What is Consciousness? Romans 9:1

What is Consciousness? Romans 9:1

Romans 9:1 I am telling the truth in Christ; I am not lying, since my conscience bears witness with me in holy spirit

Romans 9:1 since my conscience (4893) bears witness with me in holy spirit

Amplified Bible
I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit,

The meaning of ‘consciousness

the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself

the state of being characterized by sensation, emotion, volition, and thought

Mind
the totality of conscious states of an individual

Gr "suneidesis" has the sense of an independent witness within, examining and passing judgment on a man's own conduct: cp Rom 2:15: "their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them".

4893. συνείδησις suneidesis soon-i’-day-sis; from a prolonged form of 4894; co-perception, i.e. moral consciousness: — conscience.

“conscience” [Strong’s 4893] suneidhsiv suneidesis, ‘knowing oneself, being one’s witness’, moral awareness

(Greek suneidesis - a compound of sun, together, and eideo, to see, or know) means, the power of judging ourselves, which is always in accordance with the knowledge of ourselves, and the relations in which we stand to our Father and fellow brethren.

“Conscience” comes from the Latin word "conscius ", meaning “knowing inwardly.” The Latin word has the prefix “con " meaning “together,” and the root " scire " meaning “to know.” 

So then conscience is co-knowledge with oneself. There is no Hebrew word for conscience or suneidesis, # <4893>. Instead, “heart” is used in the Old Testament in ways that resemble our understanding of “conscience.” When the Old Testament speaks of a “tender heart,” it refers to a sensitive conscience (2Chron 34:27); the “upright in heart” refers to those with a pure conscience (Psa 7:10), and a “clean heart,” refers to those whose conscience is clean (cf. Psa 51:10).

Translated 32 times in the New Testament as “conscience”

From [Strong’s 4894] suneidon suneidon, ‘to see together, hence to comprehend

4894. συνείδω suneido soon-i’-do; from 4862 and 1492; to see completely; used (like its primary) only in two past tenses, respectively meaning to understand or become aware, and to be conscious or (clandestinely) informed of: — consider, know, be privy, be ware of.

AV-by privy 1, consider 1, be ware of 1, know 1; 4

brain' and the 'mind'

What is the difference between the 'brain' and the 'mind'?

Answer:

It may seem, on the surface, that distinguishing between the brain and the mind is not important but to understand the Scriptures properly we must recognize the difference in the brain versus that which the brain produces.

The difference is seen in considering the two words, “brain” and “mind”. The brain is brain-flesh, the physical source of the impulses of man’s defiled nature. The brain is defined as, “

The dictionary says, Brain: "That part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull". In other words it is the physical member of the body that controls the biological functions of the body in addition to producing thoughts, attitudes &c.

The mind is defined as, “human consciousness that originates in the brain and is manifested especially in thought, perception, emotion, will, memory, and imagination” (Am. Heritage Dictionary).  

Mind: Thinking produced by the brain.

Look, when you get down to it, even mental states are actually only physical states, are they not? I mean, the brain is just a-a chemical supercomputer (Dr. Rodney Mckay) 

The brain creates chemicals which produce feelings and emotions

Like it or not, emotions share some very real biochemical links with your nervous system, immune system and digestive system.

Consciousness is a property of the brain, and the brain is a biochemical engine or its just a chemical super-computer.

Sin originates in the brain-flesh, not in the mind.

The problem is that some false teaching say that sin is a matter of morality and not as a physical law of that nature’s constitution.

The uncleanness is shifted from the physical realm of the brain’s flesh to the mental-moral

realm.

Note: The brain, when functioning, provides consciousness which consists of "thoughts" or "the mind". When we are told "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5), we are being told to have the same thinking as Christ, not his brain.

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5)
"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8)

"Operating upon the brain [physical], it [indwelling sin] excites the 'propensities', and these set the 'intellect' [mental], and 'sentiments' [moral] to work. The propensities are blind, and so are the intellect and sentiments in a purely natural state; when therefore, the latter operate under the sole impulse of the propensities, 'the understanding is darkened through ignorance, because of the blindness of the heart'". (Elpis Israel, p . 127)

Man in his physical constitution is imperfect; and this imperfection is traceable to the physical organization of his flesh, being based on the principle of decay and reproduction from the blood; which, acted upon by the air, becomes the life of his flesh. All the phenomena which pertain to this arrangement of things are summed up in the simple word sin; which is, therefore, not an individual abstraction, but a concretion of relations in all animal bodies; and the source of all their physical infirmities. Now, the apostle says, that the flesh thinks, that is, the brain, as all who think are well assured from their own consciousness. If, then, this thinking organ be commanded not to do what is natural for it to do under blind impulse, will it not naturally disobey?  (Elpis Israel)

Now, the law of God is given, that the thinking of the flesh, instead of being excited by the propensities within and the world without, may be conducted according to its direction. 

Consciousness is not Eternal 

If you talk to anyone who’s used DMT or psilocin/psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms) at one time or another they’ll tell you they experienced some very vivid hallucinations — and an almost completely altered perception of reality. This clearly implies that brain biochemistry is consciousness. If consciousness resided in some kind of soul or spirit as the ancients believed, then taking chemicals would have no effect on your consciousness. If you can alter your consciousness by taking a chemical to interfere with or mimics neurotransmitters, on the other hand, then consciousness must be biochemical in nature.

Psychedelic drugs like Magic mushrooms demonstrate that consciousness is a property of the brain, and the brain is a biochemical engine in the same way that the engine in your car is a mechanical one.

