The Mother Church is Jerusalem not Rome Acts 15

The Mother Church is Jerusalem not Rome Acts 15

In Christianity, a mother church is the church "considered as a mother in its functions of nourishing and protecting the believer"

a mother-church, is sometimes taken for an original church planted immediately by the Apostles, whence others were derived and afterwards spread. And in this sense the Church of Jerusalem is called 'the mother-church of all churches in the world.'"

It was in Jerusalem that the Church was established on the day of Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:1-41) and the Gospel of Christ spread from Jerusalem.

Beginning in Jerusalem, the gospel creates ever-widening circles in the world, just as a stone sends out ripples in a pond.

In the first and second century, Christianity consisted of an unknown number of local Churches that in the initial years looked to Jerusalem as its main centre and point of reference

When disproving that Peter is "the first pope" it is customary to turn to Acts 15, where it is stated that James (the Lord's half-brother) was clearly the chief spokesman for the ecclesia at Jerusalem; not Peter. In ch. 8:14 there is equally indisputable proof in regard to the question. Use of the terms "the apostles" and "they" are clear indicators that Peter possessed no supremacy over his fellow apostles. The decision to send Peter and John to Samaria was the result of a consensus discussion among all the apostles. Had Peter held any special authority over his fellows, he would either have elected to travel himself, or would have ruled as to who should be deputed in his place. No such thing occurred. The situation was similar to that recorded in ch. 6:2, "Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said..." This is now the sixth time that the names of Peter and John are linked together in their work in the Truth. This is the last time that John's name is mentioned in the book of Acts.


Eusebius provides the names of an unbroken succession of thirty-six Bishops of Jerusalem up to the year 324. The first sixteen of these bishops were Jewish—from James the Just to Judas († 135)—and the remainder were Gentiles

Jerusalem was the first center of the church, according to the Book of Acts, and the location of "the first Christian church". The apostles lived and taught there for some time after Pentecost. Jesus' brother James was a leader in the church, and his other kinsman likely held leadership positions in the surrounding area after the destruction of the city
The apostles had a regular meeting place in Jerusalem, an upstairs room where they usually stayed (verse 13: τὸ ὑπερῷον; cf. Acts 9:37,39; 20:8).

The bishop’s seat, the symbol of James’ position as leader, was an object of interest, right up to Eusebius’ day. It is clear that in the first centuries of church history, the Holy See was not in Rome, but in Jerusalem: 

Now the throne of James, who was the first to receive from the Saviour and the apostles the the office of a bishop of the church at Jerusalem, who also, as the divine books show, was called a brother of Christ, has been preserved to this day; and by the honour that the brethren in succession there pay to it, they show clearly to all the reverence in which the holy men were and still are held by the men of old time and those of our day, because of the love shown them by God (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History VII 19

The kingdom of the Heavens is a State of Consciousness

The kingdom of the heavens, is a state of consciousness

The kingdom of the heavens, is a state of consciousness in which mind, soul, and body are in harmony with Divine Mind.

Why is the kingdom of heaven like a mustard seed? The parable of the mustard seed shows us that the apparently small thought or idea of Truth (seed) has capacity to develop and expand in consciousness until it becomes the abiding place of a higher type of thoughts (birds of the air). 

13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.

A true idea transforms a mass of ignorance by allowing the light of understanding to spread throughout the mind until it is enlightenment.

13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

What is the field in which man's greatest treasure is hidden?

The field is the mind and heart of man. When planted with the seed which is the word of God they contain the hidden treasure of true spiritual identity the Christ consciousness or the Christ self that each believer discovers as they learns to know themselves as children of God.

What is represented by the "pearl of great price"? the Christ consciousness or the Christ self. 

13:47Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:13:48which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. 

What is represented by the net that gathered both the good and the bad, which had to be sorted? The net represents the capacity of the mind to gather all kinds of thoughts, which have to be tested; the good retained and the bad cast out. 

13:49So shall it be in the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous, 13:50and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

What is signified by "the end of the world"? "The end of the world" is more accurately translated "the consummation of the age." It signifies the end of a mental process in which the good thoughts have brought forth good and the bad thoughts have brought forth sin and wickedness. The error thoughts are then destroyed by the cleansing process of renouncing ("furnace of fire").

Spiritual Growth 1 Corinthians 2:12-14

spiritual growth

In the following testimonies, the apostle tells the followers of Christ that their belief and baptism is only the BEGINNING of their walk in the truth. To aspire to the full standard of development in the Messiah, they must grow BEYOND the milk of FIRST principles. They must SEARCH OUT and consume the strong MEAT: “the DEEP things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10).

“We have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are DULL of hearing. For when for the time ye OUGHT to be TEACHERS ye have need that one teach YOU ... and are become such as have need of MILK and NOT of strong MEAT. For every one that useth MILK is UNSKILLFUL in the word of righteousness; for he is a BABE. But STRONG MEAT belongeth to thee that are of FULL AGE, even those who BY REASON OF USE have their senses EXERCISED to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14).

“Therefore, LEAVING the FIRST principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us GO ON unto perfection; not laying AGAIN the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God” (Hebrews 6:1-2).

“Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might KNOW the things that are freely GIVEN to us of God. Which things also we SPEAK, not in the words which MAN’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; COMPARING spiritual things WITH spiritual ... because they are SPIRITUALLY discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:12-14).
For: “God hath revealed them unto us by His spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:20).

