From the story of prodigal son, we learn that God loves humans unconditionally. Jesus christ in Mathew 5:45 tells us that " For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil". As God as our Father and we as his children, God will try to bring back those who indulge in sins towards his unconditional love till their last breath. Jesus gave an example for this by giving solace to the thief at his right hand during the time of his crucifixion. Even after the death of a person, God still tries to bring a person back to his unconditional love. We can understand this from Peter 3:19. " and in his spiritual existence, he went and preached to the imprisoned spirits. These were the spirits of those who had not obeyed God when he waited patiently during the days that Noah was building his boat".
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
6. Is God punishing wrongdoers?
Jesus Christ did not introduce a God who punishes wrongdoers. Jesus Christ presents God as a loving Father who waits for his son's return in front of his house everyday in the story of prodigal son. Jesus Christ introduces a God who does not judge anyone. In fact, the eldest son is one who judges others in the story. This is a fascinating and very serious topic. Even in christian churches today, the eclisiastical leaders introduces a punishing God to the people. In fact God's love is always present there. It is we who move away from the selfless love and get caught up in the laws of the universe. During the time of Isaiah, Leprosy was considered to be the punishment from God. The beloved king Uzziah was died due to Leprosy. Then all people strated blaming God that it was unfair to give him such a dreadful disease and death. Probably Isaiah might also blamed God. Once Isaiah went to church, he saw a particular vision where angels praises God telling that He is holy. Immediately Isaiah understood that God alone is holy and accepted his mistake. He also recognized that people are blaming God for no reason. At the moment he accepted his mistake, Isaiah was given permission to praise God along with angels. Similarly we must also strive to avoid blaming others, just as the prophet Isaiah confessed his error and turned away from it.
For a more in-depth understanding of this subject, please refer the below mentioned links.
1. http://johnkunnathu.blogspot.com/
2. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvibIO39CfeJFhrT_sdtwgDUaSPAHw2Bk
For a more in-depth understanding of this subject, please refer the below mentioned links.
1. http://johnkunnathu.blogspot.com/
2. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvibIO39CfeJFhrT_sdtwgDUaSPAHw2Bk
5. What is True? What is False?
Any path that lead us to the Supreme Being is right.
Any path that distract us from the Supreme Being is wrong.
Any path that distract us from the Supreme Being is wrong.
4. If soul is present in all living beings, is the same soul responsible for our good and bad actions?
God has given the freedom to think and act for all living beings in the universe. It is true that our essence of life is a tiny little spark of the supreme creator. To answer the above question, one must first understand how human beings performs different actions. Man has five senses. Our eyes can see only light which ranges in between 380-740 nanometer in wavelength. Our ears can hear sounds only within the limit of 20-20KHz. Our nose cannot detect more than 1 trillion odors. Our skin cannot detect objects beyond 50mm without touching it. That means from this infinite universe, only a limited knowledge is entering our body through our senses. Human beings thus performs actions based on this incoming limited knowledge through the senses and also based on the interest that is present within a person. Since our ignorance is boundless with respect to our limited knowledge, it is very common for human beings to make error. This means it is our ignorance that is root cause of our bad actions. Jesus christ understood this reality well and just because of this, he was ready to forgive to those who tried to hurt him physically.
However since the spark of supreme creator is present within us, we can correct our mistakes by acquiring more wisdom. If a gem is covered in dust, it cannot shine. Similarly if we think that the knowldge that comes through our senses is the only reality and if there is nothing else beyond our relative reality, such people can only value the pleasures of our body. They cannot understand that the spark of life within us is separate from the experiences of our body.
That is why Jesus Christ compared the kingdom of heaven ( the part of sovereign within us) to the treasure buried in the field and also to the disappearence of the gem of the old women.
