Unity Metaphysics 1 (Blue Book)
Lesson 02 The Nature of God.
The purpose of this chapter is to explore the ways in which we in Unity perceive the essential nature of God. We will identify our understanding of God as Principle, All-Good, Divine Mind, Spirit, Substance, Source, and Law. We will also discuss God in terms of specific attributes such as love, life, and power.
In naming the qualities that describe the nature of God, it is important to realize that we cannot truly define God. We can never know all there is to know about God; God is always greater than our current perceptions. However, for us to communicate with one another in meaningful ways about the source and focus of our faith, we need to clearly identify and use terms that reflect our common understanding of that Source—the one infinite God.
2A PRINCIPLE:
"The unchangeable life, love, substance, and intelligence of Being. Principle does not occupy space; neither has it any limitations of time or matter, but it eternally exists as the one underlying cause out of which come forth all true ideas" (RW/God).
"Divine Principle is fundamental Truth in a universal sense, or as pertaining to God, the Divine" (RW/Princicple).
"God is the name we give to that unchangeable, inexorable principle at the source of all existence" (LIT/22).
When we, in Unity, speak of God as principle, we are referring to the eternal, unchanging, unlimited nature of God. God is not a being, but Being, itself.
2B ALL-GOOD:
Ed Rabel handwritten note: "Absolute good not the opposite of the not good!"
- Ed Rabel
"God as principle is the absolute good expressed in all creation" (Keep a True Lent 9).
"The central proposition in the inspiration of Spirit is that God, or primal Cause, is good" (Charles Fillmore Christian Healing 10).
"God is not a being or person having life, intelligence, love, power. God is that invisible, intangible, but very real something we call life. God is perfect love and infinite power. God is the total of these, the total of all good" (Lessons In Truth 18).
Unity's first premise concerning the nature of God is that God is Absolute Good.
2C DIVINE MIND:
Ed Rabel handwritten note: "Not a brain. Does not THINK in the human sense of the word."
- Ed Rabel
"You say 'my mind'; another says 'my mind'; every person in the world says 'mind.' But there is only one mind. That mind is the Mind of God, in which individual minds have intelligence" (What Are You? 25).
There is only one Mind in all the universe and that is God-Mind. As Mind, God is the originator of all divine ideas. This name for God encompasses the truth that God is the source from which all intelligence is derived. Since God as Mind is all-knowing, we refer to God as Omniscience.
2D SPIRIT:
Ed Rabel handwritten note: "Jesus: 'God is only Spirit. Can be Omnipresence."
- Ed Rabel
"Spirit - God as the moving force in the universe; Principle as the breath of life in all creation" (RW/183).
"The Latin wordspiritus from which we get our word 'spirit' comes from a root that means 'to breathe, to blow, to live.' … The word 'spirit' implies —unformed, unspecialized, unrestricted, limitless" (Discover the Power Within You 32).
As spirit, God is the infinite invisible essence of all life. Since God Spirit is everywhere equally present in the universe. We refer to God Omnipresence.
2E SUBSTANCE:
"The underlying reality of all things ... It underlies all manifestation and is the spiritual essence, the living energy out of which everything is made" (RW/Substance).
"God is not a dispenser of divine substance, He is the allness of ever-present substance in which we live, move, and have being" (Spiritual Economics 2)
God is the invisible, intangible, dynamic energy which is the underlying reality of all manifestation. God as substance is the realm of pure potential.
2F SOURCE:
Ed Rabel handwritten note: "But there are SECONDARY sources of conditions, events, and phenomena within the totality of existence. BEING itself has one Source, but there are innumeerable secondary sources which are channels for the one source."
- Ed Rabel
"This one and only Mind of God that we study is the only creator. It is that which originates all that is permanent; hence it is the source of all reality" (Atom-Smashing Power of Mind 93).
"There is but one Source of being. This Source is the living fountain of all good, be it life, love, wisdom, power—the Giver of all good gifts" (LIT/23).
All the good we could ever need is God and emanates from God. God is our limitless supply, which unfailingly provides for us in abundant ways.
2G GOD AS LAW: PRINCIPLE IN ACTION
Ed Rabel handwritten note:
"For humankind the most active and important of God's laws are: Divine guidance, Divine Protection, Divine Comprhension increase of Good. "
At one time -> Mechanical. No longer cause and effect - even exchanges. Cause and effect under Karma or cause and effect under grace.
- Ed Rabel
"The development of man is under law. Creative Mind is not only law, but it is governed by the action of the law that it sets up. We have thought that man was brought forth under the fiat or edict of a great creative Mind that could make or unmake at will, or change its mind and declare a new law at any time; but a clear understanding of ourselves and of the unchangeableness of Divine Mind makes us realize that everything has its foundation in a rule of action, a law that must be observed by both creator and created" (The Twelve Powers of Man 38) (RW/Law).
