“And when he [the Comforter] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” The Comforter is designated variously as the Holy Ghost and the Spirit of Truth. This particular passage indicates the manner of the coming of the Kingdom, or the Government of God on earth, by reason of human beings. Usually when this particular passage is considered it has seemed as though what might occur would be something quite separate and apart from human beings. There has been, generally speaking, very little awareness of the part which must be played by human beings if this is to occur. We claim to have seen something of this and have offered ourselves, at least in some measure, to the coming of the Kingdom. In actual fact we have perhaps begun to see that there is really no other reason for our presence on earth.
The coming of the Kingdom, or the Government of God by reason of human beings on earth, makes the Lord God Almighty known by His name Jehovah. Jehovah's presence in the world reproves the world. This reproofis the coming of the Kingdom, the establishment of the government of God. The world is reproved, according to the statement in the passage which I read, “of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” Here are three levels of human experience. The first one, sin, may be seen as the broadest. It is considered by Christians and others that all human beings are sinners, and this indeed is the fact of the matter. The other classifications, while present in all people, therefore needing reproof, may also be seen as being somewhat more selective. First of all, the mass of mankind: sinners all. Then the righteous, or self-righteous, may be seen as represented by those who were referred to as scribes and Pharisees long ago. They have vastly multiplied in numbers in these days but still are included in a more selective group, primarily centered in self-righteousness. And finally judgment. The prince of this world provides an overall control in the lives of human beings, but of course human nature centers particularly in those who are in positions where this control is exercised in a more specific sense. There is something of an upside-down pyramid here: the broad base, sinners all; the self-righteous in the middle; and those who represent the prince of this world, in positions of leadership, at the inverted apex. Here is the upside-down state of human experience, reverse polarity we might say.
And so the coming of the Comforter, because there are those present who are in fact the Spirit of Truth in action on earth, reproves the world. There has been heretofore very little to reprove the world, very little to provide a contrast to the present state of affairs. What has been done in some measure is to weigh one aspect of the present state of affairs against another aspect of the present state of affairs; but this, while it may have emphasized reproof in the consciousness of some people, was certainly not the reproof that is required. “When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” Here is the provision of an absolute contrast to the present state of affairs, whether that present state of affairs is considered to be good or bad. The statement was made long ago, “Behold, I make all things new”—a totally new state of affairs, not merely judgment, the weighing of the efficacy of one aspect of the present state of affairs against another.
“Of sin, because they believe not on me.” Now we see a certain responsibility that we rightly carry if the Spirit of Truth actually fathers all that we think, say and do. The sin which characterizes the human race is the sin of subjection to what may now be referred to as human nature. That is the sin; that is the violation of the Truth; that is the lie upon which human beings base all their living experience—perhaps it might be said, not deliberately so for most, but it is simply the fact of the matter. Earthly heredity governs on earth, springing out of the mass consciousness and coming to focus in each individual in a personal sense. Obviously here is something that needs to be reproved, and so we undertake, on the basis of the expression of the Spirit of Truth, to do just that. That reproof is not laying blame upon other people or telling everyone how wrong they are, but merely revealing the contrast in our own living of what the truth is, so that the lie is made apparent. That is the only way that reproof is offered. We do have this opportunity constantly to the extent that the Spirit of Truth fathers all that we think, say and do. Individually we can discern in some measure just to what extent this is so; however unless it is so, there is no reproof offered. So we share the responsibility of government in this way, extending spiritual government to all people to the extent that the Spirit of Truth fathers all that we think, say and do. The contrast hasn't been all that remarkable thus far because there has been heretofore quite a mixture, a mixture that was inexcusable, mind you, absolutely inexcusable, because we all know considerably better.
