Those without a clear understanding of Jesus’ nature, mission, or message, like to insist that believing in or accepting Jesus as our Savior is necessary for salvation. To support this they quote: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
This seems to be only following the teaching of Jesus, Who said such things as: “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). “Whosoever believeth on me shall not abide in darkness” (John 12:46). “Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:26). “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:29).
Digging deeper into “believing”
The Greek word for “in,” is en, but in each instance quoted, Jesus uses the word eis, which means “into.” (Or rather, Saint John, writing in Greek, was very careful to use only eis, so Jesus’ inner meaning would be conveyed. Jesus, of course, spoke in Aramaic.) Therefore Jesus is not saying “believe in Me,” but “believe into Me.” He is urging us to merge our consciousness into His consciousness–which is not the limited consciousness of an individual, but the boundless Christ Consciousness. First we unite our consciousness with Christ, the Divine Consciousness immanent in all creation, and then through That we shall be enabled to unite our consciousness with the transcendent Consciousness of God the Absolute, God the Father.
The Christ Consciousness acts as the bridge by which we pass into God Consciousness. And this is what is really meant by the intercession and mediatorship of Christ: something far beyond the scope of exoteric, limited “Christianity.” “It is Christ who maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men” (I Timothy 2:5).
We must become one with Jesus in Christ Consciousness; then we shall inherit the kingdom of God: God Himself. “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7). “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).
Eis also has the connotation of moving toward that into which we shall eventually enter. So we must begin believing toward God right now by orienting our consciousness, will, and aspiration toward the Supreme. It also means a continual movement toward the goal. And lastly, it means actually inside or within something. So our faith must be manifesting within the Being of God. Just sitting outside God saying we believe in Him means nothing. We must be inside that Light for our faith to be of any effect.
How to believe “into”
Jesus is exhorting us to meditate, for it is through meditation that we enter into the Consciousness we seek. Then we shall no longer believe, but KNOW.
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