John 1 Thinking Spiritually

[HKHaugan]

The Gospel of John is designed to get us to think spiritually. When you allow your mind to take that trip it opens up the reality the Lord wants for us. Paul's realization of this fact gives us a starting point to put John's Gospel in a premier context especially when you see the connectedness that occurs in all of Scripture. Follow along on this theme:

Php.4:7, “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” is the basis for the Prayer Book's liturgical blessing at the end of a service. “The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of His Son Jesus Christ, and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit keep you and remain with you always. Amen.”

There are three dimensions in this blessing, mind, heart and spirit. Note that it starts spiritually, the peace of God. Then it goes to the heart and then the mind, the last two dimensions. If our spirit senses the peace it has been given then the heart and mind receive what the Spirit of God has planted in us in Christ. Sometimes it is the heart or the mind that receives that peace first but the point here is that spiritual reality is our priority. All three find their balance in Jesus who directs that balance through the Holy Spirit.

Thinking spiritually starts with Scripture. Thinking spiritually gives our heart and mind the stability they need to continue sorting out our responses to what's happening around us. Thinking spiritually sets our focus not on what we can see but on what we can't see. What we can see becomes the subject for interpretation. That is, what can be seen points to the unseen reality behind it. Since everything seen and unseen has been created in the spiritual dimension, their significance and meaning play into the way we understand them. Therefore Scripture is the key to unlock the door of our mind and let the Holy Spirit move within.

Spiritual thinking could also be called parallel thinking. When we see something happening in the visible physical dimension is there a parallel in the spiritual? That is, what does it symbolize, signify, point to, in the invisible spiritual dimension? When you start this process what you find is that everything, 100% of all that is taking place in the visible, is being motivated 100% by what you can't see. Thinking, reasoning, interpreting, analyzing, choice, decision and motivation; all may be the electronic transmission taking place in the physical brain but when you start the whole process it is the spiritual dimension in us that takes over. Our response is always going to end up based on a belief in the best way to react in any circumstance. The physical body is just a carrier, an agent, to process and deliver the needed material for the physical central nervous system to operate in the moment. It's belief and trust that sift our experiences and motivate response. The human body is simply the agent for the spiritual person to function in its physical environment. This is true whether or not you are a Christian. Whatever your belief system is will determine your response. For disciples of Jesus Scripture is the physical document used by the Holy Spirit to facilitate the process.

A simple example is to liken our spiritual processing to a train. The Father is the locomotive, the Son is the engineer and the Holy Spirit is the ignition fuel and the rail network is the Scripture. As elementary as that may seem it goes into every aspect of experience. Pick your own analogy and pursue it.

Let's start with our physical senses, seeing, hearing, touch, taste and smell. There is a correlating spiritual sense for each. Jesus said that He spoke in parables with a purpose: “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it (Mt.13:16-17).”

Now consider these passages: “Then the Lord reached out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth(Jer.1:9).” “Taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps.24:8).” “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death: to the other, the fragrance of life (2Cor.2:15-16).”

To extend this sensory understanding God calls, anoints and blesses. Extend the spiritual into our emotionality like when we are mad, glad, sad and afraid. Then also when we sense His touch on our heart, hear him calling us out of the darkness into the light, we feel His presence, His joy, His sadness and His happiness. He convicts us when we do wrong and gives us courage in our fears. We can taste the fruit of the Spirit like peace, patience, kindness, love and gentleness. And certainly, we can feel the fire of the Spirit. Nor can we overlook the insights we get as we read His Word.

Life is all about the spiritual dimension, what can't be seen. No wonder John presents his Gospel in a way that causes us to think spiritually. What can't be seen consumes all of the choices and decisions we make as we process life. That process is unseen. But it certainly is real. Life itself is unseen but far more real than we allow our consciousness to admit.

Let's digress for a moment. Hollywood and TV realize the importance of the invisible. They have made an industry out of it. How about the average horror movie with its vampires, zombies and scary images that voraciously feed on our fears? We can't swim in the ocean because of 'Jaws.' We can't take a shower in a motel because of the 'Bates Motel.' Then all the terror houses we make children walk through. That's when squeaks in the woodwork become more than just shifting joints to their little minds. “Can I sleep in your room tonight Mommy?” Monsters under the bed later become the seeds of larger fears and relational distrust.

What have we done in the secular world but made Halloween (originally a religious observance now separated from God) a parental party to bringing fear of all things unseen before their children's imagination? And it is celebrated more than Christmas which pictures the Deliverer and Savior from fear! Why would any parent in their right mind even consider leading their children into any kind of 'atmos-'fear?' The spirit of fear is a very real and demonic reality and nothing to be played with or experimented with. Teaching about fear and how to handle it is one thing but the belief that fear is harmless is contrary to the experience of any sane person, believer or unbeliever. Fear of the Lord, not the things of darkness and evil, is where wisdom starts and knowing Jesus has conquered all the darkness gives the mind a rock to stand on (Prov.9:10).

Faith is the opposite of anxiety and fear. Without faith we are no more than victims of our fears and imperfections and the fears and imperfections of others. But with faith in Jesus we are connected to a person who is Creation's source and Master. He has given us the Holy Spirit to maneuver its depths by making the mind and heart of Jesus a living reality. Being reborn spiritually means we have spiritual senses enabling us to grow spiritually. We are given confidence and certainty and our victim status is removed. You know the old expression, “In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.” In Jesus we have the King of both the visible and the invisible as our director. His eyes are even on the sparrow and not one falls to the ground but that He knows it (Mt.10:29). How much more valuable are we to the Lord (Lk.12:24)? And in Him we are being freed to live eternally in the Spirit with the Lord God and that isn't waiting for our departure to Heaven. The abundant life (Jn.10:10), eternal life, started the moment we accepted the Lord as our personal rescuer in both the visible and the invisible. This is what makes every next moment and event in our life the opportunity to offer that abundant life right where we are.