In today’s world, most people associate ‘supernatural’ with ghosts, séances, and Harry Potter. To say that Christianity is a supernatural relationship sounds both confusing and heretical. But it is!
The meaning of the word ‘supernatural’ is ‘relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe’ The Bible is full of accounts of supernatural events. Jesus ministered supernaturally, and the re-birth of the spirit is a profoundly supernatural phenomenon. The word ‘metaphysical’ is more or less a synonym for supernatural and is defined as ‘relating to the transcendent or to a reality beyond what is perceptible to the senses’ Yet, here again, it is usually connected in Christian circles with cult systems or Word of Faith extremes. Yet, Christianity is metaphysical. We cannot see God, who is Spirit, yet we have a relationship with the triune Godhead in and through Jesus Christ.
On the other side of the spectrum are those who claim to operate supernaturally as disciples of Jesus, but evidence magical manipulation rather than spiritual ministry. I am referring here to such things as crowd mesmerising, leg-stretching, mantra shouting, gold dust materialising, angel feather falling, religious slight-of-hand. I regard this as a perversion and not a spiritual reality, and as mind-craft, not supernatural ministry. Neither cessationism nor charismania are valid expressions of biblical Christianity.
If these two positions represent the end-points of a horizontal line, then the middle point, pulled up to form a triangle, must be intellectual knowledge-based pseudo-Christianity. In terms of this belief system, re-birth is just a euphemism for commitment of the will, spirituality consists of Bible study and prayer, church is an organisation akin to a school, and evangelism is a call to embrace a way of living and a denominational doctrinal statement. To my way of thinking, this too is a parody of New Testament Christianity. Cessationism, charismania, and intellectual pseudo-belief form a baleful triumvirate in current Christendom.
Surely, Christianity is essentially a supernatural metaphysical faith relationship with the triune God in and through Jesus Christ, and with others in and through the Body of Christ the church.
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4 thoughts on “Supernatural metaphysical faith relationship”
Do you not think that the basis of cessationism is in part simply the lack of publicity in respect of real miracles that are happening all the time, and the fact that mainstream media has adopted what it belives to be a religion-neutral position that is in fact christinity-negative? So the debunking of miracles is popular and encouraged, and the reporting of miracles is discouraged as being maniacal hysteria of a religious fringe?
And maybe we should be addressing this in more than simply our sharing during services on Sunday [which I think is incredibly important] but also use the miraculous things that happen to encourage people to actually see how many miracles are happenijg about them every day. Perhaps the awe-insprining nature of God’s presence revealed in these day-to-day miracles will encourage people to re-affirm their faith and may be a basis for new people to find their faith.
Just a thought
Absolutely first class post!!!! Enjoyed and absorbed every word. Thank you.
Kindest
Jo
What you say is probably correct Jo – thank you for your observations. In conservative churches, there is often a built-in resistance to the gifts of the Spirit, sometimes because of observed abuses and bizarre TV shenanigans. Sadly though there are also some theologians who hold avidly to cessationism – this strange word itself comes out of the academic world and is unfamiliar to most Christians.
Paul said ” See that you are not lacking in spiritual gifts” (1 Cor. 1:7) and “desire spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Cor.14:1). I hold the view that Cessationist’s as well as the ‘Charismania’s are perhaps lacking in spiritual gifts, and therefore do not believe nor have the required Faith to believe “Spiritual truths that can only be discerned by those who are spiritual”(1Cor 2:14), and that is why ‘Charismania’ is also full of Hype and Hoopla and must forever continue coming up with the ‘new’ and ‘amazing’ manifestations to keep followers. If the cessanionists continue in their myopic view of the scriptures, boxing and infinite God who’s ways and thoughts no man can comprehend, “quenching the Spirit”(1 Thes. 5:19-20) in their churches, how do they expect to see miracles and wonders being performed by the Holy Spirit in their churches? St Augustine (theologian)- is quoted as saying [paraphrase] ” If you believe what you like in the gospel, rejecting what you dont like, you no longer believe in the gospel but you believe in yourself” and to me that is self idolatry and it is a sin.
I also believe that in the search for knowledge, some professors of religion ‘confess’ to know ‘about God, but never advance to the stage of intimately knowing Him and having a heart-to-heart relationship with Him by Faith. Paul said “the natural person does not accept things of the Spirit of God”, because they are foolishness to him (1Cor 2:14). I believe that Christianity is not an “Intellectual” belief system but a ‘Spiritual, Faith and Heart-to-heart” relationship with an Omniscient, Omnipresent and All-powerful God.
Allow me to add on your description of Christianity, ” Christianity is essentially a supernatural metaphysical ‘ Heart-to-Heart’ faith relationship with the triune God in and through Jesus Christ ‘by His Spirit’, and with others in and through the Body of Christ the church ‘by His Spirit’.
I like your expanded statement in the last paragraph Sibu 🙂