© 1998 Richard I. Bain
© 1998 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
Before my encounter with The Urantia Book, I was content to drift along with no theology except a hazy concept of God. My relationship with Deity consisted mainly in giving God a call on the hot line when I was in hot water or was otherwise distressed. But Jesus and I had never been properly introduced.
We are told that when we contact the Spirit of Truth, we are in essence in contact with the personality of Jesus, or more exactly, the personality of Christ Michael, our Universe Sovereign. (UB 194:2.20) But how are we aware of this contact? The Urantia Book specifically tells us that when we encounter spiritual truth, the Spirit of Truth is involved.
Of course, I had heard the name of Jesus as in: “Saved by the blood of Jesus,” or heard people sing, “What a friend we have in Jesus.” Somehow I didn’t relate to all this Jesus talk. But then I met Jesus in The Urantia Book and it was no longer possible to ignore him. It began to dawn on me that his life and teachings were relevant to my life. Could I then have a relationship with this Jesus as Christians do? What kind of a relationship? Complicating this question is the fact that Jesus is a dual nature being, both human and divine. Neither identity seemed very accessible. The human Jesus has been dead for over 1900 years and the risen Christ is perhaps a thousand light years distant. Nevertheless, Christians claim to have a personal relationship with this Jesus. But how?
In order for a mutual relationship to exist, there must be some sort of connection between the persons. Jesus said something about this connection when he stated “Where two or three are gathered together, there I am also.” (UB 131:4.3) The authors of The Urantia Book inform us that Jesus is present with us through his Spirit of Truth. We are told that when we contact the Spirit of Truth, we are in essence in contact with the personality of Jesus, or more exactly, the personality of Christ Michael, our Universe Sovereign. (UB 194:2.20) But how are we aware of this contact? The Urantia Book specifically tells us that when we encounter spiritual truth, the Spirit of Truth is involved. From personal experience Ibelieve this feeling is spiritual satisfaction, sometimes even elation. The Bible and The Urantia Book also refer to the Spirit of Truth as the Comforter. When we are in crisis and feel spiritually comforted it may be the action of the Spirit of Truth. Further, The Urantia Book indicates that the Spirit of Truth may offer us guidance, so when we feel we have received guidance, this may be the action of the Spirit of Truth. But when we connect with the Spirit of Truth, are we really contacting Christ Michael or just a presence that is like him? Is Christ Michael aware of us as we are aware of him through the Spirit of Truth? Does it matter?
The picture of Jesus in The Urantia Book is so genuine and appealing that it will, in time, win the admiration and devotion of all of the peoples of the world. We currently have many impediments to this divine-human relationship. The negative experiences some people have had with Christianity stand in the way of discovering the real Jesus and his matchless character.
I believe that it is important to know that we are making contact with Christ Michael himself, just as we would rather talk to the person we dialed on the telephone rather than a message this person has left or an answering service person who will relay our message to the person we wish to contact. It is difficult to imagine Christ Michael’s consciousness being able to simultaneously and directly contact innumerable people at the same time. It may be impossible for finite beings to understand how this is possible. Nevertheless, Christ is our Universe Sovereign, the spiritual pathway for all in our universe to ascend to the Universal Father, and we can hardly understand or place limits on such a spiritual being. Even though our finite mortal minds cannot understand the omniscience or omnipresence of Deity, we can experience the reality of such a relationship with Christ. Jesus assured the apostles that he would be with them through the Spirit of Truth. Somehow Christ is literally present with us through this same Spirit of Truth. If so, what do we need to do to insure that there are no impediments to such a relationship?
