Christian Mysticism – Life in Christ
Christian mystic thought has been part of my life in Christ for many years. Even before I knew the term “mystic,” I understood that God deeply desires union with His people.
I sometimes hesitate to use the word “mystic” because many Christians become uneasy with it, often associating it with the occult or New Age ideas. Yet true Christian mysticism is simply the pursuit of intimate union with Christ — the great mystery of the ages that “has now been manifested to His saints.”
At its heart, Christian mysticism is nothing more than a believer expecting and pursuing a real, living relationship with the living God. This was the burning center of early Protestant piety. The Reformers and their spiritual descendants held firmly to the conviction that every believer can and must have a deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
… that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Above all else, I see God as the One who loves us to the very end — to the point of death, even death on a cross. This is the great mystery: He is the One who reconciles us to Himself. Deep in my soul, it is clear that the God of all creation desires a real, personal relationship with us. This relationship is the journey, and this journey is the great adventure of life.
We, the Church, have the perfect example of what it means to live well in the life of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Ναζωραίου. Jesus cultivated deep, intimate relationships with those who followed Him. The New Testament calls the Church τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ — “those called out.”
We are called out of the world to live in close, ongoing relationship with Jesus.
We are:
- Flock of God
- People of God
- Temple of God
- Household of God
- Children of God
- Body of Christ
- Bride of Christ
Foreshadowings of this intimate relationship with God appear throughout the Old Testament. The writer of Hebrews says, “For by it [faith] the men of old gained approval.” The phrase Πίστει (“by faith”) is repeated again and again in the great “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. Every person on that list lived a mystic life — they walked with God. By faith, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets all walked in close relationship with the living God.
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)As we live in and by the power of Christ’s faith, we are progressively conformed into εἰκὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ — the image of God. Jesus Himself is the reward. This is the part so often overlooked. When we truly see God as our greatest reward, the fountain within us begins to bubble up and overflow into every part of our lives. What begins as belief becomes deep, experiential knowledge — γινώσκω.
Jesus spoke about this
and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know (γινώσκωσιν) You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
This is an internal, intimate relationship — a first-person relationship with the living Christ.
Throughout every age, those who pursue a deeply relational life with Jesus have often been misunderstood by the visible church. The follower of Christ who earnestly seeks sanctification and transformation into the image of Christ will face constant opposition from “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”
Sadly, this struggle is made even more difficult because many within the church itself live with only a third-person faith — a distant, observational belief rather than a personal, living relationship with Jesus.
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”
I Peter 3:15
This principle is often applied to salvation, but it actually applies even more strongly to sanctification. The admonition begins with the words, “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.”
I am deeply drawn to many of those who have been labeled the mystics of the Church.
- I love hearing how they experienced their life with Christ.
- I appreciate that they write with such honesty and candor about their walk with God.
- I value the profound scriptural depth in their writings and the breadth of their understanding — not only of the theological currents of their own time, but also of the historical developments that shaped the Church.
They understood how the Church arrived at its present positions.Most compelling of all, it is clear to me that the Christian mystics lived lives far closer to the witness of Jesus and the vibrant reality of the New Testament Church than is typical among Christians at large.
I am deeply drawn to many of those who have been labeled the mystics of the Church.
- I love hearing how they experienced their life with Christ.
- I appreciate that they write with such honesty and candor about their walk with God.
- I value the profound scriptural depth in their writings and the breadth of their understanding — not only of the theological currents of their own time, but also of the historical developments that shaped the Church.
- They understood how the Church arrived at its present positions.
- Most compelling of all, it is clear to me that the Christian mystics lived lives far closer to the witness of Jesus and the vibrant reality of the New Testament Church than is typical among Christians at large.
How can we possibly live and walk with God if we do not trust — and even expect — that He genuinely wants to walk with us?
The very desire to live in God’s presence is already a sign that the journey has begun. Abiding in Christ often starts with a simple, heartfelt appreciation for what God has already done. That appreciation is the beginning of true worship.
whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
It was as I yielded my entire life to God that mystic understanding began to bloom within me. In that place of full surrender, we begin to live — as it were — in the emerging Kingdom of Heaven, dwelling under the loving reign of God.Note to those who consider themselves mystics:Mystic experience carries strong personal authority for the one who receives it. When God corrects us or reveals Himself in a powerful way, it is natural to want to share that insight with others.However, unless the Lord clearly says, “This message is for another” (as He did with the prophet Nathan when confronting King David), what God impresses upon our hearts is usually meant first and foremost for us personally, not for the Church at large.
