Posts
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Because of the philosophy of Love, I know that "your" challenges are also mine, and so, I plan to do my best to provide honest feedback. But I have zero interest in being anyone's "daddy," and no interest in telling anyone what they "should" do. I want only to comment.:)
Embracing "the good" is a very simple, but reliable and dependable, guideline for life, and I'm in one hundred percent agreement! There is, counter to worldender propoganda, so very much good and beauty in this world. It is everywhere full of God (Love and beauty). As the Tibetans say, It is an extremely great privilege to have been born human!:)
Why are humans here? We are here to continue our long education. We were, in the beginning, sent forth from the Mind of Love as "separate" nonphysical Souls. The great Mind (of God, Love) decided to dream up this world, and to allow all Souls to "dream" that we are "physical" bodies. (But the very latest discoveries in neophysics have demonstrated that a "physical, material" universe is an illusion of the senses.) When we study matter at the quantum (subatomic) level, we find that it is all energy. There is not a "truly solid" object in the entire universe.
And this is according to skeptical scientists, not mystics!
In this dreamworld, we dream up exactly the situations, objects, and environments needed for our "tailored" education-program. The "material" world is an illusion, but all minds are real. Because of this, all creatures who partake of Mind-- especially human beings-- are sacred. So, we must honor and respect each one with the maximum Love.
But how can we "love" strangers? The very minimum Love that we can give, even to all strangers, is to wish them well. We can sincerely bless them, honestly hoping and praying that their lives are filled with Light, Love, tranquility, bliss, friendship, fulfilling work, balanced emotions, and healthy spirituality, among a whole list of other goods.
Why do we hurt/kill one another? The Enlightenment Traditions teach that there is no such thing as an "innocent victim." While Love does impel us to remove, or alleviate, all suffering for all creatures-- and never to be apathetic or complacent-- we must realize that suffering is a part of human life and experience. We need this realization to be able to live sanely in a pain-filled world such as ours. But Love always calls upon us to care deeply, and to remove suffering whenever, wherever, and with whomever we find it. People often suffer because, at the Soul-level, they created suffering for others. Or, before you were born, you were able to select the dna (for you could "read" this complex molecule) that would give you a body that would permit you to take lessons that you needed to learn. The "Soul" is a deep, and unconscious, part of the mind. It is that part of yourself that lived before the birth of your present body ("preincarnation"), and it is the part that continues to live after "death" of the present body ("postincarnation"). Both "preincarnational" and "postincarnational" life was taught by early Christians. In fact, almost all the earliest Christians believed in "polybiography," or "reincarnation." This vast, rather complex, philosophy is the only explanation that elucidates in meaningful ways the existence of suffering. The majority of the human population, at any time in history, has accepted it. It is not only a logical explanation for the world of suffering, but it also "feels" right, with intuitive understanding.
Who will rescue/deliver us from this horrific world? Love will rescue us. Although in modern psychology, Love has not been defined as a "Who," in former cultures, It was always recognized as a "god" or "goddess." And in Christianity, Love is God. (1 Jn. 4:8,16) God is all the Love and positivity in all the minds on all the planets in all the starsystems in all the galaxies! So, God is vaster, more immense, breath-takingly enormous and beautiful, than anything that our poor three pounds of gray matter can comprehend. God is Love, and Love is God.
Love awakens us to galaxies of beauty within our own minds, and to the magnificent beauties in the world all around us. Yes, there is still "evil" in our world of relativity and duality. But knowing that "evil" has no absolute reality weakens it, and strengthens absolute Love.
In Christianity, "salvation"-- we are "saved" from ignorance and the lower, humanimal nature-- comes not through mere education, or actions, or goodness, but from "grace." Grace is the unearned, undeserved Love of God. We are "saved," not because we know the "right" doctrines. We are saved, the Scriptures repeatedly teach, because of one factor, and one factor alone, and that is the grace of God. Her Love is greater than any,and all, sins. God's Love is illimitable and immeasurable, great enough to forgive any and all imperfections, and even all deliberate badness.
If there is no Jehovah God, who is there? The very same answer comes from the intercultural Enlightenment Tradition. There is Love, the greatest, most irresistible Force or Mind in the universe! Nothing and no one can stand, in the longterm, against It/Him/Her. (God is, of course, neither male nor female, so "God" and "Goddess" are both options.)
The enlightened person, of course, still has Jesus in her life. She can still choose to follow Jesus, to take him seriously as a model. But she has more, not less, than the average person. For she also has, as bearers of truth, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Patanjali, Al Arabi, Al Hallaj, Solomon, and many other saintmystics and teachersages.:)
How can we prevent sickness and death? We cannot always prevent them. But the idea that they are universally "bad" is the result of social programming. Sickness is said to be "bad" because it can lead to death-- which is always bad. But if death is viewed as completely natural-- as natural as the dew-kissed rose blossoming in the morning sun-- then, sickness (biological challenge and imperfection) can be reinterpreted as "our way out of here." It can be seen as a liberator, if we believe that there is a better life after this one. This is the view held famously by early Christians, and which made them glad, deliriously happy, to die, even in the horrible arena. For an enlightened person, with a large spiritual overview, there is no such thing as a "bad death." The great beauty of Hospice is that they are helping people to embrace death in a healthy way. Every creature that has ever been born has died. Birth is a guarantee of death. So, as long as we buy into the antispiritual idea that death is horrible, a nightmare, we can never know true joy. Jesus came to prove that death is a survivable experience. Death leads to only bottomless joy and incredible peace. I have died twice, and come back to our world to share this message.:)
Sickness can teach the lessons of compassion-- what this life is all about-- in two ways: 1) when we are sick, this gives us compassion for others who are also sick, and 2) sickness creates a sympathetic response (Love) from others. It also, btw, creates needed awareness of the necessity for selflove, to take care of our own sacred bodies.
AND who can we now trust instead of organized religion? It takes time to learn to trust Love. It takes time even to discover Love at the Center of all minds. It takes time to learn that god is Love, and not some comfortable, familiar human image (anthropomorphism), such as the all-too-human Jehovah, who has a plethora of weaknesses. We are like infants learning to walk. When we first let go of our parents, we are very wobbly. But with practice, we soon grow strong. As we trust Love, we learn that It is a wonderful, beautiful, supportive Power greater than any primitive, superstitious godimage. It is more reliable and dependable. It can never harm anyone, and does not "punish." It subtly draws us into enlightenment, one moment at a time, until we find that we are superstrong and completely spiritually independent! So, in the beginning, we must "jump into a void," or empty chasm, the black cave of the Unconscious. We are certainly not certain even that "anyone" is there. But, after we have begun to trust (in faith), we learn that we are in the warm, comfortable, invincible, invulnerable arms of Love. But we cannot "trust" only what has been "proved." While we never want to abandon the rational, we must "trust in faith" before we have any certainty of our relationship with the Lovegoddess. Like delicious food, the Goddess of Love is known only one minute at a time. This is good news, for it means that we must handle, take care of, not an entire life, but only this minute!
