Key Verse: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).
Introduction:
To Paul, the Paschal Mystery was human beings, the image of God, following Jesus Christ in becoming the likeness of God, as revealed in Jesus Christ, while in our human flesh (Genesis 1:26-31). This believers' passover from spiritual death into eternal life in Christ is realized by following Jesus Christ, living the Paschal Mystery by abiding in the mind of the spirit (Mark 8:31-37, Philippians 3:10-11). The Paschal Mystery is ultimately about all mankind, the image of God and becoming the likeness of God, in Christ. To Paul, Christ is the Begotten, Image and Likeness of God's invisible Presence, Mind and Will, realized in the spiritual body of Jesus Christ and every person (Colossians 1:24-29).
Resurrection from spiritual death:
Paul realized that Christ (Logos, ADONAI, JEHOVAH) was no longer discerned, sought, worshipped, glorified or served as Lord, within each person and within his witnessing paschal faith community. He went on to intuitively declare that down through the ages and generations, the Way to discern, encounter and allow Christ to be the indwelling Lord in our human hearts and lives, has been hidden from mankind, within all traditions, religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups, not by mankind's diverse religions, but by the deception, divisiveness and destruction of the mind of the flesh (Romans 8:5-6, Colossians 1:26). In living the Paschal Mystery, Jesus Christ demonstrated how all mankind, through the image of God, can again be the likeness of God, in human flesh, by putting on Divine Mind and fulfilling God's Will, in the mind of the spirit (Mark 8:31-34, John 14:1-6, Romans 8:12-17, Philippians 2:5-11).
The Paschal Mystery is the universal goal, prize and heavenly call of the Godhead in Christ Jesus (John 3:16-17, 1 John 3:1-7). It is knowing Christ as Lord. Thus, the Paschal Mystery was revealed in the first coming, incarnation and manifestation of Christ (Logos, ADONAI, JEHOVAH) as Lord, in Jesus Christ as Messiah (John 1:1-5, Colossians 1:24-29, Philippians 3:14). In today's Epistle, Philippians 3:4-16, God's eternal call and emphasis is for all mankind to manifest the Paschal Mystery as Christ-centered kingdom living here on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10). The Paschal Mystery is thus discerning, birthing, nurturing, forming and maturing, Christ-centered witnessing paschal faith communities. These communities, who are willing to follow Jesus Christ in living the Paschal Mystery in the mind of the spirit, do so through the power, presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit (Begetting).
Spiritual awakening and spiritual formation:
Paul never met Jesus Christ as a physical person while here on earth. His mindset and world view, however, were radically transformed from the mind of the flesh to the mind of the spirit, when he personally encountered, discerned, repented, and allowed the risen, glorified and exhaled Christ, to be the indwelling Lord of his life (Acts 9:1-9, Colossians 1:26-27). Paul embraced baptism by Ananias (Acts 9:10-19). He then immediately joined himself to the witnessing paschal faith community which he previously sought to destroy. Within that same witnessing paschal faith community, and in the synagogues of Damascus, Paul proclaimed Jesus Christ as Messiah, Son of Man and Son of God (Acts 9:20-24).
In his conversion experience, Paul discerned and very openly confessed the false pride, deception, judgment and inappropriate condemnation of the mind of the flesh in his own life. As a highly influential religious leader, before he encountered the risen, glorified and ascended Christ, he sought to condemn and destroy all Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based witnessing faith communities. Because of his new understanding and resurrection from spiritual death, Paul no longer tried to put Gentile converts to his religion under the Mosaic Law, in the mind of the flesh (Philippians 3:4-6). He ultimately discerned that the Godhead in Jesus Christ, placed Divine Judgment in the able hands of the Holy Spirit and his one command being that human beings love God and love one another (John 13:31-35, 16:5-11).
