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Abraham's True Faith and Righteousness
I am here, Jesus:
It is so important for mankind to know in what ways Christianity as it is constituted today is not bringing the message of immortal life as I preached it when on earth that I must continue to dwell upon this subject in detail. Since Christians are being taught, and they believe, that they achieve salvation in special ways from faith in my name, and through so-called communion with me, they must be thoroughly disabused of this tragic fallacy, in order that they may be enabled to have an open mind and heart for the Father's Love.
And so it is that I must continue to let these Christians and all mankind know that mere faith in my name will not be sufficient for their salvation, in that such faith will cover their sins in the sight of God. This religious notion, of course, goes back to a saying in Genesis 15:6, to the effect that "Abraham believed in God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And so these people are told, and believe, that if they have faith in Jesus' name, they too will have it accounted to them for righteousness, and their sins will be as white as fleece in the sight of the Father.
But this is one of the many passages in the Scriptures which does not present accurately that which transpired at the time of Abraham, and the supposed testing of his faith with Isaac, for the account given in the Old Testament was written in its final form some two thousand years after the event it is supposed to describe, and the ideals which pervaded at this time, namely, the return from Babylonia and deep faith in God, were very much different from the religious thoughts of the times of Abraham, when human child sacrifice and belief in fertility gods were prevalent. And when Abraham had faith in the Father, his faith had been void and in vain had he not accompanied his faith with works and departed out of Ur of the Chaldees. And when Abraham had faith, he had faith that God did not wish him to sacrifice his son Isaac, and thus he carried out that faith in works by sacrificing an animal instead. For Abraham rebelled against the customs of the times to sacrifice children, for had he placed Isaac on the altar, it would have been not out of obedience to God, but in obedience to the sacrificial rites and ceremonies of his day. For God, through his messengers, had revealed unto Abraham not to bring his son Isaac to sacrifice, and such was Abraham's Faith in God that he obeyed with works, and broke with the religious customs of the time. And this was Abraham's real faith and obedience to God, for God never tested anyone in such a manner, for God is not brutal, as He is so often depicted in the Scriptures, but a kind and loving Father who, through Abraham, was able to bring about in that area of the world the cessation in time to come of that horrible practice.
And so I wish to show what Abraham's faith really was, and how it was misunderstood by the writers of the Old Testament, who inserted the supernatural appearance of the ram and the cruel testing of his faith as part of the story they could not otherwise understand; and I wish to show that Abraham's faith was not sterile, but led to action and doings contrary to what was customary in those days, and it was in the accomplishment of these works that Abraham did what was righteous. For as my brother James said in his Epistle, Abraham's faith reached supreme expression through his works, for there is no faith without the practice of that faith, and it was in that way that when Abraham believed in God that it was accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the FRIEND OF GOD. James 2, verse 23.
And thus I say to the Christians of today who believe that their faith is their righteousness and that their sins will be covered by their faith in my name, that they will be greatly dismayed when they come into the world of Spirits and realize that their Christianity was based on falsity and that their sins, far from being covered by a white fleece, will be completely visible to the eyes of spirits capable of seeing those sins, and that the only way these sins can be removed is through the workings of the law of Compensation, in bitterness, tears and remorse, or by having faith that God, in His great goodness and mercy, will answer their supplications for His Love and alleviate thereby their own soul wounds and evil incrustations.
So, Christians, be not blinded by a saying in the Scriptures that may lead to conduct contrary to the laws of God on the false premise that what is contained therein is the word of God and is therefore sacred, for my brother James had to preach against a faith devoid of conduct in life -- an attitude which gained headway at the time and which is still being perpetuated by some of the churches. For neither rites, ceremonies, nor vain religious beliefs, will bring purification of the soul and a place in the spiritual heavens, without that conduct which is in conformity to God's laws, regardless of church or standing therein.
I will close now, and write next time on "Why it is that no shedding of blood can bring remission of sins," as claimed by churches of today.
Jesus of the Bible
and
Master of the Celestial Heavens
