Metaphysical meaning of atonement (mbd)
atonement, the.
Meta. By reading the letter of the Bible and accepting it as authority, men have formed erroneous ideas regarding the atonement. The Spirit of truth alone can reveal the true meaning of Jesus Christ's mission and work. The atonement as it has been understood by Christian people in the past has not taken sin, suffering, and death from the world; therefore it must be that their understanding has fallen short of the Truth. Spiritual understanding of the atonement shows the way to deliverance from sin and consequently from all the effects of sin. In proportion as people understand and have faith in Jesus Christ as their actual Savior from sin, they are set free from appetite, passion, jealousy, prejudice, and all selfishness; wholeness of mind and body is the result. The ultimate of this knowledge and of daily practice in overcoming (even as Jesus Himself overcame) will be a new race that will demonstrate eternal life--the lifting up of the whole man--spirit, soul, and body--into the Christ consciousness of oneness with the Father. By means of the atonement--reconciliation, or atone-ment--that Jesus Christ reestablished between God and man, we can regain our original estate as sons of God, here upon earth. "Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).
"To comprehend the atonement requires a deeper insight into creative processes than the average man and the average woman have attained; not because they lack the ability to understand, but because they have submerged their thinking power in a grosser thought stratum. So only those who study Being from the standpoint of pure mind can come into an understanding of the atonement and the part that Jesus played in opening the way for humanity to enter into the glory that was theirs before the world was formed." (See the tract, "Jesus Christ's Atonement," by Charles Fillmore.)
________________________
Preceding Entry: Athlai
Following Entry: Atroth-beth-joab
