Urantia Book Commentary and Articles

Steve Dreier

We are taught that "One is free to choose and act only within the realm of one's consciousness. (377:5)

The sincere study of The Urantia Book has produced, for many of us, a genuine expansion of consciousness, introducing new possibilities for choice and action, particularly with respect to God. The concepts we have about the Universal Father must necessarily condition our experience of relationship with him. When God is small and far removed it is difficult to rely upon him to any great extent. But the Universal Father of The Urantia Book is found to be infinitely loving, infinitely powerful, and the closest and dearest friend any of us shall ever know. We are given a philosophic foundation upon which we may exercise a level of childlike trust in God which far exceeds what was previously possible for us.

But philosophy is not faith. This expanded life with the Father is not automatic; we must each choose to have it. Each of us is a freewill being, at least with respect to that which is spiritual. We are not compelled to either seek or do the Father's will; it must be a matter of voluntary, genuine, and wholehearted personal choice. We are obliged to confront and answer the question: Do we really want to do the Father's will?

What do we know about the Father's will? Quite a lot really, at least in the general sense. We know that the Father's will involves such concepts as truth, beauty, and goodness; it is associated with the positive elements of relationship: love, service, devotion, mercy, kindness, loyalty, patience, sincerity, etc. We know that his will is not self-centered or self-seeking but outgoing, sharing, and giving. And we know that it utterly transcends our human conception of these values, for it is the kind of will which loves and serves even a so-called enemy. In the will of God there is no provision for human intolerance or unfairness, not to mention anger, hate, and revenge.

On the contrary, the Father's will implies a devoted life of unselfish and wholehearted service which is freely given as, when, and where required. But it is not sentimental or foolish. It does not condone idleness, immaturity, or the pursuit of that which is evil. The Father's will requires real courage, persistent effort, and above all, a living and personal faith. We know it is a high ideal, a grand and inexpressibly glorious purpose, and that it can really be understood only by being lived. And we further know that it is ours for the asking, if we truly desire to have it. Whatever the specific and personal nature of the Father's will for us, it is certain to be reflective of these general qualities.

So, do we really want to do the Father's will.? Do these generalities provide us with enough information to formulate a decision? Of course what is being asked may seem impossibly high; we may fear that we are not capable of living life on such an exalted level of loving service. Many of us have probably experienced enough of our own faults and failures to cause us to doubt our ability to live in such a manner, even if we sincerely wanted to. The real question, however, is not can we do it but rather do we really want to do it? Do we want to give ourselves to the Father to love and serve as he directs, and with all that this implies? There are two ways of answering yes to this question: partial and wholehearted. The partial acceptance of this offer is not hard to come to; we all have the desire to seek the Father's will to some degree. But the wholehearted and unstinted response is quite another matter. In the face of well-known human limitations, mind alone is likely to be of little use. Only a genuine and trusting personal faith in the amazing promises of the Father can really free us to accept the privilege of the wholehearted doing of his will. "But I say to you in all sincerity: Unless you seek entrance into the kingdom with the faith and trusting dependence of a little child, you shall in no wise gain admission." (*1536:4)

Battle doubt with faith.

Are we capable of living as the Father asks us to? Jesus consistently taught that the ability to do the Father's will could not be self-attained. He always taught that such an ability was a gift, a bestowal, or an endowment, freely given by the Father to each of his children who sincerely desires it and who will, in faith, ask for it (see p. 1609). The Father never asks us to do the impossible. If we really trust him and decide to do as he asks, he will provide us with all the tools we require to accomplish his assignments. Just how this can be is not mind-comprehensible; these are spirit transactions and they transcend the capacity of our minds. Nevertheless, whoever sincerely desires to live the will of God and who will, by faith, accept the Father's gift of spiritual power, is certain to experience the reality of these promises. The chief barrier to this realization is doubt. "The believer has only one battle, and that is against doubt--unbelief." (*1766:4)

While the doing of the Father's will is accomplished by the endowments of the spirit, the purpose of this bestowal of ability is not the attainment of a life of static and blissful ease. When the power of doing God's will is given, it is for the actual doing of that will. It is certain that all who have the faith to accept this greatest of all gifts will immediately be assigned to the Father's service. It is equally certain that this service will be difficult and demanding. Yet at the same time there may also be experienced the "peace which passes understanding." Difficulty and tranquillity might seem an incompatible combination when examined by the logic of mind.