However since the spark of supreme creator is present within us, we can correct our mistakes by acquiring more wisdom. If a gem is covered in dust, it cannot shine. Similarly if we think that the knowldge that comes through our senses is the only reality and if there is nothing else beyond our relative reality, such people can only value the pleasures of our body. They cannot understand that the spark of life within us is separate from the experiences of our body.
That is why Jesus Christ compared the kingdom of heaven ( the part of sovereign within us) to the treasure buried in the field and also to the disappearence of the gem of the old women.
3. By what means we can identify our soul that dwells within us?
We need to realize that our acquired wealth, knowledge, thoughts, abilities, qualities etc.. are nothing in front of our omnipotent supreme being. We also need to understand that our body is just a handfull of soil that is borrowed from our mother earth and this body has to be given back to earth on one day. When we cross each seconds, we are walking more and more closer to our grave. We also need to realize that this short life is going forward only because of the constant love from the creator of this universe. Once these realizations are deep rooted in our heart, we can then surrender ourselves in front of the supreme creator and then we can come to know what is soul and what is the original nature of our inner core. When I say supreme creator, it means the source of intelligence that works behind the creation of plants, animals, humans, rocks, and everything which is manifested and unmanifested in this universe.
2. What is soul? How is the progress of the soul possible?
Consider a chariot being driven by a human. The rider always drives the chariot to his destination. It is as same as this, our soul within us is constantly striving this human machine to reach the supreme being. When we completely surrender ourselves before the supreme consciousness, we can then start knowing our inner core, which is soul.
I here with share one of my experience which I had during the year 2018.
"I went to church. Nobody was there. I could not enter church since it was closed. I just stood in front of the church door focusing on a metal part attached to the door of the church.
Initially i was consciously thinking about all of my experiences which i had in my life since from the time of childhood. I did not move from the place where i stood. So many emotions came to my mind. Angry, sorrow, lonliness, etc. But i did not respond to any of those emotions or temptations. I just stood there focusing on the metal part of church door without even removing my eyes from that point. Slowly i realized there is something within me which is constantly watching everything happening with me. When i tried to understand what it was, i understood (not fully) that it was a kind of consiousness or awareness. I started feeling that i (this consciousness) am separate from my body, thoughts and emotions. I felt very exciting in this experience. I simply stood there without closing my eyes and not moving from there for 45 min."
What I understood from my above experience is that there is some kind of awareness within us which is witness to everything happening to us. This awareness /witness might be referring as soul. This witness is present in all living beings and not only within humans. This spark of witness present in all living beings is a reflection of a supreme witness which is referring as God. There is also a possibility that this witness might be present in non living things as well.
The development of the soul is possible through thoughts, meditation, music and communication.
I here with share one of my experience which I had during the year 2018.
"I went to church. Nobody was there. I could not enter church since it was closed. I just stood in front of the church door focusing on a metal part attached to the door of the church.
Initially i was consciously thinking about all of my experiences which i had in my life since from the time of childhood. I did not move from the place where i stood. So many emotions came to my mind. Angry, sorrow, lonliness, etc. But i did not respond to any of those emotions or temptations. I just stood there focusing on the metal part of church door without even removing my eyes from that point. Slowly i realized there is something within me which is constantly watching everything happening with me. When i tried to understand what it was, i understood (not fully) that it was a kind of consiousness or awareness. I started feeling that i (this consciousness) am separate from my body, thoughts and emotions. I felt very exciting in this experience. I simply stood there without closing my eyes and not moving from there for 45 min."
What I understood from my above experience is that there is some kind of awareness within us which is witness to everything happening to us. This awareness /witness might be referring as soul. This witness is present in all living beings and not only within humans. This spark of witness present in all living beings is a reflection of a supreme witness which is referring as God. There is also a possibility that this witness might be present in non living things as well.
The development of the soul is possible through thoughts, meditation, music and communication.