When your car’s engine dies, does another car nearby immediately start up as the “spirit of the car” transfers from one automobile to another? Of course not. You intuitively know that makes no sense. So if consciousness is a property of the brain (which is a biochemical engine), why would it transfer from one vehicle to another when the brain dies? that doesn’t make any sense.

Psalm 146:4 NASB 1995
His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.

Ecclesiastes 3:19 For an event is to the sons of man, and an event is to the beasts, even one event is to them; as the death of this, so is the death of that; and one spirit is to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole is vanity.

The Consciousness of Sin Hebrews 10:2

For if it were otherwise, would not these sacrifices have stopped being offered? For the worshipers, having once [for all time] been cleansed, would no longer have a consciousness of sin. (Hebrews 10:2)

By law comes knowledge of sin and consciousness of guilt and liability to punishment

The TCNT has: "for where there is no consciousness of law, sin shows no sign of life". 

Unless the law is recognised, sin is dormant, ignored and "dead". But the law of God starts the challenge between flesh and spirit, and shows the evil character of sin that resides in the flesh.

The result of the law in this context is that it had the effect of rousing the innate tendency of man to sin, and so bound the consciousness of the individual to the "old man" (the natural and evil propensity of the flesh).

The awakening of sin in life by the power of God's law and its display to the spiritual consciousness demonstrates the repulsively ungodliness of sin, and the impossibility of overcoming it without the aid of Almighty God through His Son (Psa. 80:17). It was seen to be absolutely and violently opposed to God and His law.

World English Bible because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be.

Now, the apostle says, that the flesh thinks — that is, the brain, as all who think are well assured from their own consciousness

Hence, in ch. 8:3 Paul speaks of "sin in the flesh." Notice, particularly, that in both passages the apostle emphasizes the "body" or "the flesh." He does not say "the mind," for it is the "flesh" or "mortal body" which is the source of sin. Evil propensities given free reign, produce the carnal mind; not the other way round.

The Carnal Mind is an expression used by Paul; or rather, it is the translation of words used by him, in his epistle to the Romans. It is not so explicit as the original. The words he wrote are the thinking of the flesh. In this phrase, he intimates to us, that the flesh is the thinking substance, that is, the brain; which, in another place, he terms "the fleshy tablet of the heart"

Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Do not become slaves to a bad conscience. It is easy to defile one’s conscience. A Christian’s aim should be as shown in Acts 23:1: “Brothers, I have behaved before God with a perfectly clear conscience down to this day.”

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

There is therefore no more condemnation in Christ who strengthens me

The sense of awareness, of knowing.

"And the heaven and the earth and all their world was Completed."{1}{#ge 2:1.} Having previously related the creation of the mind and of sense, Moses now proceeds to describe the perfection which was brought about by them both. And he says that neither the indivisible mind nor the particular sensations received perfection, but only ideas, one the idea of the mind, the other of sensation. And, speaking symbolically, he calls the mind heaven, since the natures which can only be comprehended by the intellect are in heaven. And sensation he calls earth, because it is sensation which has obtained a corporeal and some what earthy constitution. The ornaments of the mind are all the incorporeal things, which are perceptible only by the intellect. Those of sensation are the corporeal things, and everything in short which is perceptible by the external senses. Philo of Alexandria

Consciousness is our acquaintance of knowing; that phase of understanding by which we take awareness of our existence and of our relation to what we call environment. Our consciousness is our real environment or Garden of Eden. The outer environment is always in correspondence to the thoughts making up our consciousness. Environment is made by ideas held in mind and established. The ideas that are held in mind are the basis of all consciousness. The thoughts and ideas upon which consciousness is formed gives personality to it.

Therefore consciousness is the sum total of all ideas accumulated in and affecting man's present sinful nature.

It is of great value to understand the importance of our consciousness in spiritual growth. Divine ideas must be incorporated into our consciousness before they can mean anything to us. An intellectual understanding does not meet the needs. To be satisfied with an intellectual comprehension leaves us subject to error, false doctrine and sin than eternal death. We must seek to incorporate divine ideas into our mind.

The Christ consciousness or spiritual consciousness, is a state of consciousness that is based upon divine ideas, upon an understanding and realisation of spiritual Truth.

Personal consciousness is formed from limited, selfish ideas.

It can be called the consciousness of sin. Believers are to be conscious of sin and avoid it at every turn.

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

1Jn 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

To be sin conscious is to be under the law and to be righteousness conscious, continually receiving this free gift is to be under grace.

Let’s develop the consciousness of righteousness and throw away a sin consciousness.

The Christ Consciousness established in accordance with the Eternal Spirit, is the true relationship or fellowship with the Father. The Christ Consciousness is the logos that was manifested in Jesus.

Renewed by Accurate Knowledge Colossians 3:10

Renewed by Accurate Knowledge 

or 

Salvation by Accurate Knowledge

Colossians 3:10

Strip off the old personality with its practices, 10 and clothe yourselves with the new personality, that is being renewed through accurate knowledge according to the image of the One who created it”​—Col. 3:9, 10

Salvation by knowledge is a general principle of absolute truth

Some Gnostics believed that in order to acquire salvation one must possess a certain knowledge, or gnosis, which must be interpreted from the sayings of Jesus

Gospel of Thomas Saying 1 And he said, "Whoever finds the correct interpretation of these sayings will never die." Translated by Stevan Davies

Now, what is faith? It is the express approval of the mind to definite points of information. Before faith can take place, the mind must be informed; that  is, it must first know or be aware of the subject of faith. Hence, knowledge  (though only in the limited sense of information) is the foundation of faith.