There is so much more that could be, needs to be, said! In fact, I've written twenty books to try to explain, or at least to outline, all the beautiful discoveries that await everyone in the Mind. I'll be glad to send you one, if you are interested. And if not, that is okay too!:):)
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Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Irresistible Grace
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Grace comes from the immutable, unlimited Mind of God. It is a fact of the cosmos, and nothing has the power to erase or neutralize it. Grace, as expression of Love, is the determination of the cosmic Mind (God) to bring all His children into "salvation," regardless of ignorance.
From what are we "saved"? From ignorance, and the domination of the lower (humanimal) nature.
But is it possible to "backslide"? Certainly it is. We can use, abuse, or misuse free will to reject grace, to turn away from it, to even deny it. In fact, we are free to do this several times. Many religious people, as well as many "atheists," deny the very existence of grace. In the history of religion, this denial is called the "works" doctrine, for it teaches the lie that we "save ourselves" by working, and becoming "superior" to others.
This has zero effect on grace itself. If a million zillion people denied the existence of the moon, it would still shine brightly in the night sky. But if anyone denies grace, in her own life, she effectively deactivates it-- but for only herself. It is exactly as if she were living "outside" of grace-- although no one can, really.
Grace is the irreversible and irresistible decision of divine Love to save all beings. But we all must learn first. We must learn hundreds, or thousands, of lessons, and then, we must take "exams" to prove that we have learned. This is what the "school of earth" is all about.
So, although anyone is free to deny grace or its Power at any time, no one can "undo" it, cancel it, or neutralize it. For it is an expression of limitless and infinite divine Love. There is no power, including the power of denial, that is greater!
As human beings, we often believe that we are "saved" by what we do. And it is certainly "common sense" to do good rather than evil. But we must get the sequence correct. Good works in themselves do not produce salvation; but grace produces good works. Therefore, it does not matter how "lost" and confused a Soul becomes in its various life-journeys. It has no effect on indestructible, invincible grace.
If it takes a Soul a hundred thousand, or a million, years to grow into the perfect realization of grace, that is just fine. The cosmos has forever, and the great Mind (Tao) is in no hurry.
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Grace comes from the immutable, unlimited Mind of God. It is a fact of the cosmos, and nothing has the power to erase or neutralize it. Grace, as expression of Love, is the determination of the cosmic Mind (God) to bring all His children into "salvation," regardless of ignorance.
From what are we "saved"? From ignorance, and the domination of the lower (humanimal) nature.
But is it possible to "backslide"? Certainly it is. We can use, abuse, or misuse free will to reject grace, to turn away from it, to even deny it. In fact, we are free to do this several times. Many religious people, as well as many "atheists," deny the very existence of grace. In the history of religion, this denial is called the "works" doctrine, for it teaches the lie that we "save ourselves" by working, and becoming "superior" to others.
This has zero effect on grace itself. If a million zillion people denied the existence of the moon, it would still shine brightly in the night sky. But if anyone denies grace, in her own life, she effectively deactivates it-- but for only herself. It is exactly as if she were living "outside" of grace-- although no one can, really.
Grace is the irreversible and irresistible decision of divine Love to save all beings. But we all must learn first. We must learn hundreds, or thousands, of lessons, and then, we must take "exams" to prove that we have learned. This is what the "school of earth" is all about.
So, although anyone is free to deny grace or its Power at any time, no one can "undo" it, cancel it, or neutralize it. For it is an expression of limitless and infinite divine Love. There is no power, including the power of denial, that is greater!
As human beings, we often believe that we are "saved" by what we do. And it is certainly "common sense" to do good rather than evil. But we must get the sequence correct. Good works in themselves do not produce salvation; but grace produces good works. Therefore, it does not matter how "lost" and confused a Soul becomes in its various life-journeys. It has no effect on indestructible, invincible grace.
If it takes a Soul a hundred thousand, or a million, years to grow into the perfect realization of grace, that is just fine. The cosmos has forever, and the great Mind (Tao) is in no hurry.
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Monday, March 24, 2008
Learning, Intellect, and Love
Learning, Intellect, and Love
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God (Love) does not command us to "understand" everything. She/He does not even direct us to understand everything about Christianity! Most people are quite limited, and cannot understand, or even read, all the complexities involved, for example, in Scriptural studies. To know them all, in fact, you would have to read tens of thousands of books.
God is Love, not intellect. So, God commands us to love, and not to become "walking encyclopedias." It is not what you know, or what you believe, that moves you into "salvation." It is the Love (grace) of God, acting in and through your heart.
Ministers, in order to minister effectively, do have to learn a great deal. And there is so very much to learn! But whether you are studying early history, ancient manuscripts, the books of the Bible, or various explanations of spirituality and religion, this "study" is all worthless if you do not add compassion, empathy, goodness, and kindness-- all Lovexpressions-- to your life.
A person who loves once is a thousand times as "valuable" to God, and a thousand times more enlightened, than anyone who knows a billion facts.
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God (Love) does not command us to "understand" everything. She/He does not even direct us to understand everything about Christianity! Most people are quite limited, and cannot understand, or even read, all the complexities involved, for example, in Scriptural studies. To know them all, in fact, you would have to read tens of thousands of books.
God is Love, not intellect. So, God commands us to love, and not to become "walking encyclopedias." It is not what you know, or what you believe, that moves you into "salvation." It is the Love (grace) of God, acting in and through your heart.
Ministers, in order to minister effectively, do have to learn a great deal. And there is so very much to learn! But whether you are studying early history, ancient manuscripts, the books of the Bible, or various explanations of spirituality and religion, this "study" is all worthless if you do not add compassion, empathy, goodness, and kindness-- all Lovexpressions-- to your life.
A person who loves once is a thousand times as "valuable" to God, and a thousand times more enlightened, than anyone who knows a billion facts.
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Saturday, August 25, 2007
"Purgatory" and "Hell"
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I believe that, in the history of religion, both "hell" and "purgatory" were symbolic terms concerning eternal life after death. Both concerned states or conditions experienced here on earth.
