My last seminary paper which I turned in today, was on the topic "The Biblical Spirituality of Breathing". Although the paper is longer than I would post on this blog I did want to share some of what I learned.
Both humans and God breath. The difference is God's breath does much more than the breath of humans.
Like God, humanity breaths to sustain life. If God stopped breathing, so would we. But God's breath does much more than just sustain life. Perhaps this is what is meant that humanity has a divine spark within them. We have the ability to breath but only just a spark of the way God breaths.
God's breath is found in the creation of the world (Genesis 1, 2:7 and Psalms 33:6) and in the salvation of Israel by holding back the waters of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21 and 15:10).
To describe God as one who breathes is a statement of faith in that idols of clay, stone or iron do not have the ability to breath (Habakkuk 2:19, Psalm 135:15-18) Perhaps my favorite scripture on this aspect comes to us from Jeremiah 10:14 which states; "Everyone is stupid and without knowledge; goldsmiths are all put to shame by their idols; for their images are false, and there is no breath in them."
The breath of God also judges people as in Isaiah 11:4 and Revelation 19:15.
And of course God is prophetic in breath such as in Ezekiel 37 to the dry bones and the Risen Christ who breathes the Holy Spirit to the Disciples in John 20.
I know that humans are not God. But at the same breath I am not sure I can totally affirm that God is totally and wholly other because we are made in the image of God. I know individual humans do not have the ability to encompass all the characteristics of God's breath, though I think some individuals are able to breath fuller than others.
But my question is this, "Can the Church as a collective body, breathe with all the characteristics of God's breath?"
Both humans and God breath. The difference is God's breath does much more than the breath of humans.
Like God, humanity breaths to sustain life. If God stopped breathing, so would we. But God's breath does much more than just sustain life. Perhaps this is what is meant that humanity has a divine spark within them. We have the ability to breath but only just a spark of the way God breaths.
God's breath is found in the creation of the world (Genesis 1, 2:7 and Psalms 33:6) and in the salvation of Israel by holding back the waters of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21 and 15:10).
To describe God as one who breathes is a statement of faith in that idols of clay, stone or iron do not have the ability to breath (Habakkuk 2:19, Psalm 135:15-18) Perhaps my favorite scripture on this aspect comes to us from Jeremiah 10:14 which states; "Everyone is stupid and without knowledge; goldsmiths are all put to shame by their idols; for their images are false, and there is no breath in them."
The breath of God also judges people as in Isaiah 11:4 and Revelation 19:15.
And of course God is prophetic in breath such as in Ezekiel 37 to the dry bones and the Risen Christ who breathes the Holy Spirit to the Disciples in John 20.
I know that humans are not God. But at the same breath I am not sure I can totally affirm that God is totally and wholly other because we are made in the image of God. I know individual humans do not have the ability to encompass all the characteristics of God's breath, though I think some individuals are able to breath fuller than others.
But my question is this, "Can the Church as a collective body, breathe with all the characteristics of God's breath?"