Dictionary of all Scriptures & Myths

Understanding Biblical Symbolism


Home
Preface
5 Planes of Existence
Introduction
Five Planes of Manifestation

A to Z

Related Information

BIBLE VERSES

JOHN 10:10

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

In biblical psychology, this verse describes two forces within the soul itself:

- the thief — the desire‑nature and lower mind, which drain the soul of its higher vitality

- the Christ‑principle — the inner Life‑giver, whose presence awakens consciousness on the higher planes

This is not a cosmic battle between external beings, but the inner conflict between the Higher (Christ Consciousness) and the Lower (Carnal) mind.

“The thief cometh… to steal, kill, and destroy”

The “thief” is the lower carnal desire‑mind (kama‑manas):
- it steals the soul’s attention
- it kills the higher impulses by smothering them in sensation and distraction
- it destroys the harmony of the inner world by scattering the higher qualities

This is the same “robber” of John 10:8 — the impulses that precede the birth of the Christ‑consciousness and rob the soul of its primordial wealth.

The thief is not evil in a moral sense; it is simply ignorant, acting from the natural order of the lower planes.

“I am come that they might have life”

The “I AM” here is the Higher Self manifesting through the Christ‑principle.

“Life” is not physical vitality but consciousness on the higher planes:
- buddhi‑manas awakened
- the qualities aligned with the Atman
- the soul remembering its origin

This is the restoration of the Archetypal Man after the scattering of the limbs.

“And that they might have it more abundantly”

Abundance is expansion of consciousness, not material prosperity.

It is:
- the overflowing vitality of the Higher
- the illumination that spreads through the qualities
- the reintegration of the soul after its long exile in the lower nature

This abundance is the opposite of the thief’s depletion.
Where the thief scatters, the Christ gathers.
Where the thief drains, the Christ fills.
Where the thief destroys, the Christ restores.

The Esoteric Message.....
John 10:10 reveals the contrast between the desire‑nature that drains the soul and the Christ‑principle that restores it to higher consciousness. The “abundant life” is the awakened state of the soul when its qualities are gathered, illumined, and aligned with the I AM.

 

See Also

BIBLE VERSES

JOHN 1:1

JOHN 3:16

JOHN 8:58

JOHN 16:5
JOHN 16:6
JOHN 16:7

JOHN 17:17