Gospel of Thomas

by

Austin Perris

I always wondered what the real reason Jesus came to the physical world was. The Church says he came to die for our sins and to be an example of what we all should become: Christ-like. Yet the period of time Jesus worked to become a Christ was left out of the book the Church gave us as a reference. 

The book talks about Jesus in the early and later parts of his life but not the middle. Why not? Isn't that where He evolved into a Christ? Isn't that the period of his life we really should know about? The Church teaches us one way of becoming Christ-like, but I haven't seen or heard of anyone becoming a Christ as a result of their teachings—not even anyone within the CHURCH.  

So, where is the information that transforms the human soul and allows one to become a Christ? Does it even exist? Is it actually real? This brings me to the words of Jesus Himself. These words are not found in the Bible but in the gospels that were kept out of the holy book. One gospel that focuses on the words of Jesus specifically is the Gospel of Thomas.

The Gospel of Thomas emphasizes Jesus' role as a spiritual teacher who imparts esoteric wisdom. Unlike the Gospels approved by the Church, it does not focus on Jesus' life, death, or resurrection but instead consists of 114 sayings (logia) attributed to Him. 

In this gospel, Jesus reveals hidden, mystical knowledge (gnosis) that leads to spiritual enlightenment and salvation.

Jesus guides individuals to discover the divine spark within themselves. Salvation is not about atonement or faith in His death but self-awareness and awakening. This is what I'm talking about: the spiritual truths that ignite the divine spark.

For example, Jesus addresses the location of heaven in Saying 3:

 "The kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father."

This saying reminds me of an ancient Taoist belief about an energy field "inside of you and outside of you." 

 The Taoists teach that energy is everywhere, conscious and intelligent. This is pretty much what religion teaches about God. God is all-knowing, everywhere in everything, always was and always will be. 

"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness."

                                                                     1 John 1:5

God is Light, and Light is energy. 

"Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness...' So God created humanity in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:26-27  

 

We are light, "When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father."

The Gospel of Thomas depicts the Kingdom of God as a present, internal reality rather than a future, external event. It emphasizes personal spiritual transformation and the realization of divine truth within oneself.

For instance, Saying 113: "The Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and people do not see it."

Once again, energy is "spread upon the earth, and people do not see it." The kingdom of the Father is in this energy field, just like our thoughts, our consciousness, and our feelings. Einstein and Tesla both believed that everything is frequency and vibration. 

Consider dimensions vibrating at different frequencies within the field, different existences occupying the same space yet hidden from one another. The kingdom of the Father is all around us. Everything is in the field of energy.  

This idea of dimensions was difficult to comprehend back in Jesus's time, but today, our understanding of reality has grown with scientific discoveries, and we can grasp the concept of heaven being in another dimension. This information is valuable.

Jesus encourages seekers to "know themselves," implying that self-discovery is the key to understanding the divine. This aligns with Gnostic themes of inner enlightenment, where the true self is identified with the divine. 

Discovering that we are energy, like the divine, allows us to realize our connection to all that is sacred. We are made in the image and likeness of God, who is light, and when acknowledging this fact, we raise our vibration, which raises our consciousness to the level of the Holy Spirit, igniting the divine flame. 

Jesus was trying to tell us, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner... then you will enter [the Kingdom]."

 Taoists and other Eastern practices teach how to do just that. In meditation, one points one's consciousness inward. As the meditative state deepens, the meditator feels the inner vibration of their personal energy field. Focusing on the breath, they drift deeper still. 

The inner energy begins to radiate outward, merging with the outer energy, becoming one with the field of all there is. When this happens, the meditator's consciousness is expanded into the complete field of energy that is God's Consciousness. 

"When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner... then you will enter [the Kingdom]."

In Buddhism, one attempts to reach the highest level of meditation called Nirvana, a state of perfect happiness, an ideal or idyllic place, paradise, or, in other words, the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus teaches a unity of opposites, as in Saying 22: "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner... then you will enter [the Kingdom].” 

The perfect balance between the male (energy in the body) and the female (energy outside the body) is the key to all endeavors.

One can easily see why Jesus was despised by the powers that be. His teachings challenge their traditional structures, including societal norms, religious institutions, and rigid doctrines.

The Gospel of Thomas often advocates an individual path to enlightenment rather than adherence to established religious authorities. Many sayings are cryptic and paradoxical, designed to provoke contemplation and spiritual insight.

For instance, Saying 2: "Let the one who seeks not stop seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will be troubled. When he is troubled, he will marvel and will rule over all." 

This saying can be interpreted in different ways. It refers to the seeker having a new and higher level of consciousness that allows them to recognize all the temptations and seductions of the physical world without participating in them. The seeker has complete control over the wants and desires that anchor the soul to the world of the devil. 

The seeker seeks until they find that part of themself that is no longer affected by the addictions of the physical world; we, the seeker, become "troubled," realizing how long we have been under the control of the physical illusion and the damage it has done to us.  

Troubled by this realization, we marvel at the fact that we have risen above the wants and desires of the physical, become free from all the chains that bound us, and rule over all the attempts to corrupt our pure spirit from its intended divine existence.

The Gospel of Thomas is crucial to our spiritual growth. Jesus is primarily portrayed as a spiritual teacher and revealer of hidden truths. His message urges individuals to seek the Kingdom of God within themselves through self-knowledge and spiritual insight. 

This vision of Jesus aligns with Gnostic and mystical traditions, diverging significantly from the portrayal in the canonical Gospels. It makes sense. Something to consider. 

No wonder the Church worked so hard to bury the Gnostic Beliefs, not to mention saying 39, Jesus rebukes religious leaders for obscuring the truth with dogma, urging seekers to bypass intermediaries.

For the video "Gospel of Thomas," click here