Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
INNER CIRCLE: Bring Forth What Is Within You

INNER CIRCLE: Bring Forth What Is Within You

Last updated on: August 25, 2023 at 6:23 pm by Keith Giles

0 Comments

INNER CIRCLE: Bring Forth What Is Within You 2023-08-25T18:23:57+00:00 Keith Giles

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

IMAGE: Keith Giles

SAYING 70

Jesus said, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

Here we have favored the translation suggested by scholar Elaine Pagels as her rendition makes the most sense out of the assorted other versions of this saying.

Some scholars, such as William Duffy, have argued that the unspoken thing that is brought forth must be love because, as he puts it, “love is the only thing that increases when shared.” But that may or may not be the case here. I tend to think that Jesus intentionally leaves the answer open-ended and allows us to fill in that blank ourselves. Because I think the saying is true whether what is brought forth is love, or pain, or anger, or trauma, or joy, or any other human emotion.

So, if we bring forth our pain, or sadness, or love, or joy, then this expression of what is hidden inside of us will save us. But, if we hold those things inside and refuse to let them out, or to express them, then those things will eventually kill us or destroy us, as Jesus suggests here.

In the book, Black Elk Speaks, the great native American mystic expresses something quite similar when he says: “I had a dream and because I did not live my dream, my dream was making me sick.”

In other words, do not hold anything inside. Do not withhold your love, or your pain, or your sadness, or your joy from others. Let it out. Make it known. Share what is inside you with others because, as Jesus has told us over and over again throughout this Gospel text, there is no separation between you and the other person or persons around you. Keeping your emotions inside and refusing to share those thoughts, feelings and ideas with others is what those who are deluded by the illusion of separation do. But, since we are not deluded by this illusion, and because we are aware of our Oneness with God and with one another, it makes no sense to withhold our feelings and emotions from those who are intertwined with us in ways we can barely comprehend.

Our Oneness with God means there is nothing to hide from God. Our Oneness with one another means there is nothing to hold back from each other. In fact, to practice our new reality of interconnectedness it only makes sense to share what is inside of us with everyone around us without fear.

On the practical side, sharing what is within us with those who are still living inside the illusion of separation might not be a good idea. Those who still have an “Us/Them” perspective of the world are liable to use what we share with them against us, or for their own advantage. But, we should be free to trust those who truly see our Oneness with God and with one another. This is part of how we celebrate our Oneness with those who recognize that Oneness as we do. It’s what the earliest Christians called “Koinonia” or “continuous devotion with one another.”

So, this saying is perhaps one of the most profoundly practical sayings in the entire Gospel of Thomas. It has meaning and carries insight that can truly help us understand the necessity of sharing what we have inside with those who understand the reality of Oneness. It also warns us of the dangers of holding things inside and creating partitions within ourselves that deny our Oneness with others and perpetuate the illusion of separation that we must always strive to escape from.

If God is the One in whom we all live and move and have our being, then perhaps we are the ones in whom God lives and moves and has being too. If so, where does God end and where do we begin? Author Keith Giles asks us to reconsider our common assumptions about God and ourselves in ways we’ve never imagined before.

NEW ONLINE COURSE
Join me for a new 3-week online course based on my best-selling new book, SOLA DEUS. Class begins Monday, Sept. 11th, 2023. But, if you register today you’ll get a ten percent discount.

HURRY! This offer ends soon.

Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has appeared on CNN, USA Today, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.” He hosts the Second Cup with Keith podcast, and co-hosts the Apostates Anonymous podcast, and the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast.

Find out more about online courses HERE>

Previous Post

August 22, 2023

What If God Isn't Love?

Next Post

August 29, 2023 Why Progressives Need To Stop Rescuing Their Evangelical Friends/Family

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Googled: “In psychology and everyday language, intelligence is the capacity to learn, understand, reason, think ..."

Herm

AI Is A Gateway to the ..."

"It's so weird to me how anyone thinks that getting basic income is in any ..."

Scott Santens

AI Is A Gateway to the ..."

"Sounds very much like what Pope Leo wrote in Magnifica Humanitas - a lot of ..."

ffeineandsugar

AI Is A Gateway to the ..."

"As it is written in the canonical Gospels:But as many as received Him, to them ..."

Herm

INNER CIRCLE: God’s Transcending Love

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Biblicism Christian Politics Cosmic Christ Deconstruction Discipleship Dispensationalism Divine Unity Ekklesia End Time Stuff Eschatology Evergreen Following Jesus Gender General Christian Topics Gnostics God's Love Gospel of Judas Gospel of Mary Gospel of Philip Gospel of the Kingdom Gospel of Thomas Gospel of Truth Hell Historical Jesus Inner Circle Investigative Reporting Islam LGBTQ Issues Marriage Mental/Emotional Health Mystery Non-Duality Philosophy Podcast Poetry Politics Poverty Preemptive Love Prophecy Psychology Quantum Theology Racism Reconstruction Satire Sex Technology Theology Uncategorized Universalism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the strongest man in the Bible?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Goliath Samson David Moses

Books by This Author Books by Keith Giles

See All Titles »