Читать книгу Lessons in Truth Series: the Everlasting Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Spirit) Within - Timothy F. Gardner - Страница 12

THE SUBSTANTIAL REALITY: GOD (SPIRIT)

“I can of mine own self do nothing . . .” (John 5:30), “but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works” (John 14:10). “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him” (John 14:7) . . . “Have I been so long a time with you, and yet thou hast not known me, he that hath seen me, hath seen the Father; how sayest thou shew us the Father?” (John 14:9) . . . “I am in the Father and the Father in me” (John 14:10). “I and the Father are One” (John 10:30).

“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God [Spirit] is within you” (Luke 17:21). With such words, Jesus gave us the key to beginning our spiritual journey back to the Father’s house, and to begin living a life under Grace. With these words He is showing us the non-power and non-reality of life in the temporal, and, He is revealing to us the principle of living in the Spirit, “living in my kingdom”, living in the kingdom of God (Spirit) within, a kingdom that is not of this world. It is beyond us, yet it is within us.

In these Chapters you shall be given the spiritual principles necessary to bring you out of the valley of the shadow of death, into the glorious light of the sun within. Each of us are searching and striving for a way, truth, or doctrine that will free us of our problems and lead us out of the sufferings, and disappointments that life continually present to us.

Down through the ages man has always believed that there was a power or some god that brought about and maintained creation as we know it. Man has also believed that through worship and sacrifice, he could persuade this god or power to come to his aid in times of need. And, man has also presumed that if he could find this source of life, all of his problems would be solved. Thus, man has frantically searched outside of himself, just to find disappointment and frustration, which led him to abandon his search.

Then, at the dawn of the Piscean Age, Christ Jesus appeared on the earth plane preaching the kingdom of God (Spirit) is at hand; it is within reach here and now, and all that man needed to do was repent, to change his mind, believe the gospel and follow this doctrine to attain it. Jesus was not the first to bring this message of the kingdom of God (Spirit) within, because it had been spoken in different words thousands of years before He had appeared on earth. However, it was the first time in written history that this truth was openly revealed to the Western world. For up until this time these teachings were esoteric and given to only a select few—from mouth to ear.

The central theme of Jesus’ doctrine while he walked the earth revealed to us that the kingdom of God (Spirit) or rather the presence and power of God, is within reach here and now readily available. And, that It is located not in holy mountains, nor in holy temples. Its location is neither, “Lo! here, or Lo! there!” but within you: “The kingdom of God [Spirit] is within you”(Luke 17:21). This was the teaching of the master. The presence of God is within you. Jesus constantly referred to this presence as, “the Father”, “the Father that dwelleth within”, “the I”, and the “I Am”, and Jesus instructed us to look beyond this transient existence and to acknowledge our Oneness with the Father. Jesus stressed that, “He that seeth me, seeth Him that sent me” (John 12:45).

Also, Saint Paul, the most influential interpreter of Jesus’ message and teachings referred to this ever-present reality as the, “mind which was in Christ Jesus”(Phil 2:5). Saint Paul also tells us early in his writings not to put hope and trust in the temporal, but to look beyond the shadowy appearances of this transient existence to the one true reality.

In 2 Corinthians 4:18 it says, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen, are eternal.” Temporal, meaning; of, or relating to time; impermanent, transitory. Transitory, pertains to those things, which pass away with time.

According to the Kybalion by the Three Initiates:

Under, and behind this Universe of Time, Space, and Change, there is a Substantial Reality. Substantial, meaning; that which underlies all outward manifestations, the essence, the essential reality, actually existing, being real, etc. Reality, meaning; the state of being real, true, enduring, valid, fixed, permanent, actual. Under and behind, all outward appearances or manifestations there is and must always be a Substantial Reality. This is the law. There can be no effect without a cause.

Man, considering the universe of which he is just a small part, sees nothing but change in matter, forces, and mental states. He sees nothing that really is, but that everything is becoming and changing; there is no reality, enduring quality, fixity, or substantiality, in anything; nothing is permanent but change. And if he be a thinking man, he realizes that all of these changing things must be but an outward appearance or manifestation of some underlying power, some Substantial Reality (1908, pp. 53-54).

Religious people have come to know this Substantial Reality, which underlies all outward manifestations, as God. The Bible tells us that, “All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made” . . . (John 1:2). These same Holy Scriptures go on to repeat these facts again, in Colossians 1:15-17 where it states, “Who is the image of the invisible God; the first born of every creature . . . for by Him were all things created . . . all things were created by Him and for Him . . . and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (of note The Kyballion is the ancient Jewish book of mysticism).

Let us stop here and take time to look into the meaning of the word consist. Consist is defined as; ‘to be inherent in something, to be composed or made up of something.’ But just what could God’s creation be composed of, and inherent in? In Acts 17:28, we read where it states, “In Him [God], we move, live, and have our being.” As we can see, this sacred verse states that existence and life, as we know it, is inherent in God (Spirit). The key word here, in this particular verse, is “being”. The word being is defined as existence, life, one’s fundamental nature. But to understand this definition better we should look into the meaning of the word existence. Existence, from its root word, means to stand forth from something. To stand forth from what? Remember, in Acts 17:28, where it says, “In Him [God(Spirit)], we move, live, and have our being,” here it is saying that material existence, as we know it, stands forth from the primal substance of the universe which is God!

But, these same Holy Scriptures go on to tell us that the Substantial Reality is also inherent in Its creation. Let me clarify what I am saying here. In John 1:3 we read that, “All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made,” but, if we continue to read on, in verse four it states, “In Him [God(Spirit)], was life, and life was the light of men,” and in the fifth verse it states, “The light [the life,the presence of God(Spirit)] shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not;” continuing on to the ninth verse it says, “That [the Word—God (Spirit)] is the true light [life] which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

After analyzing the scriptures presented here, we can come to the conclusion that while material existence stands forth from the primal substance of the universe—the primal substance is also inherent in it as the True-self: God (Spirit) within. In 1Corinthians 3:16 it states, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you!” And Deuteronomy 30:20 tells us to, “cleave unto Him [God], for He is thy life.”

The illusory reality or more precisely, the relative reality, which our senses perceive is but a shadow of a deeper underlying reality and we must search within to find this reality. Let us stop briefly and take time to look into the meaning of the word relative. The word relative is defined as; ‘not absolute or independent; dependent upon something else for existence.’

Existence, things as we see them, the world of shapes and forms, is dependent upon something else for its existence. It stands forth from the primal substance of the universe, which is God (Spirit)! But, at the same time, the primal substance is also inherent within its creation. God (Spirit) is not remotely set away from His creation, but is actively involved in it—creating, growing, suffering, redeeming and even dying just to dissolve His creation back into His loving arms. Truly, under and behind this universe of incessant change there is a Substantial Reality, and we must look within to find this Reality, which is God (Spirit). This is the secret doctrine, the hidden truth, and we must look within and acknowledge this Reality, and thus enter into the conscious awareness of the kingdom of God (Spirit) within. We must learn to sit and meditate and search within to find Him, for flesh and blood cannot enter this kingdom, but we can still the mind and transcend it once the old man (carnal self) has been brought under firm restraint, and then we become aware of the Father which is within, the One and Only Reality. Be still and know the Father within. Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth and [your knowing] the truth shall set you free!” The kingdom of God (Spirit) is within you; it is a revelation of the Father in you, which is an experience that will take place within you.

We shall know we are the truth. This premise shall serve as the foundation upon which all our thought in this work shall be erected.