Coexistence
Imagine for a moment that there exists an alternate reality.
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. - Romans 8:9-11
In today's reading from Paul's letter to the Church in Rome, we get a sense that true life comes from the Spirit of God which dwells in those who follow Christ.
Some have a problem with the while concept of salvation through Christ.
There is a bumper sticker you may have seen that uses religious symbols to spell out COEXIST.
It was created in 2001 by a Polish graphic designer, Piotr Mlodozeniec, for a traveling exhibit run by the Museum on the Seam, and in its original form, only three symbols were used. The Muslim Crescent was used for the letter "C", the star of David was used for the letter "X" and the Christian Cross for the letter "T".
It has since been modified to include other symbols in various versions of the design, and the message it carries has evolved from an marketing symbol to generate interest in an exhibit, to a variety of political purposes.
What it tends to represent, though, is the desire to have all peoples live in harmony, despite their differences, yet some see it as a way of responding to the teaching that only those who follow Christ will be saved.
But I think Paul's message is not just about the afterlife. It is about living a different life now, one free of the controls that bring us down, a Spirit-driven life.
Those who believe in the Triune nature of God are aware of the Spirit that dwells within.
Now we can argue dogma. Does the Spirit only enter us when we are Baptized in Christ? Can all of God's creation tap into its power?
In the Acts of the Apostles, Simon the magician approached Paul wanting to tap into the power of Spirit offering to pay for this gift, but Paul rebuked him, telling him it is a gift of God and not something one buys.
Whether all have God in them or not in this form is not the point here. What is the point is that once we receive the knowledge of God's presence in our lives, our lives hold the potential for change. We can exist in an alternate reality, one that is totally in synch with God's plan.
That reality is what Jesus refers to over and over again as the kingdom.
If we choose to be limited to the reality we experience through our senses, we may miss out on so much that God has created for us to use, resources for a better, more fruitful and prosperous life.
Unlike the prosperity gospels, though, I believe the riches of this life are not material. They are spiritual, emotional, and powerfully influential.
We can change the world through the power of the Spirit, and Paul understood that. He started by changing himself.
If we really want to help bring about a world of peaceful coexistence, we should do all in our power to live in the Spirit, and the Spirit will guide us to share with others what a wonderful world this could be.
More to come...