But in the faith experience of those who have chosen to wholeheartedly seek and do the Father's will these elements often find an inexplicable and transforming union. There is no knowing just where the Father's leading is going to take us, except to say that it will certainly lead down vigorous paths of genuine self-forgetfulness, wholehearted loving service, and divine assurance. "In entering the kingdom, you cannot escape its responsibilities or avoid its obligations, but remember: The gospel yoke is easy, and the burden of truth is light." (*1766:3)

Again, are we really interested in doing the Father's will? It is a commonplace observation that human beings, given a choice, will focus their attention upon matters which interest them. Some people have an interest in sports, so they devote considerable time to thinking and talking about sports. Others are interested in music or movies, and they think and talk about these things.

But who consistently directs attention to the Father's will? Do you observe that when students of The URANTIA Book gather together, whether for study or fellowship, that the frequent topic of serious inquiry is the knowing and doing of the Father's will? And in our family life, with our close friends, or with passing acquaintances, do we often consider and discuss the Father's will?

Jesus was always thinking and talking about the Father's will, and we are called to follow him. Can we expect to make progress in this domain without giving regular and genuine attention to it? "Even to approach the knowing of a divine personality, all of man's personality endowments must be wholly consecrated to the effort; halfhearted, partial devotion will be unavailing." (*30:4)

Those of us who have, at this early date, been brought to The URANTIA Book are a truly blessed generation. We have been called out to be champions for the Universal Father - our Father - the God of all creation. We have been offered the unparalleled opportunity to live the remainder of our lives as representatives of the Father, to know and do his will. Many of our fellows sit in darkness, in near complete ignorance of even the existence of this kind of life, but for us it is an immediate possibility. We have a matchless text to inspire and instruct us, we have a multiplicity of spiritual forces to guide and sustain us, and we have each other. What more do we require?

It is hoped that future days will witness a growing preoccupation on our part with the question of knowing and doing the Father's will. This inexhaustible subject sorely needs the attention of sincere and interested sons and daughters. It is also hoped that we shall learn to use more of our time together to encourage one another to go forward on this endless journey, to continually grow in our willingness and ability to always say: "It is my will that your will be done." The doing of the Father's will, then, is first a question of wholehearted desire, next of the faith acceptance of spiritual power, and lastly of continued seeking of the Father's way.

The will of God can be done by anyone who truly desires to do it. Would the Father ask us to do that which we were incapable of doing? But we must be willing to seek his guidance continually and to rely upon him completely. If we truly want to love and serve, if we really wish to work for the establishment of the unseen Father's universal family, then we can and will be empowered to do so. This empowering is the rebirth of the spirit; one is born again. Everything becomes new. These are the liberated sons and daughters of God, the salt of the earth, the light of the world, the free and liberated members of the infinite family of the Universal Father.

A service ofThe Urantia Book Fellowship

Labels: choice, courage, doubt, faith, God's will, service, Steve Dreier, The Urantia Book, Universal Father

Permalink | Link to External Source Article

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

The Gospel Of Jesus: A Summary

Stephen R. Johnson
4/17/1999
Updated 3/29/2000

Introduction. What did Jesus actually teach? What concepts, ideas and ideals did he share with his followers concerning God's relation to mankind, a person's relation to God, and on what basis should we try to relate to one another? The essence of Jesus' teachings is encompassed in genuine love and unselfish social service. In his teachings, in his life and how he lived it, Jesus revealed God to men and women, and led men and women to God. What is to follow is a selection of main highlights of the gospel of Jesus; that is, not so much the gospel about him, but rather what he actually and so generously taught his apostles, disciples and other followers, even his enemies.

