“He talks about Christ, so he must be a Christian.”
The term Christ Consciousness has gained much popularity today, with some adherents referring to themselves as Christians. While it is not my intent to be disrespectful towards anyone who holds to this concept, I do hope that, in the interest of spiritual truth – which I strongly maintain does exist and is knowable – that they consider the points presented here.
What, exactly, is Christ Consciousness? We find on this definition on the website of the Institute for Christ Consciousness:
“Christ consciousness is the state of awareness of our true nature, our higher self, and our birthright as children of God.”
The website, Center for Christ Consciousness website defines it as,
“[T]he highest state of intellectual development and emotional maturity.”
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. – (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
What this actually is, is a form of self-salvation – and it is not new at all. In the modern, “Christian” version of the concept, which was largely inspired by Deepak Chopra, Jesus is seen as the “leader” who achieved a “Christed” state. In my recent video “Counterfeit Kingdom.,” adherents to Christ Consciousness explain their belief that Jesus earned the title of “Christ” and that this same “level” of consciousness is something we can all attain to make ourselves right with god – whoever we perceive him to be. This same man-centered philosophy has been taught in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and virtually all religions throughout the ages.
In my book, I follow the message of “Oneism” brought by many NDErs (the belief that man can “ascend” to become a “god” or “one” with the universe) from modernity to it’s roots, revealing it as a mere repackaging of the ancient Mystery School teaching that man can transcend this physical world to achieve goodness on his own.
It is crucial to see that this is not the worship of Jesus Christ at all, but the same worship of self that the serpent offered in the garden.
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5)
Christ Consciousness maintains that the forgiveness of sin is something we can grant ourselves once we’ve ascended to a higher level/frequency – which will happen naturally once we leave this physical plane. By contrast, scripture tells us that only God can forgive sin, and that it must be atoned for by blood, and that the decision of where we spend eternity must be made while we are here in this world (Heb 9:22-28). The New Testament tells us that we need to confess our sin and believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection, which was required as the ransom that had to be paid for our rebellion against the creator (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
The use of scripture in some Christ Consciousness teachings can be particularly confusing to Christians. Especially since the view is presented as being more broad and loving than the strict and narrow message of the gospel.
As Christians, we don’t want to be seen as negative or judgmental. We want to share the love we’ve found in Jesus Christ with the world. But in the name of that brotherly love, it’s easy to end up trying to find common ground with those whose concept of “Christ” is diametrically opposed to our own. There is a big difference between the teaching of Christ Consciousness and the biblical person of Jesus Christ. Schools, media, indeed our whole society has taught us to tolerate the various beliefs about Christ and view it as unloving to challenge those views in the interest of absolute truth. Relativism is the pervasive doctrine of our time. It’s become popular to believe that everyone can follow their own chosen path and still get to heaven. But Jesus Christ’s message was not one of tolerance.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
The website Got Questions notably points out that,
“[Christ Consciousness is] aimed at those who desire parts of Christianity but not the whole. Invoking the name of Jesus soothes the consciences of those pricked by the truth of the Word of God. It allows followers to imagine they have achieved salvation by acknowledging Jesus in some way, while ignoring the parts of the gospel they find unappealing. People have always sought to pick and choose what they like from Jesus’ words, even when Jesus was upon the earth (see John 6:66).” (Great article – worth checking out.)
If we’re being intellectually honest, there are big problems with the broad approach to truth. For starters, the belief that, through sincere practice, all faiths will ultimately lead a person to God is problematic since the various beliefs make contradictory claims. And what about child molesters? What about ruthless torturers and murderers? The belief that attaining a higher “frequency,” a higher state of “consciousness” can atone for their sins might sound reasonable and loving on the surface, but when the victim of such a horror is your child or loved one, the need for justice wells up. Deep within our beings we know that there has to be judgment against evil.
God IS Love and true love comes only from Him. True love requires the judgment of evil. The Bible tells us that there will be a day of judgment, and we will all face it.
