2 Corinthians 5: 14-18, A New Order

2 Corinthians 5: 14-18, A New Order
Vs. 15,17, “His purpose in dying for all was that men, while still in life, should cease to live for themselves, and should live for him who for their sake died and was raised to life….When anyone is united to Christ, there is a new world; the old order has gone, and a new order has already begun.”

In Jungian analytical psychology, Christ is a symbol of the Self. The Self is the organizing principle of psyche (soul) that Jung defined as “a part of God that God put in us so that we will know there is a God”. The Self encompasses the whole of our psyche/soul, what is known and what is unknown. The self, with a small “s”, refers to our conscious sense of who we are. The terms ego and self are sometimes used interchangeably.

Our ego or self is the psychic structure that mediates between our larger Self and the outside world. We need an ego in order to be healthy. Unfortunately, the phrase “should cease to live for themselves” has been misused to promote self denial that destroys the bridge between the Self/God Within and other people and the environment. We have been taught to dismiss or demonize our experiential, embodied self. We may experience pockets of self-hatred, self-contempt, or self-destruction that handicap our ability to live the larger reality of the Self manifesting in our ego/body. The conduit (ego/self) through which the Self flows is not strong enough to contain and channel the energies that want to take shape in the world.

We can also get caught in a limited and self-absorbed sense of who we are. Our ego/self may think and make choices as if it is the whole of our psyche/soul. We may act as if our momentary sense of who we are is all we are. We can have an arrogance and pride that forgets the Self/God Within. Perhaps, this is the state to which the phrase “should cease to live for themselves” is referring.

The Self/God Within makes a sacrifice of its wholeness and fullness each time it becomes limited in a particular form. The form may be an attitude, a belief, an emotion, a feeling, a passion, an intuition, or a behavior. The one attitude, belief, etc. expresses a ray of the whole; but it is not the Absolute. Our ego is like a ray of the Self. It is an expression of the wholeness we are that is limited in time and space with a particular focus, purpose, set of experiences, etc. Each time we join with the energies of the Self/God Within, “there is a new world”. Something changes within us and ultimately around us “as the old order has gone, and a new order has already begun.”

Unknown aspects of the Self usually make themselves known through inner stirrings. Our body sensations, intuitions, emotions, passions, fleeting fantasies, and dreams are the messengers of the Self. We often dismiss inner stirrings when they are not congruent with our ideal sense of self. The ego/self tends to feel inconvenienced or threatened or overwhelmed by what appears unbidden. To individuate, meaning to live in conscious relationship and alignment with the Self/God Within, our egos must cease to live as if self-sufficient and cultivate Self-sufficiency. The shift from reliance on one’s known self to the larger whole of Self occurs only through conscious choice and effort.

I invite you to consider the state of your ego/self in relationship to the Self/God Within. Where do you act as if your known, momentary sense of self is all you are? Where are you aware of the larger Self? How and where is your Inner Divine Spirit stirring? Ask the Inner Divine Spirit to show you the next step in being “united to Christ (the Self)” and experiencing the new order within.