Ask a Minister - "Is there an end to the distinct separation of man as an individual and God himself?"

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Question: I have sought the heart of God for some time now, and have found that the words of many of the Christian mystics resonate in my depths as I read and meditate upon them. Here is something I read recently. It was written by Meister Eckhart (1260 - 1329).

Led to the Desert

Consider the divine spirit in the human soul.
This spirit is not easily satisfied.
It storms the firmament
and scales the heavens
trying to reach the Spirit that drives the heavens.
Because of this energy
everything in the world grows green,
flourishes,
and bursts into leaf.
But the spirit is never satisfied.
It presses on
deeper and deeper into the vortex
further and further into the whirlpool,
the primary source
in which the spirit has its origin.
This spirit seeks to be
broken through by God.
God leads this spirit
into a desert
into the wilderness and solitude of the divinity
where God is pure unity
and where God gushes up within himself.

My question is this: Is there an end to the distinct and separated form of man as an individual (expression) of God and God as he is in himself? Or will there always be a veil of separation such that a man still exists as a distinct form on some level?

Answer:Just a few comments before answering your question.... In seeking the heart of God, and desiring to know Him, His Word, His will and desire for each of our lives it would behoove us to spend an equal amount of time in His presence in prayer as well as in the reading of the Bible (Nehemiah 9:3). My point is that God will never lead a seeking heart into error. However, we are vulnerable to deception and error if we spend a greater amount of our study and devotion in the works of man.

YOU SAID:
I have sought the heart of God for some time now, and have found that the words of many of the Christian mystics resonate in my depths as I read and meditate upon them. Here is something I read recently. It was written by Meister Eckhart (1260 - 1329).

Led to the Desert

Consider the divine spirit in the human soul.
This spirit is not easily satisfied.

This is no divine spirit at all. It is the spirit of man. Scripture does not teach divinity in the human soul. An unsatisfied spirit has not found peace with God. I see the sin nature in this.

It storms the firmament
and scales the heavens
trying to reach the Spirit that drives the heavens.

Sounds like the boastings of Satan (Isaiah 14:13-14)

Because of this energy
everything in the world grows green,
flourishes,
and bursts into leaf.
But the spirit is never satisfied.
It presses on
deeper and deeper into the vortex
further and further into the whirlpool,
the primary source
in which the spirit has its origin.
This spirit seeks to be
broken through by God.
God leads this spirit
into a desert
into the wilderness and solitude of the divinity
where God is pure unity
and where God gushes up within himself.

None of this is Biblical in its context.

My question is this: Is there an end to the distinct and separated form of man as an individual (expression) of God and God as he is in himself? Or will there always be a veil of separation such that a man still exists as a distinct form on some level?

God will always and forever be infinitely greater than, and distinct from, man. The Bible teaches that we will one day be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. In other words, we shall join Him in purity and immortality, but He alone is Divine.

Meister Eckhart, full name Johannes Eckhart, is commonly known as a German mystic and theologian, and based upon his writings, was properly identified as a Pantheist. Pantheism identifies the universe (Greek - "pan" - all) with God (Greek - "theos"). They teach that man starts from an awareness of the divine reality and then begins to speculate on the relationship of the nondivine to the divine. The Encarta Reference Encyclopedia further states: "Conversely, the thinker may start from an apprehension of the full reality of finite, changing entities and give the name God to their all-inclusive totality; this is called cosmic pantheism." This teaching is NOT Christian, and it is NOT in agreement with God's Word.

The Christian Research Institute has published and excellent statement along these lines titled: "Ye are gods? Orthodox and Heretical Views on the Deification of Man." Feel free to research this further.

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This page was last updated March 26, 2011.