Can A Christian Be Enlightened?

When using the term ‘enlightenment’, I would venture to say that most people immediately think of Buddhism or some Eastern Indian religion. I would like to propose that it is not exclusive to Buddhism and Far Eastern religions and it isn’t some mystical out-of-body experience, as I have heard various gurus from India expound. Like many aspects of spirituality, this is usually one of those carrots dangled just out of reach of the regular person, so the person who claims it can be admired and appear to be god-like in some way. I have listened to many gurus from India who claim to be divine and dangle their enlightenment before ignorant and naïve followers who often are more than willing to pay out tons of money for their seminars, books and videos, which in most of these cases is their true motivation anyway; bilking the sheep and making money. Indian gurus are not the only ones guilty of bilking their flocks, though; there are plenty of TV evangelists who claim to be Christians who do the same as well as various cults. I am amazed and saddened that intelligent human beings can be so easily deceived. Educated people, lawyers and CEO’s give away all their money in some cases to follow this or that enlightened one. Extreme examples would be Jim Jones’ followers of the Peoples Temple in 1978. This cult started out in America and his followers gave up everything to move to Guyana and he ultimately persuaded 900 people; men, women and children, to drink poisoned Kool-Aid and die. 1997 Marshall Applewhite of the Heaven’s Gate cult convinced the men of his cult to be castrated and eventually convinced 21 women and 18 men to drink poisoned vodka so their fleshly bodies could be shed and their real selves could join a spacecraft embedded in the Hale Bopp comet that passed close to the Earth that year.

So what is enlightenment? Most who have attempted to define it generally agree that it is that ‘A-Ha’ moment when you experience clarity on a level that you have never experienced before. Unlike the Eastern religions, which claim it as exclusive to their leaders like Buddha, I don’t think it is some super spiritual one-of-a-kind exclusive experience only to one religion. In brief, it is that moment of awakening where your relationship with God and life are at peace. It is clarity. It is casting off the chains of interpretation of religious moorings. It is a time you come to where the inner struggle ceases and you just know that you know that you know. It isn’t religious. It may come to you due to your religious or spiritual path, but I don’t think it is exclusive to any particular religion.

I am a follower of Jesus Christ and the apostles’ teachings but do not allow any particular church, denomination or religious organization to interpret to me what being a follower of Christ and spiritual person means for me.

 Is enlightenment something even a Christian can experience?

I believe it is. Not in the sense of an experience that makes them special and suddenly superior, even god-like to everyone else. In Ephesians 1:17-23 Apostle Paul prayed for all believers to be ‘enlightened’:

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being ENLIGHTENED; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”

Sadly, most Christians never get beyond praying a designated, so-called ‘sinner’s prayer’, crying off some guilt and are instructed how to join a particular church and pay tithes, when God wants you to experience “the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”.

There is much misunderstanding on even what being born again even means. It is so much more than praying a ‘sinner’s prayer’. It is a heartfelt sorrow for our sins, our sinful state being truly revealed as only the Holy Spirit can. It is the heavenly Father calling you to repentance of sins (John 14:6), revealing to you a state of sin you didn’t even know you had. As it says in 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” It is God’s very own holy light shining down on your soul, revealing something you never considered before, that you are a sinner in need of a savior. Romans 3:23 “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Apostle Paul had an enlightenment experience

Before Apostle Paul became who he was he was literally struck down by a light from heaven and struck blind so that his true eyes could be opened to his spiritual state (Acts 9:1-19), talk about enlightenment! A Christian’s born-again experience should be an enlightenment not just some ritual or hollow words spoken. I have seen it too many times and time again get all worked up emotionally, go down to an altar and cry their eyes out and genuinely feel better in that moment and confuse that with actually being born again and having a spiritual experience and enlightenment. They confuse the release they get from a good cry with a true spiritual life-changing experience. These often get over it in a few days and go right back to the way they lived before.

To fully comprehend this, we have to understand the fact is we are composed of spirit, soul and body. I go into more detail on this subject here but briefly, the human spirit is that part of us that is our higher consciousness, where our intuition and conscience reside. It is the seat of our moral compass and depending on how much we train ourselves to listen to this part of us the better person we are morally. It is also where we spiritually discern things, like when something just feels off but we are not quite sure why; in some cases, it can even warn us of danger. The spirit tries to offer correction and steer us away from a possible course of action that could harm us, in many cases. The spirit is always calling us to a higher, stronger version of ourselves. Our spirit though, is generally disconnected and has little influence on a general level, unless nurtured. And before it can fully do its job, it needs to be reconnected to God and awakened. John 3 calls this being ‘born again’, which denotes a rebirth and quickening and awakening of our spirit, an enlightenment, if you will. More details in my blog HERE.