To simplify the complex literature, both "hell" and "purgatory" contain suffering. In fact, both conditions might contain the exact same suffering. But "purgatory" originates with a word that means "purification." So, in the condition of "purgatory," you are making real progress, both mental and spiritual. Purgatory improves people.
"Hell" does not necessarily improve a person. It is recognized as suffering due to negative karma. The person suffers, but does not know why. She knows why only after enlightenment. When a person knows why she is suffering, this transforms her state from one of "hell" to one of "purgatory."
For only when we understand why we suffer does suffering have a purifying effect on our Souls. So, hell and purgatory might be exactly the same conditions; the difference lies in the one suffering, in her awareness, knowledge, understanding, or wisdom.
An enlightened being is never so careless as to end up in hell. But purgatorial states are common on earth for both enlightened and some unenlightened people.
The very old tradition teaches that a Soul can be "prayed out" of purgatory. This superstition evolved from the awareness that total escape from purgatory was possible by discovering Union through communication with God (interior Love). For Love ultimately liberates us all from all suffering-- including all "hell" states and "purgatory" states.
We all suffer on earth. The wise are called upon to understand why suffering exists, to understand karma and universal justice, for Godmind is always just and never unjust. This realization alone, deeply felt, can liberate from hell and move a person into purgatory. With further study, work, Love, and yielding to the divine will, a person is moved, in time, from "purgatory" into "heaven" (bliss, joy, or ecstasy). This is, in the final analysis, an act of God (Love), and not anything that we "do." This is "salvation," and originates with only grace, although we can make our lives more beautiful by cooperating with the calling of Love.
This movement in Mind, from purgatory to heaven, is enlightenment. It is also called "liberation" and "salvation."
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I believe that, in the history of religion, both "hell" and "purgatory" were symbolic terms concerning eternal life after death. Both concerned states or conditions experienced here on earth.
To simplify the complex literature, both "hell" and "purgatory" contain suffering. In fact, both conditions might contain the exact same suffering. But "purgatory" originates with a word that means "purification." So, in the condition of "purgatory," you are making real progress, both mental and spiritual. Purgatory improves people.
"Hell" does not necessarily improve a person. It is recognized as suffering due to negative karma. The person suffers, but does not know why. She knows why only after enlightenment. When a person knows why she is suffering, this transforms her state from one of "hell" to one of "purgatory."
For only when we understand why we suffer does suffering have a purifying effect on our Souls. So, hell and purgatory might be exactly the same conditions; the difference lies in the one suffering, in her awareness, knowledge, understanding, or wisdom.
An enlightened being is never so careless as to end up in hell. But purgatorial states are common on earth for both enlightened and some unenlightened people.
The very old tradition teaches that a Soul can be "prayed out" of purgatory. This superstition evolved from the awareness that total escape from purgatory was possible by discovering Union through communication with God (interior Love). For Love ultimately liberates us all from all suffering-- including all "hell" states and "purgatory" states.
We all suffer on earth. The wise are called upon to understand why suffering exists, to understand karma and universal justice, for Godmind is always just and never unjust. This realization alone, deeply felt, can liberate from hell and move a person into purgatory. With further study, work, Love, and yielding to the divine will, a person is moved, in time, from "purgatory" into "heaven" (bliss, joy, or ecstasy). This is, in the final analysis, an act of God (Love), and not anything that we "do." This is "salvation," and originates with only grace, although we can make our lives more beautiful by cooperating with the calling of Love.
This movement in Mind, from purgatory to heaven, is enlightenment. It is also called "liberation" and "salvation."
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Sunday, August 19, 2007
Love, Universal Salvation, and Grace
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Grace is the matrix-teaching of all Christianity. It is the clear teaching that we are saved only because God loves us. That should be repeated: We are saved from ignorance and the lower nature, from illusion, only because of the Love of God.
That needs repeating again and again, because we keep falling into the dangerous illusion-- lie or falsehood-- that our salvation arises because we are "good people" or because of our activities, because we are "better" than others, because we "believe" the "right" things, belong to the "right" church, etc.
This lie is known, in Christian history, as the "works" doctrine. It teaches that some are "better" than others, because they "work harder." It is true that some do work harder than others, and that some live better moral and ethical lives.
But that is irrelevant to the issue of salvation. Jesus stated the principle of grace this way, to the proudly religious and respectable Bible-scholars of his day: "Prostitutes, alcoholics, and thieves will go ahead of you into the Kingdom of God."
What could he possibly have meant by such a shocking statement? Salvation does not arise from "perfection," for we are all sinners, light-years from perfection. So, salvation must come from the state of being cleansed or purified of sin. This state comes from forgiveness, which in turn, blossoms from Love. It is Love plus nothing else that lifts the human Soul into purity and salvation.
Some Jewish kabbalists went so far as to say that a person who had sinned and been forgiven was better off than a person who had never sinned! And it is so, for she has had the experience of life and Love that have taught her valuable lessons.
The "problem" that selfrighteous people have with grace is that it must be unlimited, if God's Love is unlimited. (And all must admit that it is.)
This teaching, taken to its only logical conclusion, must imply that most terrifying of great truths-- universal salvation. For no sin can ever be greater than God's bottomless, endless, infinite Love.
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Grace is the matrix-teaching of all Christianity. It is the clear teaching that we are saved only because God loves us. That should be repeated: We are saved from ignorance and the lower nature, from illusion, only because of the Love of God.
That needs repeating again and again, because we keep falling into the dangerous illusion-- lie or falsehood-- that our salvation arises because we are "good people" or because of our activities, because we are "better" than others, because we "believe" the "right" things, belong to the "right" church, etc.
This lie is known, in Christian history, as the "works" doctrine. It teaches that some are "better" than others, because they "work harder." It is true that some do work harder than others, and that some live better moral and ethical lives.
But that is irrelevant to the issue of salvation. Jesus stated the principle of grace this way, to the proudly religious and respectable Bible-scholars of his day: "Prostitutes, alcoholics, and thieves will go ahead of you into the Kingdom of God."
What could he possibly have meant by such a shocking statement? Salvation does not arise from "perfection," for we are all sinners, light-years from perfection. So, salvation must come from the state of being cleansed or purified of sin. This state comes from forgiveness, which in turn, blossoms from Love. It is Love plus nothing else that lifts the human Soul into purity and salvation.
Some Jewish kabbalists went so far as to say that a person who had sinned and been forgiven was better off than a person who had never sinned! And it is so, for she has had the experience of life and Love that have taught her valuable lessons.
The "problem" that selfrighteous people have with grace is that it must be unlimited, if God's Love is unlimited. (And all must admit that it is.)
