In the Light of Truth

14. The Redeemer

Our Saviour on the Cross! Crucifixes are erected by the thousand as tokens that Christ suffered and died for men. On all sides they call out to the faithful: Remember! On the lonely plain, in the bustling thoroughfares of cities, in the chamber as in the church, on graves and at weddings, everywhere they serve as comfort, tonic, warning. Remember: it was for your sins that the Son of God, who brought salvation to man, suffered and died on the cross.

Stricken with grief, the faithful Christian approaches in deep veneration and gratitude. With a glad feeling he leaves the spot, in the consciousness that he also has been released from his sins by this sacrifice.

But you who are earnest seekers, approach the sacred token in holy awe and strive to understand your Saviour! Cast aside the protecting cloak that keeps you so warm and comfortable and tempts you to doze on till the last trump sounds. Then, you will suddenly be aroused from your slumber and freed from your earthly fetters and will find yourself facing the naked truth. The dream to which you clung so persistently and in which you gave yourself up to sluggish inertia, will be over. Therefore awake, your time on earth is precious! For our sins our Saviour came: that is unassailably and literally true. It is also true that it was for the sins of men He died.

But in spite of this, your sins are not taken from you. The Saviour's work of Redemption was to give battle to the Dark Powers and to bring light to man — to open up the way for mankind to attain to the forgiveness of sin. But each one must tread this path alone in obedience to the inalterable laws of the Creator. Christ did not come to set aside the Law, but to fulfil it. Do not misunderstand Him who should be your best friend. Do not misinterpret the true meaning of the words.

It is quite right to say, for the sake of man's sins all this happened, for it means that Jesus Christ's Coming was only necessary because man alone could no longer find his way out of the Darkness he himself had created, nor could release himself from its grasp.

Christ had to open up this way afresh and to show it to man. Had man not so entangled himself in sin, i. e. had he not taken the wrong road, Jesus' coming would not have been necessary. He would have been spared His life of struggle and pain. Therefore, it is quite right to say, He was obliged to come for the sake of man's sins, if the latter was not to sink into the pit and into utter darkness.

This does not mean that herewith the personal guilt of each individual can be washed away at a moment's notice, as soon as he really believes in and lives according to Jesus' word. But provided he lives according to Jesus' word, his sin will surely be forgiven him, this not at once but by degrees, as good-will to do reciprocal service by following Christ's precepts is evidenced and has redeemed the sin, not otherwise. It is different with those who do not live according to Jesus' word; for them forgiveness is impossible.

This does not mean that only members of the Christian religion can attain to the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus proclaimed the truth. His words, therefore, must embrace the truth in all other religions. He did not want to found a church, but to point out to mankind the right path, and this can equally well lead through the truths in other religions. For this reason so much in His words accords with the religious teaching then existing. Jesus did not borrow from them, but as He brought the truth, all that was true in other religions must necessarily also be in the truth He brought. In the same way, he who does not personally know Jesus' words, will also surely attain to the true faith and to the forgiveness of his sins, if he strives earnestly for the truth and for spiritual progress and if his life is in perfect harmony with Jesus' teaching.

Beware therefore of one-sidedness. It would be a detraction of the Redeemer's work and a debasement of the Divine Spirit. Neither will he who seriously strives after the truth, after purity, be deficient in love.

Though sometimes fighting hard with doubts, he will be led up spiritually step by step, whatever his creed may be and either here or in the transcendental world he will unite with the Spirit of Christ which will lead him to the Father in the end. Thus, the Scripture will be fulfilled “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me”.

By the end not the last hours on earth are meant, the word here means a certain step in the development of the spiritual man, for whom the transition from the material to the transcendental world is but a change of condition.

