The Earth
THE SPIRITUAL EARTH
- Chapter 68 -
The absolution of sins and iconolatry
Some modern philosophers consider Me merely another philosopher, and maintain that every human being has the right, in accordance with Christian teachings, to absolve sins because I, as the Originator of these teachings, forgave also the sins of people who personally never offended Me.
My answer to those philosophers is the one I made to those Jews who confronted Me with the adulteress: "He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her, and his deed shall be granted in all the heavens!"
I, as a man, could forgive anyone's sins, since I was without sin. But he who is not without sin is not allowed to do so. To be without sin means to be in the highest degree in humility and love. The laws of God must have become such a human being's own nature. In order that the power of God may dwell in him fully, all desires, even to the lowest level, from childhood on, must be removed from his flesh. Only then may such a human being say to any person, "Your sins are forgiven!" and they will be forgiven. But in this instance the person himself does not forgive sins, but the divine power alone. It is possible only for the divine power to reconcile the hearts of those that have sinned against one another and become enemies; that means to make their hearts red hot with the divine fire.
This suffocates all anger, all haughtiness and all envy. It is obvious that only God's power, and not man's, has that ability. And that is why a human being may say only to God: "Lord, forgive me my sins which I committed against many, even those brethren from whom I may no longer ask forgiveness. But for Thy power, O Lord, it is reserved for eternity to effect what I myself wish to accomplish, if only I could."
Behold, only in this manner can the power of God absolve sins when human beings can no longer forgive each other, whether as a result of being too far apart as far as distance is concerned, or when physical death has drawn an impenetrable wall between those two individuals. In such instances only God may forgive the sins.
I have nothing against it if a human being tells a soul friend in confidence all about his mistakes and infirmities, in order to receive comfort from such a friend. A true soul friend should advise thus: In order to be absolved of your sins, you should turn to the Lord with serious intent never to commit these sins again, and to make up for the sins you have committed against your brother, through sincere repentance and kind-hearted satisfaction. Such a confessor is at all times dear and valuable to Me.
Certainly this does not require a clergyman, especially if such a clergyman believes that he alone has the exclusive power and authority to absolve and withhold absolution of sins, to judge the sinner, and to have himself addressed as the representative of God in the confessional; he is a perpetrator of evil and a slayer of souls, since he arbitrarily stands before Heaven's Gate.
False prophets also belong to this category - those who preach with the greatest of seriousness, saying to simple-minded people: "Go on a pilgrimage to a certain icon. And do not forget to give offerings abundantly; you will receive from the icon absolution of your sins and also other graces while you are there."
And this is My reply: These false prophets shall receive their just rewards. They do not know, nor do they want to know, that God should be worshiped in the spirit and in truth. All of those who teach in this manner, and turn the people of the nations towards idolatry, are anti-Christian and false prophets, and they kill the spirit of the people of the nations. That is the reason why you should not visit such places, which are full of contagious perversion of the mind.
Do not believe that anyone can find help there, because I am the only One Who can help, and I am the Eternal Enemy of all idolatry. Why should I bestow miraculous powers upon a wooden picture? If I would bestow miraculous powers upon anyone, it would then be upon a righteous human being, not upon a woodcarving.
Christian iconolatry is a much more abominable idolatry than that of the ancient heathens, because they did not know the true God. An inner need for a higher being forces such people to such behavior. However, present-day humankind knows God and understands that He is the only Lord, yet in spite of this they worship wooden carvings. These people may be compared with God's arch-enemy, who also knows God but, instead of loving and worshiping Him, despises Him and bears ill will towards Him.
Ignorant people shall be forgiven because of their stupidity. However, those who can see and have the light and still do not want to see, but extinguish the light, shall not be forgiven.