This teaching, taken to its only logical conclusion, must imply that most terrifying of great truths-- universal salvation. For no sin can ever be greater than God's bottomless, endless, infinite Love.
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Friday, August 17, 2007
The "Virgin Birth"
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Historically, both the Buddha and Jesus share the legend of the "virgin" birth. The allegorical meaning of both is that they were not affected by the lower nature. (Sexual sharing between a man and woman was seen to replicate the sexual sharing between males and females of other species, and so, was relegated to the "lower nature," or "animal" nature.")
So, it became the absolute and ultimate representation of non-animal (total spiritual) "purity" to ascribe the birth of the greatest sages to a kind of "spiritual intercourse."
The word translated as "virgin" in the ancient Hebrew texts can also be correctly translated "young maiden." So, the earliest record of the event is questionable, from an etymological (word-study) perspective.
As followers of Jesus, we need not deny the virgin birth. But neither is it necessary to insist on its historical or literal truth. If this miracle happened, wonderful!:) Anything is possible with God! But if Jesus was truly human, this implies that he might have enjoyed a normal human mother and father.
A few historical notes, such as we have them (not reliable) imply that Mary might have been as young as twelve, and Joseph as old as forty, when the two were reluctantly married. Some ancient traditions imply that Joseph never really got "on board," or "with the program," and married Mary only reluctantly after she was found pregnant, as the Scriptures imply.
Joseph is an interesting character. By then, he seems to have been a settled, seasoned merchant, with a reputation to protect, and so, Mary was an embarrassment. (Joseph was famously a carpenter; Jesus never was.) Mary, in her regret, sadness, or embarrassment, might have been the source of the "virgin birth" story. Both received messages in dreams-- not always the most reliable sources.
We can accept Jesus as the greatest teacher in history, we can accept him as "master," we can accept him as the "Son of God" even if we do not accept the virgin birth. Many early, non-traditional, Christians did not accept this. The Gospel of Phillip calls it a "superstition." So, within a century or two, many Christians, many believers, questioned this shaky dogma.
The orthodox later Church (Catholic) insisted that this dogma made Jesus special and supernatural. But we know that he was extraordinarily special, and extraordinarily supernatural, no matter who his earthly father might have been. It's irrelevant anyway, for we know that his real "Father" was God.
The same, by the way, applies to us his followers. For he commanded, "Call no man on earth your 'father," for One is your Father, the heavenly One." (Mt. 23:10-12). The fact that Christians regularly disobey, or ignore, this command does not change the fact that this is what Jesus actually said. So, exactly like him, we of enlightenment recognize no earthly "father."
A person's salvation is not at stake, depending on whether she believes in the virgin birth. As noted, many early Christians did not believe in it. Our salvation, like our relationship with our Father, does not depend on intellectual beliefs. It depends on a warm Love shared from God towards us (grace) and our response of that same Love. Salvation originates entirely with grace. And that is the best "good news"
possible!
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Historically, both the Buddha and Jesus share the legend of the "virgin" birth. The allegorical meaning of both is that they were not affected by the lower nature. (Sexual sharing between a man and woman was seen to replicate the sexual sharing between males and females of other species, and so, was relegated to the "lower nature," or "animal" nature.")
So, it became the absolute and ultimate representation of non-animal (total spiritual) "purity" to ascribe the birth of the greatest sages to a kind of "spiritual intercourse."
The word translated as "virgin" in the ancient Hebrew texts can also be correctly translated "young maiden." So, the earliest record of the event is questionable, from an etymological (word-study) perspective.
As followers of Jesus, we need not deny the virgin birth. But neither is it necessary to insist on its historical or literal truth. If this miracle happened, wonderful!:) Anything is possible with God! But if Jesus was truly human, this implies that he might have enjoyed a normal human mother and father.
A few historical notes, such as we have them (not reliable) imply that Mary might have been as young as twelve, and Joseph as old as forty, when the two were reluctantly married. Some ancient traditions imply that Joseph never really got "on board," or "with the program," and married Mary only reluctantly after she was found pregnant, as the Scriptures imply.
Joseph is an interesting character. By then, he seems to have been a settled, seasoned merchant, with a reputation to protect, and so, Mary was an embarrassment. (Joseph was famously a carpenter; Jesus never was.) Mary, in her regret, sadness, or embarrassment, might have been the source of the "virgin birth" story. Both received messages in dreams-- not always the most reliable sources.
We can accept Jesus as the greatest teacher in history, we can accept him as "master," we can accept him as the "Son of God" even if we do not accept the virgin birth. Many early, non-traditional, Christians did not accept this. The Gospel of Phillip calls it a "superstition." So, within a century or two, many Christians, many believers, questioned this shaky dogma.
The orthodox later Church (Catholic) insisted that this dogma made Jesus special and supernatural. But we know that he was extraordinarily special, and extraordinarily supernatural, no matter who his earthly father might have been. It's irrelevant anyway, for we know that his real "Father" was God.
The same, by the way, applies to us his followers. For he commanded, "Call no man on earth your 'father," for One is your Father, the heavenly One." (Mt. 23:10-12). The fact that Christians regularly disobey, or ignore, this command does not change the fact that this is what Jesus actually said. So, exactly like him, we of enlightenment recognize no earthly "father."
A person's salvation is not at stake, depending on whether she believes in the virgin birth. As noted, many early Christians did not believe in it. Our salvation, like our relationship with our Father, does not depend on intellectual beliefs. It depends on a warm Love shared from God towards us (grace) and our response of that same Love. Salvation originates entirely with grace. And that is the best "good news"
possible!
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Salvation and Love
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We all always need to be "saved"-- from ignorance and arrogance, as early gnostic Christians pointed out, and from the falsehoods and dangers of the lower nature (the humanimal mind and the animal mind).
The "quickest and easiest" Way to salvation is through Love-- through Love-immersion. This means that we think almost continuously about Love and its many flowers or "fruits," such as kindness, reason, goodness, generosity, and wisdom. We must never forget the poor and the disadvantaged among us. When we can afford it, we even give money to those who need it. We can do this through recognized charities, but, since a high percentage of their funds often goes for administration, often, we are better off just giving to a person whom we know to be in need.
Love is also expressed as tolerance and patience. Recognizing that we do have forever, the humanitarian Lover is not always rushing around, or rushing others. She is a being of patience. Because of her Love, she tolerates diversity-- in lifestyle, sexual preferences, politics, and religion. This does not imply that the person of Love must be indecisive, a wishy-washy type who says that nothing really matters. That is not deep spirituality, but one of its opposites-- apathy or complacency.