CAUTION: “Put NOT your trust in PRINCES” (Psalm 146:3).
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in MAN” (Psalm 118:8).

“To the law and to the testimony, if they speak NOT according to THIS WORD it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

“For man is to live by EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the MOUTH of God” (Matthew 4:4).

He is to add NOTHING to God’s word, neither is he to DIMINISH ought from it (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32; Revelation 22:18-19).

FOR: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is PROFITABLE ... that the man of God may be PERFECT” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

James the Just Was the Real Leader of the Early Church! Acts 15:13

James the Just Was the Real Leader of the Early Church!

Gospel of Thomas Saying (12) The disciples said to Jesus, "We are aware that you will depart from us. Who will be our leader?" Jesus said to him, "No matter where you come it is to James the Just that you shall go, for whose sake heaven and earth have come to exist."

The Gospel of Thomas tells us that after Jesus had departed from the disciples they were to go to James the Just as the new leader of the apostles

So who is James the Just or James the righteous?

James Greek equivalent of Jacob, meaning “One Seizing the Heel; Supplanter

Biography

James was the brother of the Lord (Gal. 1:19). A Son of Joseph and Mary, and half brother of Jesus . (Mark 6:3) He may have been next to Jesus in age, being the first named of Mary’s four natural-born sons: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. (Mathew 13:55;)

It also appears that the Lord’s brethren, James and Jude were married. Paul speaks of the married brothers of Jesus and the oldest gospel, Mark, mentions James, Joses, Judas and Simon as his brothers and besides sisters (Mark vi. 3).
It appears that during Jesus’ ministry James was well acquainted with his brother’s activity (Lu 8:19; John 2:12), but he was not one of the disciples and followers of Christ. (Mt 12:46-50; John 7:5)

He was probably with his non-believing brothers when they urged Jesus to go up to the Festival of Tabernacles, at a time when the rulers of the Jews were seeking to kill him. (John 7:1-10)

James also may have been numbered among the relatives that said of Jesus: “He has gone out of his mind.”—Mr 3:21.

However, after the death of Jesus James was assembled for prayer together with his mother, brothers, and the apostles in an upper chamber in Jerusalem. (Ac 1:13, 14)

It was evidently to this James that the resurrected Jesus appeared personally, as reported at 1 Corinthians 15:7, so convincing this one time non-believer that He was indeed the Messiah. This reminds us of Jesus’ personal appearance to Paul.—Ac 9:3-5.

The Gospel of the Hebrews confirms the account of Paul in 1 Corinthians regarding the risen Jesus' appearance to James:

'Now the Lord, after he had given his grave clothes to the servant of the priest, appeared to James, for James had sworn that he would not eat bread from that hour in which he had drunk the Lord's cup until he should see him risen from the dead.' And a little further on the Lord says, 'bring a table and bread.' And immediately it is added, 'He took bread and blessed and broke and gave it to James the Just and said to him, "My brother, eat your bread, for the Son of Man is risen from the dead."' And so he ruled the church of Jerusalem thirty years, that is, until the seventh year of Nero

Apostle and Bishop

Thereafter James became a prominent member and, an “apostle” and Bishop of the Jerusalem church.

Thus, at Paul’s first visit with the brothers in Jerusalem (about 36 C.E.), he says he spent 15 days with Peter but “saw no one else of the apostles, only James the brother of the Lord.” (Ga 1:18, 19)

Although not one of the 12 apostles, it is evidently this James who was a bishop of the Christian Church at Jerusalem (Ac 12:17)

Peter, after his miraculous release from prison, instructed the brothers at John Mark’s home, “Report these things to James and the brothers,” thereby indicating James’ superiority. (Ac 12:12, 17)

James is styled the "bishop of bishops, who rules Jerusalem, the Holy Church of the Hebrews, and all the Churches everywhere"

Clement to James, the lord, and the bishop of bishops, who rules Jerusalem, the holy church of the Hebrews, and the churches everywhere excellently rounded by the providence of God, with the elders and deacons, and the rest of the brethren, peace be always. (Epistle of Clement to James)

Fragment X of Papias (writing in the second century) refers to "James the bishop and apostle" (Papias of Hierapolis,. Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord. Fragment X).

According to Eusebius (3rd/4th century) James was named a bishop of Jerusalem by the apostles: "James, the brother of the Lord, to whom the episcopal seat at Jerusalem had been entrusted by the apostles".^[40] Jerome wrote the same: "James... after our Lord's passion... ordained by the apostles bishop of Jerusalem..." and that James "ruled the church of Jerusalem thirty years".^[41]

Leadership role

What about the great church meeting in Acts 15?

About 49 C.E. the issue of circumcision came before “the apostles and the elders” at Jerusalem.

Did Peter stand out as the leader in this great meeting? No, Peter did speak, but if you read the whole of that meeting, you will see that in fact James seemed to be the chief of the elders, as he was the one who gave the final decision on the question of circumcision (see Acts 15:19).

After the apostles, James the brother of the Lord surnamed the Just was made head of the Church at Jerusalem. James "ruled the church of Jerusalem thirty years". This James, whom the people of old called the Just because of his outstanding virtue, was the first, as the record tells us, to be elected to be bishop of the Jerusalem church

These verses also demonstrate the fraudulent impostering of the Roman Catholic Church in its claim that Peter was "the first pope." It is obvious that at this crucial gathering Peter accepted a lesser role than that shown, by common consent, to James. Had Peter been "the first pope" he would unquestionably have presided over such an assembly as this.

