Christ or faith the Savior?

[Jo S]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

How would we know either way? By this test:

1 Cor 12:3 (NIV) Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

1 John 4:2 (NIV): This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

Paramahansa Yogananda would not be able to pass the test of 1 Cor 12:3 and 1 John 4:2.

Scripture tells us how to test the spirits. The method you use to test the spirits (by looking at how people pray) is unscriptural.

My argument isn't about testing other people, I'm asking how do you determine for yourself if through your mystical practices of "gaining Christ" you are experiencing the Holy Spirit and not a different spirit?

In the case of the yogis of the SRF (Self-Realization Fellowship), the fact is they do pass the test as you present it. The mystic practice Yogananda's disciples use in gaining a subjective experience in Jesus' name is called "Jesus prayer meditation". It's also a chant using a short phrase similar to the LC's. The exception being the number of times the phrase is repeated. Instead of 5x as in "Oh, Lord Jesus" these yogis will chant, "Lord Jesus have mercy on me" 6x. The similarity however is the use of the title of "Lord Jesus".

These yogis also believe that Jesus came as an actual historical person. The difference between their beliefs and scriptural doctrine is that they teach Jesus became a spirit or "Christ consciousness" after his ascension into Heaven and that this consciousness is available to us on earth and gained through mystical practices. This is similar to the belief that's found in the LC's profession of faith that after Jesus' ascension, he became "a life giving spirit" and through "calling", Christ as a spirit can live in us. That's not scripture.

If as you argue, 1 John 4:2 and 1 Cor 12:3 was the absolute test in testing the spirits and not just "a" test, along with the argument that even demons believe, and the unsaved can confess Jesus as Lord (Matthew 7:21-23) then how would you test the validity of your own subjective mystical experiences through practices such as chanting when even non-Christian groups like the SRF do the same things and pass this test as well?

Should then the body of Christ accept all groups influenced by eastern mysticim that chant "Lord Jesus" and believe he came as a human being? If so, then I believe the papacy would have legitimate competition in Christian ecumenism.