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The Revealing Word
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[The Revealing Word]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
Baal worship--Putting nature before God in earth, air, and
water; giving the substance of mind and body to the things
of sense. It is a form of idolatry. "Thou shalt have no
other gods before me" (Exod. 20:3).
babe--Metaphysically, a new state of consciousness;
innocent and childlike.
babe in Christ--One whose face is turned toward the light,
but who has not yet come into a deep understanding of Truth.
baptism--The spiritual cleansing of the mind. Typifies the
cleansing power and work of Spirit that redeems men from
sin. It is the first step in the realization of Truth. When
the baptizing power of the word is poured on a center in
consciousness, it dissolves all material thought, and
through this cleansing, purifying process, the individual
is prepared to see and to discern spiritually.
The two baptisms, those of John and Jesus, represent the
two common steps in spiritual development, denial and
affirmation, or the dropping of the old and laying hold of
the new. In the first baptism, that of John, through the
power of the word, the sense man is erased from
consciousness, and the mind is purged and made ready for
the second baptism, that of Jesus. In the second baptism,
the creative law of divine affirmation, set into action by
supreme Mind, lights its fires at the center of man's
being, and when thus kindled raises soul and body to a high
degree of purity. This process is known as regeneration.
baptism, Pentecostal--The great initial outpouring of
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Spirit that took place more than nineteen centuries ago.
The primal baptism of the Holy Spirit. (see Acts 2:1-4)
baptism, the Holy Spirit--A quickening of the spiritual
nature that is reflected in mind and body. Spiritual
baptism has power; it is affirmative; it is positive. This
outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the second baptism. Christ
represents this phase of baptism. It is the most precious
gift of God and comes to those who steadfastly seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness. "He shall baptize
you in the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 3:11).
beatitudes, Jesus'--Jesus in exaltation is blessing
spiritual man with the attributes of God and also blessing
the natural man with the attributes of the spiritual man.
(see Matt. 5:3-11)
beauty, spiritual--The loveliness of God beheld in His
creations by the eye of man. Spiritual man beholds this
divine loveliness everywhere. "He hath made everything
beautiful in its time" (Eccles. 3:11).
beholding--We are transformed by beholding. Whatever we
persistently behold we manifest. Our looking into the
perfect pattern, the indwelling Christ, and beholding His
perfection transforms us into His likeness.
Being--God; the Mind of the universe composed of archetype
ideas: life, love, wisdom, substance, Truth, power, peace,
and so forth. Being is omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient;
it is the fullness of God, the All-Good.
Being, personal and impersonal nature of--Being is not only
impersonal Principle as far as its inherent and undeviating
laws are concerned, but also personal as far as its
relation to each of us is concerned. We as individuals do
actually become a focus of universal Spirit.
Being, the law of growth and--Being exists under two
phases: invisible and visible, abstract and concrete. The
visible comes forth from the invisible, and this coming
forth is always according to a universal method of growth
from minute generative centers. From center to
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circumference is the plan of procedure throughout the
universe. To study form alone and to expect to learn from
it and its evolutions the secret of existence does not
enable one to catch sight of Spirit moving upon every
generating center.
belief--An inner acceptance of an idea as true. Belief is
closely related to faith. Belief functions both consciously
and subconsciously. Many false individual and race beliefs
are very active below the conscious level. To erase these
hidden error beliefs, a comprehensive program of denial is
necessary.
belief in separateness, results of--The belief in
separateness from God Mind leads to ignorance and death.
All intelligence and life are derived from the one Mind.
When man thinks of himself as being alone, he cuts himself
off in consciousness from the fount of inspiration. "For
apart from me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).
believe on the Son--We must come to His terms of
expression. We do not believe that there are other sons
wiser than He and that from them we can get wisdom,
guidance, and understanding. We believe that He is, as far
as we are concerned, the only begotten Son of the Father.
Bethesda, Pool of--"House of mercy; house of healing."
Represents the realization in consciousness that our life
is being constantly purified, healed, and made new by the
activity of mind. Physically, this is expressed in the
purification and upbuilding of the blood by its coming in
contact with the oxygen of the air in the lungs.
Bible--The sacred and inspired Scriptures of the Christian
religion. It is a divine "book of life" rather than merely
a history of people, and it bears "witness unto the word"
of God (Acts 14:3).
Bible characters--The characters of the Bible represent
ideas in one's own mind. When this symbolism is
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understood one can follow the characters in their various
movements and thus find the way to solve all one's life's
problems.
Bible, place in Truth study--The Bible is a recital of what
has taken place in the consciousness of man, of the results
of his working, either intelligently with the law or
unintelligently against it, in seeking his own salvation.
It gives an explanation of spiritual law as applied to man
and tells him how to find the kingdom of heaven within.
