“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ.” (Colossians 2:2)
This blog will explore the meaning of Jesus Christ (God the Son) who, after jointly creating our universe with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:26, John 1:3, Col. 1:16), years later merged with the highest and last form of life he had long ago helped God the Father create in our universe–human beings under the headship of the first human, Adam. By descending from heaven and becoming a human being in what theologians call “the incarnation,” the eternal Word of God, God the Son who was given the name Jesus when he was born as a human being (Matthew 1:20-24) started a new unity of deity and humanity within himself and became the first member and head of a new, second, enhanced humanity–the New Covenant people of God–thus becoming what he called himself during his life on earth– the Son of Man (Matthew 20:18, Mark 14:62, Luke 19:10, John 3:13-14)–while continuing to be the eternal Son of God.
This exploration of the mystery of Jesus Christ has two purposes:
1. To invite members of first humanity under the headship of Adam to join the second, enhanced humanity under the headship of Christ, and to experience the joy and other wonderful benefits of that decision that I have experienced since I became a Christian in 1971.
2. To help those who are already members of this second humanity in Christ to experience increased joy through A. Greater understanding of the mystery of Christ and of the new human race in Christ which they belong to. B. Deeper experience of the fabulous blessings Jesus intends his followers to experience in this life. C. Increased excitement about the future world Jesus is now preparing for the new humanity he created in himself–the New Covenant people of God–who will populate the future “new heavens and new earth” he is now preparing for them. (Isaiah 65;17, Revelation 21:1, John 14:3) “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.” (John 17:13)
My passion to research the mystery of Christ began in mid-August of 1999, through an insight into Ephesians 2:15-16 that I received during my morning devotions. My joy in the Lord went up when I received that insight, and this higher level of joy has not gone down since. I feel a burden and a calling to share what God revealed to me in 1999 so that others may also experience this higher level of joy in the Lord that I still experience today!
The 1999 insight I received into Ephesians 2:15-16 was the culmination of three months during which I memorized 400 verses of Scripture after receiving an anointing from God at a National Day of Prayer event on May 4, 1999. On this blog I have detailed the circumstances leading up to that 1999 insight, in what I am calling “My Story: How I Know From Experience That God is Real.” This autobiographical account of my first 38 years as a Christian (1971-2009) is broken into 14 chapters. I encourage you to read chapter 14 of My Story before reading my articles on the Mystery of Christ, because these Mystery of Christ articles are the result of my research since the events chronicled in chapter 14 of My Story.
I welcome your feedback to both “My Story: “How I Know From Experience That God Is Real” and to my articles on the Mystery of Christ: The New Creation, The New Humanity, Join the New Humanity, The New Self, and The New Heaven! Feel free to leave comments on this blog, or to write me at pastorpaulbarnes@gmail.com