Yes there has been human nature in our experience, as in the experience of all people, and this has been there because of what might be referred to as reverse polarity. There has been subjection to human nature; I suppose it might be described as subjection to hell rather than to heaven. All of you have firsthand experience, I am sure, of hell. There are those who look to hell as an experience in the future—and of course it may be—but I don't think any of us could dispute the fact that it has been the experience in the past, and even possibly to some degree in the present. Subjection to hell is one alternative that has been accepted enthusiastically by people for a long time. The other, of course, is subjection to heaven. What is it that experiences this subjection? It is the common human experience, certainly, that hell should prevail, and as I say, seemingly people most enthusiastically make sure that this is the case. Of course most like to excuse themselves and say they can't help it: the world is full of hell; therefore we must be subject to it. But who are the “we” who are subject? I suppose this might be describable as flesh people, human beings in other words, who have the opportunity of being subject to hell and therefore bringing forth hell in the world, or being subject to heaven and therefore bringing forth heaven in the world. The absence of heaven has been obvious enough, making the presence of hell obvious enough.
So there is the opportunity of either being polarized downward or polarized upward. This is just a way of describing the two different states which are capable of being experienced. In some measure we have experienced, tentatively at least, something of the upward polarity so that the possibility of Spiritual Government might be present: a government for which, in that polarity, we would be absolutely responsible. Human beings are a little reluctant to accept such a responsibility, except possibly in the human nature state. They try to impose a government of some kind in the human nature state, some aspects of which are deemed to be good and some aspects of which are deemed to be evil. But we are not concerned with that; rather with the Heavenly Government, something that has been virtually unknown in the experience of human beings.
So, accepting this responsibility, we may offer what is necessary by our own living to reprove the world of sin. “Of sin, because they believe not on me,” is what was said by the One who is presumed to have spoken these words. Sin obviously is the failure to accept that quality of responsibility which was demonstrated by the One who spoke those words. He came, as He said, in the Name of the Father, but it was obvious that He accepted the responsibility for what was to be done absolutely. He accepted that responsibility Himself; He didn't say that it was going to be done by somebody else. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” “I am the resurrection, and the life.” That is the acceptance of an absolute responsibility. All human beings are sinners; they couldn't do that. That's true, as long as they remain sinners, as long as they remain upside down. But if we were to undertake to stand on our feet, the right way up, then that absolute responsibility would be a natural acceptance in our own individual living, in our circumstances, in our own environments. We're not looking to anybody else at all. We do not imagine that we cannot do what we are here to do because of the behavior of somebody else. Certainly that wasn't an attitude that was taken by Jesus on earth. He came to do what He came to do and He finished the work. Virtually everybody tried to prevent Him from doing what He came to do, but He did it nevertheless. And that is the absolute responsibilitythat is required of those who make possible the reproof, first of all of sin, on earth.
It is assumed by people everywhere, even though they may not be able to define it in terms, that there is nothing else to be done but to be subject to human nature: you can't help it; that's the way it is. That's the way it seemed to be, because apparently there was no other alternative. The alternative that was demonstrated two thousand years ago by one man has become subsequently a myth, having very little relationship to what is applicable and experienceable to human beings in any generation up to this present one. But we're all here, capable of experiencing what is needful. We have seen this in some measure and have undertaken to let it happen. I would not wish to judge in the matter as to how effective we have been thus far, but I think we can all acknowledge that our experience could be more effective now than it possibly has been in the past. Maybe now is the time. I don't know of any other, do you?
Anyway, here we are, with the responsibility of Spiritual Government within the scope of our consciousness. That's right, isn't it? We know about it. We know that this is the reason for our presence on earth, even though we may have retained a few distractions heretofore; but we know very well, being honest, that there isn't really any other alternative than to accept and acknowledge this Spiritual Responsibility of Government, the coming of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, obviously has not yet put in any adequate appearance insofar as human beings are concerned, simply because no one has accepted the responsibility for it. That's the only reason. The usual view is that one is waiting for the LORD to do something. Nonsense! We've been sitting around on our butts, sometimes springing into action but usually to support some human nature view of what would be a good imposition upon other people, which is not the way by which the world is reproved. The world is reproved because the proof of the Truth is made abundantly evident regardless of what anyone else is doing. There it is, right there.
