Christology in Indian Traditional Approach
Jesus as Sat-Guru
A Sat guru is a soul who is fully Self Realized, living in Oneness
with the God/The Absolute. They have
reached the pinnacle of spiritual realization and thus are capable of directly
transmitting that state to others through grace. Their goal is to assist others
to realize that they too are divine beings. Jesus became a fully enlightened,
God- and Self-realized being, who achieved the highest possible states of
spiritual realization as demonstrated by the resurrection and the ascension. He
achieved all that is possible on the spiritual journey and has become a
wayshower and icon of possibility. As a
Christ, he is here to function as a “sat guru” and more; a source of guidance,
profound spiritual blessing-grace, and a transformative awakening power that is
unparalleled.
Brahmabandhav
Upadhyaya (1861-1907) considered
Christ as the fulfillment of the Hindu ideal of a sinless guru. Jesus only and
greatest purpose is to help us to awaken to the same a level of realization
that he achieved. This is evidenced by his proclamation that “Greater works
than these shall ye do.” This is what
the Second Coming is all about. As awakening souls, we are central to that, as
we more fully embody the living Christ Presence that emanates from Jesus and
all fully-realized beings.
Raja
Ram Mohan Roy considered
Christ as a great teacher and a messenger of God. Roy said ‘Jesus is a guru who has the
pinnacle of spiritual realization and thus are capable of directly transmitting
that state to others through grace.’
Christ as Adi-Purusha
P. Chenchiah (1886-1959) was
the proponent of Christ as Adi-Purusha (The New Creation). For Chenchiah the
central fact of Christianity is the direct experience of Christ. He firmly
affirms the historicity and humanity of Christ. For him Christ is a historical
person. He is the true man (sic) – the ideal of what human should be.
The
fact of Christ is the birth of a new order in creation. Through Christ, we have
the emergence of a new life- not bound by Karma; of man (sic), not tainted by
sin, not humbled by death; of man (sic) triumphant, glorious, partaking the
immortal nature of God; of a new race in creation-sons (sic) of God.
The
humanity of Christ is permanent. Christ is not an avatara who comes for a
limited period of time. But he is here in the world as human, rather than as
the second person of Trinity. Chenchiah rejects the classical doctrine of
incarnation. Jesus is not God the absolute, but He is God standing in relation
to human. Jesus is God man (sic) and not that hyphenated God-man (sic). Hence
he fully rejects the Chalcedonian definitions the Christ is ‘fully God and
fully man.’ Christ is a new emergence or mutation.
Jesus is not God or man, he is not God-man, but he is God and man
(sic). That is the new mutation. He is the product of God and man and not
God-man. He is the son of God, because the Spirit of God entered Him. He is son
of man (sic) because he was born of female. He is a new creation the Lord and
Master of a new creative branch of order. He transcends us as we transcend
animals. Reason is our differential but the Holy Spirit is Christ’s
differential. Christ is the Adipurusha of a new creation and he is the true
man, satpurushauman.
Jesus
for him was the fusion of God and human and this is something new, an emergence
or mutation. As adipurusha Christ is the first one emerged in cosmic history
and he will transform the humanity. The gospel is that God in Jesus has made a
‘new creation’ therefore he gave priority to the birth of Jesus instead of his
atonement. The good news of Christianity is the birth of Jesus. In him is the
emergence of a new life, not bound by karma, not corrupted by sin, not
humiliated by death but triumphant, partaking the immoral nature of God. The
saving work of Jesus is the newness of life and this newness is reflected
through reproducing Jesus in life.
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