Acts 15:13  And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men [and] brethren, hearken unto me:

James" — Not the apostle, who had been killed by Herod (ch. 12:2), but almost certainly the Lord's half-brother (ch. 12:17; Gal. 2:9), who appears to be the chief of the elders at Jerusalem (Gal. 1:19; 2:12), and president of the conference, also thought to be married (ICor. 9:5).

Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

"Wherefore my sentence is" — The word krino, "to judge" (as in the Diag.), or "judgment" (RV). As leader of the Jerusalem Church, James spoke with greater authority than Peter and John (Gal. 2:9).

Acts 21:18 And the [day] following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.

The Lord's half brother (Acts 12:17), who was considered the leading brother of the Church.

Righteous or Just

Why is James called the righteous or James the Just?

Hegesippus records that James was known as the "Righteous One " who continually prayed in the Temple for the forgiveness of the people

James, the Lord's brother, succeeds to the government of the Church, in conjunction with the apostles. He has been universally called the Just, from the days of the Lord down to the present time. For many bore the name of James; but this one was holy from his mother's womb. He drank no wine or other intoxicating liquor, nor did he eat flesh; no razor came upon his head; he did not anoint himself with oil. He alone was permitted to enter the holy place: for he did not wear any woollen garment, but fine linen only. He alone, I say, was wont to go into the temple: and he used to be found kneeling on his knees, begging forgiveness for the people-so that the skin of his knees became horny like that of a camel's, by reason of his constantly bending the knee in adoration to God, and begging forgiveness for the people. (Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History Book II, 23)

from this it would appear that James was a Nazarite

the Lord's brother, later wrote that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (ch. 5:16).

Early Christian Tradition 

Gospel of Thomas Saying (12) The disciples said to Jesus, "We are aware that you will depart from us. Who will be our leader?" Jesus said to him, "No matter where you come it is to James the Just that you shall go, for whose sake heaven and earth have come to exist."

This statement [logion 12] . . . is also at odds with the orthodox tradition of the succession of Peter. It represents nothing less than the lost tradition of the direct appointment of James as successor to his brother.

This saying is not in opposition to the Gospel tradition were Jesus grants Peter the "keys of the kingdom" it does not mean the keys of leadership but the key of knowledge  see saying 39 Mathew 16:19 Luke 11:52

Acts 15:13  And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men [and] brethren, hearken unto me:
14  Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
15  And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,  

It is obvious that James knew of Peter's special commission the Lord had given him ("I will give unto thee the keys [plural] of the kingdom of heaven," Mat. 16:18-19) gave him irrevocably an exclusive responsibility concerning the unlocking of the divine purpose of salvation. Peter would unlock the door of entrance to the kingdom to both Jew and Gentile; a charge which he had faithfully fulfilled (Acts chapters 2, and 10).

 But further, James not only accepted Peter's words in this matter — which would have been fully supported by the other apostles — but quoted from two Old Testament prophets (Amos 9:11-12; Jer. 12:15) to prove that a commission such as that given to Peter was inevitable, according to the divine foreknowledge.

These verses also demonstrate the fraudulent impostering of the Roman Catholic Church in its claim that Peter was "the first pope." It is obvious that at this crucial gathering Peter accepted a lesser role than that shown, by common consent, to James. Had Peter been "the first pope" he would unquestionably have presided over such an assembly as this.











"Wherefore observe the greatest caution, that you believe no teacher, unless he bring from Jerusalem the testimonial of James the Lord's brother, or of whosoever may come after him.29 For no one, unless he has gone up thither, and there has been approved as a fit and faithful teacher for preaching the word of Christ, -- unless, I say, he brings a testimonial thence, is by any means to be received. (The Recognitions of Clement. Book IV. False Apostles. Chapter XXXV)



The Lord had earlier instructed his disciples to go "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Mat. 10:6; 15:24). James later wrote "to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad" (ch. 1:1).

The Gnostic Creation Story in the Tripartite Tractate

The Gnostic Creation Story in the Tripartite Tractate

Some Remarks on the Tripartite Tractate

The Tripartite Tractate is one text from the Nag Hammadi Scriptures as a different form of the Gnostic Creation myth which alters the myth ascribing the fall to a masculine Aeon the Logos 

In the beginning there was only the self-existent and transcendent Deity who is called the Eternal Spirit which has male and female attributes dwelling in silence and repose. The Deity is both corporeal and non-corporeal at the same time

From the transcendent Deity there was emanated a male principle called Mind and a female principle called Thought. In these principles emanated others, in male and female pairs to the total of thirty knows as Aeons who collectively constitute the fullness or the divine realm which others would call the spirit world which is beyond the physical heavens it is also called the 3rd Heaven.

Of all the Aeons only the first pair Mind and thought knew and comprehended the greatness of the self-existent Uncreated Eternal Spirit and could behold him but the last and youngest Aeon Logos or (Reason).

The intent, then, of this one who is the Logos, was good. When he had come forth, he gave glory to the Father, even if it led to something beyond possibility, since he had wanted to bring forth one who is perfect, from an agreement in which he had not been, and without having the command. and without the knowledge or consent of his female counterpart Sophia (wisdom) he projected from his own being a flawed emanation.

