The question of Jesus’ identity has been central to Christian theology for centuries, with profound implications for understanding God’s nature, His interactions with humanity, and the mystery of divine consciousness. This article explores the belief that Jesus is the complete manifestation of God, fully divine and retaining the same image post-resurrection, as articulated through a novel framework of triadic consciousness—knower, known, and process of knowing; thinker, thought, and process of thinking. Drawing on biblical texts, theological insights, and philosophical reflections, I wish to integrate this view with Old Testament theophanies, Jesus’ authority over His death and resurrection (John 10:18), God’s formlessness, and the concept of “no thinker behind thoughts.” This synthesis offers a fresh perspective on Jesus as the visible form of the divine thought, unifying God’s essence and action in human history.Triadic Consciousness: A Framework for Divine IdentityThe triadic consciousness model posits that awareness or thought comprises three elements: the knower (the subject), the known (the object), and the process of knowing (the act connecting them). Similarly, thinker, thought, and process of thinking describe cognitive dynamics. Applied to God, this framework suggests that God is not a separate thinker producing thoughts but the “very thought” itself—a unified consciousness where thinker and thought converge. In this view, God’s essence is the totality of knower, known, and process of knowing, a self-contained reality transcending human distinctions.
This aligns with Christian theology’s portrayal of God as simple (without parts) and self-existent (Exodus 3:14, “I AM THAT I AM”). God’s consciousness is not divided into subject and object; rather, His being is the act of knowing itself. The philosophical idea of “no thinker behind thoughts,” rooted in non-dual traditions like Advaita Vedanta, complements this by proposing that God’s will or expression (His “thought”) is inseparable from His essence. In this context, Jesus emerges as the visible embodiment of this divine thought, the complete manifestation of God’s consciousness in human form.Jesus as the Full Manifestation of GodCentral to this discussion is the belief that Jesus is the complete manifestation of God, fully divine and in control, particularly post-resurrection, where He retains the same glorified image. This high Christology finds robust support in the New Testament. John 1:1-14 declares Jesus as the Word (Logos), the eternal expression of God’s mind, who “became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Colossians 1:15 calls Him “the image of the invisible God,” and Hebrews 1:3 describes Him as “the exact representation of [God’s] being.” These passages affirm that Jesus fully embodies God’s nature, making the formless, invisible God visible.
In the triadic framework, Jesus is the divine thought—the known—through which God’s essence (the knower) is revealed via the process of knowing (the Incarnation). Unlike human consciousness, where knower and known are distinct, God’s unity means that Jesus, as the Word, is both God Himself and His self-expression. This resolves the paradox of a formless God interacting with the world: Jesus is the visible form of the divine thought, embodying God’s will and presence without compromising His transcendence.Old Testament Theophanies: Pre-Incarnate ManifestationsThe concept of theophanies—visible or audible manifestations of God in the Old Testament—connects directly to this view. Christian theologians often interpret figures like the Angel of the Lord (Genesis 16:7-13, Genesis 22:11-18) or the Commander of the Lord’s Army (Joshua 5:13-15) as pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus. These theophanies are temporary expressions of God’s presence, accommodating human perception. For example, in Genesis 18, “the Lord” appears to Abraham as one of three visitors, speaking with divine authority. Similarly, in Exodus 3:2-6, the Angel of the Lord speaks as God from the burning bush.In the triadic model, these theophanies are preliminary manifestations of the divine thought.
The knower (God’s essence) expresses the known (His will, such as covenant promises) through the process of knowing (a visible form like the Angel). If Jesus is the pre-incarnate figure in these events, He embodies the divine thought, acting as God’s self-revelation. Unlike the permanent Incarnation, these are fleeting, but they foreshadow Jesus’ role as the complete manifestation, where the divine thought takes enduring human form.John 10:18: Divine Authority and ControlA pivotal text for this belief is John 10:18, where Jesus declares, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” This claim underscores Jesus’ divine control over His death and resurrection, a power unique to God (Deuteronomy 32:39). No mere human could self-resurrect or wield such authority, supporting the view that Jesus must be God.