It was in fact abundantly evident through Jesus. It was for this reason that He ran into the difficulties that He did. They weren't difficulties insofar as He was concerned. They didn't prevent Him from fulfilling all that was possible under that particular circumstance. He didn't use any excuses. So likewise with us now. The world is to be reproved of sin; that is, of the human nature state, because there is another state made evident. There is no reproof until that other state is made evident. That other state is made evident because there is belief on Jesus Christ, if you want to put it that way. There is an acknowledgment, an acceptance, of what it was He did and therefore of what it is that is required of us to do: the assumption of absolute responsibility for Spiritual Government in our own living on earth. That doesn't have to be imposed on anyone else. Others may be forced into making a choice of either liking it or lumping it, but we are aware of our own spiritual responsibility and therefore of what integrity really is: to reprove the world of sin because Absolute Responsibility is taken for Spiritual Government, spiritual expression in living. And no longer is the sin of human nature the quality of our experience.
Then there is the matter of righteousness, or what could well be referred to as self-righteousness, the righteousness of the scribesand the Pharisees. These two words indicate something. There are two main aspects to this matter of self-righteousness. One of them might be called secular and the other religious. I'm sure everyone is very aware of the self-righteousness in the religious field. The Pharisees of long ago were totally unwilling to be honest in considering the Truth that was demonstrated before them by reason of the presence of Jesus. Their sole concern was to put Him down, supporting the cultic beliefs that were current at that time, mainly the Jewish beliefs. These were seen as being more important than the Truth. At least this is what actually was the attitude on the part of those concerned. They may not have seen it that way but that's the way it was, and that is the way it still is. If you have undertaken to be honest and to reveal the Truth in your own living, did you ever run into that sort of self-righteousness? “You're not a Christian!” Well what is a Christian? Maybe you're not a Hindu, or a Moslem, or a Buddhist! There is a tendency to self-righteousness everywhere. The world needs to be reproved of that in the religious sense, where people are so self-satisfied with their beliefs and reject the Living Truth every time. This is done in the religious field, but it is also done in the secular field. I suppose the Pharisees might refer to the religious field and the scribes to the secular field, in this sense. There are all kinds of good professional people who may not be particularly religious, but they get to be pretty self-righteous too, don't they? Even politicians on occasion!
So there are lots of good people around. Some of them claim to be religious, some don't; but still they're very self-satisfied with their own attitudes and viewpoints. There are many such people. The world needs reproving of righteousness. The reproof was no longer available when Jesus was no longer present. “Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more.” In other words the contrastwasn't there anymore. Now, it needs to be there if there is to be the reproof: the absolute contrast, the revelation of the reality of righteousness which doesn't push itself forward as being righteous but is in fact righteous, the right expression of spirit, the Spirit of Truth in living at that particular level, the level of oh-so-good human beings.
And finally there is the matter of judgment: “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” Well, as we have noted already, the prince of this world is universal in the human world, but there are those who claim to themselves particular positions of power andauthorityin the human nature world. The world is to be reproved of judgment. This level of human governmentmust be reproved. Do you think that means that you seek out the higher-ups in the human nature world and confront them with something, words? I doubt if that would be very effective, and it would be an imposition, wouldn't it? No, this relates to our own living. This relates to the government, the authority, of our own living, something absolute, where nothing of the self-righteous state, or of the sinful human nature state, or of this matter of judgment, controls anymore in our expression in momentary living. The control is in the Spirit of Truth. It doesn't come to us from below; it doesn't come to us from the environment; it doesn't come to us from other people. It springs forth momentarily because our polarity is upward, because there has been the absolute acceptance of responsibility, the responsibility of Spiritual Government in our own living—not trying to impose that Spiritual Government upon anyone else, not even that person who is so close that he or she is a source of irritation. We do not indulge in judgment. A person is irritated and looks around for an excuse for that irritation, and he sees the other person who is not behaving the way he should, therefore “I am excused for my irritation. I am excused for my failure to provide absolute spiritual expression in the government of my living.” There is no such excuse anywhere, at any time.
To what extent are we in position to participate in Spiritual Government? To what extent are we in position to reprove the world? Again, we do not see that reproof as telling the world anything but as revealing the quality of the Spirit of Truth in action in our own living, that's all. We will find that that is something very powerful and very absolute. We may also find that it stirs something up in other people, opposition even! Well that's their business; we don't have to get into a battle about it. He that takes the sword shall perish by the sword. We can trust the Law. Let it work, that accepting our position of Spiritual Government we may reprove the world by reason of what is revealed in our own momentary living.