Law is the name for God as perfect order and harmony in action. God as law provides for the consistent and orderly ourworking of divine ideas into manifestation. The one law in the universe is the law of cause and effect; that is, every effect we see and experience in our outer world is the result of a thought held in mind.
2H LIFE:
Ed Rabel handwritten note: "Real life is a divine idea and is eternal. Physical existence is a limitation condition under Real Life."
- Ed Rabel
"Life—That expression of Being which manifests as animation, activity, vigor. ... Life is divine, spiritual, and its source is God" (RW/Life).
God is life, the source and sustainer of all energy and activity. Life is eternal.
2I LOVE:
"Love—The pure essence of Being that binds together the whole human family. Of all the attributes of God, love is undoubtedly the most beautiful. In Divine Mind, love is the power that joins and binds in divine harmony the universe and everything in it; the great harmonizing principle known to man" (RW/Love).
"Love is that mighty power, that divine quality of God that is expressing through all mankind, and cannot be suppressed by any outside force" (Keep a True Lent 152).
God is the source of perfect oneness and benevolence. Divine love is unconditional and continues to give of itself wholly and completely throughout any and all circumstances. Love is the harmonizing, unifying principle.
2J POWER:
Ed Rabel handwritten note: "Power is the divine idea that generates MOVEMENT—visible or invisible."
- Ed Rabel
"God is All-Power, thus all things are possible with Him" (RW/Power).
"God is power, Not simply God has power, but God is power. In other words, all the power there is to do anything is God" (LIT/19).
God is the unfailing, limitless, invincible capacity to accomplish good. God is the source of all power, all authority, and all strength. Since God is all the power there is in the universe, we refer to God asOmnipotence.
2K BECOMING CONSCIOUS OF GOD:
Ed Rabel handwritten note: "Jesus said: 'The Father (God) is GREATER THAN ALL.'"
- Ed Rabel
"God is already in every part of your being, so it is just a matter of beingconscious of oneness with Him" (Healing Letters 123).
"God is all, and to live and dwell is realization makes every moment so full of meaning that we cannot put into words the sheer joy of living we feel" (Martha Smock Listen Beloved 16)
In studying the terms and concepts pertaining to the nature of God, we are not seeking so much to learn about God as we are to deepen our realization of oneness with God. As we do so we become aware of the presence of God in every facet of our lives.
SUMMARY STATEMENTS
THE TERM PRINCIPLE REFERS TO THE UNLIMITED, UNCHANGING, ETERNAL NATURE OF GOD.
UNITY'S FIRST PREMISE CONCERNING THE NATURE OF GOD IS THAT GOD IS ABSOLUTE GOOD.
GOD IS MIND, THE SOURCE OF ALL KNOWLEDGE. GOD IS OMNISCIENCE.
GOD IS SPIRIT, THE UNSEEN, EVERYWHERE PRESENT, MOVING FORCE OF THE UNIVERSE, GOD IS OMNIPRESENCE.
GOD IS THE ONE *POWER IN THE UNIVERSE. GOD IS *OMNIPOTENCE.
GOD AS SUBSTANCE IS THE SPIRITUAL ESSENCE OR ENERGY THAT UNDERLIES ALL MANIFESTATION.
GOD AS CREATOR IS THE UNFAILING *SOURCE OF OUR SUPPLY.
GOD AS LAW IS PRINCIPLE IN ACTION. THE ONE GREAT LAW IS THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT.
GOD IS LIFE, THE ETERNAL ACTIVITY OF GOD.
GOD AS LOVE IS THE UNIFYING, HARMONIZING PRINCIPLE. LOVE IN GOD-MIND IS EVER-PRESENT AND UNCONDITIONAL.
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
- Describe your understanding of God as Principle.
- Name a principle of God and tell how it has worked in your life.
- Share a time in your life when you have experienced God as love.
- What does it mean to you to know that God is Absolute-Good?
THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION AND MEDITATION
There is only one Presence and one Power in the universe, God, the Good, Omnipotent. (Unity's Foundation Statement)
SUPPLEMENTARY READING
- Cady, H. Emilie, Lessons in Truth, chapter 2, "Statement of Being."
- Fillmore, Charles, Christian Healing, lesson 1, "The True Character of Being."
- Fillmore, Myrtle, How to Let God Help You, chapter 6, "Fundamental Propositions."
Transcribed by Allen Watson on October 29, 2015.