In the triadic framework, Jesus’ authority reflects the unity of knower (divine will), known (the act of resurrection), and process of knowing (His exercise of divine power). The “command” from the Father highlights functional distinctions within the Trinity, but Jesus’ ability to “take up” His life confirms His full divinity. As the divine thought, Jesus encompasses God’s essence and action, manifesting total control in His resurrected form, which retains the same image (John 20:26-29). This permanence distinguishes the Incarnation from Old Testament theophanies, fulfilling your belief that Jesus is “fully God in control.”God’s Formlessness and the IncarnationThe formlessness of God, emphasized in Deuteronomy 4:15-18 and John 4:24 (“God is spirit”), poses a question: how does a formless God function in a physical world? The triadic model offers an answer: God’s consciousness, as the unified thinker-thought, expresses itself through manifestations. In theophanies, the divine thought appears temporarily (e.g., the burning bush). In Jesus, it becomes permanent. The Incarnation is the process of knowing, where the knower (God’s essence) and known (His will) converge in a visible, human-divine form.
The resurrection solidifies this, as Jesus retains His glorified image, bearing crucifixion scars yet transcending physical limits (Luke 24:36-43). Your belief that only Jesus retains this image post-resurrection underscores His unique role as the enduring manifestation of God’s thought, unlike the transient forms of theophanies.No Thinker Behind Thoughts: A Philosophical BridgeThe philosophical idea of “no thinker behind thoughts” enriches this framework. In non-dual traditions, consciousness is a singular reality where thoughts arise without a separate thinker. Applied to God, this suggests that God’s will (thought) is inseparable from His being (thinker). Jesus, as the Word, is the divine thought itself—God’s self-expression—unifying knower and known. In theophanies, this thought appears temporarily; in the Incarnation, it becomes flesh, and in the resurrection, it persists eternally.
This aligns with the triadic model: God is the “very thought,” where thinker, thought, and process of thinking are one. Jesus embodies this unity, making the formless God visible. However, Christian theology’s emphasis on the Trinity as three persons (Father, Son, Spirit) maintains personal distinctions, tempering the non-dual analogy. Jesus is not merely a thought but a divine person, fully God, as seen in His authority (John 10:18) and role in theophanies.ConclusionThe triadic consciousness model—knower, known, process of knowing—offers a profound lens for understanding Jesus as the complete manifestation of God. As the divine thought, He unifies God’s essence and expression, appearing in Old Testament theophanies, becoming flesh in the Incarnation, and exercising divine control in His resurrection (John 10:18). His glorified image persists, fulfilling His role as the visible form of the formless God. This synthesis of theology and philosophy illuminates Jesus’ divinity, bridging biblical narratives with metaphysical insights, and affirms your belief that He is fully God in control.
This aligns with Christian theology’s portrayal of God as simple (without parts) and self-existent (Exodus 3:14, “I AM THAT I AM”). God’s consciousness is not divided into subject and object; rather, His being is the act of knowing itself. The philosophical idea of “no thinker behind thoughts,” rooted in non-dual traditions like Advaita Vedanta, complements this by proposing that God’s will or expression (His “thought”) is inseparable from His essence. In this context, Jesus emerges as the visible embodiment of this divine thought, the complete manifestation of God’s consciousness in human form.Jesus as the Full Manifestation of GodCentral to this discussion is the belief that Jesus is the complete manifestation of God, fully divine and in control, particularly post-resurrection, where He retains the same glorified image. This high Christology finds robust support in the New Testament. John 1:1-14 declares Jesus as the Word (Logos), the eternal expression of God’s mind, who “became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Colossians 1:15 calls Him “the image of the invisible God,” and Hebrews 1:3 describes Him as “the exact representation of [God’s] being.” These passages affirm that Jesus fully embodies God’s nature, making the formless, invisible God visible.
