Divine Justice
Underlying the description of the Structure thus far is the implication of Divine Justice (with respect to pilgrims): What exactly are the conditions for ascending and maintaining positions on It? And where on It? In order words, how is divine grace precisely acquired?
As reflected by the Cryptogram, divine grace is dependent on faith and divine service. And divine service implies action, as it is external to the performer. It is the projection of a pilgrim’s spiritual mentality. In contrast, the element of faith is internal, with components of inspiration, intuition, and reason; all of which is knowledge based. And faith’s operational center—the conscience—is an individual’s spiritual relay and control station.
The Role of The Conscience
The conscience serves as a moral compass, providing guidance along the paths of truth and justice in accordance with the Word of God, through the Son and the Spirit, leading the pilgrim through the storm of life. Paul stressed the importance of relying on the conscience and warned that those who fail to do so destroy their faith (1 Timothy 1:19). In his Epistle to the Romans, Paul noted: “Happy is he whose conscience does not condemn him in that which he allows” (Romans 14:22). John also said, concerning the role of the conscience: “Beloved, if our conscience does not condemn us, then we have confidence toward God” (1 John 3:21).
The accuracy of the bearings provided by a compass depends on the level of sophistication of the compass. The more refined the compass, the more accurate its readings. Similarly, the judgment of the conscience is as good as the information and knowledge it possesses. Consequently, one’s adherence to the paths of truth and justice which lead to salvation, depends on one’s knowledge and understanding of the mystery of God’s Plan through the Trinity. Everyone called to fellowship in God has some potential for grasping this mystery.
The Word of God, in Scriptures, is the spiritual food essential for the development of the conscience. Pilgrims must live according to the Word of God, relying on it for guidance, and revitalizing their faith by it. The wisdom of one’s judgments is dependent on one’s spiritual nourishment. The strength of one’s contributions to the Universal Church depends on the level of discipline acquired through spiritual training, reflected by one’s actions, and based on faith in the Trinity.
The Scale of Justice
Divine Justice is likened to scales and balances: On one scale pan lies an individual’s spiritual gifts—the capacity to know God’s Will—the measure of one’s faith. On the opposite scale pan are an individual’s actions—the response to one’s spiritual gifts. The spiritual gifts, which include temporal endowments, constitute the standard weight, while the actions represent the sample weight. One’s actions are, thus, measured against one’s spiritual gifts. Divine Justice requires that this scale be maintained in constant balance for the optimum reward.
Since everyone is endowed with spiritual gifts to varying degrees, the standard weight of measurement is, as it were, personal. Although the sample weight is the variable factor, the standard weight is also subject to change; increased faith must be matched by increased action, in order to maintain the balance of the scale, for as Jesus certified: “To whom much is given, of him shall much be required” (Luke 12:48).
If the standard weight is greater than the sample weight, it indicates that the individual is not reaching their potential, despite their actions being just. This condition depicts the complacent pilgrim. On the other hand, if the sample weight surpasses the standard weight, it suggests that the individual has overstepped the bounds of their conscience as defined by the Holy Spirit, characterizing them as an apostate or a self-righteous pilgrim. A balanced scale represents the sons of God.
The Scriptures observed: “A just weight and balance are the Lord’s: all the weights in the bag are His works” (Proverbs 16:11). Since the scale and weights of justice are in the Lord’s hands, and He alone knows the exact weights that are involved, the only way an individual can hope to maintain its scales in balance is through righteous devotion to God.
The Comprehensive Law
Just as the economy and safety require the introduction of oxygen before carbon monoxide in furnace combustion, so, too, in the spiritual system, economy and safety necessitate that faith takes precedence over divine service (cf., Blog Post 7: “Development of Combustion Wedge” & “Laws of Nature Governing CO Combustions”).
The primacy of faith over divine service in the quest for divine grace, or righteousness is the distinguishing feature of the Mid Testament era. Indeed, in his letter to the Galatians, Paul proclaimed that one is saved by faith, and not by the law:
. . . Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith in Christ Jesus, and not by the works of the law; for by works of the law shall no flesh be justified (Galatians 2:16).