Thus the Logos motivated by abundant love and seeking only to give glory to the self-existent Uncreated Eternal Spirit creates other beings which are the seven archangels their leader is Michael who is the Demiurge the creator of the material cosmos or the physical heavens

But when the logos perceives that these are inferior to the emanations of the self-existent Uncreated Eternal Spirit indeed mere shadows and phantoms of them, lacking reason and light, dwelling in ignorance, bringing forth more and more defective creatures little weakling, hindered by the illnesses by which he too was hindered

This logos is the cause of the creation of the world and the lower beings including mankind but the logos is not the agent of creation the Demiurge is the agent of creation being used by the logos as a hand

This defective Logos is interceded for by his counterpart the Divine Logos or First Thought the Son in the Pleroma  

Heracleon interpreted this in the same way he identifies the logos not with the agent of creation but with the casue making the creator lower than the logos 

Fragment 1, on John 1:3 (In John 1:3, “All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made.”) The sentence: "All things were made through him" means the world and what is in it. It excludes what is better than the world. The Aeon (i.e. the Fullness), and the things in it, were not made by the Word; they came into existence before the Word. . . “Without him, nothing was made” of what is in the world and the creation. . . "All things were made through Him," means that it was the Word who caused the Craftsman (Demiurge) to make the world, that is it was not the Word “from whom” or “by whom,” but the one “through whom (all things were made).”. . . It was not the Word who made all things, as if he were energized by another, for "through whom" means that another made them and the Word provided the energy.

The archon is the agent of creation being used by the logos as a hand

The Meaning of Transfiguration Matthew 17

The meaning of transfiguration

The transfiguration--Supernatural change of appearance that takes place as one experiences the full flow of divine power through his being. A lifting up of the consciousness into a state that transfigures the mind causing it to shine by the illumination of the word of god.

The transfiguration of Jesus described in Matthew and Mark took place when Jesus went with three apostles up into a mountain. There the three beheld Him transfigured.

The Treatise on the Resurrection shows that the transfiguration was not a vision but a reality
This treatise is thought to have been written in the second century (The Nag Hammadi Library James Robinson). It appears to us to be true. Here is what is says about the transfiguration...

For if you remember reading in the Gospel that Elijah appeared and Moses with him, do not think the resurrection is an illusion, but it is truth! Indeed it is more fitting to say that the world is an illusion, rather than the resurrection which came into being through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (From The Treatise on the Resurrection)

So the author plainly believes as we do that the 3 apostles Peter James and John say the risen Elijah and the risen Moses.


What is represented by Jesus' taking Peter, James, and John, “up into a mountain apart by themselves?” This represents the raising of faith, wisdom, and love to spiritual consciousness, a state in which these faculties are mentally separated from the carnal mind.

What is represented by the appearance of Elijah with Moses and the conversation with Jesus? In periods of spiritual exaltation the higher faculties are quickened. Elijah represents the ability to give forth revelation or prophesy; Moses represents understanding of the divine law. Their conversation with Jesus represents the expression of these abilities in the mind of a believer.



Moses and Elijah represents the power of spiritual discernment to bring about rapid changes on the mental plane, these changes being later manifested in action.



Can the transfiguration of Jesus be explained in terms that have practical meaning for us in our life? It is known that prayer brings about a rapid outflowing of mental energy, and when faith (Peter), love (John), and discernment (James) are present, there follows a lifting up of the mind into the Christ consciousness that electrifies the new life of a believer.



Of what is the Transfiguration proof? Of the transcendent understanding of the Christ consciousness. Light represents spiritual Truth and understanding. for the fruit that the light produces consists of every form of goodness, righteousness, and truth.



'Light' refers to moral reasoning in which leads to a higher experience of reality


Can true enlightenment be gained anywhere except in the Christ consciousness? True enlightenment comes only from God through the activity of His Spirit indwelling in us. True enlightenment develops in us understanding, compassion, and zeal to serve God or express what we know of the Gospel.

What do angels represent? They represent our thoughts, and they are described also as “ spirits” they represent the seat of wisdom and understanding. Man is “but little lower than the angels,” or our actual expression is a little lower than the scope of our aspiring thoughts.

The Christ body is a transfigured one. We perceive it when we ascend into a high place spiritually, into the secret place of the Most High; when we lift up our thoughts. The apostles of Jesus represent the consciousness of the spiritual man. When we lift up our mental capability, we behold spiritual reality and we see the body of Christ as it is in Truth.

When, therefore, the revelation of the multitude of the Sons of God, represented by John's similitude of the Son of man, shall be manifested, being all like to Jesus in transfiguration, the aspect of the Body will be "as the sun when he shines in its power."

Jesus is the Pleroma! The Letter of Peter to Philip The Nag Hammadi library

Jesus is the Pleroma? The Letter of Peter to Philip The Nag Hammadi library

Concerning the fullness, it is I.  I (the christ) was sent down in the body (of Jesus) for the seed that had fallen away. And I came down to their mortal model. But they did not recognize me, thinking I was a mortal. I spoke with the one who is mine, and the one who is mine listened to me just as you also who have listened to me today. And I gave him authority to enter into the inheritance of his fatherhood. And I took him the one who is mine up to my Father. They the Aeons were brought to completion filled with rest through his salvation. Since he was deficiency, he became fullness. The Letter of Peter to Philip (Nag Hammadi Codex VIII, 2)

Here in the The Letter of Peter to Philip Jesus speaks of himself as the  pleroma or the fullness "Concerning the fullness, it is I." However this is the Logos or anointing spirit the Christ speaking through Jesus.

