Reproclaiming the Everlasting Gospel
Experience the life and power of God within yourselves
Epistle LXVIII.
Friends,—Know the life and power of God in yourselves, and one in another, and to that power be obedient, to thresh down all deceit within and without you in wisdom, and in that dwell which comprehends the world; and know the rest, which is for the people of God, which he that believeth hath entered into. So know the life that stands in God; and all know the power of God, for that power shall never be shaken nor change, but will shake down all that must be shaken and will change. So in that the Lord God Almighty preserve you, which giveth you to see, where there is no changing nor shadow.
G. F.
We had a very fruitful discussion regarding this short epistle from George Fox. Some key points from our discussion:
"Know" equals experience. So Fox is saying "Experience the life and power of God...experience that life and power of God to thresh down all deceit witin and without...experience the rest...experience the life that stands in God...experience the power of God." How are you going to experience this? We encounter the life and power of God in the true light that enlightens every person born into the world. We experience the working of that life and power by yielding to the reproofs and promptings of the light within us.
Your thoughts?
Views: 185
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Comment by Jim R Brown on 6thMo. 24, 2023 at 7:56
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For me, 'know' also connotes 'be conscious of' - a word that does not appear in the Bible, of course, and probably not in Fox (?). The sense of being conscious of is also suggested by the word 'comprehend' - so 'be conscious of the life and power of God in yourselves..in that dwell which is conscious of the world..'
I might also think of knowing/experiencing as 'enjoying' - 'enjoy the life that stands in God..enjoy the rest..'
I get the sense of the life and the power as the light which reveals everything, but also exposes the lies, spots, disfigurement in myself and in others. At the same time there is no sense that the lies will prevail. It puts me in mind of 1 Jn 3:8: '..the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.'
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Comment by Ellis Hein on 6thMo. 27, 2023 at 2:21
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The only place I could find where Fox used the term "conscous of" was in a letter to a justice written while he was in prison. You can see this on page 274 of Vol. 1
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Are making a distinction between "experience the life and power..." and "be conscious of the life and power...?" Can I experience without being conscious of or be conscious of without experiencing? I don't think so. I hope you will elaborate.
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Thanks for the reference. No, I'm not making the distinction you mention, merely reflecting on what connotations Fox's use of 'know' had for me.
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Comment by Elise Hansard on 9thMo. 9, 2023 at 13:11
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George Fox invites us know the life and power of God in ourselves and in one another. This power thrashes down all deceit. Are we willing to open ourselves to this thrashing? This is not a gentle breeze but instead it is a refiners fire. The first disciples, who knew Jesus present right in front of them, said ”Yes, we are able”, not knowing what they said. We are invited to be open to this power that shows us the deceit within ourselves, and to be obedient to that power. Let us be sink down and give over and be still.
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