The law in reference here is the Mosaic law, consisting of the Ten Commandments—the Ideal law—along with various other precepts, rituals, and observances—the Natural law. It is this Natural law which cannot lead to justice with God, as it is on a human level, contrary to the Divine Nature. For instance, the Scriptures exhorted the faithful to be holy as the Heavenly Father is holy and affirmed God’s forbearance in letting His light shine on both the just and the unjust. Yet, the Mosaic law prescribed strict retribution. It demanded the stoning of blasphemers and adulterers, whether they were foreigners or natives. Furthermore, the complexity of the Mosaic law, with its six hundred and thirteen commandments, made it difficult to comprehend and follow. Even so, the people were warned: “Cursed is he who fails to do all the words of this law” (Deut. 27: 26; Lev. 26:14ff). It is because of flaws such as these that the Mosaic law was rendered obsolete, as affirmed by the Scriptures:
Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and precepts whereby they could not live (Ezekiel 20:25).
Hence Paul stated: “For by works of the law shall no flesh be justified”.
In order to appreciate the import of the doctrine of the primacy of faith over divine service, one must allow that a religious action could conceivably lose its spiritual moorings, thus becoming merely a perfunctory action. The Mosaic law, with its numerous ritual practices, has acquired these characteristics by its very nature. Thus, its emphasis is on procedure, and not on faith, giving its observance the aura of magic. Ritual ensures only cultic loyalty, not divine grace; since it is merely an attempt to invoke Truth through mimicry, it is ersatz, and thus cannot, ideally, be a substitute for the real Truth, which is abstract and sublime.
The Scriptures note that forgiveness of sins, and hence justice, comes only through faith in the Trinity—the Word of God—as embodied consummately by the Holy Spirit. Any belief that is contrary to this teaching is an erroneous one.
Because a pilgrim’s actions must be guided by faith, faith must precede divine service, if one is to be justified. Faith and divine service, then, can be said to have sense or direction. And since both have magnitude, they are, by definition, vector variables. The proper orientation of faith and divine service (the independent variables) is essential for righteousness—the state of grace—just as the correct orientation of the reactants’ molecules (oxygen and carbon monoxide) was essential for heat in combustion. The fact that the vectors, faith and divine service, are noncommutative in their correlations with divine grace affirms that divine grace is a vector product.
The Cryptogram is, therefore, the vector-product-field for Divine Grace. (Below are shown, again, two perspectives of the Cryptogram for ease of reference).
The Grand Law and the Cosmic Law
The Cryptogram portrays the Spiritual Mold which gives form to a pilgrim’s spiritual attributes necessary for its journey to God Most High: It defines the paths of righteousness through its vector properties. In fact, the Cryptogram affirms the primacy of faith: the scriptural mandate which stipulates that faith must precede divine service for righteousness; its vector arrows show how righteous paths begin with faith on surface-b, while the converse is true on surface-a—the apostates’ paths (cf., “Explaining the Cryptogram”, in Blog Post 7). Binary Laws epitomize the rules which govern the operation of Divine Justice on the Spiritual Structure.
The Grand Law is one of the binary laws. It is a mathematical expression of the Spiritual Mold that correlates a pilgrim’s spiritual attributes in accordance with Righteousness. As the attributive aspect of Divine Justice, the Grand Law reflects a pilgrim’s judgement in the acquisition of divine grace which serves to determine one’s location on the Spiritual Structure. In the journey of life, all are endowed with special gifts and constrained by limitations, presented with opportunities and burdened with adversities. These intrinsic and contingent human factors are accounted for, also, in the acquisition of divine grace essential for the pilgrimage to salvation. The Cosmic Law is the complementary, mathematical expression of the Spiritual Mold which incorporates these inherent and circumstantial factors in the application of Divine Justice.
And so, the Grand Law depicts a pilgrim’s Choice or Freewill component of Divine Justice, while the Cosmic Law denotes its Chance or Allotted element. These binary laws though distinct are yet integral to Justice. The former expresses one’s measure of divine grace, whereas the latter represents the probability of acquiring that grace. The Grand Law is particular as it pertains to a pilgrim’s choice; but the Cosmic Law is universal as it encompasses all else, potentially. The one is from within, while the other is from without. Operating together, they constitute Absolute Justice, the Consummate Law.
The Chance element, which is beyond the realm of human control, has both inherent and circumstantial factors: the inherent factor denotes those potentials one is endowed with by birth, while the circumstantial factor refers to the extraneous circumstances one encounters in life. The inherent factor is to the element of faith as computer hardware is to software.