And now to turn to the great work of Redemption itself. Mankind was erring in spiritual darkness. They had caused this themselves by subjecting themselves more and more to the intellect which they had fostered with so much care. In so doing they had circumscribed their power of comprehension so closely, that they and their brains were absolutly restricted to time and space and could no longer find the way to God or grasp the idea of what is limitless and eternal. Thus they became earthbound. All connection with the Light, with purity, with the spiritual was cut off. Man could only exercise his will-power in material matters, with the exception of the few, who though they were prophets had not sufficient power to penetrate and make a free way for the Light. The result of this condition of things was that ingress was possible to the Powers of Darkness which now welled up and flooded the earth with evil. This could only have one end: the spiritual death of man — the most terrible fate that could overtake him.

All this misery was man's own fault. He brought it about when he took this course of his own free choice. He had willed it to be so and had fostered it, and, in his utter blindness, was even proud of his achievement without perceiving the formidable nature of the result, owing to the self-imposed restriction of his understanding. To open up a path to the Light from mankind in such a state was impossible. The self-imposed restriction had gone too far.

If indeed the possibility of rescue could be considered, help must come from the Light. Otherwise the downfall of man into utter Darkness was inevitable. Man's impurity had even made Darkness denser and heavier.

Darkness cannot of itself rise above a certain level, unless it is attracted. Light (luminosity), however, is also light in weight in proportion to its purity, and this makes it impossible for it to sink to the level of Darkness. Thus, there is an impassable gulf between both, in the middle of which stands man and his earth.

According to the manner he wills and wishes, man can approach the Light or approach Darkness He can open the gates and smooth the passage so that either Light or Darkness can flood the earth.

Mankind forms a base of attraction on which Light or Darkness can get a firm hold and from which they can operate with more or less effect.

The greater the power Light or Darkness gains on earth, the more copiously can they bestow the gifts at their disposal on mankind: good or evil, well-being or misery, the joys of heaven or the torments of hell.

The Powers of Darkness had the upper hand and were choking everything on earth. Man's desire for purity had become too weak to offer a hold for the Light to cling to and to unite with; otherwise unblemished purity would have had the power to cleave the Darkness and deliver man.

He could then have drawn strength from this bourne and found the way up to the Light. But it was not possible for the Light of itself to sink down so far into the mire, without there being a strong attraction. Thus a mediator was imperative. Only an envoy from heavenly heights could, by becoming incarnate, pull down this wall with which man had blocked the way. Only He could furnish the necessary foundation in physical matter that the Light needed to have a firm hold or resting place in this world of iniquity. From this anchorage its pure rays were able to cleave and disperse the Darkness, so that man should not sink and perish in it.

Then came Jesus, for man's sake, and because of man's sin. The anchorage made for the Light, could not be destroyed by the Powers of Darkness because of the purity and power of this Envoy from the Light. And thus a new path to spiritual heights was opened up to man. Jesus, who by His incarnation had become the material basis of the Light on earth, sent forth rays into the Darkness bringing the Truth by His Living Word. His link with the Light was so strong and so pure, that He could transmit this Truth unadulterated. Darkness could not assail it.

The miracles of Our Lord happening at the same time, aroused man from his slumbers, brought seekers to the Word. Hearing the Truth Jesus taught and reflecting on it, gradually made hundreds of thousands wish to enquire further and learn more. In so doing they slowly and unconsciously strove upwards to the Light. The wish itself loosened the Dark Power and one ray of Light after another successfully penetrated, while they were reflecting on the teaching and finding it right. Light increased around them, and the Powers of Darkness found nothing to lay hold of. They gradually fell back and lost their position. Thus the Word of Truth worked in the Darkness like the grain of mustard seed and as leaven does in bread.

And that was the Work of Redemption of Our Lord Jesus, the Son of God, the Bringer of Light and Truth.

The Powers of Darkness, who already thought they had the upper hand over all mankind, arose in vehement opposition to make the work of the Redeemer impossible. They could not approach Jesus Himself. His purity held them at bay. Thus they naturally made use of the willing tools at their disposal to do the fighting for them. These were the men, who so rightly called themselves Intellectuals. They utterly subjected themselves to their understanding and were thus bound by time and space and not able to grasp spiritual conceptions far beyond these limits. Therefore, it was impossible for them to follow the teaching of the Truth. All these were convinced they stood on the firm ground of commonsense, as many still do today. In reality, however, commonsense affords but a very narrow ledge to stand on. These men were for the greater part those in authority in civil as well as in religious matters.

