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The Nature of God
“God is spirit” (Jn.
4:24). As such, God is present everywhere equally at the same time.
God is life, intelligence, love, power and harmony permeating all
things, animate and inanimate. God is equally accessible to all
regardless of religious persuasion.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ stands as
the true example of what each human being is capable of becoming. Unity
teaches that the spirit of God dwelt in Jesus, just as it dwells every
person; and that every person has the potential to express the
perfection of Christ, as Jesus did, by being more Christ-like in
everyday life. As Emma Curtis Hopkins said of Him, “He is the blossom
in the garden of man.” In Unity, He is seen as our Way Shower. He
represents one who has completely aligned the soul with the “image of
God” and expressed that image in bodily form. His supreme command was
“Follow me” (Matt. 4:19). Furthermore, the blood of Jesus Christ
represents the spiritual energy of God-life that purifies or redeems the
body through a cleansing and renewal of the consciousness by the spoken
word. Regarding the “spilled blood,” or the “ransom of many,” the
emphasis in Unity is not so much on the death of Jesus as on His life.
He did not relieve us of the necessity of working out our own salvation,
but His example and teachings show us the way.
The Nature of
Man
Man is a three-fold
being composed of spirit, soul and body. The spiritual aspect,
biblically named the “image of God” (Gen. 1:27), or the Christ, is
divine and limitless in every respect and is the basis of each
individual’s true identity. The soul is the realm of the thinking and
feeling aspects of the mind. The body is the physical garment of flesh
worn by the soul during its earthly tenure.
Evil
Evil is a shadow cast
by our erroneous thinking. Like all shadows, evil is without substance
and can be eradicated from one’s life.
Heaven and Hell
Heaven and Hell are
states of mind that result in living either in harmony with, or in
opposition to spiritual principles. Therefore, heaven and hell are
states of consciousness, not geographical locations. We make our own
heaven or hell here and now by our thoughts, words, and deeds.
The Bible
The Bible was written
over an extremely long period of time, for a multitude of different
reasons, and from various levels of spiritual understanding. It should
be understood that no book, letter, psalm, or proverb found in the Bible
was written with the intention of becoming the basis of faith for the
Western world. The Bible, in its entirety, cannot be taken as the
infallible and literal Word of God. It was, no doubt, inspired by
individual perceptions and experiences with God, but it is obviously
colored by cultural influences as well as by the particular intentions
of the individual writer. It is clear that there is an evolution of the
God idea throughout the Bible, evidence that this collection of writings
represents an unfolding understanding of the unchanging nature of God.
Embodied in the Bible are universal principles which provide
inspiration, instruction, and guidance for successful living. The
written word, however, should not be mistaken for the inner Spirit of
Truth, which, according to John, “will teach you all things” (Jn.
14:26).
Sin
Sin is anything that
causes us to fall short of expressing our divine potential. Sin is best
understood as an error in thinking. Any belief or claim that binds us to
limiting conditions, including conditions of sickness, poverty, and
discord, could be considered sinful (erroneous) for such claims and
beliefs are not in accordance with the nature of God or the nature of
our divine potential. Therefore, Sin is our separation from God in
consciousness, caused by our belief in the “devil” or a power other than
God, the good. This belief leads to our unwise use of our God-given
powers and abilities.
Meditation and Prayer
Meditation is the
process of listening to the “still small voice” of God in the innermost
depths of our being. Prayer is theprocess of aligning our daily
attitudes with the inner revelations that come in our quiet times of
meditation.
Our Divine Inheritance
As the offspring of
God, it is the natural condition of every person to experience an
abundance of health, wealth and harmony. That not everyone expresses
these natural and bountiful gifts is evidence that, through spiritual
ignorance, they have accepted ideas not in harmony with God’s divine
plan. This condition is changed by grounding the basis of logic in
Truth and spiritual principle.
Consciousness
Consciousness is the
term used to describe the sum total of one’s beliefs. These beliefs are
in turn reflected as life conditions that correspond to these beliefs.
A common axiom in Unity says, “If you want to change your life, you must
first change your consciousness.” When our beliefs are in agreement
with the true nature of God, our life reflects all the splendor and
beauty of God. This is done through the practice of meditation and
prayer.
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