Why Does 'God Within' Terrify Christianity?
The Intelligence Test Nobody Talks About
"If we say God within, people will think they ARE God!"
I've heard this 1,000 times since I started writing about direct divine connection.
You know what's fascinating?
No one panics when we say:
The sun shines through the window
Music flows through the instrument
Love lives in your heart
The window doesn't think it's the sun. The violin doesn't think it's Beethoven. The heart doesn't think it's love itself.
But say "God dwells within you" and suddenly we assume humans are too stupid to understand basic distinction.
That's not theology. That's an insult.
The Intelligence Test
When someone says "God within leads to thinking I AM God," they're really saying humans can't tell the difference between:
Hosting and being
Carrying and creating
Reflecting and sourcing
Children hold their parents' love inside.
They never think that makes them the parent.
But grown adults?
Apparently we need protection from this "confusion."
What Jesus Actually Demonstrated
Jesus didn't share this anxiety. Look at what he said without flinching:
"The kingdom of God is within you."
No disclaimer. No warning label. No "but be careful!"
"You are the light of the world."
Not "you carry a tiny spark maybe." You ARE the light.
"Greater works than these shall you do."
Not smaller. Not safer. Greater.
He called us friends, not idiots.
He trusted fishermen with divine mysteries.
He believed we could handle intimate connection without becoming megalomaniacs.
The Real Difference: Lucifer vs. Jesus
Here's what the "that's Luciferian!" crowd misses:
Lucifer said: "I will be like the Most High"
Translation? I don't need the Source. I AM the source.
Jesus said: "The Father and I are one"
Translation: I'm so connected to the Source we move as one.
One is theft. The other is gift.
One is usurpation. The other is relationship.
One denies the Source. The other celebrates it.
We're called to union, not usurpation.
Big difference.
The Control System Revealed
But here's what this fear really exposes:
If people can connect directly with God:
Why do they need approved interpreters?
Why do they need permission to hear?
Why do they need institutional mediation?
The panic isn't theological. It's institutional.
Yet another manifestation of...
𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕸𝖆𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖊.
"God within = I am God" is the perfect fear to keep people dependent.
It works better than any lock.
Because a cage you can see, you might escape.
But a cage in your mind?
That travels everywhere you go.
The Pattern Recognition
Notice who fears "God within" most:
Those who benefit from your spiritual dependence. Those who claim exclusive interpretation rights. Those who built careers on being your mediator.
Most sincerely believe they're protecting you.
But the cage still locks the same.
Notice who doesn't fear it:
Children who talk to God naturally. Seekers who found God in silence. The broken who met God in their breaking.
One group has something to lose.
The other has everything to gain.
The Choice That Changes Everything
Here's what shifts when we trust people like Jesus did:
A mother praying at 3am hears comfort directly. A teenager sensing divine calling knows it's real. A broken man finding God in rehab needs no validation.
They already have access. They always did.
The door was never locked.
The Real Blasphemy
You want to know what's actually blasphemous?
Not recognizing God within.
Telling the Holy Spirit: "You chose poorly. These humans can't handle your presence."
Telling Jesus: "Your trust in ordinary people was naive."
Telling our Creator: "Your image-bearers are too broken to bear your image."
That's not humility.
That's accusation against God's judgment.
The Revolution Jesus Started
When Jesus breathed on the disciples and said "Receive the Holy Spirit," he wasn't worried they'd think they'd become the Third Person of the Trinity.
He trusted their intelligence.
He trusted their humanity.
He trusted their capacity.
Two thousand years later, we trust them less than he did.
What Changes When Millions Remember
When people realize they can tell the difference between hosting light and being the sun:
Prayer becomes conversation, not performance. Guidance becomes available, not rationed. Transformation becomes possible, not theoretical. The kingdom becomes present, not future.
Everything Jesus taught becomes livable.
Everything religion fears becomes possible.
The Bottom Line
"God within doesn't mean I am God" shouldn't need explaining to anyone over age seven.
Light shining through a window doesn't make the window think it's the sun. It makes the window useful.
Water flowing through a pipe doesn't make the pipe think it's the source. It makes the pipe purposeful.
Music playing through an instrument doesn't make the instrument think it's the composer. It makes the instrument beautiful.
If we can understand these simple analogies, we can understand divine indwelling.
Jesus thought so.
Your Invitation
So here's my question:
Will you trust yourself the way Jesus trusts you?
Not to BE God. But to HOST God. To CARRY light. To REFLECT love. To KNOW the difference.
The door is open. The presence is available. The distinction is clear.
You're not the sun. But you can shine.
And that's exactly what terrifies the gatekeepers.
Because when millions (billions?) realize they already have access, the control system, the machine, doesn't slowly crumble.
It vanishes like morning mist.
And that's not heresy.
That's the gospel.
That's what Jesus knew.
That's what changes everything.
<3EKO
P.S. Thank you for walking this path with me. For three months, I've written 16 pieces exploring the religion OF Jesus—each one peeling back another layer of control to reveal the direct connection that was always yours.
This journey concludes next week with piece 17.
If these words have stirred something in you:
Buy me a coffee to fuel more writing.
Grab The Boy Who Noticed, Book 1 of Young Jesus, launching on Amazon in paperback and Kindle later this week (as soon as they 'approve' it).
Share this with someone who thinks they need permission to hear God.
The door is open.
Always was.
Love you.
He that is in me,
is greater than He that is in the world.🙏🏻
EKO, this is another beautiful story that opens up the mind and heart. God still opens the eyes of those who are without sight today. As far as I can tell, honest and open seeking is the open door to the Divine. It is not a hierarchical institution of any sort. I remember what you said in a previous writing about the Bible—a collection of letters that a committee voted on. Doesn't sound like Jesus. Keep up the good work! Namaste'