Thus, the Powers of Darkness, in their furious resistance, fired men on to commit the brutal assaults that they perpetrated on Jesus, thanks to the worldly power that lay in their hands.

The Powers of Darkness hoped thus to make Jesus vacillate and at the last moment to destroy the Work of Redemption. That they were able to exercise this power upon earth was man's own fault. He had narrowed his power of conception by his self-chosen wrong views and thereby given the Powers of Darkness the upper hand.

This fault alone was the sin of man, which drew all the others in its train.

And for this sin of man Jesus had to suffer! The Dark Powers continued to fan the flame to the uttermost. If he held to His assertions of being the Bringer of Light and Truth, He should be crucified.

The final decision had to be taken. To fly or to withdraw from his position would save Him from death on the cross. That would have given the victory to the Dark Powers at the last moment, for then all Jesus' work would have slowly run to sand, and Darkness would have triumphed again and established its power. Jesus would not have fulfilled his mission and the Work of Redemption would have been left unfinished.

The inner struggle in Gethsemane was sharp but short. Jesus did not shun physical death, but remained firm and deliberately faced it for the sake of the Truth that He had brought into the world. With His blood on the Cross, He put His seal on all that He had said and lived. By His death He completely subjugated the Powers of Darkness. They had played their last card and lost.

Jesus won the victory, for the Love of the Father, for the Love of Truth, and for the Love of Man. The way to the Light was now open, and man's faith in the Truth of His Word was strengthened by His victory.

If he had withdrawn and fled from the enemies and thus given up His work, doubt must have assailed the faithful, so Jesus died for the sins of men. Had it not been for sin, i. e. the turning away from God in the narrowing of the understanding, Jesus would have been spared His coming, His suffering and His death on the cross. It is, therefore, quite right to say: for the sake of our sins Jesus came, suffered and was crucified. But this does not imply that you need not wash away your special sins yourself! It is only that now it is easy for you, because, by bringing the Truth in His Word, Jesus has shown you the way. Even Jesus' Crucifixion cannot simply wash away your sins. Before this could take place, the eternal laws of the universe would have to be set at nought. This never happens.

Often enough Jesus Himself refers to what was written, that is to say to former times, and we see that the Gospel of Love did not intend to annul the old covenant of the law, but to supplement it. They should be made one.

Therefore do not forget the justice of the Almighty Creator of all things. His laws cannot be moved a hair's breadth. They stand firmer than rocks from the beginning of the world to the end. They would never allow that one should take the sins of another on his shoulders to atone for them. Fighting for the Truth, Jesus could come, suffer, and die for the sins of others, He himself remained pure and untouched by these sins — He could not take them upon himself. His Work of Redemption is in no wise depreciated by this statement. It was the greatest imaginable sacrifice. From heavenly heights Jesus came down to thee in the mire, to bring thee Light on the path upwards, lest thou shouldst go astray and be lost in the Darkness!

Thus thy Redeemer stands before thee! That is His stupendous Work of Love!

God's justice remains austere and severe in His eternal laws. What a man sows, that will he reap, says Jesus Himself in His Message. Divine justice does not allow that one farthing be remitted.

Remember that when you stand before the sacred token! Give your Redeemer heart-felt thanks that, by His Word, He reopened the path leading to the forgiveness of sins, and leave the spot with the serious intention to travel on the path shown you, that you also may be forgiven.

To take the path does not merely mean to learn the Word and believe in it, but it means to live accordingly. It would be quite useless for you to believe in it and to agree with it and then not to guide all your actions in a manner conformable to it. On the contrary, you would be worse off than those who know nothing of the Word.

Therefore awake! Your time on earth is precious!

[Grail Message by Abdrushin]  [Resonances to the Grail Message]