Faith is the potential saving power of God within the faithful. The ability to discern God’s Will is a measure of one’s faith. Faith remains dormant until it is acted upon through divine service, then it yields grace: the effectual saving power of God. Grace is awarded on the basis of one’s response to faith. Faith is the spiritual gift of God, and divine service represents one’s conscious response to this gift. Each pilgrim’s response varies according to its level of discipline.
With this information, the three basic categories of Justice can be identified from the vector-product-field, the Cryptogram:
1. Faith greater than divine service
This describes the spiritual state of believers whose total response to God falls short of the faith that has been invested in them: the complacent pilgrims. Though classified as just, they are nevertheless guilty of negligence.
2. Faith less than divine service
This condition of the vector field describes the sinful state of apostates. Because their actions are defiant and beyond the constraints of faith, the standard weight of justice, they invariably tip the scale of justice contrary to righteousness, by assuming more spiritual powers than has been allotted them. Their actions outweigh their faith. Such actions are negative and self-destructive, as they are in opposition to the Truth—the Holy Spirit. These pilgrims are guilty of giving priority to their self-righteous actions, thus reversing the order of orientation for faith and action (divine service). They are wise in their own estimation.
3. The third category of Justice describes the spiritual state of the ideal pilgrims, the sons of God, and is defined by:
Faith equaling divine service.
Because these pilgrims follow the Spirit’s lead, their actions match their faith. Indeed, the Scriptures affirmed: “For as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).
(Thus, every point on the efficiency line of the Cryptogram defines the limiting, positive action—divine service—for each assigned level of faith; alternatively, each point defines a matching pair of faith and divine service necessary to maintain balance on the efficiency line. See Figure 4).
It becomes apparent, from the foregoing discussion, that to be justified, one’s actions must either match one’s faith, or at the least be within the constraints of the Grand Law. Divine Justice, therefore, stipulates that:
Faith must be greater than or equal to divine service.
It bears on the proper relations between faith and action.
It is becoming evident from the foregoing discussion that the combustion process closely parallels the Spiritual System. For a more accurate portrayal of Righteousness, the units of measurement for the elements of Justice as stated above (faith and divine service) must be expressed in universal standards, much as the molecular units of CO combustion are standardized. Differences in personal endowments (faith) coupled with variance of divine service (works of the law) make it necessary to normalize these attributes for an equitable measure of Divine Justice.
The Instrument of Justice
The apparatus of justice consists of a spiritual conversion device, and a separate storage facility. It is similar in design to a hot-water tank or power plant system, which also has its energy storage equipment (the tank or boiler) separate from its conversion apparatus (the furnace). Just as a chemical agent (fuel) is converted into heat in the power plant system, the actions of believers are converted into grace in the religious system. The latter conversion involves a transition from a natural realm to a spiritual one.
The spiritual conversion of each action is a discrete process. The resulting grace from a believer’s action is added to its prior level to constitute its new position on the Spiritual Structure. Associated with each discrete grace is a wave packet, in the form of a mini structure; it is the microcosmic constituent of the Cosmic Law that defines the probability space for that discrete grace.
A minor offense has a damaging effect on a pilgrim’s spiritual furnace, the abode of the Holy Spirit, in essence cooling off its spirit, and thus affecting its conversion process. However, because of the pilgrim’s privilege of God’s forgiveness through the Holy Spirit—the Spiritual Structure—the damage is reparable through atonement. But, while the believer’s spiritual furnace is under repair, the level of its storage tank (grace) remains stagnant as subsequent positive actions are directed toward the restoration of its furnace. Following the restoration of the pilgrim’s furnace, the acquisition of grace resumes for the just on surface-b and the efficiency line.
A deadly sin, on the other hand, causes irreparable damage to both the spiritual furnace and the storage tank of a pilgrim, resulting in the continuous and eventually total loss of stored-grace, and the inability to ever generate and retain divine grace, again—cf., Heb. 6:4-6; 2 Pet. 2:20-22. (The combustion process also reflected this failed state: By adding CO beyond the efficient state while oxygen was kept fixed, a point was reached in the experiment when further increases in CO resulted in spontaneous reaction and extinguished burning. See Blog Post 7, “Classes of Combustion”.) Although the pilgrim may be physically alive, it is spiritually dead.
The arrow heads in Figure 4 indicate the directions of vectors in the Structure. The Cryptogram vector arrows attest to the following scriptural passage:
The way to life leads upward for the wise man, that he may depart from hell below (Proverbs 15:24).
