Mystical Experience Changes How the Bible Speaks to You | Holy Mystical Bible Study with Jon Adams

This is the final episode of my Introduction to the Bible series. In this episode, I finally talk about my own mystical experience with the Bible. I also talk about the difference between how the ancient mystics read the Bible, and how we read the Bible today. Some questions discussed in this video:

Can Bible reading enlighten you?
What is Christian mysticism, in practice?
How did the old mystics read the Bible, and what are we missing?
What does mystical experience teach you about yourself?
How does mystical experience change how you read the Bible?
How does mystical experience change how the Bible speaks to you?
What are the goals of mystical Bible reading?
How can I read the Bible mystically?

If you’ve followed along with the whole series, thanks for watching! If not, check out the other videos in this playlist for an introduction to what the Bible is, how we got it, and how to use it.

This is the last video I’ll be able to publish for a couple weeks. When I come back, I’ll be posting weekly mystical Bible study videos, starting with the Gospel of John.

Make sure you’re subscribed and notifications are on, and I’ll see you soon. Meanwhile, here are some links to my website and to my book, Jesus: A Field Manual: How to Live the Sermon on the Mount.

[withjonadams]

Thanks to everyone for watching this Introduction to the Bible series. Through this series I learned a lot about making and publishing content, and the response has been so good. This is the last video in the series, and I'll be off YouTube for a few weeks. When I come back, we'll use all of these tools to dive into John's Gospel - the most mystical of canonical New Testament books. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you soon :)

[mr.t]

Thank you. I'm am so there with you from all the way from Plymouth, UK. Amen. 🙏👍

[Mybelovedyeshua]

It’s so true Jon, thank you! Spot on.

[ChristopherAlsruhe-siff]

I am writing this before I have finished the video. That the Bible, or better, the holy Scriptures, are the unveiling of God before they are anything else, has been a gracious understanding I've had for a while. But I was further led along wisely by listening to Rabbi Friedman, who talks about how the Commandments are also the unveiling of God's heart and passion and delight. The Commandments tell us what God loves and what God hates. And as you did mention in the video, in some way, the commandments show us what God's heart and passion And delight and goodness and glory look like if incarnated. We are image and glory bearers by design. Salvation is the restoration of this design. This is what a human being fully alive is.

[swzb]

Hi Jon
As a recent converted new Christian ( although I am 70 years of age) I have been searching for a personal relationship with God my whole life. It will be 1 year since my baptism and my abandoning of the many other new age paths I followed for decades. Your insights are my answer to a recent prayer. "Lord remove this doubt and make our time together above that of the authorities of the church. Let me fall in Love with you. Your commentary here, forged the reality of a personal relationship above the superfluous conditions of the controlling world authorities . THANK YOU!!!!

[transitfreedom]

16:05 May we continue to remember Jesus' words in John 14:12 — "greater works"

John 14:12
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

🕊️❤️🙏

[codykueker]

Been watching your videos for the past 2 hours now and I feel myself drawn to Christ again. This fresh lens has brought me a new awakening. Thank you.

[stevenobdyke]

Um... yes & me too to just about everything you said! May the highest and greatest good according to our Father be with you. Amen

[Lavadx]

WOW! I've been shown some things since my confirmation last Easter, in fact on the eve of Easter Sunday, and two separate visions and MANY messages since then, that I was only able to share with my wife, youngest son, and the director of the OCIA class, because I thought people would think that either I was being disingenuous, or that I was crazy. I finally worked up enough courage yesterday to share on of these visions with the OCIA director, and two of his peers whom I know and trust, and one of them, a deeply religious and faithful woman said, "oh a mystic". Initially I was taken back, as I assumed incorrectly that "mysticism" was something bad, or not of God, until this morning when I started down another path of enlightenment about Christian Mystics, and ended up here on your channel and this final video. I cannot express enough how exactly I connected with this video, particularly the message of realizing how badly I have failed God, and the actual physical pain involved in that realization. I bought your book, and will definitely be looking much deeper into Christian mystics in my journey forward. And thank you for the "you are not crazy" in another one of your videos about mystics. God Bless and a VERY Merry Christmas to you all!

[tbpat]

Thank you so much for your videos. I discovered your channel a few days ago and already learned a lot from it.

Something that struck me in the way you describe how you came to mysticism is how it is a mirror image of my own path. You came from a dry understanding of god, and by coming in contact with god learnt humility and to question your sense of self.

On my side, I have been practicing in the Buddhist tradition for a few years. As my intuitive understanding of "emptiness" (the absence of inherent existence of all phenomena, self included) grew, I had no choice but to become humble, as the models to which I used to cling to make sense of the world fell apart. With humility came a diffuse sense of wonder and devotion. With time, I learned to recognize this object of devotion as the Divine, or God for short - though a god that is radically different from the one I used to refer to when I said that "I do not believe in God".

I now fully embraced Christian mysticism. I read the Bible, pray the Rosary, and read the teachings of old and modern mystics. I am deeply saddened at how the Bible can be instrumentalized as a tool for power rather than for humility and discovery, and I am extremely grateful to you and others who take the time to teach this mystical view.

