CIP
Chistian Institute of Philosophy
Deeper Life of Christ
"... for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." 1 Corinthians 2:10
If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. John 7:37
Editor's Note
When I was 16 years old, I was a Christian and wanted to live a life pleasing to God. But I remember telling myself, that there had better be more to the Christian life than what I am seeing, or I am in big trouble. I knew intuitively that the restlessness of my heart and the need for meaning and stimulation was going to competely overwhelm the form of Christianity I had known up to that point. I also was beginning to notice a predisposition (an inborn temperment) toward depression that I would deal with the rest of my life.
I knew that the kind of Christianity I was seeing in the church was not going to work for me - it seemed too shallow and naive to work in real life. So, I was desparately looking for some form of Christianity that would address life at a much deeper level. I found my answer in the perspectives and concepts of Deeper Life Theology or what also can be called The Theology of Rest.
Deeper life theology is not demominational. As a matter of fact, it does not intigrate well to the local corporate church of any denomenation, because it is based on the paradoxical wisdom of God. The concept of resting into God naturaly conflicts with the idea of working for God. The local church has many good and important ministries and to sustain them you need to teach your people to work - not rest. (This dichotomy will be discussed later in these articles.)
While pastoring churches many years ago, as a lay pastor, it became clear to me that the Theology of Rest would never find a home in the corporate church setting. As important as the local church is - and it is very important - it can only get you to the "high school level" of the Christian faith. To go further - to the higher grade levels of maturity - you will have to pursue God alone, in the privacy of your heart, and perhaps with a few close Christian friends who have the same desire for Spiritual depth. CIP was developed to help you with that journey - to a deeper life in Christ.
Three things to remember as you read these articles.
1. Deeper Life is not new. It is the essence of all of St. Paul's writing. It can be especially seen in the Book of Galatians and Ephesians. There are "types" (metaphors) of Deeper Life throughout the scripture in both the Old and New testiments - and we will study many of these types (metaphors) in these articles.
2. Deeper Life is not resticted to any denomination. You will see different expressions of Deeper Life surfacing in the lives of Christians as they draw close to God no matter what their denomination - both Catholic and Protestant.
3. Deeper Life is an enigma. It operates by the paradoxical wisdom of God and is counter intuitive to human thinking. For example, think about God's reply to Paul's prayer for healing: "My strength is made perfect in weakness". Strength out of weakness? But that makes no sense. This paradoxical turn around is an irritation to the world system and to those in the church who are still spiritually young. The Old Man has an gut level angry reaction to Deeper Life because it tells him he cannot serve God. Only the New Man can serve God and the New Man is created by an intimate relationship with God based on the finished work of Christ.
Summary
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
The foundation of Deeper Life is not work but rest. We are invited by our Lord to cease from our own work and rest into His work. The work He finished on the cross and in the resurrection.
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Hebrews 4: 9-10
The importance of rest in God is seen throughout the scripture, in both the old and new testment.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23: 1-2
The life of rest is vitally important because it creates intimacy with God. Intimacy with God then naturally creates Spiritual reality and Spiritual reality naturally creates good works.
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, ..." Ephesians 2:10
It is very easy to get this process reversed especially if you are a pastor of a church. If you need workers for the ministry of the church, you will be inclined to preach that good works for God creates Spirtual reality in Christ which then creates intimacy with God. CIP proposes that this order will never work in the long run, because it does not address the needs of the heart, nor is it based on the finished work of Christ.
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. - Jesus Christ