The origin: Spirit, darkness and Light
The storyline of the Bible does not begin with good and evil, but with Spirit, darkness and Light. It is about God as Spirit who, as the Light of the world — the Christ — incarnates in physical creation. Love does not want to remain abstract, but to become concrete, tangible, and visible in the here and now.
It is about the Kingdom of God: a reality of peace, joy, and righteousness — of wholeness — in which people live together in harmony. God reveals Himself through humanity. The gospel is rooted in the mystery of unity: there is no essential separation between the supernatural and the natural, between God and humanity, between Spirit and matter, or between people themselves. God’s glory fills the whole earth from the very beginning. Everything and everyone is permeated with holiness.
The seed of the Kingdom: dying and rising
Jesus makes this process visible in his parables about the Kingdom of God (here and now). It concerns the Seed — the Word, the Logos, the Light, the Christ — that is sown into the field of (physical) creation.
Before the Seed comes to life, it first disappears into the darkness of the earth. It dies, and then begins to sprout and grow into full bloom. This is the pattern of the cross and resurrection, of “through suffering to glory.” It is not a side theme, but the very pattern through which God reveals Himself in creation. Jesus did not only teach this way — he embodied it (Luke 24:26; Romans 8:17; Hebrews 2:9–10; 1 Peter 1:11, 4:13; 5:1,10).
As Paul writes:
“God (Spirit) was in Christ (the Light) reconciling the world (matter; darkness) to Himself (present tense)… by placing the Word of reconciliation (‘Let there be Light!’) within us.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)
This was not a one-time, completed event, but an ongoing process: the Light breaking through in the darkness of our consciousness.
The necessary phase of darkened consciousness
The dying of the Seed is inseparably connected to incarnation. This path involves a darkening of consciousness, through which humanity has come to live from the knowledge of good and evil.
Within this collective, darkened consciousness, a world has emerged in which suffering, transience, and division appear to be real. This phase is not a mistake, but part of the process. Without this “descent” (suffering), there is no revelation of glory.
God Himself is present in this process — in the emptying, in the suffering, in the entire movement of descent and restoration. Humanity does not carry guilt as the origin of what we have come to call the “fall.” It is a phase in consciousness — a necessary passage within the process of creation.
As within, so without: awareness of the Kingdom
The “fallen” world is not the ultimate reality, but a temporary perception resulting from a darkened consciousness. When the Light of Christ rises within us, our perception of the outer world changes from the inside out. As within, so without.
In this way, what has always been present becomes visible: the Kingdom of God within us. Awareness opens the way through which this inner reality becomes outwardly manifest.
This path moves from darkness to Light: from darkened consciousness (the Outer Court*) to Christ-consciousness (the Holy Place*) and ultimately to God-consciousness (the Holy of Holies*), where we realize that God is all in all.
The mystery of “Christ in us, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)
* Click here for an article in which I discuss the metaphor of our body as the temple of the Spirit.
Liberation from spiritual blindness
The gospel of the Kingdom is about a spiritual reality (heaven) becoming visible in our physical world (earth). Jesus describes the human condition as a form of blindness, an inner captivity.
“He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the captives and recovery of sight for the blind…” (Luke 4:18–19)
Jesus did not come to arrange something externally for us, but to open our eyes. Liberation takes place when our consciousness changes — when we awaken to the reality that there has never been separation between God and creation.
That is salvation: liberation from the prison of darkened thinking, so that we may walk in the Light.
Where theology went off track
The Christian tradition has largely lost sight of this process by starting from darkened consciousness. The interpretation of Genesis 3 became the point of departure, placing a supposed separation between God and humanity at the center.
From this emerged the idea of a “fall,” in which humanity was held responsible for evil and suffering. Humanity was said to have broken its relationship with God through disobedience, with consequences for all generations.
Human beings were no longer seen as bearers of God’s image, but as inherently corrupt. Within this framework, the cross also received a different meaning: Jesus came to solve the problem of sin so that God could forgive.
Thus the gospel shifted into a legal system of good and evil — a kind of transaction in which the central question became how sinful humanity could approach a holy God.