It also affirms the scriptural usage of height in connection with spiritual matters:
Set your affection on things that are above, not on things that are on Earth (Colossians 3:2).
You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world (John 8:23).
Furthermore, the Cryptogram highlights the dichotomy between safety and danger, life and death, implicit in these passages:
He who walks uprightly [as on surface-b] is safe, but he whose ways are crooked [as surface-a] falls into the pit (Proverbs 28:18).
While surface-a depicts negative grace (that is, sin), and surface-b portrays positive grace, the entire Structure represents Absolute Grace. (This structural feature is comparable to the form of numerical representations: Numbers are generally stated in absolute values, but when distinction is necessary, they are also expressible in negative and positive values.) The following passage exemplifies this distinction:
So that, as sin reigned through death [on surface-a], grace may reign through righteousness [on surface-b], leading to eternal life by Jesus Christ [on the efficiency line] (Romans 5:21).
It is further evident from the foregoing discussion that the combustion process closely parallels the Spiritual System. Thus, the Cryptogram depicts the Comprehensive Law of God structured according to Justice; it is the ultimate codification of the Divine Law.
The commandments of God
The guiding rule for all actions—the law of faith—is epitomized by this scriptural passage:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27; Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18).
This Ideal law concerns a pilgrim’s responsibility to God, to its fellow beings, and to itself. Loving God is contingent upon the fulfillment of one’s responsibilities to its fellow beings, and to itself.
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile; let him eschew evil and do good; let him seek peace and follow it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against those that do evil (1 Peter 3:10-12; Psalms 34:12-16).
This passage identifies two types of positive actions: the negation of a negative—to eschew evil—and the endorsement of a positive—to do good. Because evil is negative, and to eschew (or avoid) is also negative, eschewing evil is to engage in a double negative, which results in a positive. Although avoidance implies inaction, if an impulse (like passion) is resisted in the process, action is inferred. In a spiritual sense, then, avoidance of evil constitutes a positive, self-purifying action. For examples, avoidance of such impure actions as fornication, lying, lust, idolatry, jealousy, and adultery. The endorsement of positive actions refers primarily to actions towards others—the love of one’s neighbor. It is through the love of one’s neighbor, the avoidance of evil, and the pursuit of justice with God in mind, that a pilgrim can truly love God (the ultimate positive action). It is following the fulfillment of these obligations that one’s sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God becomes acceptable.
Imagine a vertical plane along the efficiency line, which runs through the depths of the Cryptogram dividing it into zones a-and-b. This partition of the Structure illustrates the fundamental aspect of the Divine Law: it is two-dimensional, as it enjoins humanity to avoid the domain of evil, zone-a, and to affirm the reign of goodness, zone-b.
A lawyer in Luke’s Gospel questioned Jesus about who his neighbor was. That question elicited the “Parable of the compassionate Samaritan” from Jesus. At the end of the parable, the lawyer was able to answer his own question: the neighbor was the one who “showed mercy on him” (Luke 10:37). This parable emphasized that love of neighbor implies good works (or positive actions) toward others.
In the Scriptures, the interpretation of love has greater depth, and demands more of believers than the worldly usage. John defined love as walking “according to the commandments . . .” (1 John 5:3). He elaborated on this:
This is how we perceive the love of God, because He laid down His life for us; we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. But who has enough of this world’s goods, and sees his brother has need, and shuts up his compassion from him; how can the love of God be in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deeds and in truth (1 John 3:16-18).
The divine service axis of the Cryptogram is synonymous with love for God, if love for the Divine is the motivation for the acts of neighborly love and personal sanctity. Divine grace, on the other hand, is rewarded from above, and represents the love of God for humanity.
Vigilance and caution are necessary for adhering to these teachings on good works. Consider the hypothetical case of a treasure hunter who overlooked the treasure in his backyard, in quest for a richer and more exciting treasure. After locating such a treasure, he sought the assistance of strangers to help recover the find; and in doing so, he unwittingly alerted robbers. They waylaid him, beating him and stripping him of his find. Had he secured the treasure in his own backyard first, he would have had the means to hire trusted hands to assist with the distant treasure, thus keeping his activity a secret, and averting the tragedy that befell him, in addition to profiting from two treasures (cf., Gospel of Thomas [97]).