1. Who we are?
Let's try to find the answer of this question based on some incidents mentioned in the bible. As we all know, Saul was initially against Jesus Christ and his followers untill he met with God near Demascus. After that incident, he transformed to Paul and later visited many places for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to bring your attention to an incident when he once reached Ephesus. The high priest appointed there was Sceva. He had seven sons and they mainly aquired wealth through witchcraft. When the gospel of Paul reached many people, they were transformed to the children of God and because of this reason, Sceva's sons started lossing resources of their wealth as more and more people withdrew themselves from witchcraft. Realizing that Paul was attracting a large number of people, they began to try understanding how Paul was doing miracles and healing works. Through their observation, they understood that Paul was doing all these miracles in the name of Jesus Christ. Sceva's sons approached a demon-possessed man and tried to cast him out in the name of Jesus Christ. Immediately the demon asked ( Acts:19:16) " I know Jesus, I know Paul. But who are you?" They could not answer this question and the demon in the man attacked and wounded them immediately.
Let's look at another example. When God appeared before Moses, Moses aksed God "who are you?" (Exodus 3:14) God tells Moses that "I am who I am". We can assume that bible says so because God cannot be comprehended in any name.
Jesus christ is also asking the same question to the demon-possessed man living in the tomb. "who are you?" The man replied Legion (Mark 5:9)
When the roman soldiers came in search of Jesus to arrest him, Jesus answered boldly " I am he". ( John 18:6) In Jesus christ we can find the same majesty and courage of God who said " I am who I am" to Moses.
God is asking us the same question today "who are you?" The following is just an attenpt to find the answer.
Our body has eyes to see, ears to hear, tounge to taste, nose to smell, skin to touch. There are also other internal organs inside the body for our better coordination. More than that we have thoughts, wisdom, ignorance, emotions, abilities, good qualities and bad qualities as well.
When a person searches within him if there is something else beyond the above mentioned factors, one can realize that we are not the senses, not the body, not the imaginations, not the thoughts, not the knowledge and not the wisdom we have. If we take a particle of water in the ocean, it has all the characteristics of the ocean. Similarly the sorce of life within us is a tiny spark of the supreme consciousness.
When we realize that our consciousness is a tiny spark of the supreme consciousness, we can realize that our fellow creatures and all living things are also tiny sparks of the same supreme consciousness. Then we will be able to love and bliss even our enemies as Jesus said. When this realization is deeply rooted in all hearts, the kingdom of heaven will surely be established on this earth and violence has no place in such a world.
Let's look at another example. When God appeared before Moses, Moses aksed God "who are you?" (Exodus 3:14) God tells Moses that "I am who I am". We can assume that bible says so because God cannot be comprehended in any name.
Jesus christ is also asking the same question to the demon-possessed man living in the tomb. "who are you?" The man replied Legion (Mark 5:9)
When the roman soldiers came in search of Jesus to arrest him, Jesus answered boldly " I am he". ( John 18:6) In Jesus christ we can find the same majesty and courage of God who said " I am who I am" to Moses.
God is asking us the same question today "who are you?" The following is just an attenpt to find the answer.
Our body has eyes to see, ears to hear, tounge to taste, nose to smell, skin to touch. There are also other internal organs inside the body for our better coordination. More than that we have thoughts, wisdom, ignorance, emotions, abilities, good qualities and bad qualities as well.
When a person searches within him if there is something else beyond the above mentioned factors, one can realize that we are not the senses, not the body, not the imaginations, not the thoughts, not the knowledge and not the wisdom we have. If we take a particle of water in the ocean, it has all the characteristics of the ocean. Similarly the sorce of life within us is a tiny spark of the supreme consciousness.
When we realize that our consciousness is a tiny spark of the supreme consciousness, we can realize that our fellow creatures and all living things are also tiny sparks of the same supreme consciousness. Then we will be able to love and bliss even our enemies as Jesus said. When this realization is deeply rooted in all hearts, the kingdom of heaven will surely be established on this earth and violence has no place in such a world.
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