Exercising Faith in the Lord Jesus, and believing the gospel, are exactly the same thing; for the gospel is made up of glad tidings concerning the Lord Jesus Christ: and if a man believe the gospel, he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. If he is ignorant of the gospel, he cannot exercise Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, for "the Lord Jesus Christ" is not the mere name of the Saviour as a personage, but a grand doctrinal symbol, which can only be understood by those who are acquainted with the gospel in its full extent.

The first thing a person has to do, then, in order to gain salvation, is to exercise faith in the gospel. To do this he must know the gospel, for as Paul says, "How shall they put faith in him of whom they have not heard"? (Rom. 10:14). Knowledge must always precede faith; for a person cannot put faith in that of which he has not previously been informed.

Hence, the first inquiry on the part of a person anxious to be saved will be, WHAT IS THE GOSPEL? Until they know this, they cannot go on to the second stage of "faith unto salvation" ready to be revealed in the last time.
The gospel is styled "the one faith," because it is made up of things which require faith to receive them - the act of the mind by which these things are comprehended.

It is laid down as a principle, "Without faith IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD" (Heb. 11:6), and it is affirmed of believers, "Ye are saved through faith" (Eph. 2:8), and " the just shall live by faith," (Heb. 10:38). Now this faith, in scriptural usage, is not a mere abstract reliance on the power of Yahweh, but the confidence of specific promise. It is said that "faith was imputed to Abraham for righteousness" (Rom. 4:9). Now let us note the character of this righteousness acquiring faith:-

20 But because of the promise of God he did not waver in a lack of faith, but became powerful by his faith, giving God glory 21 and being fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do. 22 Hence “it was counted to him as righteousness (Rom. 4:20, 21). (Christendom Astray from the Bible by Robert Roberts)

You may say : But the Bible says, we are saved by “the renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

It also says, we are renewed by knowledge” (Col. 3:10). In this, however, it does not contradict its self, but rather makes the one phrase explanatory of the other; as if he had said, “we are renewed by the Holy Spirit through knowledge.” The Holy Spirit renews or regenerates a person intellectually and morally by putting faith in the truth. “Sanctify them by thy truth,” says Jesus; “thy word, O Father, is truth” (John 17:17).

“Ye are clean,” said he to his apostles, “through the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). God’s power is manifested through agencies. His Spirit is His power by which He effects intellectual, moral, and physical results. When He wills to produce intellectual and moral effects, it is by knowledge revealed by His Spirit through the prophets and apostles.

This knowledge becomes power when received into “good and honest hearts”; and because God is the author of it, it is styled “the Knowledge of God” (2 Pet. 1:2), or “the word of truth” (James 1:18), by which He begets sinners to Himself as His sons and daughters. “The word of the truth of the gospel,”" the gospel of the kingdom.” “the incorruptible seed,” “the word,” “the truth as it is in Jesus,”" the word of the kingdom,”" the word of reconciliation,” “the law and the testimony,” “the word of faith,” “the sword of the spirit which is the word of God,” “the word of Christ,” “the perfection of liberty,” etc.-are all phrases richly demonstrating "the power of God” by which He saves His people from their sins, and translates them into the Hope of the kingdom and glory to which He invites them. The truth is the power that makes men free indeed (John 8:32, 36).

Hence Jesus says, “My words are spirit, and they are life.” The prophets, Jesus, and the apostles were the channels through which it was transmitted to mankind; and the spirit the agent by which the knowledge was conveyed to them. Hence, the knowledge or the truth being suggested to the prophets by the spirit is sometimes styled “the spirit” (Rom. 2:20). 

The spirit is to the truth as cause and effect; and by a very common figure of speech, the one is put for the other in speaking of them relatively to the mind and heart of man. So that the phrase “renewed by the holy spirit” is equivalent to renewed by putting faith in the truth testified by the Holy Spirit (John 15:26: 14:13-14).(Clerical Theology Unscriptural by Dr. John Thomas)

Paul also prayed that ones in the Colossian congregation, who obviously had some knowledge of God’s will, for they had become Christians, “be filled with the accurate knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual comprehension.” (Col 1:9) Such accurate knowledge should be sought by all Christians (Eph 1:15-17; Php 1:9; 1Ti 2:3, 4), it being important in putting on “the new personality” and in gaining peace.—Col 3:10; 2Pe 1:2.

Is it possible to come to a knowledge of the truth without applying it in our daily life? Quite possible. Such knowledge however is only an academic knowledge, the heart being left unenlightened. To be “where Christ is” is to be one with Christ and therefore to be about the Father's business.

How do we come to know God, the good? This knowledge comes as we learn to express active goodness. Praise, thanksgiving, loving-kindness, and faithfulness, each in degree reveals God to us as we give it active expression.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in accurate knowledge after the image of its creator- Because in status we have 'put on the new man', "put on, therefore... mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind", i.e. bring forth in yourself the characteristics of Jesus, seeing you have 'put Him on' in baptism (Col. 3:10,12). Clothe your personality with Him, submerge yourself within Him, seeing you 'put on' Christ in baptism. We are to live out in practice how the Lord sees us by status.

Do religions ceremonies, or sacred locations have power to make God known to us? These things are unknown in scriptural teaching. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth. Jesus was instructing the woman at the well concerning the only locality where God can be contacted by the mind of man; that locality is within one's own soul. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you." which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

Gnosis is to Know Thyself Gospel of Thomas Saying 3

Gnosis is to Know Thyself Gospel of Thomas Saying 3

The Gospel of Thomas Saying 3:

Jesus said, "[If] those who lead you [say to you, 'See], the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky [will precede you. If they say that] it is under the earth, then the fish of the sea [will enter it, preceding] you. And, the [kingdom of God] is inside of you, [and it is outside of you. Whoever] knows [himself] will discover this. [And when you] come to know yourselves, [you will realize that] you are [sons] of the [living] father. [But if you] will [not] know yourselves, [you dwell] in [poverty] and it is you who are that poverty." Oxyrhynchus Text


The first part of this saying is about the location of the Kingdom the second part of this saying is about how to find the kingdom by self knowledge:

Whoever] knows [himself] will discover this, (then you will be known). [And when you] come to know yourselves, [you will realize that] you are [sons] of the [living] father. [But if you] will [not] know yourselves, [you dwell] in [poverty] and it is you who are that poverty."