In the mind of the spirit, the Apostle Paul gained a new understanding and appreciation for the uniqueness, diversity and validity of all traditions, religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups. He recommends that teaching doctrines, traditions, sacraments and rituals should be shared and practiced through truth, grace, love, honesty, humility and civility of the mind of the spirit. Evangelism and evangelization to Jesus Christ and Paul involves seeking, discerning, serving and glorifying Christ in all persons and loving one's neighbor as oneself. They believed all persons should live in the mind of the spirit (Romans 8:1-11, Philippians 3:7-9).
Today's Epistle shows that to Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul, the Paschal Mystery is the first coming and revelation of Christ (Logos, ADONAI, JEHOVAH), as Lord in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ identified himself as mankind's Way-shower, Savior, Truth and Life (John 14:1-14). The Paschal Mystery refers to the life, passion, death, glorification, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, as the Son of Man, while here on earth. In the first coming of Christ, the Son of Man passed over from life on earth in the mind of the flesh, through his passion, death, resurrection and ascension, into a new and glorified life with the Godhead, in the mind of the spirit. For the Apostle Paul, the Paschal Mystery is knowing Christ, the Begotten, as the Universal Revealing One, by knowing and following Jesus Christ, as Messiah, the Revealed and Anointed One in his own religion, in the mind of the spirit (Philippians 3:10-11).
Could the Paschal Mystery also include the Second Coming of Christ?:
The Apostle Paul's faith, humility, honesty and obedience, established the fact that his heart, soul, and mind are now set on Christ, God's established goals and prize for his life. Paul desired to also know Christ (Logos, ADONAI, JEHOVAH) through Christ's incarnation, life, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, as revealed in Jesus Christ, in his own personal life and experience (Luke 17:20-21). As one who previously rejected Jesus Christ as Messiah, Paul knew by faith, in the mind of the spirit, that Jesus Christ had now made him, his own Apostle and witness of the Paschal Mystery, in the mind of the spirit. Paul now chooses to no longer live within his tradition, religion, culture, ethnic and secular group in the mind of the flesh. He has now embraced Jesus Christ's revelation of the kingdom of heaven and kingdom living in abundant and eternal life, in the mind of the spirit, here on earth, within his witnessing paschal faith community (John 3:16-17, Luke 17:20-21, Romans 8:12-17, Philippians 2:12-13).
Becoming witnesses of the Paschal Mystery:
For Paul the Paschal Mystery is the discernment, experience and confession of the actual suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, God's Image in his own life and the lives of all people down through the ages and generations. This is due not to religions, but to the spiritual blindness, deafness, sleep and death of the mind of the flesh, which continues to co-exist within all witnessing paschal faith communities, in all traditions, religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups (Matthew 4:1-11, Romans 8:1-11). Paul encourages all believers to reject the mind of the flesh, and be of the same mind, which Christ Jesus knew and revealed, the mind of the spirit (Luke 24:44-48, Philippians 2:5-11).
Paul knew that we all by nature are unique and designed by God to think differently. In the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, Paul encourages believers to hold fast to God's call to seeking and serving Christ in every human being. Let us, like the Apostle Paul, seek to be the image of the God, becoming the likeness of God, in Christ (The Begotten). Let us affirm that Christ (the Begotten) eternally dwells in the spiritual body of Jesus Christ and the spiritual body of all persons (Genesis 1:26-27, Philippians 3:14-16).
Conclusion:
This attempt to discussion and share my understanding and experiences of the Paschal Mystery seems inadequate. I know it is certainly incomplete. In sincerity, honesty, humility, compassion, love and obedience to Christ and the Holy Spirit, I seeks to highlight and addresses a few of the challenges and temptations of the spiritual warfare, that are now taking place, between the mind of the spirit and the mind of the flesh. Spiritual warfare is occurring daily within all traditions, religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups, throughout our planet earth (Mark 4:1-11). Are you discerning and sharing your understanding and personal experiences of the Paschal Mystery with others, especially those within your own witnessing paschal faith community?
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