us, "The only begotten God, the One being in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known ... He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness." (John 1:18, Philippians 2:7)

This is the reason St. Paul said, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made ..." (Romans 1:20)

If we are confined within the Mind of God, we are incapable of seeing or knowing anything real beyond His universal awareness where nothing at all exists apart from Him.

St. Paul said virtually the same thing, "FOR IN HIM we live and move and exist [that is, IN HIM we actually have our being], as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'" And, as His children, i.e., the Church, we are Christ's earthly body, who was "THE FULLNESS OF THE ONE WHO FILLS ALL THINGS IN EVERY WAY." (Acts 17:28, Ephesians 1:22-23)

 

Edwin Woolsey is a native of Mountain View. He is a retired public educator of 31 years, and a pastor for nearly that long. Woolsey is the author of The Chronicler series and a father of three.