The picture of Jesus in The Urantia Book is so genuine and appealing that it will, in time, win the admiration and devotion of all of the peoples of the world. We currently have many impediments to this divine-human relationship. The negative experiences some people have had with Christianity stand in the way of discovering the real Jesus and his matchless character. I have seen too many images of Jesus, in pictures or on plastic crosses, looking down at me with sad, teary eyes. Not that his death is without meaning, but if you do not accept a literal doctrine of atonement, the cross, as interpreted by conservative Christianity, obscures the facts about the nobility of his life with myths about his death. I could never accept the idea that even though I repent of my wrong doings, Jesus had to die on a cross before God could love me and forgive me. Because I have a bit of a problem with the conservative Christian concept of Jesus, I have sometimes used his Hebrew name, Joshua, when I refer to him. When I say Joshua ben Joseph, I think of a rugged Galilean who lived a life of courage and compassion. I think of a man who stopped in the middle of addressing a crowd to go into the street to comfort a woman who was carrying a heavy load. I think of a man who loved little children, who could laugh and enjoy a meal with friends, who could pull in a net full of fish or build a boat with the best of them. I think of a man who experienced the whole range of human emotions, but who was not ruled by his emotions. But the authors of The Urantia Book have put it more profoundly than I ever could:
The all-consuming and indomitable spiritual faith of Jesus never became fanatical, for it never attempted to run away with his well-balanced intellectual judgments concerning the proportional values of practical and commonplace social, economic, and moral life situations. The Son of Man was a splendidly unified human personality; he was a perfectly endowed divine being; he was also magnificently co-ordinated as a combined human and divine being functioning on earth as a single personality. Always did the Master co-ordinate the faith of the soul with the wisdom-appraisals of seasoned experience. (UB 196:0.7)
Never on all the worlds of this universe, in the life of any one mortal, did God ever become such a living reality as in the human experience of Jesus of Nazareth. (UB 196:0.3)
When I think of negative experiences connected with Jesus’ name, I especially think of our Jewish friends. I once worked with a Jewish fellow who grew up in a predominantly Christian neighborhood in New York City. He told me that when he was young, the older Christian boys called him “Jesus killer” and burned him with cigarettes. It is not surprising that he had little use for Christians or for Jesus. It is particularly important that when we introduce Jesus to people who have had negative Christian experiences, and people in the non-Christian world, that we emphasize that The Urantia Book presents a new and inspiring, as well as a more authentic, picture of Jesus.
The 700 page Life and Teachings of Jesus in The Urantia Book brings life to the sketchy New Testament story and with it a new authenticity. It is basically harmonious with all religions, emphasizing the religion of Jesus which is unifying, as opposed to the religion about Jesus which tends to be divisive. Actually, the peoples of the world already have a relationship with Jesus through the Spirit of Truth but do not know it. The Spirit of Truth operates within our minds whether or not we acknowledge Jesus. Perhaps all that is lacking for a more meaningful two-way relationship is acknowledging that it already exists. And this relationship would be enhanced if we would reinforce those actions that seek truth, create beauty, and establish goodness.
No doubt many of us are already doing many things that engage us with the Spirit of Truth, such as seeking truth, praying for guidance, and gathering together for spiritual purposes. Obviously, we are each going to have a unique relationship with Jesus, just as our relationships with each other are different. Our cultural background, theology, and personal preferences will define and color all our relationships, including our relationship with Jesus. But I do not doubt that his understanding and gracious spirit will make possible a joyful and creative relationship with all of us. There is, however, one final and most difficult impediment to a relationship with Jesus/Christ Michael —us.
The 700 page Life and Teachings of Jesus in The Urantia Book brings life to the sketchy New Testament story and with it a new authenticity. It is basically harmonious with all religions, emphasizing the religion of Jesus which is unifying, as opposed to the religion about Jesus which tends to be divisive.
All mutually satisfying relationships require several things: one is trust, another is honesty, but perhaps the most difficult is the willingness to make a commitment. When two people decide to marry, they have to accept certain limitations that they didn’t have before. This perceived loss of freedom has spelled the death of many a relationship because one party or the other lacked either the maturity or the courage to make sacrifices. Fear of risk-taking or immature selfishness often keeps us from many desirable goals in life such as establishing a relationship. The freedom to do what we please seems desirable, but the mature person understands that the pleasures of a good relationship far outweigh the illusory freedom of the uncommitted life.
Just so, the spiritual rewards of a relationship with Jesus far outweigh the freedom of doing our own thing. When we wrestle with a relationship with the Universal Father or Christ Michael, we are probably wrestling with fear. It is our choice: Will our lives be defined by courage and faith or with fear and anxiety — or worse, defiance of Ultimate Reality. “The doing of the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God.” (UB 111:5.1)
Richard I. Bain is an electrical engineer and an editor of Innerface International. He is a long time student of The Urantia Book.