© 2005 The Brotherhood of Man Library
| Did Jesus really need to be crucified? | Volume 12 - No. 2 — Index | The relative role of miracles, resurrection, and forgiveness of sins in the rapid spread of Christianity |
When the Son of Man has finished his work on earth, there shall be poured out upon all flesh the living Spirit of Truth. Those who receive this spirit shall never know spiritual thirst." (UB 162:6.1)
“And when the Father shall approve, I will pour out the Spirit of Truth upon all flesh. Already is my Father’s spirit in your hearts, and when this day shall come, you will also have me with you even as you now have the Father. This new gift is the spirit of living truth. The unbelievers will not at first listen to the teachings of this spirit, but the sons of light will all receive him gladly and with a whole heart. And you shall know this spirit when he comes even as you have known me, and you will receive this gift in your hearts, and he will abide with you. You thus perceive that I am not going to leave you without help and guidance. I will not leave you desolate. Today I can be with you only in person. In the times to come I will be with you and all other men who desire my presence, wherever you may be, and with each of you at the same time. Do you not discern that it is better for me to go away; that I leave you in the flesh so that I may the better and the more fully be with you in the spirit?” (UB 180:4.1)
Love, unselfishness, must undergo a constant and living re-adaptive interpretation of relationships in accordance with the leading of the Spirit of Truth. Love must thereby grasp the ever-changing and enlarging concepts of the highest cosmic good of the individual who is loved. And then love goes on to strike this same attitude concerning all other individuals who could possibly be influenced by the growing and living relationship of one spirit-led mortal’s love for other citizens of the universe. And this entire living adaptation of love must be effected in the light of both the environment of present evil and the eternal goal of the perfection of divine destiny. (UB 180:5.10)
And so must we clearly recognize that neither the golden rule nor the teaching of non-resistance can ever be properly understood as dogmas or precepts. They can only be comprehended by living them, by realizing their meanings in the living interpretation of the Spirit of Truth, who directs the loving contact of one human being with another.
“I have yet much to say to you, but you cannot stand any more just now. Albeit, when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he shall eventually guide you into all truth as you pass through the many abodes in my Father’s universe.
This spirit will not speak of himself, but he will declare to you that which the Father has revealed to the Son, and he will even show you things to come; he will glorify me even as I have glorified my Father. This spirit comes forth from me, and he will reveal my truth to you. Everything which the Father has in this domain is now mine; wherefore did I say that this new teacher would take of that which is mine and reveal it to you.” (UB 180:6.3-4)
“The Father sent me into this world, but only a few of you have chosen fully to receive me. I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, but all men will not choose to receive this new teacher as the guide and counselor of the soul. But as many as do receive him shall be enlightened, cleansed, and comforted. And this Spirit of Truth will become in them a well of living water springing up into eternal life.” (UB 181:1.4)
“If you will be taught by the Spirit of Truth, never will there be conflict between the requirements of citizenship on earth and sonship in heaven unless the temporal rulers presume to require of you the homage and worship which belong only to God.” (UB 181:2.10)
“Then shall the Spirit of Truth lead each of you abroad to labor for the extension of the kingdom. Many changes have come over you since that day . . . when you first set out to follow me; but many more must come before you will be able to see the vision of a brotherhood in which gentile sits alongside Jew in fraternal association. But go on with your urge to win your Jewish brethren until you are fully satisfied and then turn with power to the gentiles.” (UB 181:2.13)
“I have taught you much by word of mouth, and I have lived my life among you. I have done all that can be done to enlighten your minds and liberate your souls, and what you have not been able to get from my teachings and my life, you must now prepare to acquire at the hand of that master of all teachers–actual experience. And in all of this new experience which now awaits you, I will go before you and the Spirit of Truth shall be with you. Fear not; that which you now fail to comprehend, the new teacher, when he has come, will reveal to you throughout the remainder of your life on earth and on through your training in the eternal ages.” (UB 181:2.24)