 Don’t discard the Bible just because you had a bad experience in a church

This is more than some religious experience and assimilation into a congregation of equally confused people seeking truth on some level. Many are scarred by their experiences in a church or religious gathering or organized religion in general and wrongly reject the Bible just because the injuring organization claims to go by it. There are also those who consider themselves ‘enlightened’ because they have accepted the parroting of the masses that science trumps the Bible and that the Bible is only a superstitious, outdated book. I say don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Just because it has been used as a tool to form religions and to control people does not invalidate what it really says and you will have to actually read it for yourself to benefit from it. I have many books, blogs and resources that will help you understand and instruct you on how to do this. A truly spiritual person will not just wholesale toss the Bible aside. I have read other so-called ‘holy’ books and I have found none of them to compare to or be the Bible’s equal. I also go into detail about why I believe the Bible is valid and not like any other book in a three-part written study on my website entitled Holy Bible, God’s Word.

As I said earlier in my definition of enlightenment, I do not believe it is some point you ‘arrive’ at and you are there and the race is over and you suddenly become spiritually and intellectually superior to everyone else. I believe life goes on and you will learn more and you will change and adjust and continually be forming into the best version of yourself if you stay on the path to spiritual learning and enlightenment. I do believe, though there is an ‘Ah-Hah’ moment where it suddenly makes sense and you have clarity and understanding like never before. I love the outdoors, camping and knives. This following is an imperfect example but to me, it is like buying a shiny new knife; this represents that ‘Ah-Hah’ moment. You use the knife day after day and you wonder how you ever did without that knife; this represents the continuing journey where you learn more and more and achieve confidence on a level you never had before. Then the knife gets a little dull; this represents the occasional crossroads and challenges to what you believe will arise. At this point, hopefully, you don’t throw the knife away because it doesn’t work as well as it did before. Hopefully, you sharpen it and maybe hone a better edge on it; this represents where you dig in spiritually, you meditate, you pray, you read what the masters say. Then you continue using that knife and constantly oil and maintain it and you know what to expect, for you have learned and accepted that the knife will get dull, but now you know what to do when it does; this represents that part of enlightenment when you accept things as they are and you are at peace. There is a peace that comes from realizing that control is only an illusion and you just let go and let God. As much as possible, live a life free of worry, casting off illusions, focusing more on yourself being the best version of yourself you can be and not overthinking things

My conversion experience was real and undeniable

I was not one of those who cried off a little emotion at the altar. I had a genuine life-changing, life-altering moment when I prayed that first prayer to be born again. I also had other moments of awakening and enlightenment in my life. My enlightening didn’t end at being born again. I remember at an all-time low in my life, there was this one night I will never forget. I was a single parent, the children were sleeping and I was in tears and weak and worn out and suddenly I felt as if I was out of my body looking down on myself lying on the floor in a fetal position crying my eyes out. I felt the presence of someone with me, like we were sitting on a wall looking down on this. He said, ‘That is not you. You are here with me.’ I knew it was Jesus and from that moment on I knew I did not have to be that person any longer. From that moment on I began to be stronger and more confident day by day. As I grew spiritually, I began to shake off all the religious chains and traditions that bound me in the legalistic religion I was raised in and allowed God to teach me, unafraid to question even the most dogmatic of teachings and traditions I was entrenched in. But when I reached that moment of true clarity and enlightenment, it was like Neo flexing his muscles in the Matrix and instead of him bending to it the Matrix bent to him. If you ever have a moment of clarity like I am talking about you will know it.

How I became Raven

There was also another significant time of enlightenment in my life. One day I was reading in 1 Kings 17 about how the ravens fed Elijah the prophet meat and bread when he was at his lowest and on the run from a queen named Jezebel. Then that voice spoke again, whom I now know as the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I want you to feed my people spiritual bread and meat.’ That was the day I became known as Raven..

I feel that I have become enlightened in many ways, for I am no longer bound or shape my belief system based on traditions or fear of people or religion. This enlightenment has carried over into my relationships with people and given me an empowerment and confidence that allows me to see through many of the schemes and manipulations of people and the supernatural. I am not saying ‘I have arrived’ as in I have obtained the highest place mentally, physically and spiritually that I can obtain. I believe life is a continual journey and I am thankful that the Holy Spirit and the Bible are guiding me and will guide me.

