What is christian mysticism?
” Answer: The term “Christian mystic” is an oxymoron. Mysticism is not the experience of a Christian. Whereas Christian doctrine maintains that God dwells in all Christians and that they can experience God directly through belief in Jesus, Christian mysticism aspires to apprehend spiritual truths inaccessible through intellectual means, typically by emulation of Christ. The Bible tells us that Christ-likeness is achieved only by dying to selfnot by self-effort at emulating anyoneand that spiritual truth is discerned through the intellect as guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit, who lives in all believers (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:14). The closest valid experience of a Christian that might resemble mysticism to an unbelieving observer is when the Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit. For Christians, it is evident that the extraordinary wisdom, boldness, understanding, strength, etc. that such spiritual believers demonstrate is the result of being filled with the Spirit, as it is
Related Questions
- Is it possible for a Christian to separate the Eastern religious philosophy and mysticism, that often accompanies the Martial Arts, from the physical discipline?
- Kundalini and yoga is Indian stuff. You insist you are deeply rooted in Western Mysticism; what Christian books have inspired you?
- The history of western (ie. christian) mysticism - (A very concise whos who?
