03/12/2008
Ephesians 4:4 - 6 (HCSB)
4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope at your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Buddhism teaches that god is a form of energy, “chi”--that permeates all things living and inanimate. Everything that exists represents some form of god. Even though there is the Brahman, which can be considered god, Buddhists recognize everything, including themselves as part of god. God is not “above” all, but is “in” all. This idea is called pantheism (all is god).
In contrast, consider what Paul says above: “6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” Is Paul saying the same thing?
I think it is quite different. The entire passage above is not speaking about the all-inclusiveness of our faith, but rather the exclusiveness of our faith. This is not to say that not all are welcome, but rather that there is only one body, only one Spirit, only one Lord, and only one God.
In the Sistine chapel, Michelangelo painted a fresco, part of which is called “the Creation of Man.” You may recall it has the figure of a man reaching up to touch the finger of god reaching down.
I think that many Christians see God in this way, as a human-like figure up on a cloud or in heaven somewhere that is more-or-less confined to a physical body. What we need to do is shake off those images. Remember, we are the created beings and the Creator has a view of us that we can not comprehend. The fact that God is “through all and in all” does not mean that all is god, but rather that God is so powerful and so present that he can permeate all of creation with His being.
Let us remember as we look about at nature, that these things are not themselves god, but rather that God can be seen in them. There is one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all.
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
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