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that for all fullness to dwell in him;

Col 2:9 because it is in him that all the fullness of the divine nature dwells bodily.

10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

11 And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers, 12 with a view to the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ, 13 until we all attain to the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ

2 Peter 1:4 ►

Berean Study Bible

Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.


Hebrews 3:14 ►

New American Standard Bible

For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,


Your blessings shows that you are a "Partaker" now you must be a Partaker of the "FULLNESS" of Christ, the fullness of Christ = the "HARVEST" the seed is the word of God inside of you and when that seed is fully grown you become what the seed truly is, and you are ready to be harvested.


you get it?............................

The Lord Jesus has now been exalted to Heaven, and shares God’s nature. This verse refers to how Jesus is now, after His resurrection, and not how He was during His mortal life on earth


“All the fullness”

The Greek word for "fullness" is pleroma - the same word is also found in Col. 1:19, regarding how all God’s “fullness” dwelt in Jesus. Although the Lord Jesus had human nature, He never sinned; and thus was full of the God’s personality and character. To know Jesus was to know God- for He was and is God’s Son, and indeed the perfect replica of Him in human form.


The fullness which is Christ’s- and His “fullness” is God’s fullness- is shared with us: “Of His fullness have all we received” (Jn. 1:16). In this sense the church, as the body of Christ, is “the fullness of Him that fills all in all” (Eph. 1:23; 4:13). Through knowing Christ, the believers are therefore “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19). So the fact that Jesus had “all the fullness of God” doesn’t make Him "God" Himself in person; because we will not become God Himself in person because we are filled with God’s fullness; any more than a son is his father. In the same way as Christ’s body after His resurrection was filled with the Spirit and nature of God- so will ours be (1 Cor. 15:49; Phil. 3:20,21).

Fulness - "pleroma" - MA full measure11. (10) For NThe Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his G1 ory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father), Full of grace and truth.11 (Jn. 1:14) When Moses asked God to show him His Glory, God said He would make all His goodness pass before Moses and He would proclaim His Name. (Ex. 33:18,19) "And the LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." (Ex. 34:6) Jesus is filled with these divine attributes. He is "an eradiated brightness of His (God's) glory and an exact representation of his very being". (Heb. 1:3 Rhm) Therefore Jesus could say, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father". (Jn. 14:9)

The implication here, seems to be that those who listen to the word of Christ and are his own will also obtain the joy and fullness of the divine. Like Christ they will become fullness

Joh 1:16 For we all received from out of his fullness, even grace upon grace.

Eph 1:22 He also subjected all things under his feet, and made him head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills up all things in all..

Eph 3:19 and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge, that YOU may be filled with all the fullness of the Deity.

Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that for all fullness to dwell in him;

Col 2:9 because it is in him that all the fullness of the divine nature dwells bodily.

The fullness belongs to the Deity he has shared it with Jesus and us

Since Jesus is dwelling within us it is reasonable to assume that the fullness is to be found within us as well. This will take place in two stages the first is to manifest Jesus' character which we call the Christ consciousness. and the second stage takes place in the summer which we call the other aeon or the age to come

Eph 3:19 and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge, that YOU may be filled with all the fullness of the Deity.

We like Jesus are to be filled with God fullness

2Peter 1:4 Through these things he has freely given us the precious and very grand promises, that through these YOU may become sharers in divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world through lust.

we will share God's divine nature

2Th 2:14 He called you to this through the good news we declare, so that you may acquire the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We shall share Jesus' glory

John 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will[a] believe in Me through their word;

21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

We are to be made perfect in one Christ in us and the Father in Christ

in the Age to come we shall be one with God by sharing his divine nature and being filled with his fullness

It is not "One God in three Gods," and "Three Gods in One;" but one Deity in a countless multitude revealed in the memorial name, and give an account of in the mystery of godliness

One in many and many in One, One Deity who is all in all

The Deity is Androgynous! Genesis 1:27

God is Androgynous! Genesis 1-27

The Deity is Androgynous! Genesis 1:27

Thus the logos of the Father goes forth into the All, being the fruit of his heart and expression of his will. It supports the All. It chooses and also takes the form of the All, purifying it, and causing it to return to the Father and to the Mother, Jesus of the utmost sweetness. The Gospel of Truth

God is Androgynous!

But what Does Androgynous Mean?

Being both male and female;
Having both masculine and feminine characteristics.
Having an ambiguous sexual identity.
Neither clearly masculine nor clearly feminine in appearance.-

In other posts I have shown that the holy spirit is a Feminine Aspect of God. Spirit in Hebrew is a feminine noun; but in Greek, neuter. The Holy Spirit is often associated with women’s functions: the birthing process (Jn. 3:5; cf. Jn. 1:13, 1 Jn. 4:7b, 5:1, 4, 18), consoling, comforting, an prophitc groaning in travail of childbirth, emotional warmth, and inspiration.

In this post I will show that God is Androgynous

Consider this: it is only when BOTH man and woman are created in Genesis 1 that God is fully portrayed:

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” – Genesis 1:27

In fact, the first time we see God declaring something to be “not good” is when Adam finds himself alone in the Garden:

“Then Yahweh Elohim said, “It is not good that a man should be alone: I will make him a helper fit for him.” – Genesis 2:18

Why did God need to create BOTH genders before mankind fully displayed the image of God? One reason is that this is an allegory of Christ and the church especially when man and woman come together as “one flesh” we see the mystical body of Christ (Genesis 2:24).

