Energized Not Religionized

by David Morsey

Ionized particles are vast in space, and Ionized particles are on the tiny marble we call Earth. This description is a relatively accurate, if demeaning, of what humans are.

So, how do we communicate with God if we are this tiny particle?

The mystery is resolved in the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God occupies our little cocoons and transcends them as we commune with God in the realm of our spirit. Think of the Spirit of God within us as a Seed of Divine Energy. We live in a sea of energy. Now think of the energy it takes for light from a star a thousand light-years away to maintain its brilliance so that we can see it with the naked eye. Even more remarkable is the quasar. The word "quasar" is a contraction of "quasi-stellar radio sources," so-called because it appears like a star. A quasar can have a hundred times more energy than an entire galaxy, which can be a light-year across, while a galaxy can be a hundred thousand light-years across. Should it then be thought "a thing impossible with God" to grant us the energy to interact with Him on a level that ultimately transcends our earthly cocoon? Peter says that we are "partakers of the Divine nature" (II Peter 1:4). The Seed of the Spirit within us gives us a touch of the nature of God and lifts us quite beyond our space/time prison.

So, what is the purpose of knowing all of this? It makes us feel very small.

It has an essential purpose. It gives us insight into the meaning of our salvation and an understanding of our relationship with Christ. Jesus alluded to this in His discussion with Nicodemus when He told him that you must be born again. He meant, of course, that the energy of God must touch him. This energy is what lifts us out of the shackles of religious exercise. The term born again has become so enmeshed in methods, systems, and rules that it almost becomes a catchphrase for joining a religious group. The essence of salvation is receiving the Holy Spirit, who brings with Him the Energy of God (since, of course, the Holy Spirit is God). And thus, we become partakers of His Divine nature. It provides us with the energy required to identify with Him. It is in this energy that we receive the gift of faith. We can think of faith as something of a "force field" within us from which we have the energy to communicate with God. If the nerve endings in our eyes can see the light energy of a star after traveling a hundred light-years, it is reasonable to assume that God's energy within each of us can equally touch God.

So then, what does the expression "born again" mean?

It means to receive the Spirit of God in us.

So how do we do that?

By asking Him.

Is that all there is to it?

According to the apostle John, "As many as received Him to them He gave the power to become the children of God even to those that believe on His name." (John 1:12).

But what about all the steps?

John gives no steps. Religious tradition has surrounded the simple gift of God with steps. Human efforts to merit salvation by religious exercises cannot possibly prevail to bring about faith. Once the Holy Spirit is within us, changes take place, which are based upon His power. But requiring these changes before one receives the Holy Spirit is absurd. All the human can do is cry, Help! When one advances "rules of membership" beyond this, one declares that humans can participate in their salvation. Paul told the Ephesians that their salvation was a "gift of God—not of works". . . (Ephesians 2:8). It is widely assumed that we cannot do good deeds to merit salvation, but less widely understood that we cannot even participate in the salvation process, except to ask for it. Paul further tells Titus that it is not by "works of righteousness [righteous actions], but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5). Throughout the New Testament, we are told that we have no righteousness of our own. If we have no righteousness of our own, whence comes the righteousness by which we accomplish the alleged prerequisites?

But what of the earthly particle? It is like a capsule. It has no power to produce anything spiritual of itself. The human flesh is something of a junk box, filled with all manner of human folly, mistakes, misconceptions, misdeeds, etc. Much of this "junk collection" will be around as long as we live. Some things are straightened out, but most remain to keep us mindful of our dependence on Christ. Paul expressed this to the Corinthians: "But God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the presence of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels [clay pots] that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us." (II Corinthians 4:6,7).

Here we learn the difference between becoming a religionist (Christian or otherwise), and being energized by the Spirit of Christ.

This Seed of the Spirit within us makes it possible to pray to God. Paul makes it clear in Romans 8:26, "Likewise also the Spirit helps us in our infirmities [weaknesses] for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us [meets God on our behalf] with groanings that cannot be uttered [unvoiced sighs]." The precise meaning of this passage is that via the Holy Spirit within us, our spirits meet God beyond the realm of our earthly cocoon. The earthly mind cannot commune with God apart from the Holy Spirit. Much of the communication between our spirits and the Spirit of Christ is not a part of our conscious experience. It is like the constant flow of energy that accompanies our sense experiences, such as seeing the stars. Nor is our communication (contrary to much religious teaching) cut off by human inadequacy or folly. A deep sea diver's support group hardly cuts his lifeline because they are unhappy with his performance.

Unfortunately, this concept of energy has been obscured by translations that use the word work instead of energy. The Greek is energeo (energeo) is the word from which we get our word "energy." We will deal with passages throughout the New Testament in the following Messengers because they reflect this concept. They will be in the author's translation to help expose the Greek substance behind the words.