The spiritual being might know with solid and total firmness what she believes, and might even share it. But she will do so only educationally; the spiritual being does not make "converts." For God is continually "converting" the heart from within, and conversion is Her job, not that of the human being.
Love, in this kind of world, must be not only relentless, but continuous. We must often try to love the being (Soul) beneath the person (mask). The person might be ignorant, arrogant, and even repulsive. But it is up to the enlightened to see beneath the surface, to see that tiny "spark" of the "sun of God" that dwells within every person. Thus, we can never "damn" anyone, which is the "judgment" prohibited by the Master. (Mt. 7:1)
To love endlessly, tirelessly, universally, consistently, and unconditionally is the Way to salvation. This includes the three subpaths of real spirituality: 1) love everyone, 2) serve everyone, and 3) forgive everyone.
No amount of "Bible-study," no giving of sermons, no Bible-thumping, no "gift of the Spirit" is worth anything without accompanying Love. So, if you had all of these, without Love, they would all be worthless. Joining any particular church or religion is also useless, if it does not create or stimulate Love in the heart. Joining any group that damns others is sin. But if you have Love alone, without any of these, you are blessed beyond imagining. (Compare the "Canticle of Love," in First Corinthians,
chapter 13.)
Some preachers and ministers do not know this, and so, they emphasize the wrong things-- actions that eclipse Love in the heart. We must be careful never to become followers of incompetent and ignorant human beings. Why should we? For we have the Master of Love, living entirely in each and every heart.
*******
We all always need to be "saved"-- from ignorance and arrogance, as early gnostic Christians pointed out, and from the falsehoods and dangers of the lower nature (the humanimal mind and the animal mind).
The "quickest and easiest" Way to salvation is through Love-- through Love-immersion. This means that we think almost continuously about Love and its many flowers or "fruits," such as kindness, reason, goodness, generosity, and wisdom. We must never forget the poor and the disadvantaged among us. When we can afford it, we even give money to those who need it. We can do this through recognized charities, but, since a high percentage of their funds often goes for administration, often, we are better off just giving to a person whom we know to be in need.
Love is also expressed as tolerance and patience. Recognizing that we do have forever, the humanitarian Lover is not always rushing around, or rushing others. She is a being of patience. Because of her Love, she tolerates diversity-- in lifestyle, sexual preferences, politics, and religion. This does not imply that the person of Love must be indecisive, a wishy-washy type who says that nothing really matters. That is not deep spirituality, but one of its opposites-- apathy or complacency.
The spiritual being might know with solid and total firmness what she believes, and might even share it. But she will do so only educationally; the spiritual being does not make "converts." For God is continually "converting" the heart from within, and conversion is Her job, not that of the human being.
Love, in this kind of world, must be not only relentless, but continuous. We must often try to love the being (Soul) beneath the person (mask). The person might be ignorant, arrogant, and even repulsive. But it is up to the enlightened to see beneath the surface, to see that tiny "spark" of the "sun of God" that dwells within every person. Thus, we can never "damn" anyone, which is the "judgment" prohibited by the Master. (Mt. 7:1)
To love endlessly, tirelessly, universally, consistently, and unconditionally is the Way to salvation. This includes the three subpaths of real spirituality: 1) love everyone, 2) serve everyone, and 3) forgive everyone.
No amount of "Bible-study," no giving of sermons, no Bible-thumping, no "gift of the Spirit" is worth anything without accompanying Love. So, if you had all of these, without Love, they would all be worthless. Joining any particular church or religion is also useless, if it does not create or stimulate Love in the heart. Joining any group that damns others is sin. But if you have Love alone, without any of these, you are blessed beyond imagining. (Compare the "Canticle of Love," in First Corinthians,
chapter 13.)
Some preachers and ministers do not know this, and so, they emphasize the wrong things-- actions that eclipse Love in the heart. We must be careful never to become followers of incompetent and ignorant human beings. Why should we? For we have the Master of Love, living entirely in each and every heart.
*******
Friday, May 25, 2007
Grace and Salvation
*******
Grace might be the most important teaching of Christianity; it is certainly one of them.
Grace is the teaching that, contrary to human nature and ego, it is impossible to "earn" salvation. We cannot earn it because it is a gift, and you do not work to receive a gift. That would be not only inappropriate, but rude.
Salvation-- being saved from the lower animal nature, ignorance, and fear-- occurs not because we are "smart" enough to "believe the right doctrines." It does not occur because we are smarter or "better" than others, although ego-religion often feeds us this lie.
You could say that salvation is a bit "one-sided." God does all the hard work, by bringing our hearts into Himself, into Love. But we also respond to grace by learning the art of Love, goodness, and kindness, which are then expressed towards ourselves and all other living creatures. Grace produces goodness, but good activities, as wonderful as they are, do not produce grace. Here, if we are to understand, it is important to get the sequence right: Since the Love in our hearts comes from only God (that Love is God), we cannot claim credit for salvation, wisdom, or Love.
What does this mean? Simply that God (Love) can give salvation to anyone at any time. God does not give the Spirit by measure, Jesus said. No, God gives all grace-- one hundred percent-- to everyone. But people, although all receiving the same gift of grace, vary widely in their realizations of grace.
Some are caught in the terrible hell-illusion that they are completely outside of grace. No one can ever get "outside" of grace, for nothing-- no sin-- can ever be greater than God's Love, God's ability to forgive.
Realizing one hundred percent grace is the deep interior knowing that all your sins have been forgiven, all previous karma erased. It is also knowing, very deeply, that you are an eternal being, a son of God, unaffected by physical death. Finally, it is the knowing that, at a very deep (unconscious) level, your mind is part of an infinite Mind of Love and joy. You "grow out of" God as a flower grows out of its stem.
Since salvation depends on only grace, it is important not to become confused, and think that, as some religions teach, it depends on special beliefs of the intellect. Thank God that He has chosen to save the dull and ignorant, for that includes all of us!:)
This means that God can "save" whomever he will, whomever he wants. And God, as a loving father/mother, does not want any of His/Her children to perish without hope. It will take thousands, perhaps many tens of thousands, of years for the complete realization of grace to come to allhearts. But God has forever, and is not in a hurry.
So, earth is a school, where we learn all the important things of this life. We might "fail a grade" from time to time, and then, we take the course over again. But, with the passage of time, everyone will "graduate." Because of grace, God's universe will not have been a "failure."