Female images for God (drawn from women’s biological activity)

a mother who does not forget the child she nurses (Isa. 49:14-15)

a mother who comforts her children (Isa. 66:12-13) Isaiah 66:12-13

a mother who births and protects Israel (Isa. 46:3-4).

In Isaiah 46:3 God says, "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, you who have been borne by Me from birth and have been carried from My womb."

a mother who gave birth to the Israelites (Dt. 32:18)

You have forgotten the Rock who fathered you, and put out of mind the God who gave you birth.

God has feminine attributes as well as masculine.

God has manifested himself to be both Father and Mother so that we might be more aware of God’s constant presence and willingness to assist us

Later in Isaiah, God says to His people: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" (Isaiah 49:15).

"God did not satisfy himself with proposing the example of a father, but in order to express his very strong affection, he chose to liken himself to a mother, and calls His people not merely children, but the fruit of the womb,

Likewise, when we think of God’s love for those who are reconciled to him in Jesus, we not only think of a strong, protective and wise father, but we can also take comfort in his tender, nurturing, kindness and care seen most beautifully in a mother’s love for her child. What a dynamic God we worship

The Nature of Sin The Gospel of Mary Magdalene

The Nature of Sin  

or

The Nature of Adultery 

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene

A Study on The Nature of Sin from The Gospel of Mary Magdalene :  

An opening reading from the Gospel of Mary Magdalene Chapter 4

(Pages 1 to 6 of the manuscript, containing chapters 1 - 3, are lost. The extant text starts on page 7...)

. . . Will matter then be destroyed or not?

22) The Savior said, All nature, all formations, all creatures exist in and with one another, and they will be resolved again into their own roots.
23) For the nature of matter is resolved into the roots of its own nature alone.
24) He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
25) Peter said to him, Since you have explained everything to us, tell us this also: What is the sin of the world?
26) The Savior said There is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things that are like the nature of adultery, which is called sin.
27) That is why the Good came into your midst, to the essence of every nature in order to restore it to its root.
28) Then He continued and said, That is why you become sick and die, for you are deprived of the one who can heal you.
29) He who has a mind to understand, let him understand.
30) Matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal, which proceeded from something contrary to nature. Then there arises a disturbance in its whole body.
31) That is why I said to you, Be of good courage, and if you are discouraged be encouraged in the presence of the different forms of nature.
32) He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

expositor of The Gospel of Mary Magdalene 

22) The Savior said, All nature, all formations, all creatures exist in and with one another, and they will be resolved again into their own roots.

Matter (hyle) and nature (physis) are two different Greek words

all natures all formations all creatures designates the totality of all that exists and has been created 

the message is that all this will pass away 

the word Root here denotes origin 

All nature will dissolve into its own Root that is a resolution into dust. 

The word root is used three times in the text. 3 times  in verses 22, 23 and 27 

Sin is described as the nature of adultery

25) Peter said to him, Since you have explained everything to us, tell us this also: What is the sin of the world?

the sin of the world about which Peter asks is defined by Jesus as the essence of fornication or the nature of adultery and death 

sin literally means to “miss the mark” (amatrion) like an archer shooting a bow and arrow missing the target. Sin, in it's most comprehensive definition is "to miss the mark" - whether morally (transgression) or physically. Mankind was initially created with the intention of sharing in God's glory, both physically and morally. Mankind has "missed the mark" both physically and morally. Due to the events in Eden, we are created (in the womb) in that fallen state, and thus born in sin.

.26) The Savior said There is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things that are like the nature of adultery, which is called sin.

"There is no sin" that is there is no such thing as the transgression of the law

While insisting that no sin exists as such, the Savior goes on to clarify that people do produce sin when they wrongly follow the desires of their natural sinful nature instead of nurturing their spiritual selves

For the Gospel of Mary, therefore, sin is not a matter of right and wrong acts; rather it has to do with the body, the body of sin or the flesh which produces sin which brings forth death

"but it is you who make sin" the disciples themselves produce or make sin by acting in accordance with the nature of adultery

The unilluminated thinking of the flesh gives birth to the "works of the flesh; which are, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,

The "the nature of adultery" is allegorical of those over whom sin reigns, thus shown in their obeying it in the lusts thereof. They are styled "the servants of sin" (Rom. 6:12,17,19); or, "the weeds" (Matt. 13:25,38).

Christ, in rebuking the Jews of his day, accused them of spiritual fornication: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do" (John 8:44). The Jews saw the point of the Lord's rebuke and denied that they were "born of fornication" (v. 41); but, in fact, their attitude demonstrated that they were.

Sin is that physical principle of the animal nature, which is the cause of all its diseases, death, and resolution into dust. Inasmuch as this physical principle pervades every part of the flesh, the animal nature is styled 'sinful flesh'. that is, 'flesh full of sin'... Sin, I say, is an equivalent expression for human nature'

The flesh produces sin which brings forth death

27) For this reason, the Good came among you, pursuing (the good) which belongs to every nature. It will set it within its root.

The Good is the name that the Gospel of Mary Magdalene uses for God. When we are cut off from the Good, death and disease and other material things arise due to the false beliefs caused by the “sin of adultery”.

