Enlightenment

<<inner illumination>>

Receiving Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord is the ultimate in spiritual enlightenment because Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world” (Jn 8:12; 9:5). When we surrender to Him, He sends the Holy Spirit to live within our spirits so what was dead inside comes to life, what was dark becomes light (Jn 5:24; Rom 6:13, 8:10; 1 Cor 6:19).

The term spiritual enlightenment is often associated with humanistic philosophy, New Age beliefs and eastern mysticism, with its roots in religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. These are just some of the counterfeit, dead-end routes devised in an attempt to connect with a perceived higher deity, for the goal of seeking insight is to satisfy the human longing for immortality and purpose. "There is a way

True spiritual enlightenment is only found in God

that seems right, but in the end it leads to death" (Prov 14:12). Yet God has already deposited an inner awareness of Himself within humanity (Eccl 3:11). As the supreme power over all He gives purpose to His creation, however through sinful and rebellious independence humanity consistently rejects the only valid way (Rom 1:19,20). Satan has propagated the false concept that there are many paths to God, yet the reality is we can only connect to the ultimate divine being, through Jesus. All other approaches are false religions and organisations, regardless of the devotion of the adherents, and instead of pointing towards God, they lead away in deception (Ex 20:3; Isa 45:5; Jn 14:6; Act 4:12). When we accept Christ as Saviour our spiritual eyes are opened, and we should continue to grow with our understanding deepening in the Christian faith and relationship with Jesus Christ so we increasingly see life from God's perspective (Isa 55:8,9; Act 26:18; Eph 1:18; 2 Pet 3:18). Christianity has at its centre a heart-to-heart friendship with the God of the universe. Aim to encounter Jesus rather than just have an awareness of truth, as desirable as that is. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth, and from that solid foundation we can know Jesus who is the truth (Jn 16:13).

Spiritual enlightenment must only be sought through methods that lead to really knowing Him for true spiritual enlightenment can only come as the Holy Spirit illuminates the truth of God's Word and "guides into all truth" (Ps 119:18; Jn 8:32, 14:6, 16:12-14, 17:17; 1 Cor 1:18, 2:9-16). The insights gained must be lived out to be of any value. Such a connection will influence and change us inwardly, then be

Seek spiritual enlightenment from the right source

evidenced in our lifestyle. We come to know God and truth through His Word, and living a life guided by the Holy Spirit (Jn 17:17; Gal 5:16,25). He wants to be discovered by us, so that we can respond to Him as Saviour. When we obey Him, we will acquire wisdom as our faith and understanding grows (Ps 128:1; Prov 2:6, 9:10; Jer 29:13; Rom 10:9; 2 Pet 3:18). To know God and align our will with His is the ultimate goal of human existence, so the more we know Jesus the more enlightened we are, while any other path only leads to darkness (Eccl 12:13; Jn 1:4,5).

Paul prayed that the people’s hearts would be enlightened to grasp the riches of their salvation (Eph 1:18-23). As glorious and far ranging as they are our focus should always be on the one who made this possible – Jesus, the giver and central component of life, and God the Father, for “This is

Do I know about God (with my mind) or do I know Him personally (with my heart)?

eternal life that they might know you” (Jn 6:63, 17:3; Act 17:25; Rom 8:2,10; Heb 1:3). Learning about God is good, but to have the intimacy of relationship, knowing Him is the ultimate goal. The religious leaders of Jesus day diligently studied the Scriptures, but failed grasp that they pointed to Jesus and so did not have any relationship with Him wherein real life is found (Jn 5:39,40).

Even in the church today while there is an abundance of good teaching giving the theory there is a scarcity of God-honouring practice. God wants to do for us much more than we are currently experiencing, with Christianity largely devoid of the power that Jesus exhibited and which He said should accompany our lives (Mk 16:17,18; Jn 14:12; Act 10:38). Do I fall into the same trap as the Jewish leaders – having an academic appreciation of Christianity without an ongoing vital connection to the One who they refer to?