Sunday, August 16, 2015
Lesson 228: “What is forgiveness?” “God has condemned me not. No more do I.”
The Course is in its very own category because the typical view of God is that God judges us and wants to punish us because of what humans do- acts of sin. This automatically puts us into an attack relationship with God. Most religions think that God is angry at us and eager to set us straight with some form of punishment. We often hear that God condemns because there is never a time we are without sin. If this is the case, how can we feel safe with God? How can we live each moment in the state of invulnerability without the direct ok from God about who we are?
When we believe in an vengeful God, all this closeness with God goes out the window because we feel like God is on the attack whenever we are in His company. This is what is totally different about the Course. The Course says God never sits in judgement of us because God always deems us wholly perfect. We are eternally holy and innocent in God’s eyes because God believes He created us. Therefore we all carry His energy. This is why we must understand that God is never out to get us because God knows we are made in His image.
Our job is to undo this crazy view of God that many of us took on. Understand that there is never attack in God. This is a falsity. This is why we can sit in our own peace because we know for a fact that we are lovable- as God declared us so. This is why we want to simply sit with this ease of knowing God is never in any way against us because God knows us and therefore loves us. Almost everyone has the view that God is mad at us. This is such an important point. We have to get out of this belief about God because if we don’t, then we will feel shame and guilt. Then we start attacking ourselves as well because we think if God is going to punish us, we must also punish ourselves.
The way to peace ultimately is to know that we are totally lovable. We are lovable in God’s eyes, our brothers and sisters and in our own. This is what we must make as the foundation of our perspective. If we know we are lovable then we will also more likely act lovable because we will be more comfortable in the part. This is the way to serve the world ultimately. When we realize that our innocence is our guide then our life becomes an expression of peace and love as we are not trying to run away from God or anyone else or ourselves. We can enjoy peace because we are simply love itself expressed in form.