God does not make junk, and He/She treasures very deeply every individual Soul, with incredible and intense Love. So, God is guiding, irresistibly, even the very ignorant. That is why Jesus prophesied that prostitutes, alcoholics, and sinners would "enter the kingdom" ahead of the "righteous" and religious Pharisees. (Mt. 25:35; I think that this is the correct text, but you might want to check this one.)
We can trust God's Love entirely-- a deeper meaning of faith. All our children, brothers, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends are on the Path of Truth-- even when they do not know it. The entire universe of sentient beings is headed for inevitable salvation, thanks to grace.
*******
Grace might be the most important teaching of Christianity; it is certainly one of them.
Grace is the teaching that, contrary to human nature and ego, it is impossible to "earn" salvation. We cannot earn it because it is a gift, and you do not work to receive a gift. That would be not only inappropriate, but rude.
Salvation-- being saved from the lower animal nature, ignorance, and fear-- occurs not because we are "smart" enough to "believe the right doctrines." It does not occur because we are smarter or "better" than others, although ego-religion often feeds us this lie.
You could say that salvation is a bit "one-sided." God does all the hard work, by bringing our hearts into Himself, into Love. But we also respond to grace by learning the art of Love, goodness, and kindness, which are then expressed towards ourselves and all other living creatures. Grace produces goodness, but good activities, as wonderful as they are, do not produce grace. Here, if we are to understand, it is important to get the sequence right: Since the Love in our hearts comes from only God (that Love is God), we cannot claim credit for salvation, wisdom, or Love.
What does this mean? Simply that God (Love) can give salvation to anyone at any time. God does not give the Spirit by measure, Jesus said. No, God gives all grace-- one hundred percent-- to everyone. But people, although all receiving the same gift of grace, vary widely in their realizations of grace.
Some are caught in the terrible hell-illusion that they are completely outside of grace. No one can ever get "outside" of grace, for nothing-- no sin-- can ever be greater than God's Love, God's ability to forgive.
Realizing one hundred percent grace is the deep interior knowing that all your sins have been forgiven, all previous karma erased. It is also knowing, very deeply, that you are an eternal being, a son of God, unaffected by physical death. Finally, it is the knowing that, at a very deep (unconscious) level, your mind is part of an infinite Mind of Love and joy. You "grow out of" God as a flower grows out of its stem.
Since salvation depends on only grace, it is important not to become confused, and think that, as some religions teach, it depends on special beliefs of the intellect. Thank God that He has chosen to save the dull and ignorant, for that includes all of us!:)
This means that God can "save" whomever he will, whomever he wants. And God, as a loving father/mother, does not want any of His/Her children to perish without hope. It will take thousands, perhaps many tens of thousands, of years for the complete realization of grace to come to allhearts. But God has forever, and is not in a hurry.
So, earth is a school, where we learn all the important things of this life. We might "fail a grade" from time to time, and then, we take the course over again. But, with the passage of time, everyone will "graduate." Because of grace, God's universe will not have been a "failure."
God does not make junk, and He/She treasures very deeply every individual Soul, with incredible and intense Love. So, God is guiding, irresistibly, even the very ignorant. That is why Jesus prophesied that prostitutes, alcoholics, and sinners would "enter the kingdom" ahead of the "righteous" and religious Pharisees. (Mt. 25:35; I think that this is the correct text, but you might want to check this one.)
We can trust God's Love entirely-- a deeper meaning of faith. All our children, brothers, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends are on the Path of Truth-- even when they do not know it. The entire universe of sentient beings is headed for inevitable salvation, thanks to grace.
*******
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Our Response to God
*******
God does not command us to join any particular church to find salvation from the lower nature, darkness, or ignorance generally. Indeed, most people, throughout all of history, were unable to join modern churches, because they did not exist!
It is part of this enlightenment to recognize that the ancient Jewish community, that of the Hebrew Scriptures ("Old Testament"), worshipped a different god than the Lord of Love proclaimed by Jesus. Yes, Paul and some other early Christians did apply certain Hebrew texts about "God" to God, but this was so because they were intelligent proselytizers: The Jews of the time were enormously popular and powerful, and the early Christians were interested in making peace, not war, with the Jewish community. But Jesus was murdered because he taught that Jehovah was not the God of the entire universe; the Lord of Love was. In teaching that God was Love, Jesus taught a different, and universal, God-- a God for all people.
Jehovah was the local tribal god of the Israelis only. That is why they were so shocked when Christianity was offered to the Gentiles-- non-Jewish peoples. Had Christianity arisen in Greece, the early texts about Zeus would have been applied to the true God. Had the faith arisen in India, Christians would have applied the ancient texts about Brahman to the true God. For these Christians were, first, very smart; and second, they treasured peace, almost above all.
When Jesus taught that God was Love, he implicitly taught, enfolded within this larger teaching, a God who passionately longed, yearned, for the salvation of all His children. God was not the reticent Jehovah, who barely put up with human beings, or regarded them, as the "prophet" Isaiah said, as "grasshoppers."
No, the Lord of Love passionately, and profoundly, loved all His children, and was delighted when any one of them turned her life over to Him, trusting Him implicitly, without holding anything back.
What, then, should we do in response to this beautiful Lord of Love? We must live in Love twenty-four seven. This does not mean that we will become flawless or perfect. For, even while living "out of" our higher Nature, we will still have to contend with the lower. For that is the task, mission, or assignment of earth. But we can hold Love in our minds, to guide us, first in every situation. We can communicate (pray)
"without ceasing" to this interior Love. (Compare 1 Thes. 5:17)
Living in this purest Love was what early Christians meant when they recommended to "let Christ into your heart." For we must recognize the interior Christ of Love as our only "Master," and follow Love in every act, word, and thought in our lives-- as far as possible for imperfect beings. We must recognize that salvation (being "saved" from the lower nature and ignorance) comes only from the Christ, that interior Spirit of purest Love.
And, as far, and as often, as possible, we must turn to deep interior (sometimes wordless) prayer or meditation. We must begin by loving the Lord within our hearts with a blazing and exquisitely lovely intensity that wipes away every other priority.
We must awaken to the great truth that the only way to love God is by loving ourselves, other people, and other creatures. This will bring a life packed with joy, peace, and fun-- as God's many rewards begin to live in our hearts. We will have a clear conscience, not because we have never made mistakes, but because they are all forgiven. Jesus, in fact, was always getting into trouble for saying to people, often
strangers, "All your sins are forgiven."
