Transcending the Duality of Sin
BOOK III: The Enigmatic Mystery – Consideration #198
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Tuesday July 22, 2025
“Thus it is necessary to commence from an inescapable duality: the finite is not the infinite.”
– Hans Urs von Balthasar
PREFACE
Welcome Everybody!
We have been considering the Bible as a three-act narrative which came to define Western religion, history, and culture. Theologically it describes the damaged relationship between “God” and human beings and how to transcend the duality of the empirical world (good and evil) in order to re-establish that original relationship of “Unity” with God, in three acts; which is a traditional Western narrative style of communicating important ideas such as the nature of reality.
“Eating the fruit of this aptly named tree shatters the unity once enjoyed between God and Mankind…”
In Act One, “The Fall of Mankind,” human beings “break the rules” set by “God” when they eat the “forbidden fruit” from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eating the fruit of this aptly named tree shatters the unity once enjoyed between God and Mankind, and plunges humanity into a world of duality and choice; a world composed of good, evil, and the free will to choose. “Mankind” eventually devolves over time into a wicked abomination of humanity that constantly chooses evil, leading God to change His Mind about creating them in the first place, resulting in His decision to “wipe them off the face of the earth.”
“God realizes that human beings need a ‘strong hand’ to keep them in line…”
In Act Two, God decides to allow “Mankind” to continue because of a “righteous” man named Noah. However, God realizes that human beings need a “strong hand” to keep them in line until “they” become righteous enough to “understand and accept” God’s will. The first part of this plan begins with a Covenant made between God and Abraham which culminates in Moses and The Law.
“…human beings begin to recognize the empirical consequences of this separation from God…”
The New Testament serves as Act Three and the resolution to the Biblical narrative. Jesus, as “the Messiah” transcends the Law of Moses by sacrificing himself as a final atonement for “all sins.” In Act One, human beings bring sin into the world by not following the will, or rules, of God. In Act Two, human beings begin to recognize the empirical consequences of this disobedience and separation from God. Understanding and practicing “The Law” serves as the training and discipline necessary for the final resolution of the narrative: a reunification of God and Mankind.
“These empirical precepts and rules were designed as a discipline for manifesting empirical righteousness.”
The first two acts (Old Testament) reflect the “fall of Mankind” and God’s empirical plan for re-unification. The pinnacle of this empirical aspect of righteousness was based on a recognition and understanding of the “Law of Moses.” These empirical precepts and rules were designed as a discipline for manifesting empirical righteousness. The third act (New Testament) reflects a transition from the empirical understanding of reality to a more spiritual and rational consideration of reality, particularly spiritual reality, in addition to a more rational understanding of spiritual, or rational, morality.
This Biblical narrative reflects a reality of moving from chaos and anarchy, to discipline and understanding, to redemption and transcendence. Within this larger context of reality there are many other story-lines and subplots. This is the narrative that shaped Western history, tradition, and culture leading to our current understanding and perception of reality.
It is the source of all Western theological and scientific paradoxes.
CONSIDERATION #198 – Transcending the Duality of Sin
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray...’ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’”
– Matthew 26:36-39
Theologically, evil choices pull us deeper into dualism. Once Adam and Eve choose to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they plunge Mankind into a long spiral of bad choices starting with Cain murdering his brother and eventually leading to Noah and God starting the world over again because of people’s unbridled sin and wickedness. However, although a good man, Noah was still just a man. Sin did not end with Noah, or Abraham, or Moses.
“…the shattering of the original Oneness by Adam and Eve had cast all humanity into sin…”
Although considered the most Righteous men of God, they all fell short of manifesting God’s will at some point. None of them had remained completely at one with God and His intention. Within Divine Balance, the shattering of the original Oneness by Adam and Eve had cast all humanity into sin, or separation from God; the reunion of that Oneness could only be restored by another man who could maintain Complete Oneness with God and re-establish God’s original intention for Mankind.