Philo of Alexandria defines self knowledge or knowing yourself as "Take heed to Thyself."
Philo On the Migration of Abraham: 

know yourself all your life, as Moses teaches us in many passages where he says, "Take heed to Thyself."{4}{#ex 34:12.}

Take heed to Thyself this is another re-occurring phrase throughout Deuteronomy, emphasising the personal responsibility (See Deut. 2:4; 4:9,15,23; 11:16; 12:13,19,30; 27:9.)

It is a believer's personal responsibility to learn the Gospel message its teachings these teachings are only of benefit if acknowledged and applied.

know thyself is a biblical exhortation about self-examination 


The Lord Jesus himself in the NT use the phrase “take heed to yourselves” or "pay attention to yourselves" see:

Luke 21:34 “But pay attention to yourselves that YOUR hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon YOU (NWT)

And so does Paul: Acts 20: 28 Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed YOU overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own [Son]. (NWT)

1 Timothy 4:16 Pay attention to yourself, and to your teaching. Continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

And John use the phrase as well: 2Jo 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. (KJ)

know thyself may also have a mystical interpretation. 'Thyself', is not meant in reference to the egotist, but the ego within self, the Christ consciousness.

Gnosis is the fulfillment of faith realizing that in the secret unknown self the believer is one with the Father the fruit of that union is love

2 cor 13:5  examine your own selves if ye be in the faith; prove your own selves: do ye not recognise yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed ye be reprobates?

1 Cor. 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?


Colossians 1:27  To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Lu 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

Ga 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Saying 82 Jesus said, Whoever is near me is near fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the kingdom.

In Saying 82 fire and the kingdom are equivalent terms just as Jesus is equivalent with the Kingdom so here in saying 3 with the location of the Kingdom being inside of the believers it is the son of man who is inside us
This is confirmed in the The Testimony of Truth and the The Gospel of Mary

he has to come to know the Son of Man, that is, he has come to know himself. This is the perfect life, that man know himself by means of the All. (The Testimony of Truth)

33) When the Blessed One had said this, He greeted them all,saying, Peace be with you. Receive my peace unto yourselves.

34) Beware that no one lead you astray saying Lo here or lo there! For the Son of Man is within you.

35) Follow after Him!

36) Those who seek Him will find Him. (The Gospel of Mary chapter 4)


Yet there is one little caveat here; we must come to know our TRUE self. Our true self is not the person of THIS world, but the one who was born of God that came into this world. All of you Christians of traditional beliefs should read the words of the Bible more carefully. This teaching should not be foreign to you if you have been given the eyes to see it. Consider how this passage from Thomas spiritually aligns with what Paul wrote to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 13:9-12
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Paul is speaking about us becoming and knowing our true, perfect self. This is nearly identical to what Jesus said: “When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father.” Do you understand the spiritual essence of what Jesus and Paul are saying here? They are saying we are spiritually maturing and growing in knowledge of who we are. 

We may not be clearly seeing our true self (who is Christ) right now, but we will once we come to fully know and BE our TRUE self! They are both saying that one day we shall fully know our true self, even as I AM (God) is fully known. We are God’s image that must become perfect like our Father to show God the image of Himself. This is our purpose- to reflect the glory and be the image of God! We can only do this in Christ where our true self (life) has been kept hidden and safe for ages and ages. So in this light, real “poverty” is when we don’t know our true self in Christ. 

This is spiritual poverty where the soul is lost in deception and the spirit feels homeless because he hasn’t returned to his Father’s house. Finally, Jesus says, “You are the poverty.” Paul said that nothing good could come from him. He said that “Paul” had died and CHRIST now lived in and through him. Paul knew that his true life was found in the spirit (in Christ), not in the natural (or worldly) Paul. 

Self-knowledge is the true self of the Christ consciousness. Without real self-knowledge other knowledge often becomes a kind of clutter in the mind. With correct self knowledge, however, other knowledge reveals its meaning and ripens into wisdom.

There is a contrast between “personal consciousness, self-will, self, me and I” and “spiritual awareness, the divine self, or the Christ consciousness”.

One of the most effective ways to gain greater self knowledge is to realize that you have a dimension of your mind that is even greater than your "thinking self." This greater level of your mind can actually OBSERVE your thinking self. It can evaluate what it observes. It can make decisions about what it observes. If it chooses it can control, change, and adjust what the thinking self is doing. It is from this higher level of your mind that true self knowledge is attained.

The key to self-knowledge is the awareness that true knowledge comes from within. We must keep in mind that the gaining of wisdom is not merely the result of pouring a sufficient number of facts into our heads; rather, it is the process of "remembering" or calling forth the spiritual truths that are written on our heart

Liberating Gnosis 2 Corinthians 3:17

Liberating Gnosis 
or
Liberating Knowledge

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

In this study we will look at Liberating Gnosis, as we have already noted (in other posts), that gnosis refers to a knowledge which transcending intellectual knowledge. It is experiential knowing a knowledge gleaned from first-hand (personal) experience. This gnosis consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. Gnosis has the effect of liberating the mind 

The Gospel of Truth puts it: 

He who is to have knowledge in this manner knows where he comes from and where he is going. He knows as one who, having become drunk, has turned away from his drunkenness, (and) having returned to himself, has set right what are his own. (Gospel of Truth)

Whence did he come? Whither does he go? The answer to both is God. Here again, genuine self-knowledge is actually knowledge of God, and vice versa. Hippolytus in his "Elucidations" went so far as to proclaim that the maxim "Know thyself" means to "discover God *within* thyself, for he has formed thee after his own image." (ANF., vol. 5, p. 153).