Bible, spiritual interpretation of the--A spiritual
interpretation of the Bible demands that the meaning of
every figure, type, parable, and symbol must be in harmony
with the fundamental principles of Being.
birth, new--The awakening of man to a consciousness of his
unity with the one universal Spirit; the change from mortal
to spiritual consciousness through the begetting and
quickening power of the word of Truth. It is the change
that comes here and now. Jesus made no mention of
resurrection after death as having any part in the new
birth. "Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom
of God" (John 3:3).
birth, new, change following--When man is begotten and born
of the Word he is no longer "flesh . . . as grass" (I Pet.
1:24) but is eternal and abiding, not subject to death and
corruption.
birth, new, effect of--Begetting and quickening take place
in man's inner consciousness, but the process of being
"born anew" (John 3:3) includes the whole man, spirit,
soul, and body. To be born again is to be made "a new
creature" (II Cor. 5:17) having "this mind in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5) and a body like unto
His glorious body.
black magic--Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven had been
taken by violence and force. "And from the days of John the
Baptist until now the kingdom of
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heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by
force" (Matt. 11:12). It is possible to use the life,
substance, and power that form the basis of the kingdom of
heaven in selfish ways. This is black magic and is the work
of the selfish personality that Jesus refers to in Matt.
10:28, "Fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body
in hell."
blasphemy--Impious or irreverent thoughts toward God, such
as sickness, poverty, death. "But the blasphemy against the
Spirit shall not be forgiven" (Matt. 12:31).
bless--To invoke good upon; to call forth the action of
God; to confer God's good on something or someone.
blessedness of God--The joy that comes from God to those
whose thoughts are stayed on Him. "Everlasting joy shall be
unto them" (Isa. 61:7).
blessing, power of--Blessing imparts the quickening
spiritual power that produces growth and increase. It is
the power of multiplication.
blood--Expresses a spiritual principle that has been
introduced into the race mind through the purified Jesus.
It is a spiritual principle in that it rests on pure
ideals; yet it is manifested in mind and body in concrete
form when rightly appropriated. That it can be appropriated
and used to the purification of the mind and the healing of
the body, thousands are proving in this day.
Through His experience on the Cross, where His precious
blood was spilled, through His suffering there, Jesus
lowered His consciousness to the consciousness of the race,
thereby administering to the whole race a blood
transfusion, imparting to man the properties of Being that
will restore him to his divine estate. Such a transfusion
not only revives us in temporal ills, but begins in the
body a purifying and energizing process that will finally
save us from death.
blood of Christ--The life contained in God's Word.
Therefore, it is spiritual energy that purifies and redeems
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man by pouring into his life currents a new and purer
stream. This divine energy cleanses the consciousness of
dead works to enable man to serve the living God.
blood of Jesus--That which represents the principle of
eternal life. Jesus raised the life activity of His blood
and revealed its spiritual potency. In this respect it
became part of the spiritual life of the race and is thus
accessible to all persons. It is after this manner that we
drink His blood. "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man
and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves" (John
6:53).
blood of the Lamb--The innocent, undefiled life, or the
primal life of Being, which Jesus made accessible to all
those who believe in Him as the revealer of the pure life
of God the Father. "These are they that come out of the
great tribulation, and they washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:14).
blood, spilling of--(see meat eating)
boat--Symbolizes a positive, sustaining state of
consciousness that prevents one from sinking into a
negative condition (water) and bears up the faculties of
the mind.
body--The outer expression of consciousness; the
precipitation of the thinking part of man. God created the
idea of the body of man as a self-perpetuating,
self-renewing organism, which man reconstructs into his
personal body. God creates the body idea, or divine idea,
and man, by his thinking, makes it manifest. As God created
man in His image and likeness by the power of His word, so
man, as God's image and likeness, projects his body by the
same power.
All thoughts and ideas embody themselves according to their
character. Material thoughts make a material body.
Spiritual thoughts make a spiritual body.
body, disintegration of the, cause and remedy--The body
disintegrates because generation after generation
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men have tried to bring forth after the wisdom of Satan
instead of the wisdom of God. Jesus made the unity between
the superconsciousness in the top brain and the life
center, and by following His methods and identifying
ourselves with His spiritual consciousness we may get back
into our former spiritual estate in the Garden of Eden. "As
in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive"
(I Cor. 15:22).
body, effects of sin and righteousness on the--The body is
destroyed, made sick unto death by sin and ignorance; the
body is made alive in Christ through understanding and
righteousness. "The wages of sin is death; but the free
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:23).
body, given benefit of salvation--The body receives the
benefit of salvation through prayer and spiritual
meditation. In this way the substance of Spirit is carried
by living words of Truth into every part of the body, and
its quickening power makes alive the whole organism.
body, how to make perfect--Man may have a perfect body and
a perfect world when he understands and uses the perfect
word, the complete word, the word that contains all the
attributes of God. When the words of man are charged with a
full understanding of Divine Mind and its inhering ideas
and he consciously applies this knowledge in all his
feeling, thinking, speaking, and living, he will be able to
show forth a perfect body and a perfect world.
body, how transformed--The body is transformed by the
renewing of the mind. By affirmation the mind lays hold of
living words of Truth and builds them into mind and body.