Now look at a passage of scripture with me in 2 Corinthians 3:10-18
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remains is glorious.
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remains the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament; which veil is done away in Christ.
15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Apostle Paul was the writer of this passage and he was talking to some Jews and Gentiles who followed and adhered to that which Moses taught and the 600 or so interpretations of the religious leaders of their day, the Pharisees. In the same chapter before these verses, he is trying to respect their beliefs and honor what Moses gave but then he also tries to get them to see that the law of Moses was never meant to be a permanent or ideal solution. He expounded to them in as plainly as he could (“we use great plainness of speech”). He reminds them of the account recorded in Exodus 34:29-35 when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments engraved on stone that his face shone so bright from being in God’s presence they had to put a veil over his face (talk about enlightenment!). He then brings it around and tells them that when Christ came to Earth in human form, he fulfilled the law of Moses and showed them the next step in their enlightenment, confirming Jesus’ very own words recorded in Matthew 5:17. He continues on and continues to use the example of the veil. Now, what does a veil do? It allows the wearer to see only partially and it blocks someone else from seeing the face of the person that is wearing it clearly. Think about a bridal veil. He tells them that as long as they stay stuck in Moses’ law and live according to the Pharisees’ interpretation, even fearing it, their view is obstructed from seeing the truth, like a person wearing a veil can only see partially. He says in verses 17-18 that the person who listens to the Lord (speaking of God/ the Holy Spirit/ Jesus) is like someone removing the veil off of their eyes and looking through a glass. You can see better through a glass window than you can a veil, can’t you? And what does this person see as he looks through this glass? They see the image of God and not only see it but “are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” This is the next step that must be taken by sincere seekers of truth! I respect and don’t doubt the enlightened experiences someone else who describes a life-changing experience they had, but I admonish them all, Don’t Stop There! Take your enlightenment to the next level. Your eyes have been opened for a reason, your veil has been removed, but now look into the glass that the Holy Spirit wishes to present to you and see that the path continues; it does not just stop at that ‘Ah-Hah’ enlightening moment. Whatever religion, experience, writing, or prophet God used to bring you to your awakening, don’t stop there; He has so much more. He wants to lead you into ALL truth. I say to all Christians who claim to be born again and go to church every service that is stuck in that one life-changing moment, as good as that was, it gets even better, don’t stop, continue! Paul describes it as God wanting to take you from “glory to glory”.  He wants to indwell you and partner with your spirit and lead you into all truth. James 1:18 and Romans 8:23 imply these are only the ‘first fruits’, in other words, just the beginning.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

One way God wants to take you to that next level and give you true enlightenment is by an experience we commonly call the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It is an empowering. The gift is not the Holy Spirit itself, you receive that when you are born again. This is a gift given to you by the Holy Spirit. I like to illustrate it like this: When you are born again it is like filling a glass with water, when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit it is like he takes that glass and immerses it in a bucket of water. He not only fills you but he immerses you in his Spirit!

The first mention of this gift is in Acts 2. The first thing most think about when this subject is brought up is speaking in tongues but it is so much more than this. (I go in detail on the subject of tongues in another blog. Read it when you get a chance if you haven’t read it yet. Just CLICK HERE.) Tongues is one manifestation of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues serves in several ways:

• A language of prayer, praise and often revelation (Romans 8:26-27)
• A sign to the unbeliever (1 Corinthians 14:22. Exemplified in Acts 2)
• A gift to reveal things to the church in tongues and interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:27-33)
• To edify yourself (1 Corinthians 14:4)

It is definitely a separate experience from being born again. I was born again on November 3, 1975. I wanted all that God had for me and as I prayed on November 5, 1975 I had a powerful experience that changed my life and empowered me in a way I had never experienced before. I cried and laughed like something was bubbling over in my soul. And yes, I spoke in tongues as spoken of in Isaiah 28:11-12 “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.” And as spoken of in Acts 2:16-17, Mark 16:17-18. It is for all people, as it is said in Acts 2:17-18, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.”

One thing I noticed more than tongues was how empowered I felt. When I read the Bible it spoke to me in a way I had not experienced before. My prayers were empowered with faith beyond my own and I empathized and felt the burden of the needs of others more. I had a desire to witness and tell others about Christ’s salvation.

So, can a Christian be enlightened?

I say an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’ And not only once but again and again and again. And when the world is against you, pray as the disciples prayed in Acts 4:29-3, “ And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” Pray for his fullness. Desire all God has for you. Let his might empower you (Zechariah 4:6). Be enlightened as only he can enlighten you.

Well, I hope this article was ‘enlightening’ to you and that you will share it with others. And please check out my many resources I offer. You may also ask a question or comment below. And be sure to sign up for notifications so you don’t miss a single article.