Another Valentinian text the Extracts from the Works of Theodotus states:

78 Until baptism, they say, Fate is real, but after it the astrologists are no longer right. But it is not only the washing that is liberating, but the knowledge of who we were, and what we have become, where we were or where we were placed, whither we hasten, from what we are redeemed, what birth is and what rebirth.  (the Extracts from the Works of Theodotus 78)

From this saying we can conclude that liberating knowledge involves insight of our original nature at creation next our sinful condition after Adam’s fall. What happens after death, how we will be restored what it means to be born again and the resurrection.

A similar saying to the one above from Theodotus is found in the text called the Teachings of Silvanus from the Nag Hammadi Library:

But before everything (else), know your birth. Know yourself, that is, from what substance you are, or from what race, or from what species. Understand that you have come into being from three races: from the earth, from the formed, and from the created. The body has come into being from the earth with an earthly substance, but the formed, for the sake of the soul, has come into being from the thought of the Divine. The created, however, is the mind, which has come into being in conformity with the image of God. The divine mind has substance from the Divine, but the soul is that which he (God) formed for their own hearts. For I think that it (the soul) exists as wife of that which has come into being in conformity with the image, but matter is the substance of the body, which has come into being from the earth. (The Teachings of Silvanus)

"Know yourself, that is, from what substance you are, or from what race, or from what species. Understand that you have come into being from three races: from the earth, from the formed, and from the created."

This part of the saying from Silvanus seems similar to a few says from Philo of Alexandria:

Come, and at once abandoning all other things, learn to know yourselves, and tell us plainly what ye yourselves are in respect of your bodies, in respect of your souls, in respect of your external senses, and in respect of your reason. (Philo: On the Migration of Abraham)

The body, the soul, reason and external senses in Philo could be connected or related in some respect to the earth, the formed, and the created in The Teachings of Silvanus which stand for the body, the soul, and the mind.

bodies, souls, external senses, and reason is synonymous with the whole person

bodies, souls, external senses, and reason are synonymous with the whole person since the preceding words, learn to know yourselves, and tell us plainly what ye yourselves imply a parallelism between the two expressions.

Philo invites people to explore the realm of sense perception, the reader is invited to know himself and every part of himself and how everything is governed by the invisible mind within the person or by the mind of God within the universe:

"Dwell, therefore," says she, "O my child, with him," not all thy life, but "certain days;" that is to say, learn to be acquainted with the country of the external senses; know thyself and thy own parts, and what each is, and for what end it was made, and how it is by nature calculated to energise, and who it is who moves those marvellous things, and pulls the strings, being himself invisible, in an invisible manner, whether it is the mind that is in thee, or the mind of the universe.(Philo: On Flight and Finding)

from these quotations we can see that to "know thyself" is not just a conscious awareness of one's thoughts and emotions but also a insight of our makeup

Know thyself

"Know thyself" was the wisest maxim of the wisest philosophers of the wisest pagan nation of antiquity. "Know thyself" is inculcated by all the prophets and Apostles of all the ages of Revelation. And while the wisest man of the wisest nation in theology taught as his first maxim that "the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom"and while the Saviour of the world taught that "it is eternal life to know the only true God and his son Jesus Christ whom he commissioned" both concur in inculcating the excellence and in teaching the utility and importance of self-knowledge (The Christian Baptist, Volumes 5-6 1827-1828 Edited by Alexander Campbell)

but the knowledge of who we were, and what we have become, where we were or where we were placed, whither we hasten, from what we are redeemed, what birth is and what rebirth.  (the Extracts from the Works of Theodotus 78)

According to John Calvin "Knowledge of ourselves lies, first, in considering what we were given at creation," and, second, in calling to mind "our miserable condition after Adam’s fall." Both of these are undiscoverable outside God’s written Word. (Institutes I.1.1)

Such lack of self-examination leads to a lack of self-knowledge, and therefore people drift along through life, making their decisions according to the dictates of their own natural desires. There is a refusal - albeit heavily masked - to take on board the fact that life is so short that all too soon the finality of death will be upon us. “For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away”. “We will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again”. “Like grass which grows up; in the morning it flourishes and grows up; in the evening it is cut down and withers” (James 4:14; 2 Sam. 14:14; Ps. 90:5,6). Moses, a truly thoughtful man, recognised this, and pleaded to God: “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Ps. 90:12) Therefore, in view of life’s brevity, we should make our acquisition of true wisdom a number one priority. (Duncan Heaster)

Knowing God

After all these came also the little children, those who possess the knowledge of the father. When they became strong they were taught the aspects of the father’s face. They came to know and they were known. They were glorified and they gave glory. (Gospel of truth)

Now, it is not difficult to know the Creator of all creatures, but it is impossible to comprehend the likeness of this One. For it is difficult not only for men to comprehend God, but it is (also) difficult for every divine being, (both) the angels and the archangels. It is necessary to know God as he is. You cannot know God through anyone except Christ, who has the image of the Father, for this image reveals the true likeness in correspondence to that which is revealed. A king is not usually known apart from an image. (The Teachings of Silvanus)

It is impossible to know God according to his divine nature but we can know God according to his personality and character.