It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)
God’s judgment IS something that all men should fear. A price for sin had to be paid that no man is able to pay, but it was paid by God Himself, through the precious blood of His Son, and He offers complete forgiveness of sin to all who will believe in Him and receive Him!
Please don’t let anyone tell you that Jesus Christ was crucified because He was a great moral teacher, because that is patently false! He was crucified precisely because He claimed to be the one and only “begotten Son of God” (John 1: 14, 18; 3:15–18; 1 John 4:9).
Scripture tells us that the road to eternal life is narrow, that there is only one way to find eternal life; and that it is through repenting from our dead work (efforts to do good, religious practice, ritual, liturgy, meditation, etc.) and receiving the finished work of Jesus Christ by placing our faith in Him. He proved that He has the power over death by supernaturally rising from the grave three days after he was buried. That fact that is more substantiated than the fact that Napoleon Bonaparte ever existed!
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 )
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them. Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ (Luke 13:23-25 )
**Rigorous attempts are currently being made to disqualify the authenticity of scripture. It would take another article to address that in detail, but here is a chart I find helpful that lists the number of existing copies of other ancient manuscripts vs. copies of the New Testament.
Everett Roeth (video below) is an ex-Yoga instructor who turned to faith in Jesus Christ. I’ve only glanced at some of his other material, so this is not an endorsement, but he presents some useful points in this video. I’ve typed out some of his key points for easy reference.
SEVEN POINTS about why Christ Consciousness is not scriptural – by Ex-Yoga instructor Everett Roeth
1- Jesus did not present himself as some great moral teacher guiding people to a Christ Consciousness. He was crucified because He claimed to be the only begotten Son of God. That’s why everyone was upset at Him. The Jews accused Him of blasphemy for that claim.
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (Jn 3:15-18)
Jesus was crucified for criticizing the religious system of His day. He rebuked the hypocritical religious leaders – and He would rebuke many of the so-called church leaders today.
You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matt 12:34)
Jesus did not spread a message of tolerance for everyone’s religious beliefs. He said,
I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. (Jn 14:6)
“[Jesus] had a specific code of morality that He taught and He claimed that He was the son of God. He did not teach that we could all become God. He was miraculously born of a virgin… from the Holy Spirit. He was never a mere man… born of a male and female like you and I. He did not go through a process to achieve a state of consciousness. He is inherently different than you and I. He is the perfectly sinless lamb of God. He is the Messiah, sent to save the world, to save those who believe in Him.” – Everett Roeth
2- Jesus warned twice that many would come claiming to be Christ.
And Jesus answered and said to them:“Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many… Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matt 24:4)
Jesus was very clear in his warning that people would claim that they are Christ. The Jesus Christ who came 2,000 years ago is the same yesterday, today and forever is the Christ. There is no other, and no mere man can “achieve” His role or identity.
3- The promise of Godhood is the first lie that was told in the garden.
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:2-5)
1 John 3:8 says that Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil, and this was the first of those works; to lie to people and tell them that they could become like God. Jesus came to correct that belief. The teaching that man can become god is ancient.
4- Jesus said that there was no one most spiritually advanced man ever than John the Baptist.
For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. (Luke 7:28)
Yet John denied being Christ twice when they asked him. If the greatest man ever isn’t Christ and didn’t profess to be Christ or to have attained some state of Christ Consciousness then it stands to reason that Christ is not a state of consciousness. Rather, John the Baptist rebuked the arrogant, called people to repent, he prepared the way for Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Grace through faith.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
5- The word “Christos” is used 538 times in the New Testament and it is never once used as an “it” or an impersonal force or some state of mind. It is never used like that. It is personified only as a “he.” Christos is used as a he because Christ is not a state of consciousness. It’s not a christed state or a vibration or energy that you can tap into or achieve as a human being. Christ walked on this earth. The Bible says that the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us (John 1:14).