About one o’clock, as the one hundred and twenty believers were engaged in prayer, they all became aware of a strange presence in the room. At the same time these disciples all became conscious of a new and profound sense of spiritual joy, security, and confidence. This new consciousness of spiritual strength was immediately followed by a strong urge to go out and publicly proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and the good news that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Peter stood up and declared that this must be the coming of the Spirit of Truth which the Master had promised them and proposed that they go to the temple and begin the proclamation of the good news committed to their hands. And they did just what Peter suggested. (UB 194:0.1-2)
The Spirit of Truth . . . is designed to live in man and, for each new generation, to restate the Jesus’ message so that every new group of mortals to appear upon the face of the earth shall have a new and up-to-date version of the gospel, just such personal enlightenment and group guidance as will prove to be an effective solvent for man’s ever-new and varied spiritual difficulties. (UB 194:2.1)
The first mission of this spirit is, of course, to foster and personalize truth, for it is the comprehension of truth that constitutes the highest form of human liberty. Next, it is the purpose of this spirit to destroy the believer’s feeling of orphanhood. Jesus having been among men, all believers would experience a sense of loneliness had not the Spirit of Truth come to dwell in men’s hearts. (UB 194:2.2)
This bestowal of the Son’s spirit effectively prepared all normal men’s minds for the subsequent universal bestowal of the Father’s spirit (the Adjuster) upon all mankind. In a certain sense, this Spirit of Truth is the spirit of both the Universal Father and the Creator Son. (UB 194:2.3)
Do not make the mistake of expecting to become strongly intellectually conscious of the outpoured Spirit of Truth. The spirit never creates a consciousness of himself, only a consciousness of Michael, the Son. From the beginning Jesus taught that the spirit would not speak of himself. The proof, therefore, of your fellowship with the Spirit of Truth is not to be found in your consciousness of this spirit but rather in your experience of enhanced fellowship with Michael. (UB 194:2.4)
The spirit also came to help men recall and understand the words of the Master as well as to illuminate and reinterpret his life on earth. (UB 194:2.5)
Next, the Spirit of Truth came to help the believer to bear witness to the realities of Jesus’ teachings and his life as he lived it in the flesh, and as he now again lives it anew and afresh in the individual believer of each passing generation of the spirit-filled sons of God. (UB 194:2.6)
Thus it appears that the Spirit of Truth comes really to lead all believers into all truth, into the expanding knowledge of the experience of the living and growing spiritual consciousness of the reality of eternal and ascending sonship with God. (UB 194:2.7)
Do not overlook the fact that the Spirit of Truth was bestowed upon all sincere believers; this gift of the spirit did not come only to the apostles. The one hundred and twenty men and women assembled in the upper chamber all received the new teacher, as did all the honest of heart throughout the whole world. This new teacher was bestowed upon mankind, and every soul received him in accordance with their love for truth and their capacity to grasp and comprehend spiritual realities. At last, true religion is delivered from the custody of priests and all sacred classes and finds its real manifestation in the individual souls of men. (UB 194:3.6)
The coming of the Spirit of Truth on Pentecost made possible a religion which is neither radical nor conservative; it is neither the old nor the new; it is to be dominated neither by the old nor the young. The fact of Jesus’ earthly life provides a fixed point for the anchor of time, while the bestowal of the Spirit of Truth provides for the everlasting expansion and endless growth of the religion which he lived and the gospel which he proclaimed. The spirit guides into all truth; he is the teacher of an expanding and always-growing religion of endless progress and divine unfolding. This new teacher will be forever unfolding to the truth-seeking believer that which was so divinely folded up in the person and nature of the Son of Man. (UB 194:3.8)
The bestowal of the Spirit of Truth was independent of all forms, ceremonies, sacred places, and special behavior by those who received the fullness of its manifestation. (UB 194:3.10)
The coming of the Spirit of Truth purifies the human heart and leads the recipient to formulate a life purpose single to the will of God and the welfare of men. The material spirit of selfishness has been swallowed up in this new spiritual bestowal of selflessness. Pentecost, then and now, signifies that the Jesus of history has become the divine Son of living experience. The joy of this outpoured spirit, when it is consciously experienced in human life, is a tonic for health, a stimulus for mind, and an unfailing energy for the soul. (UB 194:3.19)
Over almost 2000 years only a handful of isolated individuals have utilized the potential available with the Spirit of Truth to further advance the kingdom of heaven on earth. Instead, most Christians have clung to the dogma that the main purpose of Jesus’ crucifixion was as a blood sacrifice offered to God for the forgiveness of their sins.
