The Way For Students - 174 Chapter 5. Man Of Faith Section 1. Life Of Faith 4. The Attitude Of Faith
2) Absolute Faith
① Faith Requires Self-denial And Repentance - 2
Belief requires what? It requires repentance. Repentance. What kind of repentance? There are historical repentance and present repentance. God wants both. Knowing this you have to be a person who prays, "All the sins of the past are my sins. All the sins of the present are my sins. Oh Father, forgive me." (8-322)
Jesus Christ came and proclaimed, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." The first thing he said was, "Repent." This seems contradictory, repenting and going into heaven.
Don't you think so? This is paradoxical. Man is already in a difficult situation, why does he need to repent again? Repentance means to turn around completely. A sinner who does not realize his mistake must repent and turn around completely once he recognizes his sin. That means turn around 180 degrees.
If you do repent, then what happens? You become more determined, don't you? You feel very serious, weeping and wailing and ready to risk your life. You determine never to sin again.
There are two different worlds, the world before repentance and the world after repentance. The difference is not 45 degrees. It's 180 degrees different; that means completely opposite. Do you follow me? If there were a world of Satan, it becomes a world of heaven. This is what religion tries to bring about. (101- 92)
There is no ego for those who seek the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. There is only prayer and overcoming. That's all. After you find the Kingdom of Heaven there will be a self, but on the way to the heavenly world it is impossible for the self to exist.
The democratic way will not do. Why? Because it insists on the assertion of the self. As far as you assert yourself in that situation, that world belongs to Satan's realm.
On the way of our faith there is no self-assertion or self-concept. Absolute faith means there is no concept of self at all. Isn't that so? If I say I believe absolutely it means there should be no opposition to that within myself. When you say you are united with God, there could be no ego. You have to unite completely with the subject, leaving no trace of self. In the life of faith there is no place for egoism.
A snake cannot grow without shedding its skin. To shed its skin, the snake crawls between narrow rocks. An opposing force is needed to push the old skin off.
The force of darkness has soaked through our body and blood. How can we free ourselves from this situation? We cannot follow it. We need wisdom. That means going the opposite way. To be completely free from it, we have to go completely the opposite way. (46-82) |