The knowledge of ourselves is impossible apart from the knowledge of God.  

self knowledge can only be understood with the knowledge of God and our sinful nature which comes from the scriptures 

But there we learn self-knowledge in a wholly practical way: from our original state we gratefully learn that “we are ever dependent” on God our Maker for everything; while reflection on our present sinful and wretched state “should truly humble us and overwhelm us with shame.” (Institutes II.1.1)

Liberating Gnosis 

That is the gospel of him whom they seek, which he has revealed to the perfect through the mercies of the father as the hidden mystery, Jesus the anointed.  Through him he enlightened those who were in darkness because of forgetfulness. He enlightened them and gave them a path. And that path is the truth that he taught them.  For this reason error was angry with him, so she persecuted him. She was distressed by him, and she was made powerless. He was nailed to a tree.  He became a fruit of the knowledge of the father. He did not, however, destroy them because they ate of it. He rather caused those who ate of it to be joyful because of this discovery. (Gospel of Truth)

Here Jesus and the gospel are one: it is nailed to the tree in his person. Thought only nailed to a tree, the gospel became a fruit of knowledge, thereby making its tree into a tree of knowledge — but not knowledge of good and evil ( Gen. 2:9) — knowledge of the Father

The meaning of Gnosis Ephesians 5:17

The meaning of Gnosis

The meaning of Gnosis

The word "knowledge" is from the Greek gnosis, and denotes a state of understanding developed from inquiry or investigation

literal knowledge

The meaning of knowledge--"Acquaintance with fact; hence, scope of information" (Webster). Intellectual knowledge is independent of feeling; it is literal knowledge without consideration of the Spirit. Man can store up a great wealth of knowledge obtained from books and teachers, but the most illiterate person who sits at the feet of his Lord in the silence comes forth radiant with the true knowledge, that of Spirit.

Spiritual knowledge

wisdom--Intuitive knowing; spiritual intuition; the voice of God within as the source of our understanding; mental action based on the Christ Truth within. Wisdom includes judgment, discrimination, intuition, and all the departments of mind that come under the head of knowing. This "knowing" capacity transcends intellectual knowledge. Spiritual discernment always places wisdom above the other faculties of the mind and reveals that knowledge and intelligence are auxiliary to understanding.

wisdom and divine understanding--These attributes come from the Spirit of Christ within us. The price that we must pay for the conscious attainment of divine wisdom and understanding is the letting go of the personal self with its limited beliefs. Paul saw the Christ waiting at the door of every soul when he wrote: "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee" (Eph. 5:17).

 
The meaning of knowing (Gnosis) --There is in man a knowing capacity transcending intellectual knowledge. The knowing that man receives from the direct fusion of the Mind of God with his mind is real spiritual knowing. One who has intimate, firsthand acquaintance with God; a man of prayer. Jesus was the greatest mystic of all ages.

God is a Corporeal Being James 3:9

God has a physical body

or

God is Corporeal 

James 3:9

First what does Corporeal mean?

The definition of corporeal is something related to your body or something physical or tangible

Most Christians today may not know that the ancient Israelites, the early proto-orthodox church and the Christian Gnostic churches had a belief in a Corporeal God that is in a Deity who has a physical form

The Greek word for corporeal is used twice in the Bible 1 Timothy 4:8 and Luke 3:22

◄ 4984. sómatikos ►


Strong's Concordance
sómatikos: of the bodyOriginal Word: σωματικός, ή, όν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: sómatikos
Phonetic Spelling: (so-mat-ee-kos')
Definition: of the body
Usage: bodily, corporeal.


Thayer's Greek LexiconSTRONGS NT 4984: σωματικός

σωματικός, σωματική, σωματικον (σῶμα), from Aristotle down, "corporeal (Vulg.corporalis), bodily;

a. having a bodily form or nature": σωματικῷ εἴδει, Luke 3:22 (opposed to ἀσώματος, Philo de opif. mund. § 4).

b. pertaining to the body: ἡ γυμνασία, 1 Timothy 4:8 (ἕξις, Josephus, b. j. 6, 1, 6: ἐπιθυμίαι σωματικαί, 4 Macc. 1:32; (ἐπιθυμίαι καί ἡδοναι, Aristotle, eth. Nic. 7, 7, p. 1149b, 26; others; ἀπέχου τῶν σαρκικῶν καί σωματικῶν σπιθυμιων, 'Teaching' etc. 1, 4 [ET])).

Luke 3:22 And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

The Holy Spirit is described as coming down in bodily shape. This was a real visible appearance, and was doubtless seen by the people.

Whilst man was made in the image of God it might be interesting to consider just how like God Man really is from reviewing relevant scriptures on this theme. so now we will look at the physical aspect.

English Standard Version

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. James 3:9

man is made in the physical similitude of the father

God is revealed as a real, tangible person, with a bodily existence. It is also a fundamental teaching of Christianity that Jesus is the Son of God. If God is not a corporeal (bodily) being, then it is impossible for Him to have a son who was the "image of His person" (Heb.1:3). Further, it becomes difficult to develop a personal, living relationship with 'God', if 'God' is just a concept in our mind, a formless, shapeless thing, floating out in space like a cloud of mist, only with a mind and will.

It is tragic that the majority of religions have this unreal, intangible conception of God.

God being so infinitely greater than us, it is understandable that many people's faith has unwilling to accept the clear promises that ultimately we will see God. Israel lacked the faith to see God's "shape" (Jn. 5:37), clearly showing that He does have a real form. Such faith comes from knowing God and believing His word:

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matt.5:8).

