In the Light of Truth
Grail Message by Abdrushin
1stBOOK ◄ ► 2ndBOOK
38. Faith
What is exhibited by the majority of the so-called faithful is not faith. Real faith can only arise when a man has made the contents of the Divine Messages completely his own, and thereby turned them into spontaneous, living conviction.
Divine Messages are received through the Word of God and also through His Creation. Everything bears witness to Him and to His Will. As soon as a man is able consciously to experience the entire process of genesis and existence, all his intuitions, his thoughts and his deeds will unite in joyful affirmation of God. Then, however, he will become silent, and will not speak about it much. He will have become a personality who through this silent devotion to God, which can also be called trust in God, stands firmly and securely in the entire Creation. He will not lose himself in fantasies or fits of ecstasy, nor will he live an exclusively spiritual life here on earth, but attend to his earthly duties courageously and with common sense, also skillfully using his keen intellect as a sharp weapon, necessary for his defense when attacked, without of course being unjust in doing so. By no means should he silently tolerate being treated with injustice, otherwise he would encourage and strengthen evil.
Now there are many who only imagine themselves to have faith! In spite of inwardly acknowledging the existence of God and His activity, they fear the smile of the doubters. It is embarrassing and uncomfortable to them, and in the course of conversation they silently let it pass with an inscrutable expression on their faces, and in their embarrassment they constantly make concessions to the doubters through their attitude. This is not faith, but merely inward conceding! In reality they are denying their God, to Whom they pray in silence and from Whom they consequently expect every blessing.
This false consideration for the doubters cannot be excused by saying that to the “faithful” the subject is “too sacred and too serious” to allow it to be exposed to possible ridicule. Nor can one call it modesty, but merely base cowardice! Speak up at last and show your true colors! Fearless toward every man with the pride befitting every child of God! Only then will the doubters be finally forced to bridle their sneers, which only betray their uncertainty. At the present time, however, their mockery is only fostered and encouraged by the timid behavior of many of the “faithful.”
These people deceive themselves, because they have ascribed an entirely different meaning to the word “faith” from what this word demands. Faith must be a living thing, that is to say, it must become even more than conviction, it must become deed! It has become deed as soon as it permeates everything, all intuitions, thoughts, and actions. From within the man, in everything that pertains to him, his faith must become visible and noticeable unobtrusively, i.e. it must become natural. It must not only be hung out as a delusion nor as a signboard, but all that becomes manifest outwardly should merely be a result of the natural radiation of the inner spiritual core. In plain words, true faith must be a power which, radiating from the spirit of man, permeates his flesh and blood and so becomes completely natural, nothing artificial or forced, nothing studied, only life!
Observe many of the faithful: They declare their absolute belief in life after death and apparently orient their thinking accordingly. Yet if they ever have an opportunity to receive proof of this life in the beyond which extends above a simple casual observation, they are shocked or deeply shaken! Thereby they show that basically they were not so convinced after all of this life in the beyond, for otherwise such an occasional proof would seem quite natural to them. Consequently they should neither be frightened nor specially shaken by it. In addition there are countless instances which clearly reveal how little faith the so-called faithful have. Faith is not alive in them.
