Christ Enthroned in Man —2— Faith

Faith is; it is an attribute of God. Faith is purely spiritual; it knows nothing less than supreme assurance. Faith is dauntless; it knows no defeat. Faith is the quality of the mind that moves and molds ideas and brings them to concrete expression. Faith is the assurance or confidence of the mind that invisible substance is the source of visible material things. Modern science says that the cosmic ether is the mother of matter. Metaphysically we find that the cosmic ether is the light that the mind expresses when it holds to a definite idea. “By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.”

As rays of sunshine creep through tangled vines and shed their warmth and glow in the dark, damp corners of the earth, so faith creeps through the dark, tangled meshes of human thought and radiates its strength and hope and courage.

Faith enables man to see true conditions as they are in the realm of reality. The basis of all Christian endeavor is faith. Without this vital factor Christianity is neither stable nor scientific. Faith enables man to see through the shadowy forms of false concepts—the creations of the natural man—and behold the real. Faith is the key that unlocks the door to the kingdom of the heavens; looking through the eyes of faith we behold man as the prism through which Divine Mind is endeavoring to hash into expression its perfect creation.

God lives in each heart, and he who consciously dwells in the secret of His presence comes into an understanding of the creative powers of the universe. Into this “secret place of the Most High” no thought of disease or destruction can enter. Here the healing, soothing balm of divine faith pours itself out, seeking to expand and to enlarge and make alive God’s perfection in the whole consciousness. It even penetrates into the environment, bearing everywhere a sustaining trust that never wavers, never grows less, making the whole scheme of life one unbroken story of happiness, of joy, of love and abundance for all those who bathe in its light and bask in its warmth and beauty.

It is the constant mingling and intermingling of the conscious intelligence with faith that establishes the healing consciousness in man. This consciousness, built on the rock of faith, becomes more and more fearless and free, and finally comes forward and says, “Behold, I am the Word made flesh. No task is too hard for me.”

Our true ideas are always from God. The yearning desire of these divine ideas in the heart causes mind action, and through this movement the divine ideas are born by faith into consciousness and produce thought. Thus the faith consciousness, once established, is constantly fed from the very fount of faith and grows stronger continually. God is the one source, and the knowledge that God is all and that all things not made by Him are unreal fills one who is working from principle with an immeasurable assurance past description. It gives him the firm conviction that all conditions of mind and body are his to conquer through Christ.

Faith works on and on and on after reason is all exhausted. When set into activity according to law faith will lay hold of the very basic substance of Being and create just what is needed to perfect the desired, demonstration. Let us work to attain the faith vision that gives us the true prospectus of the realm of reality.

To illustrate how faith through Jesus Christ is called into spiritual action, picture a beautiful city, a city where there is no night. From out the heart of the city flows a wonderful river whose water is clear as crystal; on the banks of the water is the tree of life bearing twelve manner of fruit every month. However this beautiful city is encompassed by a high, thick stone wall. There are no openings, and you are on the outside and wish to enter. The wall is so high that you cannot climb over it. The only way for you to gain entrance is to work your way through the rock. As you walk around the wall meditating upon the situation and wondering just how to begin, suddenly you come to a hole in the wall where another has made his way in before you. Your way is made easy through the efforts of this pioneer who has dared to cut a way through the thick, dense wall of materiality.

This picture illustrates the work that Jesus Christ has accomplished for you and for me in the development of faith in God. The beautiful city represents the potential kingdom of heaven within the soul; the river represents the river of life; and the twelve different kinds of fruit symbolize the fruit of Spririt, the twelve fundamental faculties in man, represented in the life of Jesus by the Twelve Apostles.

