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3. Then there were the apostles. Jesus beseeched them before his crucifixion and on practically each of his appearances after his resurrection that they should teach the gospel that he taught--and not a gospel about him. Again and again he almost begged them. But what did they do on the day of Pentecost? He had spelt out so often what he wanted from them, but they decided otherwise. Yet they loved him so dearly, they respected him so completely and still, of their own free will, they failed to honor what he asked from them.
What would Urantia be like now had the apostles adhered to Jesus' demand to preach his gospel?
The gospel they decided to preach, with Peter initiating the decision, had instantaneous results. The apostles came to believe their own preaching with a passion that led them to being prepared to die for their beliefs. And many did so die. But from the viewpoint of Urantia's spiritual progress, I wonder what damage they did. They rearranged a revelation by their Creator Son in human form into the evolution of the historical expectations of the Jewish people. In doing so, they made a grave error that is still with us.
4. I read of Lucifer, Satan, and Caligastia. I put them into a different league. They are superior beings and yet they, of their own free will, declared their own reality, and I imagine continue to believe that a grave injustice and abuse of themselves has been perpetrated. Or do they? They refuse to apologize. They turned their heads away when Jesus was crucified and yet, witness to his life down here, knowing full well that he is their creator father, they refused to see his Father, the Father whose existence they denied in going into rebellion.
How can they continue to deny the existence of God, our Universal Father, who, to higher spiritual beings must have so obviously revealed Himself as they watched Jesus living on Urantia. They would have known when Jesus refused to use his Creator Son powers, they were witnessing a demonstration of a power above his, and yet their reality, of their own free will, refused to include the existence of God and, I can only assume, has led to their discounting the contradictory evidence of this their reality. And so they are deemed iniquitous.
5. Adam and Eve. They were given a clear direction in relation to the number of pure line children they were to produce prior to mixing with the locals. Of their own free will they decided to go against the directives of their superiors. The disastrous results of their error were instantaneous.
So how do we dedicate our will, align our will to that of God? Simple! The book instructs us: "The will of God is the way of God, partnership with the choice of God in the face of any potential alternative." (1431)
To assist us to do the will of God we are informed, "Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it." (2090)
Thus if we acquire that knowledge, in any life situation in which we find ourselves, we can seek the help of Jesus' Spirit of Truth in answering the question, "What would Jesus do." And if done in sincerity we can be assured our response will be God-like.
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