About This Video
In this episode of I Don’t Get the BibleA TGNN series that answers honest Bible questions—without fear or religious pressure., Delaney and Shawn dive into Colossians chapter 1, but quickly detour into a rich, philosophical conversation about the nature of God’s Spirit, Christ’s role in human transformation, and how theological language impacts the way we understand salvation. Though they only read a few opening verses, their conversation becomes a deep meditation on what it means to be filled with the Spirit in this post-Christ age.
They begin by questioning Paul’s opening line — that he is “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” — and explore whether “God’s will” and “Christ’s will” are distinct. This launches a discussion about the progression of the Holy Spirit: from the “Spirit of God” (what they call Holy Spirit 1.0), to the “Spirit of Christ” (Holy Spirit 2.0), which, they argue, is God’s Spirit fortified with the lived human experience of Jesus. For Shawn, the Spirit of Christ isn’t just a poetic name—it’s a meaningful distinction that honors Christ’s victory as the incarnate God who overcame human will and emotion.
They reflect on how, post-resurrection, the Spirit now resides in all people from birth—not just prophets or select individuals like in the Old Testament. Delaney presses into this point, comparing it to other theological models, like Calvinism or Mormonism, which also speak about divine presence or election, but tend to differ on whether this presence is conditional. They clarify that TGNN’s perspective is that God unconditionally places His Spirit in everyone. The only question is whether someone chooses to acknowledge it and live by it.
This leads into a conversation about what it means to call Jesus “God” after his ascension. They agree that Christ and the Father are now one and that the Spirit we interact with today is the Spirit of Christ—God, having merged with humanity through Jesus. They contrast this with more rigid evangelical frameworks, which often externalize Jesus and require an explicit moment of acceptance, implying that God’s presence is conditional. Shawn argues this view misses the point: Christ already dwells within everyone, and salvation is about awakening to that presence—not earning it.
Throughout the conversation, Delaney highlights how this framework makes the afterlife, spiritual growth, and God’s character more coherent and loving. They touch on broader themes like how modern culture is unknowingly trying to recreate the story of Christ through AI and transhumanism, and how all of history seems to echo a longing for what Christ accomplished—union between humanity and divinity.
They end with a clarification: while TGNN’s view shares surface-level similarities with other doctrines, the real distinction lies in its insistence on the unconditionality of God’s presence and the liberty of human choice. It’s not about accepting Christ so that He enters in—it’s about realizing He’s already there.
Though the reading of Colossians barely begins, this episode offers a profound theological foundation for how TGNN reads Scripture: not as a list of doctrines to adopt, but as a lens to understand the reality of Christ within, now and always.