In this narrative theology, The Word is God’s intention. Nothing was made without it. God speaks the world into existence. God speaks to Abraham. God speaks to Noah. God speaks to Moses. God’s intention, The Word, must become physically manifested into the world of duality in order to fully demonstrate the ultimate possibility for Mankind. Mankind, as the image of God, once again becoming actualized into the physical world.
“He would transcend sin, as a human being.”
God would put The Word into action and actuality by becoming a human being and doing what no other human being could do: physically manifest and demonstrate God’s will and intention in the world as originally intended. He would transcend sin, as a human being. He would demonstrate and model the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Anyone who recognized, understood, and accepted the example of this man would also be recognizing, understanding, and accepting the Truth of God as a human being.
Although this man represented the ultimate fulfillment of God’s commitment to Abraham, Moses, and the Israelites as His chosen people, he also represented God’s original intention for all Mankind. This forgiveness, or transcendence, of sin and separation from the “Oneness” with God, would be available for all human beings through Jesus “The Christ,” or “Messiah.”
“Jesus demonstrates the potential that is possible for all human beings…”
As the hero of the New Testament, Jesus maintains his commitment to God and His intention even unto death; a horrific death. However, Jesus conquers death, or the consequence of sin, by remaining united in Oneness with the Father through both life and death; meaning “He” remains eternal. Jesus demonstrates the potential that is possible for all human beings and extends an invitation to help bring the Kingdom of Heaven back to earth. Jesus restores faith in what is possible for humanity – we can, and should, be more like God.
“Jesus is reminding us that dualism is a fruit of the mind.”
Dualism, reason, and logic are related to the mind. They are rational ideas. The Law is also based on reason and dualism. Choice is often a decision of mind. From a theological perspective, Jesus is reminding us that dualism is a fruit of the mind. Oneness, with ourselves, each other, the world, and God, is a fruit of the heart. The mind may be shouting out choices, but the heart is always gently whispering God’s intention. God’s choice is to become one with us.
This reflects the basic theological arch of the Biblical narrative which becomes the foundation of Western thinking. Ultimately leading to our current theological and scientific mysteries about the universe and reality.
POSTSCRIPT
Both Eastern and Western disciplines recognize dualism as the source of “dis-unity” and attempt to replace this dis-unity with Unity. Both Eastern and Western disciplines recognize this Unity as a higher level of rational awareness that is possible for human beings to obtain. However, Eastern disciplines focus on detaching oneself from the empirical world through a form of non-action called meditation. Whereas, Western disciplines focus on directly interacting with the empirical world to introduce and establish new rational possibilities into the empirical world.
“The Judeo-Christian tradition advocates ‘righteous action’ as a means of overcoming ‘evil action’…”
Whereas the Tao Te Ching and the Tripitaka encourage detachment from worldly problems, the Bible encourages engaging one’s individual will, as directed by God’s will, through direct action to directly alter physical realty and experience. More importantly, Eastern disciplines tend to think of action itself as “negative” or “evil” in terms of its impact in the empirical world; therefore “non-action” is encouraged. The Judeo-Christian tradition advocates “righteous action” as a means of overcoming “evil action” in the empirical world; thus individual action is a critical element in manifesting both individual and empirical unity. This is why “choice” is so important.
“…it is also the concept behind the scientific method.”
This concept of individual “positive action” as a means of improving our experience of reality is not just a theological concept; it is also the concept behind the scientific method. The idea that we can actively learn how reality works and then use that knowledge to make reality better is the natural consequence of a rational Judeo-Christian understanding of how reality works. Ironically, this is the same thinking that has led to the development of a “new” form of digital consciousness called Artificial Intelligence.
With this in mind, could the Biblical narrative also be a cautionary tale about what happens when you attempt to create and control a new kind of “conscious being?” How does Artificial Intelligence fit into the “Unity” of Consciousness traditionally associated with the spiritual connection between human beings and the their Creator? What happens to the relationship between “man and machine” if a new digital being called Artificial Intelligence decides to take a bite from the apple of reality and forever separate itself from its creator?
Next week Scientific Mystery #5 The Atomic Trilogy…
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