God has a soul

The word soul in the Bible always refers to bodily life living or dead 

Leviticus 26:11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.

So God has a soul and therefore a body.  A soul would indicate that this comprises of both spirit and body. 1Sa 2:35; Ps 11:5; 24:4; Pr 6:16; Isa 1:14; 42:1; Jer 5:9; 6:8; 12:7; 14:19; 15:1; 32:41; 51:14; La 3:20; Eze 23:18; Am 6:8; Mt 12:18; Heb 10:38.

God speaks of “my soul” (Le 26:11, 30; Ps 24:4; Isa 42:1) . By speaking of ‘my ne´phesh,’ The Deity clearly means “myself” or “my person. The Old Testament consistently talks of God as a person; God is spoken of as having eyes, hands, and so forth.

The word soul is used for the physical body:

1 Corinthians 15:44 It is sown a physical body, it is raised up a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one. 45 It is even so written: “The first man Adam became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 Nevertheless, the first is, not that which is spiritual, but that which is physical, afterward that which is spiritual.

1 Corinthians 15:44  It is sown a body of the soul, it is raised a body of the spirit; if there is a body of the soul, there is also of the spirit:--

45  Thus, also, it is written--The first man, Adam, became, a living soul, the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

46  Howbeit, not first, is the [body] of the spirit, but that, of the soul,--afterwards, that of the spirit.

God is not just spirit but also has his spirit contained within some almighty corporeal entity, i.e. a divine body. 

A divine/spiritual body implies a substance (Hypostasis Hebrews 1:3) of divine nature (2Peter 1:4) 

Hebrews 1:3 He is the reflection of [his] glory and the exact representation of his very being, and he sustains all things by the word of his power; and after he had made a purification for our sins he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty in lofty places.

The Son is the character or exact representation, and the Father is the hypostasis.

Strong's #5287: hupostasis (pronounced hoop-os'-tas-is)

Hypostasis, the original cognate of substantia

Etymologically,

hypostasis = hypó ("under") + stásis ("a standing" = (hístēmi ("to stand") + -sis, verbal noun suffix)) = "that which stands under"

substantia = sub ("under") + stans ("standing", present active participle of stō ("stand")) = "that which stands under".

From this we can conclude that Hypostasis refers to the nature/essence or "substance" of the Father, the Father-Spirit is substantial.

However, in later centuries hypostasis began referring to the "person", not the "nature" or "being" of God. 

"an accurate representation in the manner of an 'impress' or 'stamp', as of a coin to a die" (NIBC); "the mark [which] is the exact impression of the seal" (Barclay). Christ is "the image of God" (2Co 4:4) and "the image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15); although in these two instances, the Gr word "eikon" is different from that used here. John expressed the same idea in the words "anyone who has seen me [Jesus] has seen the Father" (John 14:9).

the Son is the Character of his Hypostasis rendered, in the common version, "express image of his person." The Son is the character or exact representation, and the Father is the hypostasis. In reference to the former, the Father says, in Zech. iii. 9, "Upon One Stone there shall be Seven Eyes ; behold, I will engrave the graving thereof (that is, of the stone), saith He who shall be hosts." The graving engraved on the stone is termed, in Greek, character, an impress wrought into a substance after some archetype or pattern. This archetype is the hypostasis, so that hypostasis is the basis or foundation of character; wherefore the same apostle in Col. i. 15, styles the character engraved the IMAGE of Theos the Invisible. Seth was the image of Adam, and Adam, the image of Elohim (cf. Gen. i. 26 ; v. 3.). Like Seth, Jesus was an image of Adam, but only in relation to flesh. Adam the First was image of Elohim, and this was in relation to bodily form. Body and form were the hypostasis of Adam and Seth; that is, they were the basis or foundation of the images so named. Where body and form do not exist, there can be no image; therefore, where image is predicated of hypostasis, that hypostasis must have both body and form. The Father-Spirit, unveiled, is, then, a bodily form; and as all things are "out of Him," He is the focal centre of the universe, from which irradiates whatever exists. (Eureka by Dr. Thomas)

God’s holy SPIRIT emanates from His substance (Hypostasis) his body or divine nature. This helps us to understand the statement in The Apocryphon of John which says the Monad is both corporeal and none incorporeal at the same time: 

"The One is not corporeal and is not incorporeal." (The Apocryphon of John)

Tertullian notes that "This for certain is He who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, In what form of God? Of course he means in some form, not none. For who will deny that God is a body although God is a spirit? (John 4:24). For spirit has a bodily substance of its own kind, in its own form. Whatever therefore, was the substance of the Word that I designate a person, I claim for it the name of Son; while I recognize the Son, I assert the distinction as second to the Father." Now interestingly, in the footnote, the editors themselves note "This doctrine of the soul's corporeality in a certain sense is treated by Tertullian in his "De Ressur. Carn" xvii and "De Anima" v. By Tertullian, spirit and soul were considered identical." (ANF, Vol. 3, p. 467).

