‘Know Thyself’ in ancient Greek gnōthi seauton, or if you prefer Latin, nosce te ipsum. This was reportedly the first of 3 maxims posted over the entrance to the Oracle at Delphi, an ancient Greek temple. Around 400 BC the Greek philosopher Plato, in several treatises, recounts that Socrates was challenged by this maxim, and sought throughout his life to come to this most precious of human pursuits. His conclusion was that to know true beauty was to be part of that true beauty, but now we see but through a glass darkly.
In his epistle, James says that, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror” (James 1:23). In other words, if we forget who we are, we do not truly know ourself. It is often said that Jesus came to reveal Father God to humanity, and in some aspects that is true. But we are also to recall that Jesus is our High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek. As a priest He represents God to us, but equally represents us to God. Therefore, Jesus not only reveals God as the Son of God, but equally reveals us as the Son of Man. In Him we see the humanity of God and the divinity of you-manity.
When we look at Jesus we should see ourselves, like looking in a mirror (thus Francois du Toit’s Mirror Bible translation). James is exhorting us to act upon the truth of our divine nature (“by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” – 2 Peter 1:4).
Accept, acknowledge and live your divinity!
