LESSON 10: Transcendence of the Religion of Jesus

The religion of Jesus transcends all our former concepts of the idea of worship in that he not only portrays his Father as the ideal of infinite reality but positively declares that this divine source of values and the eternal center of the universe is truly and personally attainable by every mortal creature who chooses to enter the kingdom of heaven on earth, thereby acknowledging the acceptance of sonship with God and brotherhood with man. That, I submit, is the highest concept of religion the world has ever known, and I pronounce that there can never be a higher since this gospel embraces the infinity of realities, the divinity of values, and the eternity of universal attainments. Such a concept constitutes the achievement of the experience of the idealism of the supreme and the ultimate. 160:5.7

Religious Living

“The marks of human response to the religious impulse embrace the qualities of nobility and
 grandeur. The sincere religionist is conscious of universe citizenship and is aware of making
 contact with sources of superhuman power. He is thrilled and energized with the assurance of
 belonging to a superior and ennobled fellowship of the sons of God. The consciousness of self-
worth has become augmented by the stimulus of the quest for the highest universe objectives—
supreme goals.

“The self has surrendered to the intriguing drive of an all-encompassing motivation which
 imposes heightened self-discipline, lessens emotional conflict, and makes mortal life truly worth
 living. The morbid recognition of human limitations is changed to the natural consciousness of
 mortal shortcomings, associated with moral determination and spiritual aspiration to attain the
 highest universe and superuniverse goals. And this intense striving for the attainment of
 supermortal ideals is always characterized by increasing patience, forbearance, fortitude, and
 tolerance.

“But true religion is a living love, a life of service. The religionist's detachment from much that
 is purely temporal and trivial never leads to social isolation, and it should not destroy the sense
 of humor. Genuine religion takes nothing away from human existence, but it does add new
 meanings to all of life; it generates new types of enthusiasm, zeal, and courage. It may even
 engender the spirit of the crusader, which is more than dangerous if not controlled by spiritual
 insight and loyal devotion to the common place social obligations of human loyalties.

“One of the most amazing earmarks of religious living is that dynamic and sublime peace, that
 peace which passes all human understanding, that cosmic poise which betokens the absence of
 all doubt and turmoil. Such levels of spiritual stability are immune to disappointment. Such
 religionists are like the Apostle Paul, who said: ‘I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor
 angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor
 depth, nor anything else shall be able to separate us from the love of God.'

“There is a sense of security, associated with the realization of triumphing glory, resident in the
 consciousness of the religionist who has grasped the reality of the Supreme, and who pursues the
 goal of the Ultimate.” 100:6.3

JESUS' RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

Of Jesus it was truly said, ‘He trusted God.' As a man among men he most sublimely trusted the
 Father in heaven. He trusted his Father as a little child trusts his earthly parent. His faith was
 perfect but never presumptuous. No matter how cruel nature might appear to be or how
 indifferent to man's welfare on earth, Jesus never faltered in his faith. He was immune to
 disappointment and impervious to persecution. He was untouched by apparent failure.
 He loved men as brothers, at the same time recognizing how they differed in innate
 endowments and acquired qualities. ‘He went about doing good.'

Jesus was an unusually cheerful person, but he was not a blind and unreasoning optimist. His
 constant word of exhortation was, ‘Be of good cheer.' He could maintain this confident attitude
 because of his unswerving trust in God and his unshakable confidence in man. He was always
 touchingly considerate of all men because he loved them and believed in them. Still he was
 always true to his convictions and magnificently firm in his devotion to the doing of his Father's
 will.

The Master was always generous. He never grew weary of saying, ‘It is more blessed to give
 than to receive.' Said he, ‘Freely you have received, freely give.' And yet, with all of his
 unbounded generosity, he was never wasteful or extravagant. He taught that you must believe to
 receive salvation. ‘For every one who seeks shall receive.'

He was candid, but always kind. Said he, ‘If it were not so, I would have told you.' He was
 frank, but always friendly. He was outspoken in his love for the sinner and in his hatred for sin.
 But throughout all this amazing frankness he was unerringly fair.

