The Supreme Spiritual Insight of Faith
Greetings and good morning, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series, where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. This morning we will ponder our lives as we seek to understand the meaning of supreme spiritual insight of faith.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Supreme Spiritual Insight of Faith
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe on his name: which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John, Chapter 1, Verses 11-13
Brothers and sisters, in today’’s broadcast, we make further examination of spiritual insight. We want to further clarify what it is as it operates in our mortal lives. We are desirous of knowing how we obtain it. What role does this spiritual insight play in informing us that we have obeyed the eternal command? And finally we would like to clarify the role of faith.
Having become sons of God as a result of believing in Jesus, we now embark on the journey of discovering the meaning of this tremendous bestowal of love by the heavenly Father. But since this status is not the result of the will of the flesh nor the will of man, a supreme spiritual insight into faith is required to discern what it means to be a son of God.
Let’’s consider material, intellectual, moral, and spiritual insight. Material sight allows us to see and comprehend material things. This is very important for our functioning in a material world. Those who are materially blind are handicapped in negotiating the material world. Material sight allows us to see an oncoming car and to know with confidence that what we are seeing is real, though there are some examples of deranged states that can compromise our material sight. Also certain patterns of light in combination with desert sands can create the illusion of something material that is not really there, but under all normal circumstances we can rely upon our material sight.
Intellectual insight, the first of the inner visions, allows us to work accurately with intellectual values and to know of a certain that they are accurate. Sometimes this insight can be sudden or gradual, but it allows us to associate facts and meanings in such a way that we gain greater understanding in the intellectual world that can then transform our material world. Here are a couple of examples. Around the turn of the last century, chemists worked on the structure of the benzene ring. For years they could not understand that its structure was circular until one night, one of them had a dream of a snake eating its tail. This dream provided the intellectual insight that the structure of the molecule was circular, that it was a ring. Knowing that it was a ring, it became relatively easy to account for the arrangement of the atoms and electrons that made up the molecule.
Another example of intellectual insight occurs in the experience of young children who are just learning their multiplication tables. They will memorize those tables and be able to use them effectively, but it requires some time before they realize the commutative property of multiplication. For example, it takes time for them to realize that 3 x 2 is the same as 2 x 3.
The sudden realization that things equal to the same thing are equal to each other is intellectual insight. This insight along with other mathematical insights such as the distributive property and the associative property allows a multitude of mathematical problems to be solved. A similar thing occurred when the child who has memorized his ABCs using a song method discovers the individuality of each alphabet.
Moral insight, the second inner vision, is somewhat more complex, but this insight allows us to determine right and wrong in various complex social situations. It allow us to determine what conduct we should choose in a given situation. Moral insight is an inherent quality in all bonafide human beings. It takes a while for it to develop, but this sense of right and wrong unfailingly develops. The use of this insight is tied to free will and must be worked at in order for it to fully develop, for this sense requires greater discrimination as choices become progressively difficult. Choosing the right decision in a given situation is good; choosing the wrong decision in a given situation is evil. This sense is linked to spiritual development, the basis for spiritual relationships.
And finally we consider spiritual insight, which is an inherent quality of spiritual development. It allows us to comprehend the spiritual values and meanings associated with spiritual relationships. This spiritual insight is a quality of the soul and grows in proportion to the doing of the Father’’s will, as revealed in his Son, Jesus, via the Spirit of Truth. Spiritual insight is accurate when it is used properly, that is, when it is used to appropriate divine values and meanings. The spiritual insight of divine values and meanings is just as accurate as the material insight of material things. These are two different realms of universe reality. To keep spiritual insight accurate, we must not confuse the two. We must render to Caesar the things of Caesar and render to God the things of God. Material insight cannot be used to appropriate spiritual values and meanings, and neither can spiritual insight be used to appropriate material values and meanings. If these modes of reality are kept separate, then we can be sure of the validity of spiritual insight concerning spiritual values and meanings.
Prior to Jesus’’ bestowal on our world, there was no active spiritual insight operating in the souls, for they had not acquired the growth necessary to see with the eye of the Spirit. Prior to the arrival of the Spirit of Truth, there was no concept of being lovingly unselfish. If you had power, it was expected that it would be used for purely selfish interest. The Romans had no word for unselfishness. After the bestowal of Jesus, His Spirit of Truth made it possible for souls to become born again, to see with the eye of the Spirit, to gain spiritual insight. Unless this spiritual insight is functioning, the comprehension of divine values and meanings does not occur.
The values and meanings of divine sonship that Jesus offers us for believing in him are not comprehended. They apparently remain in the thick darkness awaiting the light of love to reveal them. One may read about them, but it is like reading a foreign language. The divine values and meanings are valueless and meaningless. Such a one is spiritually blind and cannot see.
By the technique of doing the Father’’s will, the soul through the agency of the Spirit of Truth is able to utilize spiritual insight. But we must remember that "though the Spirit of Truth is poured out upon all flesh, this spirit of the Son is almost wholly limited in function and power by man's personal reception of that which constitutes the sum and substance of the mission of the bestowal Son. And the sum and substance of the mission of the bestowal Son is the truth that God is our heavenly Father, and we are His sons and daughters. When these values and meanings of the relationship between the Father and His sons and daughters accumulate within, we can be sure of their accuracy. We can absolutely depend on the veracity of our spiritual insight, for it is the insight of the Spirit of Truth. And we know that these spiritual insights are accurate for they soon lead us to the realization that we are one with the Father, and the Father’’s love flows continually through us to our brothers and sisters, even the difficult ones, proving that we are indeed sons and daughters of the Father. All that is required for all of this to become a spiritual reality in our experience is for us to exercise faith, to wholeheartedly believe that we have obeyed the eternal command, to become perfect even as the heavenly Father is perfect.
"The fact that we are not intellectually conscious of close and intimate contact with the divine spirit does not in the least disprove such an exalted experience. The proof of fraternity with the divine spirit consists wholly in the nature and extent of the fruits of the spirit which are yielded in the life experience of the individual believer. "By their fruits you shall know them." If we wait for intellectual consciousness of this experience, we will never know, for this experience exists before and beyond mind. Supreme spiritual insight is the recognition that God is our Father and we are His son and daughters, and because we are supremely dedicated to doing the Father’’s will, we have become perfect in the spirit even as He is.
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of the supreme spiritual insight of faith. We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Your Kingdom Come; Your Will Be Done!
Inspirational Messages of Light
By Dr. James Perry
The Supreme Spiritual Insight of Faith