This same wonderful message is a part of the interior communication of the Christ-spirit within our deeper Mind. First comes forgiveness, then rebirth-- as a son or daughter of God. For, as we reflect the genetics of our natural bioparents, we also reflect the image and likeness of God, in which we were created. We begin to manifest, among others, the nine "fruits of the Spirit" of Galatians 5:22, 23.
Like a tree, we produce these "fruits," not because we are smarter or better than others, but because God has smiled his tender Love upon us, through grace. Every minute, we must invite Love to take over our lives, and we must give ourselves over entirely to Its amazing and magnificent control. We must "obey God as ruler, rather than man," as it states in the book of Acts (5:24).
This means that we must become spiritually independent. We can no longer follow any guru, priest,pastor, or preacher. We follow only the Love of our hearts, which is perfect guidance. For, whatever else that you do or do not do, you cannot go wrong if you follow the Way of Love for all-- including the Way of harnmlessness. For, deep down, Love is all that we really want to do. It is all that we have ever wanted to do.
*******
God does not command us to join any particular church to find salvation from the lower nature, darkness, or ignorance generally. Indeed, most people, throughout all of history, were unable to join modern churches, because they did not exist!
It is part of this enlightenment to recognize that the ancient Jewish community, that of the Hebrew Scriptures ("Old Testament"), worshipped a different god than the Lord of Love proclaimed by Jesus. Yes, Paul and some other early Christians did apply certain Hebrew texts about "God" to God, but this was so because they were intelligent proselytizers: The Jews of the time were enormously popular and powerful, and the early Christians were interested in making peace, not war, with the Jewish community. But Jesus was murdered because he taught that Jehovah was not the God of the entire universe; the Lord of Love was. In teaching that God was Love, Jesus taught a different, and universal, God-- a God for all people.
Jehovah was the local tribal god of the Israelis only. That is why they were so shocked when Christianity was offered to the Gentiles-- non-Jewish peoples. Had Christianity arisen in Greece, the early texts about Zeus would have been applied to the true God. Had the faith arisen in India, Christians would have applied the ancient texts about Brahman to the true God. For these Christians were, first, very smart; and second, they treasured peace, almost above all.
When Jesus taught that God was Love, he implicitly taught, enfolded within this larger teaching, a God who passionately longed, yearned, for the salvation of all His children. God was not the reticent Jehovah, who barely put up with human beings, or regarded them, as the "prophet" Isaiah said, as "grasshoppers."
No, the Lord of Love passionately, and profoundly, loved all His children, and was delighted when any one of them turned her life over to Him, trusting Him implicitly, without holding anything back.
What, then, should we do in response to this beautiful Lord of Love? We must live in Love twenty-four seven. This does not mean that we will become flawless or perfect. For, even while living "out of" our higher Nature, we will still have to contend with the lower. For that is the task, mission, or assignment of earth. But we can hold Love in our minds, to guide us, first in every situation. We can communicate (pray)
"without ceasing" to this interior Love. (Compare 1 Thes. 5:17)
Living in this purest Love was what early Christians meant when they recommended to "let Christ into your heart." For we must recognize the interior Christ of Love as our only "Master," and follow Love in every act, word, and thought in our lives-- as far as possible for imperfect beings. We must recognize that salvation (being "saved" from the lower nature and ignorance) comes only from the Christ, that interior Spirit of purest Love.
And, as far, and as often, as possible, we must turn to deep interior (sometimes wordless) prayer or meditation. We must begin by loving the Lord within our hearts with a blazing and exquisitely lovely intensity that wipes away every other priority.
We must awaken to the great truth that the only way to love God is by loving ourselves, other people, and other creatures. This will bring a life packed with joy, peace, and fun-- as God's many rewards begin to live in our hearts. We will have a clear conscience, not because we have never made mistakes, but because they are all forgiven. Jesus, in fact, was always getting into trouble for saying to people, often
strangers, "All your sins are forgiven."
This same wonderful message is a part of the interior communication of the Christ-spirit within our deeper Mind. First comes forgiveness, then rebirth-- as a son or daughter of God. For, as we reflect the genetics of our natural bioparents, we also reflect the image and likeness of God, in which we were created. We begin to manifest, among others, the nine "fruits of the Spirit" of Galatians 5:22, 23.
Like a tree, we produce these "fruits," not because we are smarter or better than others, but because God has smiled his tender Love upon us, through grace. Every minute, we must invite Love to take over our lives, and we must give ourselves over entirely to Its amazing and magnificent control. We must "obey God as ruler, rather than man," as it states in the book of Acts (5:24).
This means that we must become spiritually independent. We can no longer follow any guru, priest,pastor, or preacher. We follow only the Love of our hearts, which is perfect guidance. For, whatever else that you do or do not do, you cannot go wrong if you follow the Way of Love for all-- including the Way of harnmlessness. For, deep down, Love is all that we really want to do. It is all that we have ever wanted to do.
*******
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The "Dangerous" Teaching of Grace
*******
The text about which you ask is one of my favorites. It is John 12:32, where Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I shall draw all unto myself."
In the ancient Greek, the phrase "all" is a rendition of pantou anthropou, and means literally "all men," or "all people." This is one of several Christian Greek Scriptural ("New Testament") texts that imply the universality of salvation. So, with some Christians, it is not very popular or beloved.
Salvation, the Scriptures make absolutely clear, does not come to us because we are "better" than others, because we work harder, or because we know more. No, all salvation has only one single Source, and that is the free gift of grace. This comes from the non-judgmental heart of God. Jesus said, "The Father judges no one."
We are saved from the lower nature, from pain, ignorance, hatred, and even death by this great and unlimited gift. Over and over, the Scriptural texts of the Christians use the Greek word charis ("grace") to refer to this enormous and immense gift. This gift originates, not with our behavior, or even our choice, but is rooted solidly, and exclusively, in the horizonless Love of God.
So, as with many deep questions, we are forced yet again into the great pleasure of examining the Love of God. First and foremost, we must ask whether this Love is limited or unlimited.
I think that you will be happy to agree with me, and with the Scriptures, that God's Love is unlimited. In fact, It is so illimitable that a "limit" on Love is a "limit" to God. This makes God a twisted, distorted limited thing; and It is no longer God, by simple definition. For, because "God is Love," this Love must be also unlimited, since a "limited God" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. God must forever be
recognized as both unlimited and illimitable.
But can it ever be fair that Jesus draws unto Himself "all men"? Yes, it can be fair if not all people are drawn at the same time. Jesus himself illustrated the situation in a parable like this:
A rich man agreed to hire people to work in a field for one hundred dollars a day. People came to him all during the day-- some came at 9 am, others at noon, others not until three, and others not til the very end of the day, at 5 pm.
