The Christian Vision of the New Creation - Part 8

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

As i started to type i had a strong feeling that in the material to hand (i.e.

Part 8) there was going to be a resurrection quote come up just in time for

Easter. And sure enough it has! The synchronicity of things always fills me with

wonder. Here is the quote!:

 

" The new consciousness is not a bodiless state; it is the transformation of our

present body consciousness, which is limited by time and space, into a state of

transformed body consciousness which is that of resurrection. In the

resurrection Jesus passed from our present state of material being and

consciousness into the final state when matter itself, and with it the human

body, passes into the state of the divine being and consciousness, which is the

destiny of all humanity. " (Bede Griffiths)

 

Isn't that just a tremendous quote too!

 

We had concluded in Part 7 of " The Christian Vision of the New Creation " with:

 

(P.88) The reconciliation of humanity with nature and with God is represented in

a later chapter of Isaiah in terms of a marriage, where it is said, " You shall

no longer be forsaken nor shall your land be Desolate; but you shall be called

My Delight and your land Married, for the Lord delights in you and your land

shall be married " . (Isaiah 62:4) This brings out again the sense of the

solidarity of the people and the land, of humanity with the earth to which it

belongs. But the climax of this theme of the reconciliation of heaven and earth

is found in the last chapters of Isaiah where it is said, " Behold, I create new

heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come

into mind " . (P.89) This reveals the final destiny of humanity and creation. The

heaven and the earth which we experience through our limited mental

consciousness is only a passing phenomenon. We are destined to pass beyond our

present level of consciousness, where we see everything in terms of dualities,

of subject and object, time and space, heaven and earth, and to enter into the

unifying consciousness beyond the dualities of the mind. Then alone will

humanity find its fulfilment. As the text goes on to say, " I create Jerusalem a

rejoicing, and her people a joy " . (Isaiah 65:17-18) With the coming of the new

consciousness humanity, typified by Jerusalem, the city of God, enters into the

joy, the 'ananda' of Hindu tradition, the blissful state of pure consciousness

where all the dualities of sin and evil have been transcended and humanity is at

peace with God and creation.

 

A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

Christian Faith)

Bede Griffiths

Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

ISBN 0-87243-180-0

Pgs. 88-89

 

Here then is Part 8.

 

Enjoy!

 

violet

 

 

 

The Christian Vision of the New Creation - Part 8

 

(P.89) When we turn to the New Testament, we can see how this concept of the

relationship of the people to the land, of humanity to this world, undergoes a

profound transformation. The key text is that of the letter to the Hebrews,

where it is said, " People who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a

homeland. If they had been thinking of the land from which they had gone out,

they would have had the opportunity to return. But as it is they desire a better

country, that is, a heavenly one " . (Hebrews 11:14-16) The land of Palestine to

which Israel was so attached - and remains so to this day - here undergoes a

radical transformation. It becomes a symbol of something much more profound.

Human beings desire fulfilment in a concrete manner and seek for fulfilment in

this world by the possession of a land, by contact with the earth. But they have

to learn that there is no fulfilment in this world of space and time. The real

object of human search is not for a dwelling in this world; it is not for an

earthly city but for the city of God, the state of transformed humanity. This is

what is meant by a " heavenly country " . (P.90) This earth and all that is in it,

and the whole cosmic order to which it belongs, has to undergo a transformation;

it has to become a " new heaven and a new earth " . Modern physics helps us to

realise that this whole material universe is a vast " field of energies " which is

in a continuous process of transformation. Matter is passing into life and life

into consciousness, and we are waiting for the time when our present mode of

consciousness will be transformed and we shall transcend the limits of space and

time, and enter " the new creation " .

 

There is a remarkable anticipation of this view in the Letter to the Romans,

where St. Paul speaks of the whole creation " groaning in travail " . For the

creation, he says, " waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of

God " . The " revealing of the sons of God " is of course, the passage of humanity

into the new state of consciousness. For " we ourselves " , he says " groan inwardly

as we wait for the adoption of sons, the redemption of our bodies " . (Romans

8:22-23) Our adoption as sons is our passing from human to divine consciousness,

which is the destiny of all humanity. And this will come through " the redemption

of our bodies " . The new consciousness is not a bodiless state; it is the

transformation of our present body consciousness, which is limited by time and

space, into a state of transformed body consciousness which is that of

resurrection. In the resurrection Jesus passed from our present state of

material being and consciousness into the final state when matter itself, and

with it the human body, passes into the state of the divine being and

consciousness, which is the destiny of all humanity.

 

This is the " new creation " of which St. Paul speaks and which is revealed more

explicitly in the second Letter of Peter, where it is said, " According to his

promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells " . (2

Peter 3:13) (P.91) This is the ultimate goal of human history and of the created

universe. Many people today imagine some kind of Utopia, in which humanity will

be set free and enjoy peace and prosperity in this world. But this is a pure

illusion, as can be seen as each revolution which is to usher in the new age

ends in frustration and disillusionment. It is not only that humanity has within

itself so much violence and division that in its present state it can never

reach a state of equilibrium. The problem is that the very universe to which we

belong is threatened with entropy in which all stable order and harmony will be

lost. The vision of the New Testament is much more profound. It was recognised

that this whole universe has to undergo a radical transformation, in which the

present time-space will pass away and a " new heaven and a new earth " will be

revealed. It is then only that humanity will find the state of " righteousness "

for which it longs. There is no final liberation in this world. Every serious

religious tradition has recognised the need to transcend the present condition

of this world, if humanity is to attain fulfilment. This goal was commonly

expressed in mythological terms, but we recognise today that myth is the most

adequate way of expressing what cannot be properly expressed in human language.

The ultimate state of humanity and the universe cannot be properly conceived,

since it must transcend our present mode of consciousness. Myth or symbolic

language is the only way in which the ultimate truth can be presented. Even the

language of science is essentially symbolic. Modern science in particular, is

ultimately based on mathematical symbolism which expresses one aspect of

reality, that is, its quantitative aspect, but ignores all other aspects.

 

A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

Christian Faith)

Bede Griffiths

Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

ISBN 0-87243-180-0

Pgs. 89-91