The aim of the foregoing discourse is character development—faith, humility, love, probity, discipline, perseverance, et cetera—which is necessary for fulfilling the self-potential of an individual and contributing to the accomplishment of the Divine Will. Self-potential is achieved when good character is blessed with wisdom. The individual’s conscience is thus in tune with the Divine Will—constantly listening in, correctly judging, and obediently serving Truth.
The Commandments of God, as articulated above, are merely fundamental guiding principles by which seekers of Perfection in God can accomplish their larger role in life. A pilgrim’s duties must accord with its unique nature. Fulfilling one’s duties in life is the ultimate divine service.
The Use of Faith and Good Works by Paul and James
The introduction of the vector properties of faith and divine service has facilitated a deeper reconciliation of James’s teachings with those of Paul regarding faith and good works. James stated in his Epistle that faith without good works is dead, and he argued:
Was not Abraham, our father, justified by his works when he had offered Isaac, his son, upon the altars (James 2:21)?
Paul seemingly countered James:
For if Abraham were justified by works, he has reason to brag, but not in God’s view. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (Roman 4:2-3).
Although these teachings might seem contradictory, the differences are only superficial. Consider the relationship between psychic faith and productive faith: Productive faith is the expression of psychic faith through good deeds. Paul’s reference to “faith” pertained to productive faith, while James addressed the more foundational concept of psychic faith. However, there were instances when Paul spoke of psychic faith, and on those occasions, he too emphasized the significance of action.
For in Jesus Christ, neither circumcision nor the lack of it avails anything; only faith which works by love (Galatians 5:6).
Paul further affirmed that faith alone cannot supplant (obedience to) the Ideal law; rather, it should complement it:
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yes, we establish the law (Romans 3:31).
Paul commented, once more, in a similar manner:
It is not the hearers of the law who are just before God, but the doers of the law (Romans 2:13-15).
Taking Paul’s statement “we are saved by faith and not by works” (Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9) at face value, it appears to conflict with other scriptural passages that suggest our ultimate judgment will be based on our deeds or works (2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 16:27). Conversely, if judgment is solely based on works, then it negates the role of divine grace. But, as affirmed by the Cryptogram, judgment will be predicated on divine grace, which, in turn, derives from good works rooted in faith.
Although James appeared to give more weight to good works; however, like Paul, he recognized the importance of faith:
See, there, how faith aided his works, and by works was faith made perfect (James 2:22).
James acknowledged that faith is the foundation of Justice:
Yea, a man may say, you have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18).
It is clear that both James and Paul did not support the exclusion of faith or divine service in the acquisition of divine grace. While Paul emphasized the primacy of faith over divine service (works of the law—Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9) for the acquisition of divine grace, James underscored the indispensability of divine service (good works) in achieving righteousness. However, this does not mean that all good works necessarily imply faith, as faith and good works are mutually exclusive or independent variables. For instance, good works performed under duress, for vanity***, or other improper motives are not productive, as they do not express faith. Therefore, good works must be performed solely to serve God, or for the sake of goodness itself by those ignorant of God. “Good works” encompass more than corporal works of mercy, they include any positive action that aligns with the Divine Will, such as Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac which is depicted as a good work in the Scriptures (James 2:21; Genesis 22:1-18).
Indeed, as noted above, the Cryptogram affirms the primacy of faith over divine service in the attainment of divine grace: its vector arrows show how righteous paths begin with faith, while apostates’ paths begin with divine service. (See Figure 4a.) Science, which was not available in the days of Paul and James, provided the tool for expressing these abstract concepts, and reconciling these seemingly contradictory scriptural passages.
Consequently, while the independent variables, faith and divine service, are essential to salvation, the Spiritual Structure is ultimately the overriding, Guiding Principle which encompasses all.
The Parable of The Ten Virgins
The parable of the ten virgins underscores the essential role of good works to productive faith (Matthew 25:1-13). The foolish virgins brought their lamps (symbolizing faith) without oil (representing divine service), and thus lacked the spiritual light (signifying divine grace) necessary for salvation. That the foolish virgins were denied access to the oil of the wise, conveys the fact that salvation is ultimately won or lost on the merits of one’s own deeds. Indeed, the Law of Eternal Rewards is essentially a normalized Grand Law. The influence of others is limited to the enhancement or diminution of one’s probability for divine grace, as determined by the Cosmic Law.
