A PROLOGUE

THE UNDERSTANDING OF LIFE

The proclamation of Christ has replaced the belief in an external God by the understanding of life

THE Gospel is the revelation of this truth, that the first source of everything is the understanding of life itself. This being so, the Gospel puts in the place of what men call God a right understanding of life. Without this understanding there is no life; men only live in so far as they understand life.

Those who do not grasp this, and who deem that the body is the source of life, shut themselves out from true life; but those who comprehend that they live, not through the body, but through the spirit, possess true life. This is that true life which Jesus Christ came to teach to men. Having conceived that mans life flows from the understanding, he gave to men the teaching and example of a life of the understanding in the body.

Earlier religions were the announcements of law as to what men ought to do, and not to do, for the service of God. The teaching of Jesus, on the other hand, deals only with the understanding of life. No man has ever seen, and no man can see or know, an external God; therefore our life cannot take for its aim the service of such a God. Only by adopting for his supreme principle the inner understanding of life, having for its source the acknowledgment of God, can man surely travel the way of life.

The announcement of salvation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (mk 1:1) This is the announcement of salvation; all men who come to know they are sons of God receive true life. (jn 20:31) The foundation and beginning of all things is the understanding of life. Understanding of life is God. (jn 1:1) This the announcement of Jesus Christ reveals as the foundation and beginning of everything. (jn 1:2) All is built upon the understanding of life, without which there can be no living. (jn 1:3) In this is true life. (jn 1:4)

This understanding is the light of truth. But this light shines amid the darkness, and the darkness is not able to overcome it. (jn 1:5) The true light has always been in the world, and shines upon all men who come into the world. (jn 1:9) It has been in the world, and the world existed only because it contained this light; but the world has not adhered to it. (jn 1:10) This light has appeared in its place, but its place has not retained it. (jn 1:11)

All those who have grasped the understanding of life have received the opportunity of becoming like it through belief in it. (jn 1:12) Those who have believed that life is in the understanding have become the sons, not of the flesh, but of the understanding. (jn 1:13)

And the understanding of life was united with the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, and so we were given to know that the offspring of understanding, man in the flesh, is of the same nature as his Father, the original source of life. (jn 1:14)

The teaching of Jesus is the perfect and true faith. (jn 1:15) In fulfilling the teaching of Jesus, we have understood the new faith which replaces the old. (jn 1:16) It was law that Moses gave, but we come to understand the true faith through Jesus Christ. (jn 1:17)

No man has ever seen God; the Son only, who is in the Father, has shown us the way of life. (jn 1:18)

A SUMMARY

THE UNDERSTANDING OF LIFE IS TO DO GOOD

The announcement of blessedness made by Jesus Christ is an announcement of understanding of life

THE understanding of life is this: The source of life is perfect goodness, and therefore human life is perfectly good in its nature. To understand the source of life, it is necessary to believe that our spirit, the life in man, came from this source. The man, formerly not living, is summoned into life by this, his origin. This source of life appoints blessedness for man, because its own being is blessedness.

To keep in harmony with the source of his life, a man must fix himself upon the one characteristic of this source which is comprehensible to him, and which finds blessedness in doing good. Therefore mans life must be devoted to this blessedness; that is, to doing good from love. But we can find no objects of goodness other than men. All our own bodily desires are out of harmony with this principle of blessedness; and therefore they, with all the life of the body, must be surrendered to the principle of blessedness, to active love to mankind.

Love to our fellow-men follows from the understanding of life revealed by Jesus Christ. The confirmations of this understanding of life are twofold. One is, that when not accepted, the source of life seems to be an impostor, who gives to men an unsatisfied craving for life and blessedness. The other is, that man feels in his soul that love and goodness toward his fellow-men is the only true, free, eternal life.

The First Epistle of John the Divine

This is the announcement of the understanding of life through which men have fellowship with the Father of life, and therefore have eternal life. (1 jn 1:1-3)

This is an announcement of blessedness. (1 jn 1:4)

The understanding of life is, that God is life and blessedness, and that in life and blessedness death and evil do not exist. (1 jn 1:5)

If we say that we are at one with God, while we feel we are living in evil and death, then either we are imposing upon ourselves, or we are not doing what we ought to do. (1 jn 1:6)

Only by living the same life as His, do we become at one with Him. (1 jn 1:7)

As a teacher of this life, we have Jesus Christ, the right-living. (1 jn 2:1) He freed us and all who will, from wrong-living. (1 jn 2:2)

The proof that we know the teaching of Jesus Christ is, that we carry out his commandments. (1 jn 2:3) Anyone who says he knows the teaching of Jesus Christ, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and there is no truth in him. (1 jn 2:4) But the man who carries out his commandments has the love of God in him. Only through love can we know that we are at one with God. (1 jn 2:5)

He who says he is at one with Jesus Christ, must also live as Jesus lived. (1 jn 2:6)

He who says of himself that he is in life and blessedness, but hates his living brotherman, is not in life and blessedness, but in death and evil; and he does not know what he is doing; he is blind, hating the life which is in himself also. (1 jn 2:9-11)

To escape this blindness, a man must remember that everything in the world, in the earthly life, is the desire of the flesh, or vanity, (1 jn 2:15) and that all this is not from God. (1 jn 2:16) And that all this passes away, perishes. And that only he who does the will of God, which is love, endures for ever. (1 jn 2:17)