6- “Jesus wasn’t floating around in some transcendent euphoric blissful “christed” state. Rather he expressed real emotions of mourning, weeping over the death of his friend. He wept in the garden of Gethsemane. He was angry at the greed and corruption He found in His temple. He was confrontational with the hypocrites, calling them brutal vipers sentenced to hell whose father was the devil. He was animated. He wasn’t just “blissed out” meditating for hours on end in the mountains reaching some state of consciousness coming and telling people he broke out of the cycle of suffering and teach that we all just need to reach this state of Samadhi or Nirvana and break free and go through this process of meditating for hours on end. No. He was in the world. He was communicating with people. He was living life. He was a carpenter for many years of His life. He was eating and celebrating and turning water into wine at a wedding and he experienced life. He didn’t just escape and go meditate for hours on end and say that’s the answer, that’s the answer to life because it’s not.
Hindus and Buddhists believe that’s the answer: You go into the mountains or a cave, completely seclude yourself and you try and break out of the cycle of reincarnation and reach a blissed state of Samadhi or Nirvana. But Christ did not teach that. There’s no evidence anywhere in all the historical texts that Jesus ever went to India and taught. Jesus actually taught the opposite of the teachings of Buddhism, Hinduism or Daoism.” – Roeth (paraphrased)
7- The Bible tells us clearly that we are not divine beings who can ascend to godhood.
Make them tremble in fear, O Lord. Let the nations know they are merely human. (Psalms 9:20)
Will you then boast, ‘I am god!’ to those who would kill you? To them you will be no god but merely a man! (Ezekiel 28:9)
In scripture those who claimed to be God were condemned for it.
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.
They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12:20-23)
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.
Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor.
They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.
Will you then say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a mortal, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you. (Ezekiel 28: 1-9)
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15)
Jesus is Lord and Savior, and we are mere human beings. We are created by Him. We were corrupted by sin and are in need of forgiveness that we are not able to grant ourselves. But if we repent and trust in Him we receive the gift of eternal life – spiritual life and a new physical body in the new heavens and earth that He will create. It is through faith that we enter into a relationship with him. Not by our own works or ascension, meditation or enlightenment. It is through repentance from those dead works, through faith in His death, burial and resurrection. Those are historical facts – That is when we truly know our Creator.
The Christ Consciousness teaching detaches us from the reality that God is a personal being; that Jesus Christ was a real person, and that He is alive today.
When you know who Christ truly is, your life changes forever. You will receive the Holy Spirit who is far more powerful than any psychic power of the monks of Buddhism or Taoism, or the yogis of Hinduism. Jesus Christ is far above every principality and power, ruler of the air, every spiritual being.
Go directly to the source. The source is not an energy you can tap into. The source is Jesus Christ, who created all things.
Quotes by occultists from the video:
The “Christed” state – Institute of Christ Consciousness
“The highest state of intellectual development and emotional maturity is sometimes termed the “Christed” state because it represents the sacredness and purity of the individual who has achieved it. Jesus achieved this in his human life, and was given this term as part of his name as the recognition of his achievement of this spiritual status. This is not a term used exclusively in the Christian religion, nor does it mean that you must adhere to the Christian belief system to attain this state. All of the world’s religious traditions offer a path to achieving this“”Christed” status, and people are free to find their way in the context of their religious choice.” – institutechristconsciousness.org
On reaching Christ Consciousness. Yogapedia
“All that an individual needs in order to experience Christ Consciousness is the will and capacity to receive it, an open mind and dedication to any spiritual practice. This may be as simple as following a new way of conscious thought in order to become a more compassionate, patient or tolerant person. The means by which one achieves this is not important in reaching Christ Consciousness.” – Yogapedia.com
Reaching Heaven by your own efforts – A Course in Miracles
“There is no need for help to enter Heaven for you have never left. But there is need for help beyond yourself as you are circumscribed by false beliefs of your Identity, which God alone established in reality. The name of Jesus is the name of one who was a man but saw the face of Christ in all his brothers and remembered God. So he became identified with Christ, a man no longer, but at one with God. In his complete identification with the Christ – the perfect Son of God, His one creation and His happiness, forever like Himself and One with Him – Jesus became what all of you must be. Is he the Christ? Oh yes, along with you. He will remain with you to lead you from the hell you made to God.”– A Course in Miracles, acim.org