Here the root of perishable mater is contrasted with the proper root of a person's true spiritual nature which the good will establish

The closing words of Jesus's reply show that the starting point of Peter's question are his preceding reflections on mater nature and origin these conceptions are picked up in the word root (The Apocryphal Gospels: An Introduction)

28) Then He continued and said, That is why you become sick and die, for you are deprived of the one who can heal you.
29) He who has a mind to understand, let him understand.

28) This is why you get sick and die: because [you love] what deceives [you]. [Anyone who] thinks should consider (these matters)!

 "This is why you get sick and die" those physical effects produced by sin which Paul calls ‘sin that dwelleth in me,’

People's own fleshly bodies deceive them and lead them to a fatal love of perishable material nature which is the source of the passions as well as physical suffering and death. True knowledge can never be based upon unreliable senses

Sickness and death indicate an attachment to what is perishable; such attachment disturbs the whole body. This attachment arises because matter brings forth wrong thinking and ignorance, which give rise to the passions of fear, grief, desire, and bodily pleasures that lead the soul to align itself toward fleeting material concerns. Because passions are rooted in ignorance, they are contrary to the true nature of things instituted by God. The Savior teaches the disciples instead to align themselves (“become rooted”) toward the true nature (image) of the Good, which is divine and eternal. True contentment of heart comes from transforming to the true Images of nature that come from God (Romans 12:2)

30) Matter gave birth to a passion which has no Image because it derives from what is contrary to nature.

For the Gospel of Mary, the sinfulness of the human condition, the estrangement from God  is caused by matter giving birth to passion

Next the psychic aeon. It is a small one, which is mixed with bodies, by begetting in the souls (and) defiling (them). For the first defilement of the creation found strength. And it begot every work: many works of wrath, anger, envy, malice, hatred, slander, contempt and war, lying and evil counsels, sorrows and pleasures, that they decree according to their desires. (The Concept of Our Great Power, The Nag Hammadi Library)

The Nature of Adultery or the begetting in the souls which defiles them should not be understood literally as natural human offspring's rather it is sin conceiving in the brain flesh  

Jas 3:15  This wisdom is not one, from above, coming down, but is earthly, born of the soul, demoniacal! (Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible)

Philo of Alexandria: Now the female offspring of the soul are wickedness and passion,

Psalm 7:14, ESV: Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. 

(40) Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted outside of the father, but being unsound, it will be pulled up by its roots and destroyed."

To say that passion has no image means that it is not part of the Father' planting or not a true reflection of the good

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.

Ps 5:4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

Ps 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

Because the passions are tied to suffering and deception and because no evil or falsehood belongs to the Good no divine image of passion can really exist because it lacks a heavenly origin. Everything which is true and good is an image of the true

Spiritual Sacrifices 1 Peter 2-5

 Back in the day, lambs were used as a sin offering, to atone for man’s sins. Only unblemished lambs were chosen as the offering. To them, offering a prize lamb was a sacrifice, because it was valued; and just might have been worth its weight in gold to the tribe. This was part of man’s transformation from the flesh into spirit, because once he learned “the animal” needed to be sacrificed, he would come to understand that he would have to sacrifice himself, specifically his animal-side – his selfish egotistical, clever, greedy, take-care-of-me-and-mine self. Once he could do this, man would operate as spirit in this world – be in it, but not of it [A Passer-by man; Gospel of Thomas, 42  Jesus says:You must be as passers-by].

Jesus demonstrated this transformation; and once this lesson was taught, man no longer needed to perform animal sacrifice as a sin offering. This was the only part of God’s LAW that changed [The , or NEW covenant (agreement), not new law].

The fact that the animal sacrifices which were put to death, were but types, and "could never take

away sin " for the animals had never sinned (Heb. 10:11). However the nature of the animals is as full of this physical evil principle called SIN as the nature of man; although it cannot be called sin with the same expressiveness; because it does not possess them as the result of their own transgression; the name, however, does not alter the nature of the thing.

The force of these words is seen in that, so far as true believers are concerned, they are not to offer to God something outside themselves. On the contrary, they are to offer themselves to Yahweh

as men and women who are living proof of the Truth at work in themselves, transforming them to "conform to the image of His Son" (ch. 8:29).

Animals were to be brought to the altar alive. "We have an altar", said Paul (Heb. 13:10), "who is Christ". God's saints are "dead unto sin, but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord... as those that are alive from the dead" (Rom. 6:11, 13).

This type of sacrifice— apparent under the ritual system of the Law of Moses only in type, and therefore hidden from all except those who sought the spirit of the Law — is a spiritual sacrifice, resulting from the enlightenment of the mind to the divine will; the conviction gained therefrom providing the motivation to strive to perform "the acceptable and perfect will of God

sacrifice a refining process that is constantly going on in the consciousness.

The Animal sacrifices on the altar represent the transformation of the conscious to the next higher plane of action. This is a process of reformation that pertains to those who put on the new man.

The altar represents the place in consciousness where we are willing to give up the lower to the higher, the personal to the impersonal, the animal to the spiritual.

We must purify our mind and heart by the Spirit in order to begin the regenerative work. When this blessed realisation of the regeneration comes to consciousness the voices of men are heard by the Lord and their prayers ascend "even unto heaven."

When we have faith in God we are willing to give up all our material pleasures this is a point that is also symbolised by the sacrifices so often referred to in the history of the Children of Israel.