Jesus was consistently cheerful, notwithstanding he sometimes drank deeply of the cup of
 human sorrow. He fearlessly faced the realities of existence, yet was he filled with enthusiasm
 for the gospel of the kingdom. But he controlled his enthusiasm; it never controlled him. He was
 unreservedly dedicated to ‘the Father's business.' This divine enthusiasm led his unspiritual
 brethren to think he was beside himself, but the onlooking universe appraised him as the model
 of sanity and the pattern of supreme mortal devotion to the high standards of spiritual living. And
 his controlled enthusiasm was contagious; his associates were constrained to share his divine
 optimism.

This man of Galilee was not a man of sorrows; he was a soul of gladness. Always was he
 saying, ‘Rejoice and be exceedingly glad.' But when duty required, he was willing to walk
 courageously through the ‘valley of the shadow of death.' He was gladsome but at the same time
 humble.

His courage was equaled only by his patience. When pressed to act prematurely, he would only
 reply, ‘My hour has not yet come.' He was never in a hurry; his composure was sublime. But he
 was often indignant at evil, intolerant of sin. He was often mightily moved to resist that which
 was inimical to the welfare of his children on earth. But his indignation against sin never led to
 anger at the sinner.

His courage was magnificent, but he was never foolhardy. His watchword was, ‘Fear not.' His
 bravery was lofty and his courage often heroic. But his courage was linked with discretion and
 controlled by reason. It was courage born of faith, not the recklessness of blind presumption. He
 was truly brave but never audacious.

The Master was a pattern of reverence. The prayer of even his youth began, ‘Our Father who is
 in heaven, hallowed be your name.' He was even respectful of the faulty worship of his fellows.
 But this did not deter him from making attacks on religious traditions or assaulting errors of
 human belief. He was reverential of true holiness, and yet he could justly appeal to his fellows,
 saying, ‘Who among you convicts me of sin?'

Jesus was great because he was good, and yet he fraternized with the little children. He was
 gentle and unassuming in his personal life, and yet he was the perfected man of a universe. His
 associates called him Master unbidden.

Jesus was the perfectly unified human personality. And today, as in Galilee, he continues to
 unify mortal experience and to co-ordinate human endeavors. He unifies life, ennobles character,
 and simplifies experience. He enters the human mind to elevate, transform, and transfigure it. It
 is literally true: ‘If any man has Christ Jesus within him, he is a new creature; old things are
 passing away; behold, all things are becoming new.' UB 100:7.7 Acts 20:35; Matt 10:8;
 John 14:2; Luke 11:10; Luke 2:49; Matt 5:12; Ps 23:4; John 2:4; Luke 12:7, 32; Luke 11:2; John
 8:46; 2 Cor 5:17.

THE RELIGION OF THE SPIRIT

The religion of the spirit means effort, struggle, conflict, faith, determination, love, loyalty, and progress. The religion of the mind—the theology of authority—requires little or none of these exertions from its formal believers. Tradition is a safe refuge and an easy path for those fearful and halfhearted souls who instinctively shun the spirit struggles and mental uncertainties associated with those faith voyages of daring adventure out upon the high seas of unexplored truth in search for the farther shores of spiritual realities as they may be discovered by the progressive human mind and experienced by the evolving human soul. 155:5.11

Religious Growth

The experience of dynamic religious living transforms the mediocre individual into a
 personality of idealistic power. Religion ministers to the progress of all through fostering the
 progress of each individual, and the progress of each is augmented through the achievement of
 all.