[jillk]

The Spirit has led me to this new Mystical way of living the Christian Faith (dying to me, my ego, my self, & living in Christ, by the Spirit). Suddenly, The Spirit is keeping me away from Serving in the church and being more with God/attentive to the things of God/my true nature. Suddenly, I crave silence, connection with God, with others, and more of Holy Spirit. My Flesh My Ego was getting into the way of my Relationship with God and with Others. I was starting Inductive Bible study in a flesh way and my research showed me that this ancient book was full of changed names, words & that scholars all had different opinions on its meaning etc. So I turned to the Spirit. I was doing everything, including Bible Studying, with my Flesh & it was frustrating. I know the Bible emphasizes the Spirit life/focus and I look forward to growing in the Spirit of Christ more. Thank you Brother. I hope your message will help me in my journey dead to me and alive in Christ.

[anmolrattansey]

Please, I beg of you to keep spreading the heart of Christianity. True Christianity lies in mysticism. The connection with the source of existence must not be lost. Never stop what you are doing no matter what.

[pedrorodriguez]

A very interesting and instructive video. I am really loving and enjoying your series on mystical Bible study videos. It resonates with my soul and spirit.

[nocrisistoday]

Jon, the approach to the Bible you’ve laid out here is a very sensible one. I agree with so much of what you said in this series, and as a new pastor about to embark upon my first formal Bible study, I look forward to incorporating some of it.

However, something is nagging me, and I’d like to know what you think. I was initially drawn to your channel due to my interest in Thomas Merton, St John of the Cross, and other writers of that type, as well as my own practice of contemplative prayer. I’ve enjoyed every video I’ve watched of yours, and I think your view counts are criminally low.

With all that in mind as I consider your 7-point reading strategy, I can’t help but see it as a great approach to contemplative prayer, except with a book in the way. In other words, if I’m going to do the hard work of self-reflection, fostering openness to what God is trying to tell me, crucifying (or at least silencing) my false self, and praying earnestly for God to share His truth with me, why not stop there? Why add another element to the picture which, as you’ve eloquently pointed out, has such pernicious potential to confuse and even lead people to evil?

Perhaps I have a low view of scripture, but I don’t mean to suggest that it’s not at all Holy. I read and preach the Gospels because based on my theological education, I believe them to be stories of God incarnate, and thus eminently worthy of our attention. I also think they’re more or less reliable. However, I also think much of the rest of scripture, in terms of communicating truths by which we can know God, is fraught with covenantal irrelevancies (e.g. the way God treats the Israelites in the Hebrew Scriptures is not the way He treats us today) and authorial biases (e.g Paul’s fixation on the crucifixion and resurrection to the exclusion of other important ideas).

I hear you say that the mystics used the Bible in their prayer life, but it’s not clear that the Bible improved their prayer life.

I’d love to know what you think about all this, because I suspect I’m missing something you might be able to provide. Thanks so much for reading and for your great content. God bless!

[westcoastveganley]

I am new to Christianity but have a layered and diverse spiritual background. I have also experienced deeply mystical encounters with the Divine, that are hard to put words to. I’m extremely (and perhaps exclusively) drawn to a mystical interpretation of the the Bible and Christian teachings. Everything you speak about here holds such deep resonance with what I have known and felt to be true. Yours is exactly the type of content I’ve been seeking!! I do hope that you continue ❤ I would so love to follow along a Bible study guided by you.

[London-Lad]

Please, you should really author your own book on Christian Mysticism. You're more than worthy for such a task. I would certainly buy it.

[RevJoan]

I'm new to your channel but I'm really liking your approach to bible study. I'm on board with all your principles. That said, I'm having difficulty with how to deal with the "texts of terror" from a mystical hermeneutic. Right now I'm doing a deep dive into Ezekiel. Might you consider doing a video on how to approach, say, Ezekiel c.5: 5-17 (or other texts like that)? If the Bible was given to us by God (whatever theory of "divine inspiration" you might adhere to) in order that God might reveal His nature to us and we be transformed thereby, what do we do with texts that portray him in such a bad light -- and in His own words too! Of course it is easy to focus on the "lesson" that we should be obedient and not "rebellious". That ticks the "how the bible transforms us" box. But it is really hard to accept what we learn of God's nature in these verses! It is so alien to the idea that God is loving and merciful and forgiving...like Christ! Yes, Jesus had his stern moments and chastises us for our own good but it is hard to envision him throwing an anger tantrum like God does in Ezekiel (and elsewhere!); this tyrannical jealous God is far from showing us his "best self"! If we are supposed to model ourselves after Christ, and Christ is supposed to be modeling God to us, then surely the nature of God has changed between the Testaments! Something is wrong here. If we default to the position that these "texts of terror" were misunderstandings of the nature of God by the men who wrote them, then how do we preserve the idea of "divine inspiration" that the trustworthiness of the Bible depends on? Please help! This is destabilizing my faith. :(

[ChristopherAlsruhe-siff]

Theology
Anthropology
Theanthropy
Theoria/Theosis

[MsFlintmaynard]

Hello Jon. Thank you for all you do. I have a question. Can you please define what you mean when you say "Cosmic Christ"? Thank you!!

[margaretinsydney]

Hello. This afternoon, I was thinking about mysticism and wondering what would be the best place to start reading, which mystics were the most accessible. Mr Google sent me straight to your reading list video. I loved it, and I have subscribed. I can get started right away as I have all the Richard Rohr's in my bookcase already. Bless you. This channel looks wonderful!😊