Observations From the Cryptogram
Thus far, the Cryptogram portrays life’s pilgrimage as an uphill climb, a constant struggle. Apparently, it gives the impression that it is much easier to walk on the natural earthly plane than to climb the spiritual heights of divine grace. Such misconceptions, coupled with human frailties, cause many to seek relief on the earthly plane, unaware of the hidden shackles of slavery on this plane. The toils of these earthly dwellers, however, do not yield the life-giving grace that accrue to the free pilgrims on the Structure.
Since humanity is by nature imperfect, and so tends toward sin, it must work against this natural state to reach higher spiritual heights. This can be achieved only through spiritual training. Thus, the probability for Divine Justice is optimized and maintained, as one continually strives for perfection within the limits of one’s given nature and circumstances♠. Spiritual training, and hence optimizing the probability for Divine Justice, involves:
1. biasing or sensitizing the conscience to the Word of God in the Scriptures—the Spiritual “Software”–through education, meditation, frequent reading and/or discussion of the Scriptures; and
2. spiritual exercises, such as fasting, patient endurance, vigilance, and other good works in general.
Thus, the probability for Divine Justice is defined either by one’s orientation on the earthly plane, or by one’s current position on the Spiritual Structure. It is optimum when “faith is greater than or equal to divine service”. Optimum efficiency of moral action is the goal for action.
Paul compared the benefits of religious discipline with physical exercise:
For bodily exercise profits little, but spiritual discipline is profitable unto all things (1 Timithy 4:8).
The expressions of faith through divine service evidence hopes and trust in God. Hence, the Scriptures noted that “faith is the realization of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Legitimate hope, therefore, is contingent on the expressions of faith (Romans 5:3-5) through divine service. Thus, hope is a shadow of divine grace. In view of this evident truth, the Cryptogram is congruous with Scripture’s observation that in the end, three things will prevail:
And now abides faith, hope [divine grace], and charity [divine service], these three (1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 5:8).
These elements constitute the three principal variables of the Cryptogram.
It can be deduced from the synthesis, thus far, that divine grace is both a gift and a reward. Inasmuch as psychic faith is a gift of God essential for grace, grace is inherently a gift of God. However, in order for psychic faith to yield grace, it must be acted upon. When grace is viewed in this light, it is a reward for positive actions. Grace can, therefore, be referred to paradoxically as both a reward and a gift, just as light can be described in terms of both a wave and a particle. (Grace and light—indeed, electromagnetism—are correlates♣.)
It is misleading, as the Cryptogram corroborates, to claim that one will be saved merely by professing with the lips that Jesus is Lord, as some narrowly interpret the Scriptures. These believers often cite the passage:
That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).
This passage identified only one essential element of salvation, psychic faith, and superficially at that. As such, it is incomplete; unless of course, the call for action is understood. Jesus, Himself, cautioned:
Not everyone that call to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; only he that does the will of my Father who is in Heaven (Matthew 7:21).
On the strength of the previous scriptural passage, salvation has been reduced by some preachers to the specific acts of “confessing and accepting Jesus” before them publicly. The public confession of Jesus must be identified with one’s way of living, and it involves life’s struggles; for example, taking public action (not an ostentatious one) in defense of the rights of the weak and the helpless. Anything less than this interpretation amounts to an empty show of religion. If anything is evident from the Cryptogram, it is that salvation, contrary to the impression given by some preachers of a momentous single event, is, rather, a dynamic life-process. This is not to imply that spiritual growth is by any means uniform, as certain events might result in quantum leaps.
In order for one to truly benefit from the Scriptures, one must grasp the essential elements in their gestalt. The Cryptogram is the necessary Gestalt.
* Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:28
** 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 16:27; Jeremiah 17:10; Psalms 62:12.
*** Actions performed for recognition or human approval have no spiritual value. Hence, Jesus emphasized the importance of secrecy in the performance of good deeds (cf., Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18). In the quest for righteousness, vigilance and attention to detail are desirable attributes. Refer to the Gospel of Thomas (97) for insight. Consider the shock and disbelief that some may experience on Judgment Day.
♠ In the art of self-sacrifice, each momentary realization of one’s limitations, with reference to, and reverence for, the Cosmic Presence, is a means and essence of self-transcendence. Thus, self-transcendence entails a life’s suffusion with contemplation. Contemplation, as such, is not necessarily a sedentary, insular exercise, but a dynamic lifestyle.
♣ Divine Grace is also, at once, both a wave and a particle as exemplified by the Cosmic Law and the Grand Law. (The pilgrim is depicted as a dot within the Cryptogram).