This despite the illogicality of a God whom we recognize as the epitome of perfect love and compassion–yet is the same God who demands the cruel death by crucifixion of his Son before he will forgive his ignorant earthly children for their sins–most of which are of a relatively trivial nature.
Judged from the New Testament records about the apostles, up to the day of Pentecost when they received the Spirit of Truth, they were a very ordinary pack of individuals. But from that day onwards they underwent metamorphosis. The record of their remarkable achievements was recorded by Luke in the Book of Acts. Without their heroism most probably we in the 21st century would never have heard of Jesus’ Spirit of Truth–and possibly not even of Jesus.
In 1955, the publication of the Urantia Revelation changed all that. Once more mankind was made aware of the potential of the Spirit of Truth:
“to teach us to function so as to demonstrate the achievement of God seeking man and finding him and the phenomenon of man seeking God and finding him.” (UB 120:2.8)
“to have us recognize that neither the golden rule nor the teaching on non-resistance can ever be properly understood as dogmas or precepts. They can only be comprehended by living them.” (UB 180:5.9)
“to live in our souls, lead our spirits into the truth, and to illuminate the difference between sin and righteousness.” (UB 180:6.2)
“to foster our awareness that the chief purpose in living is in doing the Father’s will.” (UB 180:6.1)
“to have the Son of Man become a spiritual incarnation in the souls of true believers.” (UB 181:1.1)
“to teach us to live in accordance with the spirit of Jesus’ teachings” (UB 181:1.3)
“to declare, ”Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (UB 181:1.9)
“to bring to our awareness that our careers in time and eternity are safely and wholly in the care of an all-wise, all-loving, and all powerful spirit Father.” (UB 181:1.10)
“to help us to labor for the extension of the kingdom.” (UB 181:2.13)
“to teach us the poise of compassion and sympathetic tolerance.” (UB 181:2.15)
“to inspire us to dedicate our lives to the cause of leading mankind to search for God and to seek eternal realities with the eye of spiritual faith–not with the eyes of the material mind.” (UB 181:2.20)
"to teach us that the expression of even a good thought must be modulated in accordance with the intellectual status and spiritual development of the hearer. (UB 181:2.21)
“to remind us that all things work together for the glory of God and the salvation of mankind.” (UB 182:2.1)
“to personalize truth for it is the comprehension of truth that constitutes the highest form of human liberty.” (UB 194:2.2)
“to bear witness to the realities of Jesus’ teachings and his life as he lived it in the flesh.” (UB 194:2.6)
“to foster our love for truth and our capacity to grasp and comprehend spiritual realities.” (UB 194:3.6)
“to purify our hearts and lead us to formulate a life purpose single to the will of God and the welfare of all mankind.” (UB 194:3.19)
However take care not to make the mistake of expecting to become strongly intellectually conscious of the outpoured Spirit of Truth. The Spirit never creates a consciousness of himself, only a consciousness of Jesus–Michael, the Son. From the beginning Jesus taught that the Spirit would not speak of himself. The proof, therefore, of your fellowship with the Spirit of Truth is not to be found in you consciousness of this Spirit but rather in your experience of enhanced fellowship with Jesus–Michael. (UB 194:2.4)
| Did Jesus really need to be crucified? | Volume 12 - No. 2 — Index | The relative role of miracles, resurrection, and forgiveness of sins in the rapid spread of Christianity |