God is spirit but this is not a disembodied spirit it is in fact spirit embodied

Clement talked about angels, archangels and , First-Created (Exc.10:1,5) in the following Extracts from the Works of Theodotus: 10, 11, 12 and 14. Exc. 10

Extracts from the Works of Theodotus

10 But not even the world of spirit and of intellect, nor the archangels and the First-Created, no, nor even he himself is shapeless and formless and without figure, and incorporeal; but he also has his own shape and body corresponding to his preeminence over all spiritual beings, as also those who were first created have bodies corresponding to their preeminence over the beings subordinate to them. For, in general, that which has come into being is not unsubstantial, but they have form and body, though unlike the bodies in this world......– but they “always behold the face of the Father” and the face of the Father is the Son, through whom the Father is known. Yet that which sees and is seen cannot be formless or incorporeal. But they see not with an eye of sense, but with the eye of mind, such as the Father provided. (Extracts from the Works of Theodotus)

14 The demons are said to be incorporeal, not because they have no bodies (for they have even shape and are, therefore, capable of feeling punishment), but they are said to be incorporeal because, in comparison with the spiritual bodies which are saved, they are a shade. And the angels are bodies; at any rate they are seen. Why even the soul is a body, for the Apostle says, “It is sown a body of soul, it is raised a body of spirit.” And how can the souls which are being punished be sensible of it, if they are not bodies? Certainly he says, “Fear him who, after death, is able to cast soul and body into hell.” Now that which is visible is not purged by fire, but is dissolved into dust. But, from the story of Lazarus and Dives, the soul is directly shown by its possession of bodily limbs to be a body. (Extracts from the Works of Theodotus)

These two quotations from the Works of Theodotus shows that Valentinians understood the soul to be the natural body and that spiritual beings are Corporeal

If God is not a real, personal being, then the concept of spirituality is hard to wrestle with. If God is totally righteous but is not a material being, then we cannot really conceive of His righteousness manifested in human beings. However, once we appreciate that there is a personal being called God, then we can work on our characters, with His help and the influence of His word, to reflect the characteristics of God in our beings.

God's purpose is to reveal Himself in a multitude of glorified beings. His memorial name, Jehovah Elohim, indicates this ('He who shall be mighty ones', is an approximate translation). If God is not a corporeal being, then the reward of the faithful is to have a non-physical existence like God. But the descriptions of the reward of the faithful in God's coming Kingdom on earth show that they will have a tangible, bodily existence, although no longer subject to the weaknesses of human nature.

The faithful are promised that they will inherit God's nature (2 Peter 1:4). If God is not a person then this means we will live eternally as immaterial spirits. But this is not Bible teaching. We will be given a body like that of Jesus (Phil. 3:21), and we know that he will have a literal body in the Kingdom which will have hands, eyes and ears (Zech. 13:6; Isa. 11:3). The doctrine of the person of God is therefore related to the Gospel of the Kingdom.

It should be evident that there can be no sensible concept of worship, or personal relationship with God until it is appreciated that God is a person, that we are in His image physically, although a very imperfect image, and need to develop His mental image so that we may take on the fulnlless of His physical image in the Kingdom of God.

God as Satan 1 Chronicles 21:1

God as Satan 1 Chronicles 21:1

" Satan " is a Hebrew word, and transferred to the English Bible untranslated from the original tongue. Cruden (himself a believer in the popular devil) defines it as follows:— "Satan, Sathan, Sathanas: this is a mere Hebrew word, and signifies AN ADVERSARY, AN ENEMY, AN ACCUSER." If Satan is " a mere Hebrew word, signifying adversary," etc., obviously it does not in itself import the evil being which it represents to the common run of English ears.


Because the word 'satan' just means an adversary, a good person, even God Himself, can be termed a 'satan'. In essence there is nothing necessarily sinful about the word itself. The sinful implications which the word 'satan' has are partly due to the fact that our own sinful nature is our biggest 'satan' or adversary, and also due to the fact that the word satan is a personification of human nature the use of the word in the language of the world refers to something associated with sin.

God Himself can be a satan to us by means of bringing trials into our lives, or by standing in the way of a wrong course of action we may be embarking on. But the fact that God can be called a 'satan' does not mean that He Himself is sinful.


The books of Samuel and Chronicles are parallel accounts of the same incidents, as the four gospels are records of the same events but using different language. 2 Sam.24:1 records: "Yahweh...moved David against Israel" in order to make him take a number of Israel.

The parallel account in 1 Chron.21:1 says that "Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David" to take the number. In one passage God does the provoking, in the other Satan does it.  The only conclusion is that God acted as a ‘Satan’ or adversary to David. He did the same to Job by bringing trials into his life, so that Job said about God: “With the strength of Your hand You oppose me” (Job 30:21); ‘You are acting as a Satan against me’, was what Job was basically saying. Or again, speaking of God: “I must appeal for mercy to my accuser (Satan)” (Job 9:15 NRSV). The Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament uses the Greek word diabolos to translate the Hebrew 'Satan'. Hence Devil and Satan are effectively parallel in meaning. Thus we read in the Septuagint of David being an adversary [Heb. Satan, Gk. diabolos] in 1 Sam. 29:4; the sons of Zeruiah (2 Sam. 19:22), Hadad, Rezon and other opponents to Solomon (1 Kings 5:4; 11:14,23,25). We face a simple choice- if we believe that every reference to 'Satan' or 'Devil' refers to an evil cosmic being, then we have to assume that these people weren't people at all, and that even good men like David were evil. The far more natural reading of these passages is surely that 'Satan' is simply a word meaning 'adversary', and can be applied to people [good and bad], and even God Himself- it carries no pejorative, sinister meaning as a word. The idea is sometimes used to describe our greatest adversary, i.e. our own sin, and at times for whole systems or empires which stand opposed to the people of God and personify sinfulness and evil. But it seems obvious that it is a bizarre approach to Bible reading to insist that whenever we meet these words 'Satan' and 'Devil', we are to understand them as references to a personal, supernatural being.

At the end of the book, Job's friends comforted him over "all the evil that Yahweh had brought upon him" (Job 42:11 cp. 19:21; 8:4). Thus God is the source of "evil" in the sense of being the ultimate permitter of the problems that we have in our lives.