Spiritual growth is mutually stimulated by intimate association with other religionists. Love
 supplies the soil for religious growth—an objective lure in the place of subjective gratification—
yet it yields the supreme subjective satisfaction. And religion ennobles the commonplace
 drudgery of daily living. 100:0.1

Give every developing child a chance to grow his own religious experience; do not force a
 ready-made adult experience upon him. Remember, year-by-year progress through an established
 educational regime does not necessarily mean intellectual progress, much less spiritual growth.
 Enlargement of vocabulary does not signify development of character. Growth is not truly
 indicated by mere products but rather by progress. Real educational growth is indicated by
 enhancement of ideals, increased appreciation of values, new meanings of values, and
 augmented loyalty to supreme values. 100:1.3

Spiritual growth is first an awakening to needs, next a discernment of meanings, and then a
 discovery of values. The evidence of true spiritual development consists in the exhibition of a
 human personality motivated by love, activated by unselfish ministry, and dominated by the
 wholehearted worship of the perfection ideals of divinity. And this entire experience constitutes
 the reality of religion as contrasted with mere theological beliefs. 100:2.2

THE BELIEVER'S SURETY

Jesus portrayed the profound surety of the God-knowing mortal when he said: 'To a God-
knowing kingdom believer, what does it matter if all things earthly crash?'Temporal securities
 are vulnerable, but spiritual sureties are impregnable. When the flood tides of human adversity,
 selfishness, cruelty, hate, malice, and jealousy beat about the mortal soul, you may rest in the
 assurance that there is one inner bastion, the citadel of the spirit, which is absolutely
 unassailable; at least this is true of every human being who has dedicated the keeping of his soul
 to the indwelling spirit of the eternal God.

After such spiritual attainment, whether secured by gradual growth or specific crisis, there
 occurs a new orientation of personality as well as the development of a new standard of values.
 Such spirit-born individuals are so remotivated in life that they can calmly stand by while their
 fondest ambitions perish and their keenest hopes crash; they positively know that such
 catastrophes are but the redirecting cataclysms which wreck one's temporal creations preliminary
 to the rearing of the more noble and enduring realities of a new and more sublime level of
 universe attainment. 100:2.7

RELIGION AND THE RELIGIONIST

Early Christianity was entirely free from all civil entanglements, social commitments, and
 economic alliances. Only did later institutionalized Christianity become an organic part of the
 political and social structure of Occidental civilization.

The kingdom of heaven is neither a social nor economic order; it is an exclusively spiritual
 brotherhood of God-knowing individuals. True, such a brotherhood is in itself a new and
 amazing social phenomenon attended by astounding political and economic repercussions.
 99:3.1

Religionists, as a group, must never concern themselves with anything but religion, albeit any
 one such religionist, as an individual citizen, may become the outstanding leader of some social,
 economic, or political reconstruction movement.

It is the business of religion to create, sustain, and inspire such a cosmic loyalty in the
 individual citizen as will direct him to the achievement of success in the advancement of all these
 difficult but desirable social services. 99:3.15

Genuine religion renders the religionist socially fragrant and creates insights into human
 fellowship. But the formalization of religious groups many times destroys the very values for the
 promotion of which the group was organized. Human friendship and divine religion are mutually
 helpful and significantly illuminating if the growth in each is equalized and harmonized.
 Religion puts new meaning into all group associations—families, schools, and clubs. It imparts
 new values to play and exalts all true humor.

Social leadership is transformed by spiritual insight; religion prevents all collective movements
 from losing sight of their true objectives. Together with children, religion is the great unifier of
 family life, provided it is a living and growing faith. Family life cannot be had without children;
 it can be lived without religion, but such a handicap enormously multiplies the difficulties of this
 intimate human association. During the early decades of the twentieth century, family life, next
 to personal religious experience, suffers most from the decadence consequent upon the transition
 from old religious loyalties to the emerging new meanings and values.

True religion is a meaningful way of living dynamically face to face with the commonplace
 realties of everyday life. But if religion is to stimulate individual development of character and
 augment integration of personality, it must not be standardized. If it is to stimulate evaluation of
 experience and serve as a value-lure, it must not be stereotyped. If religion is to promote supreme
 loyalties, it must not be formalized.

No matter what upheavals may attend the social and economic growth of civilization, religion is
 genuine and worth while if it fosters in the individual an experience in which the sovereignty of
 truth, beauty, and goodness prevails, for such is the true spiritual concept of supreme reality. And
 through love and worship this becomes meaningful as fellowship with man and sonship with
 God. 99:4.1