ACIM 5. VI. Time and Eternity, P 3, 4. Remember the Kingdom always, and remember that you who are part of the Kingdom cannot be lost.
ACIM Chapter 5. VI. Time and Eternity, P 3, 4
VI. Time and Eternity, P 3
3 Remember the Kingdom always, and remember that you who are part of the Kingdom cannot be lost. The Mind that was in me is in you, for God creates with perfect fairness. Let the Holy Spirit remind you always of His fairness, and let me teach you how to share it with your brothers. How else can the chance to claim it for yourself be given you? The two voices speak for different interpretations of the same thing simultaneously; or almost simultaneously, for the ego always speaks first. Alternate interpretations were unnecessary until the first one was made.
Again and again, Jesus reminds us that we are still as we were created. We are part of the Kingdom, the Sonship, and this cannot change or be altered in any way. At the same time, he reminds us that we cannot claim our inheritance unless we claim it with our brothers. The mind that was in Christ is also in us, but we will not know this as an experience unless we know it is true for everyone else.
It is easy to say that I know it, but as I watch my mind, I see thoughts that indicate I would hold some exceptions to this. There are brothers who I think of as less than. As I write this, he brings to my mind a person I feel antagonistic toward and someone I avoid because she is too much trouble. I think of someone I tend to judge.
Surprise!
Oh my, already I am surprised because I thought I seldom, if ever, exclude a brother from salvation. But I see that I still do this in what I have thought of as little ways. I appreciate the opportunity to see this because I now can ask for correction. I must not, can not, will not exclude anyone from the Kingdom. To do so is to exclude myself because, in exclusion, I have taught myself separation rather than wholeness.
As Jesus reminds us again, there are now two voices in our minds. There is the ego voice that we made to experience separation. This voice always speaks first. This voice believes I can have something my brother does not have. It is the voice that represents fear and lack and it continually bargains for its place in the Kingdom by putting down others. It says that there are only so many places available, so I must snatch one of those places from my brother. I do this by proving he is less worthy, so the place should be mine.
Two Voices
I hear this voice first, and I can believe that thought, or I can listen to the Voice for God, Which is also in the mind. At the same time the ego speaks, the Holy Spirit tells me that the Son of God is One. In Its unity, It is the Kingdom. But to know myself as part of the Kingdom, naturally, I must know everyone else in the same way. This Voice tells me that there is no lack in the Kingdom and that my place is guaranteed, being God’s Will. Everyone’s place is guaranteed. There is no need for competition.
Because these voices are diametrically opposed in their message, I must choose one or the other. Obviously, I cannot know I am Whole if I leave someone out. If I do not know I am one with my brothers, all my brothers, I cannot know my place in the Kingdom even though it is assured and even though I am actually still there. The knowledge of my place is lost to me when a brother is lost to me. I sincerely ask for the Atonement for each special relationship. I would exclude no one because I no longer want to be lost to myself.
4 VI. Time and Eternity, P 4
4 The ego speaks in judgment, and the Holy Spirit reverses its decision, much as a higher court has the power to reverse a lower court’s decisions in this world. The ego’s decisions are always wrong, because they are based on the error they were made to uphold. Nothing the ego perceives is interpreted correctly. Not only does the ego cite Scripture for its purpose, but it even interprets Scripture as a witness for itself. The Bible is a fearful thing in the ego’s judgment. Perceiving it as frightening, it interprets it fearfully. Being afraid, you do not appeal to the Higher Court because you believe its judgment would also be against you.
I stopped reading the Bible a long time ago. I learned that God is Love, and common sense says that Love cannot judge and condemn. The idea of hell became ludicrous to me, and the Adam and Eve story seemed ridiculous. Why would Love deliberately tempt Its children into something that would condemn them? Even more, how could the Children of God be condemned? Wouldn’t that make His creation imperfect? And if His creation were imperfect, then He would be imperfect.
Even as I began to doubt the Bible, I could not read it. I still had a lot of fear in my mind, so I interpreted it through this fear. In other words, I accepted the interpretation of the ego mind, or at least I was afraid the ego might be right. This left me afraid of God. After I stopped fearing that, I was just confused about the Bible. My mind was not clear enough to listen only to the Holy Spirit, and on my own, I didn’t know what I could trust and what I couldn’t trust in the Bible.
A Different Interpretation
Reading this section of the Course was such a relief. Finally, I could see how the Bible could be understood differently if interpreted by the Holy Spirit. Then, when I was ready, the Holy Spirit brought a new friend, Martina, who read the Bible with the Holy Spirit. It was a delight to receive a message from her and discover that the Bible could be loving and helpful when interpreted correctly.
Then, Regina Dawn Akers received The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament. I was still reluctant to read anything about the Bible, but I decided to try it because I related so closely to her other teachings. I have enjoyed it ever since. The Holy Spirit was helping me to let go of my fear of the Bible and early religious training. At the same time, He was showing me something important about discerning the ego interpretation from the truth.
The most important thing I have learned from this reinterpretation of the Biblical verses is how thoroughly the ego mind can turn the truth upside down. Now, when a thought or a belief makes me unhappy, I never doubt that this is another example of ego misinterpreting. I am God’s Son. I am meant to be peaceful and joyful. If I am not, I have obviously turned to the ego mind for an interpretation of what is happening. From my experience with the Bible, I know how wrong that interpretation can be. So I turn to the Holy Spirit to remove the ego thoughts from my mind so that I can see the truth.
To learn more about The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament, CLICK HERE.