The Jesus MeetUp Is God a Person? Week #48
BIG QUESTIONS:
What is God? Is He a vapor? A cloud? An old man wearing a golden garland on His head
playing a harp? Is He the physical universe or super high vibrations? What the heck is God?
We are SO glad you asked this question! Here’s what we know:
2:6.1 In its essence, TRUE religion [not institutional religion] is a faith-trust in the goodness of God. God could be great and absolute, somehow even intelligent and personal, in philosophy, but in TRUE religion God must also be moral; he must be good. Man might fear a great God, but he trusts and loves only a good God. This goodness of God is a part of the personality of God, and its full revelation appears only in the personal religious experience of the believing sons [material/mortal children] of God.
Let us define what True Religion actually is.
The dictionary says this:
religion : noun
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The belief/reverence for a supernatural power/s, regarded as creating and governing the universe.
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A particular variety of such belief, especially when organized into a system of doctrine and practice.
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A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
However, Jesus defines True Religion as this:
143:7.2 True religion is the act of an individual soul in its self-conscious relations with the Creator; organized religion is man’s attempt to socialize the worship of individual religionists.
Our Master clearly states that True Religion is private and personal. True Religion is not a social event as we all have come to know before. The individual child of God relating to their loving Creator God in solitary worship constitutes True Religion. AFTER that has occurred personally, we come together to celebrate as a group in our joyous and socialized Jesus MeetUps.
There is a “superworld of spirit nature”!
2:6.2 Religion implies that the superworld of spirit nature is cognizant [aware] of, and responsive to, the fundamental needs of the human world. Evolutionary religion may become ethical, but only revealed True Religion becomes actually and spiritually moral. The olden concept that God is a Deity dominated by kingly morality was up-stepped by Jesus to that affectionately touching level of intimate family morality of the parent-child relationship, than which there is none more tender and beautiful in mortal experience.
This teaches us that God, who dwells within, IS this spiritual realm. He is quite aware of, and reactive to our needs in this material/physical world. He cares about us and what we are going through. Put aside all of your old thoughts about God and any ideas that He may be vengeful, fearful or angry.
THAT IS NOT THE CASE!
Consider these facts regarding who our Paradise Father is and remember
that He dwells in your own soul.
2:6.3 The “richness of the goodness of God leads erring man to repentance.” “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights [our Paradise Father].” “God is good; he is the eternal refuge of the souls of men.” “The Lord God is merciful and gracious. He is long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth.” “Taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who trusts him.” “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He is the God of salvation.” “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up the wounds of the soul. He is man’s all-powerful benefactor.”
>>> God is to science a Cause because God's handiwork is found in His material/physical creations in our universe. The universe is not God. Just like the pizza is not the chef.
>>> To philosophy God is an idea. This is true because God created the ministry of "mind" [our Mother Spirit] where thought can occur. Our thoughts are not "God", they are ours to share with Him.
>>> To religion God is a Person! This is true because True Religion IS our Paradise Father who IS spiritual experience, dominant and transcendent in our hearts and minds of which He created. He waits for us to relax our physical bodies, to still our minds and to use our childlike faith to wait for Him to come closer to us within and then show us His love, His presence and His work for us, as we are ready to receive in personal spiritual experience.
If we have discovered God we have found EVERYTHING.
Our Paradise Father is far, far above and better than any human/mortal we can imagine!
2:6.4 The concept of God as a king-judge, although it fostered a high moral standard and created a law-respecting people as a group, left the individual believer in a sad position of insecurity respecting his status in time and in eternity. The later Hebrew prophets proclaimed God to be a Father to Israel; Jesus revealed God as the Father of each human being [no chosen special people]. The entire mortal concept of God is transcendentally illuminated by the life of Jesus. Selflessness is inherent in parental love. God loves not like a father, but AS a father. He is the Paradise Father of every universe personality.
Our Paradise Father, the Original Source and Center of all things is the one who has created our personalities. He knows you are unique and He loves you just the way that you are. And He is personal, just for you, with adoration for you and complete understanding regarding every single thing going on in your life.
The idea that God needs anything to "trade" in order to forgive you of your
sins/errors is a construct of man. Jesus never said this, God would never do this!
His love is so great!
There is no need for something like the atonement doctrine that Paul invented to suggest that our completely spiritual Father needs any kind of material/physical "thing" from us or His beloved Son. Jesus' blood did not pay for your mistakes/sins to be forgiven. Only faith in your Father is required for the forgiveness of error, evil or sin. God knows that we have all made mistakes - that you have made mistakes. This is simply the way that we grow. He understands you. He forgives you. And, He loves you completely!
2:6.5 Righteousness implies that God is the source of the moral law of the universe. Truth exhibits God as a reveal-er, as a teacher. But love gives and craves affection, seeks understanding fellowship such as exists between parent and child. Righteousness may be the divine thought, but love is a father’s attitude.
Sin is not a person. YOU are! God loves YOU and His child and desires for
you to put away error, evil or sin.
2:6.8 God loves the sinner and hates the sin: such a statement is true philosophically, but God is a transcendent personality, and persons can only love and hate other persons. Sin is not a person. God loves the sinner because he is a personality reality (potentially eternal), while towards sin God strikes no personal attitude, for sin is not a spiritual reality; it is not personal; therefore does only the justice of God take cognizance of its existence. The love of God saves the sinner; the law of God destroys the sin. This attitude of the divine nature would apparently change if the sinner finally identified himself wholly with sin just as the same mortal mind may also fully identify itself with the indwelling spirit Adjuster. Such a sin-identified mortal would then become wholly unspiritual in nature (and therefore personally unreal) and would experience eventual extinction of being. Unreality, even incompleteness of creature nature, cannot exist forever in a progressingly real and increasingly spiritual universe.
To our good God who is our refuge!
Questions to discuss:
1. What changes in your mind when you think of God as a Person?
2. What are your thoughts/feelings regarding the fact that God is not a King-judge waiting to find you guilty?
Now is a good time to say as a loving group The Lord’s Prayer all together. Please turn these sheets in.
Write down any questions you may have and give them to your leader. Feel free to write down a prayer request and give it to your leader.
Next Small Group Lesson is Week #49 Light and Life: What Is It?