When we enter into and abide in the Son of God
consciousness we have eternal life, and the body is
transformed into pure flesh manifesting the perfection of
Spirit.
body, natural forces of the--The natural forces of the body
are eager to co-operate with man in manifesting a
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perfect body. Man must co-operate with them by obeying
divine law.
body, redemption of the--The body is made and sustained by
thought. Its character is like the thought that made it.
Every thought has in it an idea of substance and life. When
the mind of man is in conscious union with Divine Mind his
body manifests perfection.
The body can be redeemed only by man's taking it beyond the
three dimensions of the earthly realm and raising it to the
fourth dimension. The earthly body is substance in its
gross form and as such is still subject to the physical
laws that operate in gross substance. But when perfect
ideas of life and substance are attained in consciousness,
the three dimensions of mind, idea, and expression will be
embraced in the fourth dimension of realization or Divine
Mind. Then the same spiritual conditions will be found in
manifestation as are in Spirit or God-Mind.
body, spiritual--The perfect manifestation of a divine
idea. It is composed of spiritual substance so pure that no
disintegrating force can be found in it. This body of pure
Spirit is the very temple of the living God; a radiant,
beautiful body illumined with the eternal light of Spirit.
"That they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me"
(John 17:24).
body of Christ--The body that is the result of spiritual
thought. It maintains its unity with Spirit, even in
manifestation. This is first individual, and then
universal, including all men.
body of Christ, members of the--All those who forsake
everything pertaining to the personal, limited self and
measure up to the Christ standard in thoughts and acts,
thus bringing forth the unlimited fruits of Spirit, are
members of the one body: the body of Christ.
body of light--Jesus, dwelling continually in the
consciousness of Being, the very substance and life of God,
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had conscious realization of His actual oneness with
Spirit. His body became a "body . . . of light" (Luke
11:34) spiritual substance, the very essence of Being. "He
that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9).
bondage--Undue attachment to thoughts in personal
consciousness, such as race, class, sex, age, or
personality. "Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19).
bosom, Abraham's--The peace and contentment that come to
those who trust God.
bounty, the Lord's--The generosity of God.
bread--Representative of universal substance. The substance
of the omnipresent Christ body. Our daily bread is the
sustenance for spirit, mind, and body. Some of this daily
bread is appropriated in the form of food. There is
substance in words of Truth, and this substance is
appropriated by prayer and meditation on Truth.
bread, breaking of--Stirring into action, in consciousness,
of the inner substance of Spirit (bread) and the
concentrating of mind on it as the real possession. "And
they continued stedfastly in the apostles' teaching and
fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts
2:42).
bread from heaven--Descent into man's consciousness of
ideas that are manifested as manna, which feeds and
refreshes. "I have meat to eat that ye know not" (John
4:32).
bread of life--The word of Truth that imparts new vitality
to mind and body. "Thou shalt eat bread at my table
continually" (II Sam. 9:7).
breastplate--The breastplate of the high priest of Israel
had on it twelve precious stones, representing the twelve
tribes of Israel. This means that the twelve faculties of
the mind must be massed at the great brain center called
the solar plexus.
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breath--The inner life flow that pulsates through the whole
being. The breathing of the manifest man corresponds to the
inspiration of the spiritual man. When any man is inspired
with high ideas he breathes "into his nostrils the breath
of life" (Gen. 2:7).
breath of the Almighty--The inspiration of Spirit; the
silent movement of God within our being.
"There is a spirit in man,
And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding"
(Job 32:8).
The breath of God, which became the soul of the man
manifestation, includes all emotions and energies that move
in and through the organism, and it is always designated as
feminine. Psyche is the name of that subtle essence that
flows in and out of the great heart center called in
physiology the cardiac plexus. The name Psyche, which
figures in Greek mythology, means breath, life. Psyche is
represented as one of the three daughters of a king. These
three "daughters" are spirit, soul, and body. Psyche is the
soul in its many earthly experiences, in its failures and
its successes.
breathing--The symbol of inspiration. Jesus breathed on His
apostles and said to them, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit"
(John 20:22).
brotherhood--An established thought in high spiritual
consciousness. This thought springs from the understanding
that God is the one Father and that all men are brothers.
burdens--Beliefs in ill-health, lack, personal
responsibility, prejudice, fear, condemnation, and all
other negative things. Truth will make us free from each
one of these burdens.
burning bush--When we arrive at a four-sided or balanced
state of mind, the light of intuition or flame of fire
burns in our heart, yet it is not consumed; there is no
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loss of substance. In thinking there is a vibratory process
in the brain that uses up nerve tissue, but in the wisdom
that comes from the heart the "bush" or tissue is not
consumed. This thinking in wisdom is "holy ground," or
substance in its spiritual wholeness; that is, the idea of
substance in Divine Mind.
by night--In the darkness of intellectual consciousness.
Nicodemus visited with Jesus "by night" (John 3:2).
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