Acts 5:29 … On obeying the Divine (04/15/17)
“We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
~ Luke (Acts 5:29)
Whereas the author of Luke might indeed have been referring here to an external, independent, authoritative God who resides “above” us and “looks down” upon us, it is important to remember that this is not how Jesus viewed God at all – nor is it the way we should approach God in order to follow Jesus’ Way, abide in his Truth, or emulate his Life … Please consider:
A) For Jesus, God was an internal essence (see John 14:20) …
B) For Jesus, God was a gentle Father (see Luke 6:36 + calling him the intimate “Abba” in Mark 14:36) …
C) For Jesus, God was an interdependent Essence composed of perfect, unconditional Love (see Matthew 5:48) …
D) For Jesus, God is not an entity to be worshiped in order to attain a post-mortem reward in Heaven, but rather a Love to be enlivened towards others (see John 13:15-17) in order to attain Salvation (via entrance into the state of being known as “the Kingdom of God”) in this lifetime (see Luke 17:20-21).
And this divergence can be clearly seen in the very different Fruits that come from these very different trees — When we “obey God” by bowing down in quivering subservience to an authoritarian celestial tyrant (even a relatively benevolent tyrant like the one alluded to by Luke here) it always bears the Fruits of dissension and strife and conflict and war between differing factions of humankind, along with discord, fear, anger, and sadness within the Hearts of individuals as well … On the other hand, when we “obey GOD” by revering the heavenly Father of Jesus Christ by reaching out humbly & courageously to LOVE those around us, doing so always bears the Good Fruit of Peace and Calm and Harmony and Unity in human relationships, along with Contentment and Calm and Joy and Bliss within the Hearts of individuals as well.
Amen … Let the latter ever be so.
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