The Inner Light or 'Christ'

"As Jesus often pointed out, the scribes and Pharisees, who were the learned of his day, did not understand the essential message and meaning of their own scripture. Neither did the unlearned multitude generally understand what Jesus was teaching them. 'I speak to them in parables,' he said, 'because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand.'

This lack of deep understanding of his message and teaching was due to the fact that the people of his day, as a rule, were not yet ripe for enlightenment into an utterly new and different level of conscious awareness that is just now awakening within mankind.

The learned, as well as the unlearned multitude, did not understand the message in their own scripture or the ministry of Jesus to the extent that they did not comprehend the Infinite in themselves."

~ From: The Christ is Not a Person by J. C. Tefft

Two thousand years ago, the mass of people in the Middle East were, for various reasons, not ready to receive the deeper spiritual teachings that Jesus wanted to give them, so he could only give these insights to the few he found who were ready.

The true Gospel is the "hidden" or "secret" teaching of Jesus. It is the mystic path appearing in Christianity, just as Sufism is to Islam and Kabbalah is to Judaeism . It is clear, Jesus did not reveal all of his teachings in his public sermons. There was a hidden or direct teaching that was revealed privately, and there was a teaching for the multitudes who would not be capable of understanding deeper truths.

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables." Mark 4:10-11, NIV

In another instance, Judas (not Judas Iscariot) asks Jesus why he intends to show himself (the Christ) to them but not to others, implying a hidden revelation.

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" John 14:22, NIV

Jesus follows with a long commentary and tells Judas that even though he (Jesus) is giving Judas (and others) special insight, there are yet even more things which Jesus will not reveal to them because they are not ready for them. That would make two layers of insight beyond the multitude.

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. John 16:12, KJV

There are hidden teachings which Jesus discussed openly with the disciples but not with the masses simply because the masses were not spiritually prepared. To do so would have been to cast pearls before swine. How could a barnyard animal appreciate the value of a pearl? 

Jesus made it clear that it was the divine intention that human consciousness would evolve to the point when these held back or hidden teachings could be received by large numbers rather than just a few.

"there is nothing hid, save that it shoud be manifested; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light." (Mark 4:22)

Jesus instructed his disciples to take this 'secret' message to every corner of the Earth. So, after his death, those who were awakened and had realized the 'Light of Christ' taught the 'secret' things of God' to all who would listen.

"... we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began." (1 Cor. 2:7)

"So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God." (1 Cor. 4:1)

Unfortunately, however, only a few were ready to receive and live by Jesus' deeper teachings on spiritual enlightenment and the mass of people, as before, embraced his general teaching and soon made a new religion out of it.

Paul indicates that he adjusted the depth of his teachings according to the understanding of the audience. Paul clearly states that there are teachings which he holds back because the listeners lack the spiritual capacity to comprehend them.

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly -- mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 1 Cor. 3:1-2, NIV

Today, what remains of Paul's teachings, his public letters, are milk for spiritual infants. The "meat" was not recorded as open letters to churches but was taught by Paul directly to those whom he considered qualified. His revelation of Melchizedek is another indication of this.

The true Gospel is the hidden or secret tradition of Christianity, not because it was forbidden, but because it requires a high degree of spiritual maturity and insight to grasp. This 'esoteric' teaching is solid spiritual food that cannot be given to milk-drinking babes. AIso, early Christian mystics did not want the teachings corrupted and perverted by well-meaning but immature souls.

At the outset of the 'Christian' era, one had to prove worthiness to be taught the true Gospel. The sublime teaching and spiritual practices were transmitted orally under the careful and watchful guidance of an accomplished 'elder'.

In the centuries that followed, the secret or deeper teacings of Jesus and Paul were largely lost, though the real message of the Master was always kept alive through a small number of mystics who were often misunderstood and persecuted by the official church.

Thankfully, today, in a growing number of countries, the grip of religious orthodoxy and dogmatism has lost its once dominant power and the deeper teaching of Jesus is now more freely available than ever before for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

So, on this site, for your consideration, are some of the secret or deeper teachings that Jesus gave only to his inner circle -- those who were open to the truth and who wanted more than anything else ... the great Pearl of spiritual enlighenment.

These are not the teachings you will find in the established and institutional Christian churches, but those that are taught mostly in house-gatherings where an awakened teacher will share this open secret with a few awakening students.

Adjectives such as, advanced, deeper, enlightenment, esoteric, hidden, higher, inner, mentored, mystical, non-dual, radical, secret and spiritual, are now being used to describe this 'true Gospel' tradition.

All those who fully understood the life and teachings of Jesus came to realize that the 'Christ' is not a person, but the infinite presence latent in each of us -- the divine Light, the scripture says, that shines in everyone that comes into the world.

This means that essentially, you too are not just a person, but the infinite, unborn, undying, field of awareness that witnesses every thought, feeling and eperience of your manifest self.

The challenge now, and in every 'now', is for you to turn from your confining egoic limitation and, like Jesus, become intentionally one with the limitless Christ-consciousness.

If you live in the Perth area and would like to meet with others who are exploring this inate consciousness, >>>Click Here

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Below, we offer some pages to help you explore this sublime subject further ...

The Inner Light fellowship
What is meant by Inner Light
Who or What is God?
What Is Man That You Remember Him?
The Infinite "I"
The Light of Life
The Light That I Am
The Polarity Principle
The Three States
The Enlightenment of Jesus the Nazarene
The Deeper Non-dual Teachings of Jesus
The Infinite Christ and the man, Jesus
Christian Advaita
The Shaivic Christian
Heart Consciousness
Radical Beingness
Other Perspectives
Books to Read

If you would like to experience the inner 'Christ' directly and have questions, you're welcome to contact the author of this site >>>Pete Sumner

Pete, who resides in Perth, Western Australia, is also available as a guest-teacher at church gatherings, house-groups and retreats etc. Combining deep insights with a moving account of his own encounter with the inner 'Christ' and not a little humor, he usually has an uplifting effect on his audiences. As a blind seer, Pete is often accompanied by his guide-dog, Turlow. >>>Inquiries