We have said this for a long time, but I don't think too many have recognized what the power of momentary living is in fact, when it is the absolute expression of the Spirit of Truth. There is a power there of which human beings have known virtually nothing. I think we still have a good deal of confidence in the powers of human nature. It may still be imagined that nothing will really be achieved unless we exert at least some of these powers. It's probably considered that we would be wide open to destruction should we not hedge ourselves about to some extent with the armor of human nature.
“Faith”—an interesting word, isn't it? Perhaps we've shied away from it a little, but where is our faith in actual fact? What is our experience, in other words? Our experience may be that we have developed a certain expertise in the realm of human nature and we feel pretty competent in certain ways. Of course we occasionally get out of our depth too. Would it be safe, actually, to relinquish the safeguards of human nature—we all have them still—be absolutely exposed in the expression of the Spirit of Truth? Well look what happened to the Master on earth! Yes, look what happened. He apparently was absolutely exposed, but was He in fact? Is that what proved to be the case? Not at all. He was incommand. He was in the place ofauthority. He was willing to let it work out that way because it was the only way that human beings would permit, if they were not to be utterly destroyed. He showed a great deal of mercy and patience in that. He let it work out the way it did, having the absolute assurance that's the way it could work out. It did—not for human beings in general, because they were unwilling that it should work out for them, but it worked out for Him. There in fact was the proof. But that's a bit of a fancy nowadays, isn't it? So far in the past, long ago. Did it really happen? Was He really there? Was the resurrection a reality? Or was someone there to snatch His body out of the tomb and give Him an attunement so that He could then emigrate to India or someplace? What stuff and nonsense there is in the consciousness of human beings in the state of human nature!—filthiness and darkness; nothing is seen that means anything.
Let there be reproof. Let the world be reproved because we accept the absolute responsibility for it individually. Yes, people like to get lost in the crowd: “Oh we'll all do it!” Oh no you won't, not unless you do it as an individual. Let each individual do it and then we all do it. There certainly is something more that happens when there is a collective body, yes, that's true; but there isn't any collective body until the individual does it. But individually speaking there have been so many distractions, so many excuses, so many reasons for following out the human nature ways of doing things. And they look so good sometimes, don't they? They have in every generation, and the world has remained in hell.
So the door of reproof is opened to the extent that there can be found within the four billion population of the earth just a few who will take individual responsibility and do it. And taking that individual responsibility, we do find that we are part of a body. Yes that is true. We don't go off in all directions like an atomic explosion of some kind. We find that we are contained, a part of a greater whole. But we only find that out when we have taken individual responsibility; otherwise it is merely a matter of form. Yes, we find ourselves associated with one another in the Emissary ministry, this peculiar cult. That's what it becomes merely on the basis of form. But if it is a matter of individual responsibility it isn't a cult. It is a cult if we are trying to get other people to take the responsibility. That's why Christianity is a cult, because Jesus is supposed to take the responsibility. Well, He did! He did it. What about the rest of us? So, assuming our individual positions of responsibility and absolute authority for the Spirit of Truth in expression in every circumstance, we play our part, then, in reproving the world. We don't imagine that we're going to be alone in this; certainly there are others who are going to do it too. They will be more likely to do it if we do it.
So we have the Spiritual Government of the world in our hands. We can either let it slip through our fingers or we can take hold of it in the absolute sense, so that we do not take the attitude that anyone else but oneself has that responsibility. We know there is plenty of room for others to take theirs, but that is their business. Our business is to take our own. And taking it, we find ourselves included in the overall responsibility that is being taken because of others too. We share this to the Glory of God, and it is thus that all things are made new. What that statement means is presently unknown. I don't think most of the implications even have come within the range of real understanding yet. What is going to happen in the world? We don't particularly need to know, do we? We do not if we assume our responsibility now in the absolute sense for the Spiritual Government that emerges in our own living: no more sin, no more subjection to the human nature impulses that arise, no more desire to exhibit any self-righteousness, and certainly no more judgment.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in the earth of our own living as it is done in the Heaven of the Spirit of Truth. This is the coming of our Kingdom, which is indeed the Kingdom of God. It only comes when it is our Kingdom and not merely His.
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