Video from THESSALONIAN31N
“Temet Nosce” (Know Yourself) “Know Yourself”- Reveals We Cannot
In the oft played Oracle scene from the Matrix Movie we find Neo talking to the Oracle herself. Above her door is the sign: “Temet Nosce” a Latin phrase meaning, “Know Yourself.” The problem is Neo did not know himself and the fact is neither do we. We often think we do or assume we do, yet life itself will teach us otherwise.
We think that if we can dig down deep into our inner selves, we can learn who we really are and then life will be better, or things will fall into place. This is the premise of many self-help New Age books and cults today. The reality will eventually show that we are not isolated creatures. We are a soul with a body. We are spirits within a physical body that continues after we die.
That soul that was brought into being by God is only fully understood by him and not even we can know ourselves. We are social by design, we are formed or not formed by the time in history God places us, our culture, the people around us, and many other factors.
We learn from other people, our models. That is the problem. In the Middle East right now there are 8-year-olds being taught to hate and kill Jews. They will know no different because of their model unless god in his grace intervenes somewhere along the line. Within this framework of self, we have the “Ego”.
Our ego wants to think that “I am who I am”, I am as smart as God. Our ego talks us into believing that we have achieved all these things all by ourselves with help from no one. I have pulled myself up by my own bootstraps and look at what I have accomplished! And so then why can’t others just pull themselves up by their bootstraps? Pride and arrogance lurk around every corner, and for most if not all of us our sinful nature will lead us into these sins at some point in our lives.
Your model can be someone close you love and admire, or your model can also be someone you hate, detest, and can eventually become your biggest rival or enemy. You and I can become the very thing we hate. People say I am just trying not to turn into my parents. Get it?
As Christians, we have a model in Jesus, who struggled and stood for justice and taught us to love our enemies as we love ourselves. Jesus says to all of us today “follow me.” Jesus invites us to follow him because he knows our hearts and we will follow someone. Our fallen sinful nature is what is if we don’t intentionally follow someone, we are surely going to unintentionally follow those that could lead us into more sin and evil.
Choose Christ!