The Fatherhood of God. Jesus taught that first and foremost God is a father to us, our spiritual father. God is referred to as the Universal Father since he is the primal Father to all of his creatures. Just as in an ideal earthly family, our spiritual parent loves all children in the family group, but also loves each child individually. Similarly, God loves mankind as a whole, but also loves each one of us as individuals. Therefore we are not "cosmic orphans," but rather members of the family of God. He knows us perfectly, including our thoughts, inner longings and true intentions. God sends an actual "fragment" of himself to indwell our minds in order to share in our lives, spiritualize our thinking, and lead us Godward. Jesus often referred to this fragment of God or divine source as the â€œliving waterâ€� or "waters of life." Nevertheless, God has given us free will to make our own choices, and he never does ought to arbitrarily violate the sanctity of this free will that he has bestowed on us. Most of the work of the indwelling spirit is done at an unconscious level in our minds, though our cooperation facilitates this work. Having a genuine and wholehearted desire to know God, to love him and to do his will is the best way to facilitate this cooperation.

The brotherhood of man. Since God is our Father, it must follow that we are brothers and sisters in his spiritual family. This is a spiritual truth in that it refers ultimately to our spiritual relationship to one another. Unfortunately, mankind as a whole has not yet experientially actualized this reality. We are taught to love one another, but love of a fellow human being cannot be achieved by a mere act of the will alone. We must come to know a person, especially their sentiments and motivations, before we can really learn to love them. We are spiritually alike because of the indwelling spirit of God, but we can be quite different with regard to our philosophical interpretations and the way we think about our individual spiritual experiences. Jesus taught that we could have spiritual unity, without necessarily having philosophical uniformity. As individuals we can strive in our daily lives, as we come in contact with our fellows, to "love our neighbors as ourselves," even to love our fellows as Jesus loves us. And Jesus loves us both as a father and as a brother. He went about doing good, and he was genuinely interested in others. The highest interpretation of the Golden Rule is to treat others according to our best and highest ideals of how we believe God would treat them in like circumstances. And God is living love.

The faith sons of God. Jesus taught that through the exercise of faith we can daily realize and experience in our lives the ennobling truth that we are sons of God. Sincere faith is the requirement for entrance into "the kingdom of heaven," this realization and experiencing sonship with God. This is our salvation, which is the free gift of God. Jesus likened this faith in God to the implicit trust that a child has for its earthly parents. Living faith is dynamic and it grows. Its exercise progressively expands our ability to acquire truth, experience new meanings in our lives, and to deepen and broaden our values. Faith can be characterized as sublime hope, as the "inspiration of the creative spiritized imagination." In a real sense, living faith can help build "bridges" in our minds from the known to the unknown. But these bridges must be based upon a genuine hunger for the living truth of God and a "thirst for righteousness." When we search for God, this is evidence that God has already found us. Remaining in the kingdom of heaven is predicated on growth and progress therein,"bearing the fruits of the spirit." Bestowing genuine love on our fellows and engaging in whatever unselfish social service we are capable of are the keys to this growth and progress. And those men and women who are spirit-born and God-knowing show forth in their lives the fruits of the divine spirit, which are: loving service, unselfish devotion, courageous loyalty, sincere fairness, enlightened honesty, undying hope, confiding trust, merciful ministry, unfailing goodness, forgiving tolerance, and enduring peace. Although Jesus characterized the kingdom of heaven in different ways, his last word in this regard was always "The kingdom of heaven is within you."