In this way, the gospel was reduced to sin management. The very thinking in terms of good and evil — which is the problem — became the lens for the solution.
This stands in direct contrast to the gospel of the Kingdom: the Light that drives out darkness and makes the reality of God’s Kingdom visible on earth.
The old covenant and the mind of the flesh
The old covenant shows how humanity lives from a darkened consciousness. It reveals the mind of flesh: a way of thinking and believing shaped by duality.
Within this framework, the idea arose that God solves the problem of evil and suffering through sacrifice. But believing in Jesus as a sin offering does not change the underlying consciousness.
As long as thinking in terms of good and evil remains, separation remains in our perception. We continue to distinguish between people who “walk in the Light” and those who are “in darkness” — interpreting these categories as good and evil.
In doing so, the darkened consciousness is sustained. And as long as that remains intact, true inner transformation does not occur.
“You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.” (Ephesians 4:20)
These words point to an entirely different way of being and seeing — through awakening to our Christ-identity, not merely through changed behavior.
The new covenant: the perspective of the Kingdom
The new covenant reveals God’s perspective. The Kingdom of God has been fully real since the foundation of the world. It does not wait to be realized, but to be revealed.
Darkened consciousness is a temporary phase — not a mistake to be fixed, but a passage through which creation moves toward revelation.
Therefore, the gospel is not about solving a sin problem. That is not the core issue. The real question is: how do we awaken from darkened consciousness?
How does the Light break through within us? How does the Seed of the Kingdom grow and flourish in us?
The answer is clear and concise: metanoiaa!
“Repent, for the Kingdom of God is within you.”
Repentance is a radical renewal of the mind — a shift from the mind of flesh to the mind of Christ. From thinking in good and evil to living from the Light.
Living from the Kingdom (here and now)
This renewal takes shape through our focus. No longer directed toward lack, guilt, or problem, but toward the glory that is to be revealed.
The Kingdom of God is already present within us. By fixing our attention on it, the Seed is given space to grow.
That is liberation: leaving the inner prison behind. Only in this way does the experience of suffering, division, and missing the mark begin to dissolve.
The tension within the church
Many Christians today live in an inner tension. The Kingdom is acknowledged as a present reality, yet at the same time an emphasis on sin and forgiveness remains.
This creates contradictions. Jesus has accomplished everything, yet something still seems to be pending. The Kingdom is here, yet also postponed. Death is overcome, yet still treated as inevitable.
This tension arises from mixing two systems of thought — that of the old covenant and that of the new. The new wine of the Kingdom — the new covenant rooted in Love — is still being poured into old wineskins — the old covenant rooted in law and sacrifice.
A radically undivided focus on the Kingdom
The Kingdom calls for an undivided focus. As long as attention is split between the Kingdom and solving a supposed sin problem, breakthrough will not come.
Jesus calls us to simplicity: seek first the Kingdom of God.
“For in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)
There is no gap that needs to be bridged. The way is inward — in the awakening to Christ in us.
From there, a new life emerges. Not forced, but as fruit.
Newness of life: from burial to resurrection
“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death… in order that… we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)
All humanity shares in this process. The phase of being “buried” points to darkened consciousness in which the Seed lies hidden.
But that is not the end. The destiny is resurrection — for all creation.
This is the pattern that Jesus, as the Christ, revealed: from darkness to Light.
It begins with the renewal of the mind. And where that happens, everything changes. We begin to see Christ in everything and everyone.
From that moment on, we no longer regard anyone according to the flesh.
And so God will reach His goal with all creation: the full breakthrough of the Light of Christ on earth.
Reflection questions
- Where do you notice your thinking still being shaped by good and evil rather than by Light and awareness?
- What does it mean for you, in practical terms, that the Kingdom of God is already within you?
- Which beliefs are still keeping your consciousness confined?
- How do you make space for the reality of “Christ in you” in your daily life?
- What changes in the way you see others when you approach them from unity instead of separation?
Click here for version of part 2 of this article.
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