True Sonship
For the longest time, I took issue with one of the most fundamental parts of the Christian Creed -
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
I mean, that’s a biggie. If you can’t get on board with THAT one, you’re kinda in trouble as far as the Christian faith is concerned, no?
Here’s where my thoughts always went:
So, Jesus of Nazareth - this one being - is the ONLY Son of God?! Like, what about all the millions of people before and after Jesus was born? Are they chop liver?
But here’s what I learned (take it for what it’s worth)…
Jesus is the only one who truly lived as a son to God, the Father, instead of trying to be a father/god himself (the meaning of sin).
Jesus kept the father/son relationship intact unlike any other. He never got the roles reversed. He emptied himself (nerdy theological term: kenosis) through his life and death. And the Father filled him with God-ness. He even brought him back to life.
Jesus is never his own autonomous being. He continually receives his beingness from God. You and I might slip in and out of this state, at best (though, I suppose I should speak for myself).
One who lives in the light of this faith has a radically altered sense of identity. They take on an ecstatic identity and live as one who is constantly receiving from their divine source.
This is the death to sin that Romans 6 talks about. In Christ, the old self-centered ego is killed. God resurrects a new Self in its place. We receive creation back again as a sheer gift.
For that, we can only give our thanks and praise.
As Ever,
Jonas
Jonas, I feel you're very much on the right track in your explanation. I simply use a different terminology - (which probably makes no difference whatsoever) - but I speak of the Christ Consciousness that is in all of us; but many have no awareness of it, while others move in and out of the connection (as you aptly described about God connection). However, it has sometimes been described that Jesus was over-shadowed by the Christ Consciousness - meaning that he was in a constant state of living as the Christ (thus the title Jesus the Christ). That certainly is not true of all the rest of us humans, and so it does set Jesus apart as the 'Son of God'. Of course we are all considered God's Children, but you might say 'in a different way'... And I do like your thinking!