Yahweh is the Head Angel in the Old Testament Exodus 23:20,21

Yahweh is the head angel in the Old Testament 

or Yahweh is the archangel Michael

Epiphanius Against Basilides, Basilides 2:3 He says that this creation was produced later by the angels of our heaven and the power in it. One of these angels he calls God and distinguishes him by saying that he alone is the God of the Jews—though he made him one of the number of the angels whose names he coined for us as though he were composing a mime.8 By him the man was fashioned.9

https://web.archive.org/web/20170916133936/http://www.masseiana.org/panarion_bk1.htm#31.

Yahweh is the head angel in the O.T....right? Christ has assumed the position higher than the angels.

Exodus 23:20,21 20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.

There is an angel who is called Yahweh Exodus 23:20,21

This angel is the chief angel or archangel Michael whose name means who is like the Divine One (God) EL or power

Daniel 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Yahweh is said to have appeared to Abraham as he sat in the door of his tent. (Gen. 18:1) When he first saw the visitor, though, he did not see the Lord but “three men” or Elohim, of whom one was the chief. Read all of Genesis 18 to 19:29 and you will see that the Everlasting Deity talks and acts by or through these Elohim, but chiefly through one of them called the Lord God or Yahweh Elohim. (Elpis Israel)

God appears to Jacob in Genesis 35:9 and says in the second verse: “I am God Almighty.” In the thirteenth verse we see God went up from the place where He talked with Jacob. At the time, he was at Bethel where the Elohim were previously revealed to him. On that occasion he dreamed he saw a ladder reaching from Earth to heaven with “the Lord standing above it, and the Elohim of God ascending and descending.” These messengers or angels were the Elohim or “ministering Spirits sent forth to assist those who will inherit salvation.” (Heb. 1:14) On another occasion (Gen 32:24-30) Jacob is said to have encountered the “Invisible God” when he wrestled with one of the Elohim. (Elpis Israel)

Gen 32:30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God (the Elohim) faces to faces, and my soul is preserved."

Ho 12:3  He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: Ho 

12:4  Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;

Gen 35:1 ¶  And God  (Elohim )<0430> said unto Jacob , Arise , go up to Bethel , and dwell  there: and make there an altar  unto God (EL) <0410>, that appeared  unto thee when thou fleddest from the face  of Esau  thy brother .

Gen 35:1 Then the Elohim said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to the One True El, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother."
2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.
3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to the One True El, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone."

Hence, the Elohim speak in the first person as personifications of the Invisible and Incorruptible Substance or Spirit who is the real author of all they say and do.

In Exod. 24:10, Moses tells us -- that he and seventy-three others "saw the God of Israel." We should err, however, if we supposed that he meant they saw the Deity, the Uncreated Spirit, "no man can see Him and live." He says they saw "the Elohim of Israel" the depositories and the embodiments of the Eternal Spirit, who shone out in glory in the presence of the Elders. The appearance under the feet of the Elohim, whose feet were also the feet of the Spirit, and, therefore, styled "His feet, was, as it were, a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven for clearness." The whole was a Spirit-manifestation.

The order was that "Moses alone shall come near YAHWEH," with his attendant. The reader will perceive the distinction here between the Elohim and YAHWEH. The nobles of the children of Israel came nigh to the Elohim, and saw them; and did not see Him. Even Moses, who did come near to the glory of Yahweh did not see His face; for said he, "there shall no man see me, and live; thou shalt see my back parts, Moses, but my face shall not be seen" (Exod. 33:20). Paul testified the same thing in 1 Tim. 6: 16, saying: "God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see..." The Hebrew nation saw the symbol of YAHWEH'S presence on the mountain top "The glory of Yahweh like devouring fire," but neither they, Moses, nor their nobles, saw the face of the Eternal Substance himself.

The glory of Yahweh was manifested to Moses through the medium of the One from whom he received the Law (see Exod.. 33:18-23; 34:4-8; 24:12-18). This was the work of an angel as Paul and Stephen reveal (Gal. 3:19; Acts 7:53). Moses saw in him "the similitude of Yahweh" (Num. 12-8). Yahweh's Name was named upon him (Exod. 23:20-23) so that he exercised greater authority than the other Elohim as Christ will exercise greater authority than his glorified brethren

The distinction between Yahweh and Elohim is revealed in the incident recorded in Exodus 24. Moses was told that he, alone, "shall come near Yahweh" (v.2), but the elders of Israel were not permitted to do so. Yet, v.11 states: "The nobles saw God (Elohim) and did eat and drink." Neither Moses nor the nobles saw the great eternal and invisible spirit the Father. The former saw His glory revealed through an angel of Yahweh (probably the one referred to as bearing the Name according to Exodus 23:20), so that it is stated, "the similitude of Yahweh he beheld" (Num. 12:8). On the other hand, the nobles of Israel "saw God," or Elohim of lower status (though of the same physical constitution) as the one who appeared unto Moses, as recorded in the earlier verse.

John 1:18 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him

Verse 18: No man hath seen the Creator at any time. "God" meaning "elohim" refers to angels. See Exod# 33. 11, 20. The showing of YHWH to Moses was the showing of a highly placed angel, typifying that the people would see the manifestation of God in Jesus.

Jesus of Nazareth. His whole life, all his teachings, and especially his death and resurrection and ascension to heaven, all "declared" his heavenly Father.