Through faith in Jesus Christ we may enter into the spiritual kingdom and begin mentally to lay hold of our good. The one who has unfolded unwavering faith in God has unlimited power. Jesus was conscious of this wonderful power when He said, “Lazarus, come forth,” even though Lazarus had lain in the tomb for four days. Jesus advised, recommended, even commanded that we unfold this wonderful faculty, an enduring power that never grows less. True faith can only be known to the practical Christian. In its spiritual reality it is beyond the comprehension of the artistry of poetical words. Spiritually faith is a dynamic force that can only be described in scientific terms by seers and sages. It is one of the fundamental laws governing man and the universe and is directly related to the underlying substance of the universe. The definition of faith in Hebrews, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” is a true statement.

Jesus said, “All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

“According to your faith be it done unto you.”

“Thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”

“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

These are all golden truths given for our use.

At the center of the brain is the pineal gland. This gland is known to Truth students as the faith center, symbolized by Jesus’ disciple Peter, and faith is the “rock” upon which He founded His church. When the inner eye is illumined with spiritual faith, a ray of light—the pure white, pearly light of Spirit—steady and unwavering, is often seen in the silence. So unfaltering and resolute is this ray of the spiritual light of faith that it seems as unmovable as a star in the heavens. However it is only a mere symbol letting us know that the spiritual work has been done.

The exercises given herewith are for the purpose of illumining man’s consciousness until he realizes that he has penetrated into the four-dimensional realm, the kingdom of the heavens that Jesus taught was within the soul.

For the beginning of this exercise repeat the whole of the “I am” exercise given in Chapter I. With the attention still at the great nerve center, take up next the thought of infinite faith. Affirm:

Through Jesus Christ the faith of almighty God is quickened within me.

After you have gained a good realization of Omnipresence as faith, follow the radiance of Spirit that leads to the faith center, the pineal gland, at the middle of the head; then realize this same prayer:

Through Jesus Christ the faith of almighty God is quickened within me.

Be perfectly relaxed and receptive to Spirit, and know that you are conscious of the spiritual power descending from the spiritual center, the crown of the head, showering you with new faith.

The tiny ray of pure light that is often discernible in the silence at the faith center is simply a result of the radiation or vibration of the word of faith upon which you are concentrating. When the power of the word reaches a certain degree of intensity, the light of faith becomes visible. Do not try to perceive this ray; by so doing you hinder your own unfoldment. Do the spiritual work quietly, remaining perfectly poised and relaxed. The Lord will take care of the results. Now (with you working with it) allow the Presence to drop slowly down to the love center just back of the heart, and declare:

Faith works through love.

Then allow the Presence, the light of Spirit, to drop down into the soles of the feet, and repeat this declaration:

Understanding faith is now expressed through me.

At the conclusion of the exercise, allow the Presence (while you continue to co-operate) to organize itself just back of the heart and stomach. Again realize: Faith works through love. During this realization consciously know that the windows of your soul are open toward the heavens of your mind, that the spiritual light as pure illumination is descending upon you, and that through faith you are steadily developing the Lord’s body. End the exercise first with a realization of infinite love; then finish with the Lord’s Prayer.

You will remember that the instructions in Chapter I are to keep the conscious mind, which operates through the front forehead, always fully aware of all that is taking place. Therefore after you have finished be sure that the conscious mind is awakening to the extent that it has perceived clearly every step of the way. At the close of the exercise, for the sake of balance, it is well to dwell consciously in the feet and even beneath the feet; also to throw the attention down into the palms of the hands, realizing that faith must always be accompanied with works, that nothing is yours unless you express it.

This being true, at the close of this exercise (also at the close of all the other exercises that follow), as you go forth to associate with your fellow men, know that your new realizations are freely finding expression in and through you, especially through the breast; the vital center of expression being at the point in the thorax, the lower part of the sternum, where the last of the true ribs are attached to the sternum. Also realize that your words are growing in power and intelligence and that you are strengthening a center of expression at that point where the upper lip is joined onto the base of the nose. By recognizing this, you will find that your voice will develop a richness and trueness that you as well as your friends will appreciate. Also know that a new light (illumination) is penetrating the seat of the conscious mind (front forehead) and that even your brow radiates the light of Spirit.

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