Only he who recognizes that his spirit is the offspring of the Father, is united with the Father. (1 jn 2:23) Therefore remain in the knowledge that you are, in the spirit, sons of the Father, God, and you will have eternal life. (1 jn 2:24)

God gives us the opportunity of being His sons, and like Himself. So that, in this present life, we become His sons. (1 jn 3:1) We do not know what we are to be, but we know that we are like Him, and that we are united with Him. (1 jn 3:2)

Confidence in this eternal life rids us of our mistakes, and purifies us to the Fathers purity. (1 jn 3:3) For whoever commits sin, violates the will of God. (1 jn 3:4)

Jesus Christ came to teach us the way to deliverance from sin, and unity with God. (1 jn 3:5) Therefore those who become united with Him can no longer sin. Only that man will sin who does not know Him. (1 jn 3:6) But he who lives in God, acts righteously; (1 jn 3:7) and only he who is not united with God, does unrighteously. (1 jn 3:8) He who owns his origin from God, cannot do any falsehood. (1 jn 3:9)

Therefore men are of two classesmen of God, and men who are not of God; men who know the right and love the brethren, and men who do not know the right and do not love the brethren. (1 jn 3:10)

For, following the teaching of Jesus Christ, we cannot refrain from loving one another. (1 jn 3:11) Through the teaching of Jesus Christ, we know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren, and that he who does not love his brother is in death. (1 jn 3:14) We know that one who does not love his living brother does not love life. And he who does not love life cannot himself possess life. (1 jn 3:15)

By this teaching we recognize love, in the fact that life is given to us; and we know, therefore, that we also must give up our life for our brother. (1 jn 3:16) So that he who, himself having the means of life, sees his brother in need, and does not yield his own life for his brothers sake,in him there is no divine love. (1 jn 3:17)

We must love, not by words, but by deeds, in truth. (1 jn 3:18) And he who so loves has a quiet heart, because he is at one with God. (1 jn 3:19)

If our heart is at strife in us, we subdue it to God. For God is higher than the wishes of our hearts. (1 jn 3:20) But if there is no strife in our hearts, then we are blessed, (1 jn 3:21) and that because we do all we can, the best deeds, and fulfil all that is ordainedfor us (1 jn 3:22) .

And this is ordained for usto believe that man is the son of God, and to love our brother. (1 jn 3:23) Those who do this are united with God, and are risen above the world, because that which is in us is greater, of more consequence, than all the world. (1 jn 4:4)

Therefore let us love one another. Love is from God, and everyone who loves is the son of God, and knows God. (1 jn 4:7) And he who does not love, does not know God. Because God is love. (1 jn 4:8)

That God is love, we know because He sent into the world this Spirit, such as He Himself is, and thereby gave us life. (1 jn 4:9) We did not exist, and God was under no compulsion, but He gave us life and blessedness; therefore He must love us. (1 jn 4:10)

No man can perfectly know God. All we can know of Him is, that He had love toward us, and because of this love gave us life. And to be in feIlowship with God, we must be like Him, and do as He does; we must love one another. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and we dwell in Him. (1 jn 4:11-13)

Having understood the love of God toward us, we believe that God is love, and that he who loves is united with God. (1 jn 4:16) And having understood this, we do not fear death, because in this world we become such as God Himself is. (1 jn 4:17) Our life becomes love, and is thus freed from fear and all sufferings. (1 jn 4:18)

We love, because He loves. And we love not a God whom no one can love, because no one sees Him, but our brother-man, whom it is possible to love. (1 jn 4:19) He who says he loves God, and yet hates his brother, is deceiving himself. Because, if he does not love the brother whom he sees, how, then, can he love God whom he does not see? (1 jn 4:20) For it is ordained to us to love God in our brother. (1 jn 4:21)

To love God, is to fulfil His commandments. And these commandments are not hard for him who, (1 jn 5:3) recognizing that his origin is from God, rises above the world. Our faith lifts us above the world. (1 jn 5:4) And our faith in that which Jesus, the Son of God, taught us, is true. (1 jn 5:5) He has taught us that he lived in the world, not merely in the way of truth, but by the power of the spirit. And that spirit is in us, and makes us strong in truth, following out the teaching. (1 jn 5:6)

If we believe in what men affirm, why, then, should we not believe in the spirit that is in ourselves? (1 jn 5:9) He who believes in that spirit of life which is in us, has assurance within himself. And he who does not believe that there is a spirit from above us, from the Father, makes God a deceiver. (1 jn 5:10)

The spirit in us affirms that our life is eternal. (1 jn 5:11) He who knows that this spirit is the offspring of the Infinite Spirit, and becomes like Him, has eternal life. (1 jn 5:12) And for him who so believes, there is no difficulty left in his life, but everything he desires in the will of the Father will come to him. (1 jn 5:14)

Therefore he who believes himself to be a son of God, will not live in any deception, but is free from evil. (1 jn 5:18) Because he knows that this material world is an illusion, (1 jn 5:19) and that in man himself there is the capacity to know that which has real existence. And only the Spirit, the Son, the offspring of the Father, really exists. (1 jn 5:20)