When he started to pay them, the ones who had come early were delighted and excited to see the "five-o'clockers" get a hundred bucks. For, they thought, we shall certainly get a lot more, since we began the day much earlier. But when they were paid, they grumbled and complained, since they received only a hundred dollars.
Early in the day, they were thrilled, because a hundred dollars was pretty good money; but they felt ripped off now, because the employer paid them now "only" a hundred dollars! But Jesus pointed out that the man had been fair and just: He had promised a hundred dollars, and he had given a hundred dollars.
So it is with the kingdom of heaven: God gives the same grace to everyone, whether she was enlightened a thousand years ago, or just this morning. God has promised grace (including total forgiveness) to all, and He gives it freely and equally to all. Some, especially super-religious types, do not have sufficient Love in their hearts. They grumble and complain, despite the wonderful fact that they also are receiving the abundance of God's free gift-- this very same grace.
They do not want God to "pay" all people the same salary; they feel that they deserve more, as they might work harder and longer. But, as Jesus said, the money belongs to the rich man; he can give it to whomever he chooses.
Often, religious types do not just bitch and complain that the later workers are being paid the same amount; they do not want God to "pay" the later workers at all. In fact, they teach that their "god"-- worse than any devil or demon-- wants to torture in horrible agony his own misled children.
For, as noted, perfect grace is also perfect forgiveness. Many do not come to God until very "late in the day," and some have not found a relationship with Him even yet. But God has forever to educate his children, and we also have forever to learn. So, no one is really in a big hurry.
Our challenge is to cultivate a grace-reflecting Love which is like the Love of God. (In fact, all real Love is God living within and through us.) Then, we will welcome with smiles and loving hearts those who turn to God (Love) and receive of his grace, exactly the same as we have received of it.
All salvation comes from grace. This is such a "dangerous" teaching that the cult to which I used to belong, Jehovah's Witnesses, have completely removed the word "grace" from their Bible. It does not appear a single time.
Many religious people want to ignore or even deny the Power of grace. They do not believe that it is fair; but Love goes far, far beyond fairness. The disciple James wrote, "Mercy exults triumphantly over justice."
God does indeed believe in justice, but Love can go much further than
mere justice or fairness. Grace is an undeserved or unearned gift. No
one really "deserves" it. It is the overflow of the galactic Love of the
Supreme heart. And, because it is from God (Love), It misses nothing and
no one.
*******
The text about which you ask is one of my favorites. It is John 12:32, where Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I shall draw all unto myself."
In the ancient Greek, the phrase "all" is a rendition of pantou anthropou, and means literally "all men," or "all people." This is one of several Christian Greek Scriptural ("New Testament") texts that imply the universality of salvation. So, with some Christians, it is not very popular or beloved.
Salvation, the Scriptures make absolutely clear, does not come to us because we are "better" than others, because we work harder, or because we know more. No, all salvation has only one single Source, and that is the free gift of grace. This comes from the non-judgmental heart of God. Jesus said, "The Father judges no one."
We are saved from the lower nature, from pain, ignorance, hatred, and even death by this great and unlimited gift. Over and over, the Scriptural texts of the Christians use the Greek word charis ("grace") to refer to this enormous and immense gift. This gift originates, not with our behavior, or even our choice, but is rooted solidly, and exclusively, in the horizonless Love of God.
So, as with many deep questions, we are forced yet again into the great pleasure of examining the Love of God. First and foremost, we must ask whether this Love is limited or unlimited.
I think that you will be happy to agree with me, and with the Scriptures, that God's Love is unlimited. In fact, It is so illimitable that a "limit" on Love is a "limit" to God. This makes God a twisted, distorted limited thing; and It is no longer God, by simple definition. For, because "God is Love," this Love must be also unlimited, since a "limited God" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. God must forever be
recognized as both unlimited and illimitable.
But can it ever be fair that Jesus draws unto Himself "all men"? Yes, it can be fair if not all people are drawn at the same time. Jesus himself illustrated the situation in a parable like this:
A rich man agreed to hire people to work in a field for one hundred dollars a day. People came to him all during the day-- some came at 9 am, others at noon, others not until three, and others not til the very end of the day, at 5 pm.
When he started to pay them, the ones who had come early were delighted and excited to see the "five-o'clockers" get a hundred bucks. For, they thought, we shall certainly get a lot more, since we began the day much earlier. But when they were paid, they grumbled and complained, since they received only a hundred dollars.
Early in the day, they were thrilled, because a hundred dollars was pretty good money; but they felt ripped off now, because the employer paid them now "only" a hundred dollars! But Jesus pointed out that the man had been fair and just: He had promised a hundred dollars, and he had given a hundred dollars.
So it is with the kingdom of heaven: God gives the same grace to everyone, whether she was enlightened a thousand years ago, or just this morning. God has promised grace (including total forgiveness) to all, and He gives it freely and equally to all. Some, especially super-religious types, do not have sufficient Love in their hearts. They grumble and complain, despite the wonderful fact that they also are receiving the abundance of God's free gift-- this very same grace.
They do not want God to "pay" all people the same salary; they feel that they deserve more, as they might work harder and longer. But, as Jesus said, the money belongs to the rich man; he can give it to whomever he chooses.
Often, religious types do not just bitch and complain that the later workers are being paid the same amount; they do not want God to "pay" the later workers at all. In fact, they teach that their "god"-- worse than any devil or demon-- wants to torture in horrible agony his own misled children.
For, as noted, perfect grace is also perfect forgiveness. Many do not come to God until very "late in the day," and some have not found a relationship with Him even yet. But God has forever to educate his children, and we also have forever to learn. So, no one is really in a big hurry.
Our challenge is to cultivate a grace-reflecting Love which is like the Love of God. (In fact, all real Love is God living within and through us.) Then, we will welcome with smiles and loving hearts those who turn to God (Love) and receive of his grace, exactly the same as we have received of it.
All salvation comes from grace. This is such a "dangerous" teaching that the cult to which I used to belong, Jehovah's Witnesses, have completely removed the word "grace" from their Bible. It does not appear a single time.
Many religious people want to ignore or even deny the Power of grace. They do not believe that it is fair; but Love goes far, far beyond fairness. The disciple James wrote, "Mercy exults triumphantly over justice."
God does indeed believe in justice, but Love can go much further than
mere justice or fairness. Grace is an undeserved or unearned gift. No
one really "deserves" it. It is the overflow of the galactic Love of the
Supreme heart. And, because it is from God (Love), It misses nothing and
no one.
*******
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