The religion of personal experience. Jesus taught that true religion is the religion of personal experience. He focused on the individual and his or her personal relationship with God. God has personality, albeit his personality is divine, most holy, perfect and much more. Nevertheless, God the Father is a person, and our personal religious experience is bound up in our active faith-trust in him. Our supreme love of God, actually feeling his presence and loveâ€”and the desire to do good to othersâ€”these are all very personal experiences for an individual. Jesus did not espouse any rigid or uniform set of intellectual beliefs to follow such as creeds or doctrines. The only "authority" we dare rely on is encompassed in the divine leadings of the indwelling spirit of God, and the influence of the Spirit of Truth (the spirit of the Father and his Son Jesus). Jesus taught the truths of the gospel in an authoritative manner, but he was never authoritarian. When we are perplexed or confused about our circumstances and are unsure, the Spirit of Truth is always there to "show us the way,"just as Jesus would do if he were personally present. "Seek and ye shall find."

God's love and mercy. The two attributes of God that Jesus emphasized by far the most in his teachings, and in how he lived his life, were love and mercy. The Father is not a vengeful or angry deity to be appeased or feared; he does not keep a damaging checklist of our wrongdoings. God's love for us as individuals is divine and perfect, and is unconditional in the highest human sense. The source of all true love is God, and is the ancestor of all spiritual goodness. Genuine love must be unselfishly bestowed, for it cannot be self-contained. Jesus never tired of telling the story of the good shepherd who would leave his ninety and nine sheep that were in the fold and go in search of his one lost sheep. In terms of wrongdoers, Jesus hated the sin but loved the sinner. He taught that we should love even our enemies, and to return good for evil. Although God is a just God, his mercy is abundant. When we err, the Father forgives us even before we think to ask him for forgiveness; however, we are able to experience the consciousness of this forgiveness through the act of forgiving others. "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Mercy is applied love, and in human affairs there are certain steps we must traverse to learn its ministry: justice, fairness, patience, and kindness. In terms of God's divine justice and mercy, Jesus taught that mercy may be lavish, but justice is precise. Although mercy is not a contravention of justice, he who would receive mercy must show mercy.

God's will. Jesus focused in his mind the will of the Father as holy, just and great, as well as true, beautiful and good. The highest human concept of God's will is embodied in truth, beauty and goodness. Nevertheless, these realities are not static or frozen; rather they are living and dynamic. The indwelling spirit of God is truly the Father's will in the mind of a human being. Jesus' interpretation of religion was at all times in terms of the Father's will; and Jesus taught that we should seek to expand our knowledge of the Father's will and petition for a richer endowment of wisdom effectively to do that divine will. Further, Jesus emphasized that we should try our very best to acquire the mind of spiritual insight. We can appreciate beauty, but truth cannot be defined in words, only by living. And truth cannot be had without the exercise of faith, living faith. Jesus taught that we are hardly in the kingdom of heaven when the Father's will is merely our law. However, when the Fatherâ€™s will truly becomes our will, â€œIt is my will that your will be done,â€� then are we enhanced to the high position of the free children of God, liberated sons of the kingdom. The more we honestly try to know and to do the Father's will, the more real we become as individuals. Jesus taught the living realities of the will of Godâ€”truth, beauty and goodnessâ€”in place of the idea of the kingdom of God. He also emphasized that the Father's will can be done in any earthly occupation. He taught that he who would be greatest among us should become server of all. And to be great is to be good.

â€œI have called upon you to be born again, to be born of the spirit. I have called you out of the darkness of authority and the lethargy of tradition into the transcendent light of the realization of the possibility of making for yourselves the greatest discovery possible for the human soul to makeâ€”the supernal experience of finding God for yourself, in yourself, and of yourself, and of doing all this as a fact in your own personal experience.â€� The Urantia Book page 1731

(For an excellent and thorough restatement of the life and teachings of Jesus, refer to The Urantia Book. This book is an anthology of 196 papers dealing with a range of topics and contains 2,097 pages, 776 of which cover the life and teachings of Jesus. It is published by URANTIA Foundation, 533 Diversey Pkwy., Chicago IL 60614, which holds the copyright.)

Labels: born of the spirit, brotherhood of man, faith sons of God, Fatherhood of God, God's will, Gospel of Jesus, Jesus, love, mercy, religion of personal experience, Stephen R Johnson