ACIM Lesson 259

ACIM Lesson 259 Let me remember that there is no sin. Sin is the only thought that makes the goal of God seem unattainable.

Let me remember that there is no sin.

1. Sin is the only thought that makes the goal of God seem unattainable. ²What else could blind us to the obvious, and make the strange and the distorted seem more clear? ³What else but sin engenders our attacks? ⁴What else but sin could be the source of guilt, demanding punishment and suffering? ⁵And what but sin could be the source of fear, obscuring God’s creation; giving love the attributes of fear and of attack?

2. Father, I would not be insane today. ²I would not be afraid of love, nor seek for refuge in its opposite. ³For love can have no opposite. ⁴You are the Source of everything there is. ⁵And everything that is remains with You, and You with it.

I heard a fellow student judging herself harshly for failing to do this work perfectly. This is a thought of sin and makes the goal of God seem unattainable. This is another way of saying she is guilty and this just takes her deeper into the ego. I understand this because I tend to be self-critical and this is just another way of saying that I am guilty of not doing this perfectly.

Using the Power of Decision

Those of us who study the Course tend not to use the word sin, but not calling it sin doesn’t change the effects of believing in guilt. If I think someone else is guilty of anything, I believe in sin. If I believe I am guilty of anything I believe in sin. If I believe in sin, I will suffer and believe I should be punished, and then I will punish myself. How will I do this? I am reminded of the power of decision in Lesson 152 which says this.

No one can suffer loss unless it be his own decision. ²No one suffers pain except his choice elects this state for him. ³No one can grieve nor fear nor think him sick unless these are the outcomes that he wants. ⁴And no one dies without his own consent. ⁵Nothing occurs but represents your wish, and nothing is omitted that you choose. ⁶Here is your world, complete in all details. ⁷Here is its whole reality for you. (ACIM, W-152.1:1-7)

My decision to believe in sin will bring an outcome that is painful. And those who suffer tend to project onto others the cause of their suffering and to lash out. Life becomes an unending battle and fear reigns in the mind. This is not what we came here for. We came to undo this kind of thinking and to remember who we are. The last sentence in that first paragraph in Lesson 152 says: ⁸And it is only here salvation is. (ACIM, W-152.1:8) This is what we came for; salvation.

Hold onto Guilt or to Miracles

Today, I will seek salvation rather than sin. I will be vigilant for thoughts of sin and let the Holy Spirit correct my thinking. I have a purpose and my goal is God, and sin and guilt have no place in the Plan of Atonement. I want to be free and as I contemplate this I realize how strange it is the hold that the belief in guilt seems to have on the mind. But I understand now that guilt is not holding on to me, I am holding on to it. A Course in Miracles has taught me that I can let it go.

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