1. God’s Nature is Unity
At its foundation, the statement reveals the truth that God is not divided. He is one power, one source, one presence:
“All force, all power, all glory, comes from the One source.” 262-41
This means that everything in existence flows out of that oneness. There are not separate gods for body, mind, and spirit, or for good and evil; there is one Living God, manifesting in all.
2. The Call to Inner Unity
The lesson connects God’s oneness to our own inner being:
“As the body, the mind, the soul is one, so is God in the manifestations in power, might and glory in the earth.” 262-42
If God is one, then we, made in His image, are also called to be one — not fragmented by contradictions (spirit saying one thing, body doing another, mind thinking yet another). To live the lesson is to harmonize these parts of self so they express the same truth: unity with God.
3. Oneness as a Way of Living
It isn’t enough to believe that God is one — the lesson insists it must be lived:
“To make the lesson complete it must be lived, experienced by each individual, and interpreted in their lives.” 262-41
This means choosing daily to act from the awareness of God’s presence, letting His oneness guide our relationships, speech, and decisions. Unity with God transforms life into a witness of His reality.
4. Oneness in Purpose
Finally, the phrase demands clarity of will:
“All activity is a manifestation of ONE power… to assert either the power and glory of GOD, or of self!” 262-42
To confess “The Lord thy God is One” is to align our purpose with His — to live not for selfish gain, but for His glory and the good of all.
In Summary
“The Lord thy God is One” means:
God is the single, undivided source of life.
We are called to reflect that unity in our own being — body, mind, and soul.
Unity with God is proved in how we live, not just what we believe.
Our purpose must be harmonized with His will, not self-interest.
It is both a truth to believe and a way to live.
---------------------------------------------
How this lesson ("The Lord Thy God is One") echoes the Great Commandment (“Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and mind”) and ties into Jesus’ teaching of oneness.
1. Rooted in the Great Commandment
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He quoted from Deuteronomy:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” (Mark 12:29–30)
This is directly tied to the lesson — because God is One, our devotion must be whole. We cannot love Him partially. Heart, soul, mind, and strength must be unified in love, just as He is unified in being.
2. Jesus’ Teaching of Oneness with the Father
The lesson cites Christ’s words:
“I and the Father are One, and ye in me, I in the Father—”
Here Jesus models what it means to live the oneness. He embodies the Great Commandment perfectly — His will, thoughts, and actions are wholly aligned with the Father. And He extends that same unity to us: “ye in me, I in the Father.”
3. Living the Great Commandment as Oneness
The lesson stresses that oneness isn’t just belief but daily application:
“To make the lesson complete it must be lived, experienced by each individual, and interpreted in their lives.” 262-41
Thus, to love God with all we are is to bring body, mind, and soul into harmony — so that what we think, feel, and do all flow from the same devotion to Him. That unity of love in us reflects the unity of God Himself.
4. Oneness as Love of Neighbor
Right after the Great Commandment, Jesus adds: “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
The lesson makes the same point negatively:
“If the hate, grudge or selfishness has created such an influence as to separate self from a friend, a foe… how CAN such a soul be one in Him?” 262-42
True oneness with God is expressed in oneness with others. Love of God and love of neighbor are inseparable because God is One — all life flows from Him.
In Summary
“The Lord thy God is One” → foundation of the Great Commandment.
Love with all heart, soul, mind, and strength → reflects God’s unity.
Jesus lived this unity, showing us “I and the Father are One.”
We are invited into the same oneness — with God and with others.
Oneness is love in action, not just belief.
---------------------------------------------
Theme
Lesson: “The Lord Thy God is One”
Great Commandment (Mark 12:29–31)
Jesus’ Teaching of Oneness
Theme: God’s Unity
Lesson: “The Lord Thy God is One”: “All force, all power, all glory, comes from the One source.” 262-41
Great Commandment (Mark 12:29–31): “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.”
Jesus’ Teaching of Oneness: “I and the Father are One.”
Theme: Wholeness of Self
Lesson: “The Lord Thy God is One”: “As the body, the mind, the soul is one, so is God…” 262-42
Great Commandment (Mark 12:29–31): “…thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength.”
Jesus’ Teaching of Oneness: “Ye in me, I in the Father.”
Theme: Living the Truth
Lesson: “The Lord Thy God is One”: “To make the lesson complete it must be lived, experienced… and interpreted in their lives.” 262-41
Great Commandment (Mark 12:29–31): Love is not abstract — it must involve all dimensions of being.
Jesus’ Teaching of Oneness: Jesus’ life shows oneness through action, not theory.
Theme: Purpose & Will
Lesson: “The Lord Thy God is One”: “All activity is a manifestation of ONE power… to assert either the power and glory of GOD, or of self!” 262-42
Great Commandment (Mark 12:29–31): Loving God directs purpose away from divided loyalties.
Jesus’ Teaching of Oneness: Jesus: “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me.” (John 4:34)
Theme: Relationship with Others
Lesson: “The Lord Thy God is One”: “If the hate, grudge or selfishness… has… separated self… how CAN such a soul be one in Him?” 262-42
Great Commandment (Mark 12:29–31): “…thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
Jesus’ Teaching of Oneness: Jesus: 32Jesus prayed “that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee.” (John 17:21)
---------------------------------------------
ONENESS OF SELF, GOD, AND PURPOSE
The “oneness of self, God, and purpose” is the heartbeat of the lesson on “The Lord Thy God is One.”
1. Oneness of Self
The lesson emphasizes that the mind, body, and soul are not separate compartments but a single unity:
“As the body, the mind, the soul is one, so is God in the manifestations in power, might and glory in the earth.” 262-42
This means that who we are inwardly (our thoughts, motives, and spiritual life) cannot be disconnected from how we act outwardly.
Every “idle word” or selfish grudge reflects whether self is in harmony with that deeper unity.
The lesson urges us to integrate our being, not to live in fragments (spirit in one place, actions in another, emotions elsewhere).
2. Oneness with God
The lesson teaches that the individual self only becomes whole by aligning with God’s will and presence:
“My life, my activities, my thoughts, my meditation, must be more and more in accord with the will of the Father.” 262-40
When we surrender self’s pride, grudges, or selfishness, we participate in God’s life.
This is why Christ’s words were recalled:
“I and the Father are One, and ye in me, I in the Father—” 262-42
Thus, oneness with God is not just belief but a lived union:
God within us, and us consciously walking in Him.
3. Oneness of Purpose
The readings also stress that purpose clarifies whether we live for God or for self:
“All activity is a manifestation of ONE power… to assert either the power and glory of GOD, or of self!” 262-42
To be one with God means our intentions, choices, and direction in life are unified under His purpose — not divided by self-seeking. Oneness of purpose means living daily with the heart that says: “Thy will, not mine, be done.”
Putting It All Together
So, oneness of self, God, and purpose in this lesson means:
Self is not divided, but integrated — body, mind, and soul working together.
God is not an outside force, but the indwelling presence with whom we are meant to align.
Purpose is not fragmented between self-interest and divine will, but unified in manifesting God’s love, joy, and glory.
When these three dimensions are one, life itself becomes a witness of the lesson: “The Lord thy God is One.”
No comments:
Post a Comment