Oneness – Described Simply & Succinctly

I don’t know much about Jeanne Guyon (who I am assuming is the same as “Madam Guyon”) but I ran across this writing by her and thought it very good!  In all the confusion of talk about “oneness with God,” an inspired metaphor from nature can speak louder than whole books on the subject.  Simply put, our oneness with God does not diminish the existence or uniqueness of either us, or God.   Unfortunately this is the direction that some people take, who in their woundedness and fear of intimacy, forget that oneness is an outcome of a relationship, and an ongoing relationship at that.

Anyway, I think Guyon nails it with this one…
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rsz_water_and_wine“On a human level, God gives man the desire to be fully united with a spouse in marriage; but that union is never totally complete because the two can never totally merge into one.  This is like trying to melt two very different kinds of metals together.  They can never be totally united because of their different properties.  The more alike the two metals are, the more readily they mix.  On the other hand, if you mix two glasses of water together, they immediately become so fully mixed that you cannot separate them.

Your spirit is perfectly made to be united and transformed into God.  You truly are made to be married to Him.  There may be an initial union with God without this deeper merging of your spirit with His.  But this deep exchange is the kind of union with God that I am discussing.  Your spirit can be united to God in this way because that is what it is made for.  Paul called this “being changed into the same image” (2 Cor. 3:18).  Jesus called it “oneness” (John 17:11, 21-22).

Deep union with God takes place only when you surrender your self-nature to exist only in God.  There is a deep fellowship where you stop preserving the self, and lovingly and perfectly sink into God.  Certainly this does not mean that you lose your own personality and become God.

If you allow a drop of water to fall into a cup of wine, the water loses its own form and character.  The water is apparently changed into wine; however, the water will always remain distinct in some way.”

From “Song of Songs” by Jeanne Guyon

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Permanent link to this article: https://intimatekingdom.com/merging-oneness/

2 comments

    • Samuel Hansen on 12/10/2019 at 12:32 pm
    • Reply

    Awesome post Pamela. ❤️
    Madam Guyon and Jeanne Guyon are one and the same. Her description of oneness is simply the truth, we were created to be one with Him. That can happen only when His Spirit is united with our spirit. It cannot happen in our human flesh because our flesh is corrupt.
    From a human perspective when two people fall in love and they marry, it is said that the two become one. Yet they remain distinct individuals. As their love and intimacy grows their is the one flesh Union that occurs. This happens for procreation and to satisfy the desires of the flesh but they are still distinct.
    The longer they are together the more they learn of each other’s faults, needs, dreams, etc. They learn to love one another, serve one another, honor one another, to be forgiving to one another, to be kind and tender hearted to one another, comfort one another, bear one another’s burdens, and etc. This makes them more united as soulmates than they were when they first fell in love. They began to think alike, speak alike, act alike and some say even begin to look alike as they grow old together. This helps these two souls live happily no matter the circumstances, raise their children in a godly manner, live a life pleasing to God and possibly drawing others into a relationship with the Lord. But they are still two distinct people and different personalities even though their souls are being united.
    Only in their spirits do they become closer to the oneness described by Madam Guyon. As the individuals in the marriage relationship yield to the Lord and the working of the Holy Spirit, they become closer in oneness than they could in their body (flesh) or soul. The more they yield the more they are transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus. Their desires, thoughts, words and actions become more like His. Their minds are renewed; they are set free from hindrances that keep them from a deeper love relationship with Him (thus drawing them into a deeper relationship in their body and soul with each other); and they reflect Him, His glory, and His Kingdom. This unity in the spirit will never be completed until they are with the Lord but it will serve to bring others into the Kingdom and prepare them to be part of the Bride of Christ.
    Just one more thought. Madam Guyon mentioned that when a drop of wine falls into a cup of wine it does lose its form and character. But so does the wine. Both are diluted. This is a confirmation that we will never be fully united with the Lord until we are with Him. It, at least in my opinion, serves as a warning to us to be careful, as we are being transformed that we are careful to be obedient so we don’t dilute the image of the character being formed in us. Also, I’m reminded of the scripture (and maybe completely out of context) where Jesus turned the water into wine, that because of the obedience of the servants, it became the best wine.

    1. There’s lots of good thoughts there, Uncle Sam, to explore. Thank you so much! A couple things that stood out, is what you said, “only in their spirits (a married couple, as you were saying in context) do they become closer to the oneness described by Madam Guyon.” I agree with this very much. In the flesh, we just can’t manage it, try as we may. ;-) It’s only a picture and shadow, of oneness. Sex is not the reality, and it’s a temporary, earthly activity only. (i.e. Ephesians 5:32, Matthew 22:30)

      Spiritual union, however, ahhh…that’s the real point of it all. :-) And because it’s a union into Christ, and also into the Godhead itself, it is so much bigger than a spiritual union that a married couple may enjoy. (in fact not all couples are spiritually united, so fortunately it is bigger than marriage.) In other words, I believe, (and have personally experienced this truth) that beyond the divisions of married/single, male/female, or even young/old, God has certain people He wants to give to us as gifts, to taste and experience spiritual oneness with. Some to a lesser or greater degree than others, because the flesh is still a part of our lives, but amazingly it is a reality that is available on this side of heaven, if we believe it. :-)

      Of course it’s all a subject we probably can’t plumb the depths of right now, but I do hope we can talk about it together more soon, and other things in your comment, too. ❤︎

      P.S. This article is one that is up on the site, but it’s never been emailed to the list. When I share it, I think we may see some more chiming in at that time.

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