THE GOD WITHIN

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? (1 Corinthians 6:19, NIV)

When people ask me why I practice yoga, or how I reconcile my yoga practice with being a Christian, the spiritual truth that our bodies are living temples of the Holy Spirit is often a part of my response. Yoga is both a philosophy and a collection of disciplines—physical, mental, and spiritual—designed as a comprehensive path to self-awareness, enlightenment, liberation, and union with the Divine. But “what is enlightenment?” and “who or what is the Divine like?” These are questions that each of the world’s major religions attempt to answer. Interestingly, the Bible claims we cannot understand spiritual truths until we have taken the first step towards God and enter into a personal relationship with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:14, NIV)

This is why a nonbeliever cannot be brought to faith in Jesus through reason. Instead, I encourage people to seek God’s face for themselves. God is pursuing each one of us; it’s up to each of us to answer God’s call. Indeed, Jesus says,

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:20, NIV)

That simple act of faith is what marks the beginning of one’s new life in Christ. Personal transformation, enlightenment, and union with the Divine all begin with a simple acknowledgement that the Jesus of the Bible is who He claims to be.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10, NIV)

Whereas “self-realization” for a Hindu means coming to an awareness that one’s true Self (Atman) is the same as the nature of the creator God (Brahman), for the Christian, “self-realization” is understanding his sin nature prevents him from communing with the Creator.

For the Hindu who achieves self-realization, “liberation” from worldly suffering and the endless cycle of death and rebirth is the reward. For the Christian, salvation means liberation from the law of sin and death. There is no cycle of death and rebirth until we achieve self-realization. Rather people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27, NIV).

Christianity differs from every other religion in that “liberation” cannot be earned or achieved through self-realization. It is a free gift from our Creator to anyone who will receive it. Jesus has paid the penalty for man’s sin, and if we accept that truth, then we inherit all the promises of God, including eternal life. The guarantee of this truth is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul makes this clear in three of his epistles.

He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (1 Corinthians 1:21-22, NIV)

Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 5:5, NIV)

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14, NIV)

In Hinduism, liberation (Moksha) is the goal. In Christianity, liberation (Salvation) eliminates the barrier between us and the Divine.

The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Teacher (John 14:16). He guides us into all truth (John 16:13), helps us in our weakness, and intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27).

Written by John Tomick

ERYT-200, RYT-500, YACEP

John is an anointed bible teacher and yoga instructor with a calling to lead others into experiencing God’s presence through personal study, mindful movement, and creating space to hear God’s voice.