In the triadic framework, Jesus is the divine thought—the known—through which God’s essence (the knower) is revealed via the process of knowing (the Incarnation). Unlike human consciousness, where knower and known are distinct, God’s unity means that Jesus, as the Word, is both God Himself and His self-expression. This resolves the paradox of a formless God interacting with the world: Jesus is the visible form of the divine thought, embodying God’s will and presence without compromising His transcendence.Old Testament Theophanies: Pre-Incarnate ManifestationsThe concept of theophanies—visible or audible manifestations of God in the Old Testament—connects directly to this view. Christian theologians often interpret figures like the Angel of the Lord (Genesis 16:7-13, Genesis 22:11-18) or the Commander of the Lord’s Army (Joshua 5:13-15) as pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus. These theophanies are temporary expressions of God’s presence, accommodating human perception. For example, in Genesis 18, “the Lord” appears to Abraham as one of three visitors, speaking with divine authority. Similarly, in Exodus 3:2-6, the Angel of the Lord speaks as God from the burning bush.In the triadic model, these theophanies are preliminary manifestations of the divine thought.
The knower (God’s essence) expresses the known (His will, such as covenant promises) through the process of knowing (a visible form like the Angel). If Jesus is the pre-incarnate figure in these events, He embodies the divine thought, acting as God’s self-revelation. Unlike the permanent Incarnation, these are fleeting, but they foreshadow Jesus’ role as the complete manifestation, where the divine thought takes enduring human form.John 10:18: Divine Authority and ControlA pivotal text for this belief is John 10:18, where Jesus declares, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” This claim underscores Jesus’ divine control over His death and resurrection, a power unique to God (Deuteronomy 32:39). No mere human could self-resurrect or wield such authority, supporting the view that Jesus must be God.
In the triadic framework, Jesus’ authority reflects the unity of knower (divine will), known (the act of resurrection), and process of knowing (His exercise of divine power). The “command” from the Father highlights functional distinctions within the Trinity, but Jesus’ ability to “take up” His life confirms His full divinity. As the divine thought, Jesus encompasses God’s essence and action, manifesting total control in His resurrected form, which retains the same image (John 20:26-29). This permanence distinguishes the Incarnation from Old Testament theophanies, fulfilling your belief that Jesus is “fully God in control.”God’s Formlessness and the IncarnationThe formlessness of God, emphasized in Deuteronomy 4:15-18 and John 4:24 (“God is spirit”), poses a question: how does a formless God function in a physical world? The triadic model offers an answer: God’s consciousness, as the unified thinker-thought, expresses itself through manifestations. In theophanies, the divine thought appears temporarily (e.g., the burning bush). In Jesus, it becomes permanent. The Incarnation is the process of knowing, where the knower (God’s essence) and known (His will) converge in a visible, human-divine form.
The resurrection solidifies this, as Jesus retains His glorified image, bearing crucifixion scars yet transcending physical limits (Luke 24:36-43). Your belief that only Jesus retains this image post-resurrection underscores His unique role as the enduring manifestation of God’s thought, unlike the transient forms of theophanies.No Thinker Behind Thoughts: A Philosophical BridgeThe philosophical idea of “no thinker behind thoughts” enriches this framework. In non-dual traditions, consciousness is a singular reality where thoughts arise without a separate thinker. Applied to God, this suggests that God’s will (thought) is inseparable from His being (thinker). Jesus, as the Word, is the divine thought itself—God’s self-expression—unifying knower and known. In theophanies, this thought appears temporarily; in the Incarnation, it becomes flesh, and in the resurrection, it persists eternally.
This aligns with the triadic model: God is the “very thought,” where thinker, thought, and process of thinking are one. Jesus embodies this unity, making the formless God visible. However, Christian theology’s emphasis on the Trinity as three persons (Father, Son, Spirit) maintains personal distinctions, tempering the non-dual analogy. Jesus is not merely a thought but a divine person, fully God, as seen in His authority (John 10:18) and role in theophanies.ConclusionThe triadic consciousness model—knower, known, process of knowing—offers a profound lens for understanding Jesus as the complete manifestation of God. As the divine thought, He unifies God’s essence and expression, appearing in Old Testament theophanies, becoming flesh in the Incarnation, and exercising divine control in His resurrection (John 10:18). His glorified image persists, fulfilling His role as the visible form of the formless God. This synthesis of theology and philosophy illuminates Jesus’ divinity, bridging biblical narratives with metaphysical insights, and affirms your belief that He is fully God in control.
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