Recording 491B, “The New Man” is one of two classes used as source material the basis for Chapter 5, “Putting Off the Old Man and Rebirth,” in Living the Illumined Life.
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In the first session of the 1962 Manchester Closed Class, titled “The World Is New,” Joel reflected on the statement, “The world is new to every soul when Christ has entered in.” He went on to teach that to bring that Christ into our experience, we must consciously open our consciousness, seeking only to have the Christ “enter in,” that is, seeking to consciously realize the Christ that already indwells us and is our true identity.
In this second session, titled “The New Man,” Joel teaches that there is only one true God, and Its name is “I Am.” This God cannot be named, visualized, or embraced in thought; it is the God of whom you can only say, “‘I Am’ is His name.” That “I Am” dwells in you. It is the Christ of which Joel spoke in the first session; It is your very being. In quietness and confidence, you can turn within to It and find truth, spiritual wisdom, the Word of God, and the fulfillment of every need. But to come into the full consciousness of God as “I Am,” to be reborn as the “new man,” the Christ, we must die to our human, mortal sense of self.
Session 2: The New Man
Recording 491B, “The New Man,” is one of two classes used as source material for Chapter 5, “Putting Off the Old Man and Rebirth,” in Living the Illumined Life. That chapter is an excellent complement to the recording and would be very helpful for review.
If you do not have Living the Illumined Life, you can order the transcript of 491B from The Infinite Way Office. If you find a review of the recording helpful, you can create your own review or use the summary below.
Before proceeding to the summary, take some time to ask yourself these questions:
We Have Not Been Taught About the True God
Human history has divided us into many peoples, nations, races, and religions. But the fundamental truth of life is that there is only one God. The human race worships many concepts of God because they have been passed down from generation to generation, and children have accepted them because their parents and clergy enforced them. Few are able to overcome that early conditioning and seek out the true God for themselves.
The history of the world is a testimony to the failure of the many gods that have been worshiped. Yet, God has not failed; mankind has failed to find the true God and has been worshiping idols and mental images in thought. Throughout the ages, some individuals have discovered the one and only true God and revealed this God to their followers. But always, the vision of the true God has been lost.
God Is Revealed as I Am
Moses found the true God, and his life demonstrated what can happen when an individual discovers God. Moses took a whole nation out of slavery without using arms or ammunition and brought to them their first semblance of freedom. God revealed Himself to Moses, and on the strength of that revelation, this great work was done.
Other masters had the same revelation of the true nature of God that Moses did, and they too, are known as prophets or seers and performed mighty works for their followers. Christ Jesus was an ordained Hebrew rabbi, and twenty centuries later, he stands as the revelator of Christianity, which is recognized today as a world religion.
The revelation that is the basis for Christianity is the name and nature of God. It is God revealed as “I Am,” the one and only true God. If we move away from the true God of “I Am,” we begin to create idols or entertain erroneous concepts, ideas, theories, opinions, and beliefs about God. But if we pray to these idols or concepts, no answer comes forth because there can be no answer from an idol, an opinion, or a concept. Answers can only come from the actual Being, the actual God, which is “I Am.” “I Am” alone is God.
No person, no man, no image, is God. God is invisible, indivisible, and infinite, and since you cannot grasp infinity with the limited human mind, you cannot know or embrace God with the mind. No concept, belief, or theory you have ever had about God is God. The one God is the God that cannot be named, visualized, or embraced in thought; it is the God of whom you can only say, “‘I Am’ is His name.”
Some have personalized the name “I Am,” believing that it means a human being is “I Am,” or that “I Am” is a human being. No. “I Am” is the invisible, the infinite, beyond the range of any human thought, and It can only be acknowledged by saying, “God Is.” If we go beyond that, we are finitizing God. Even to say, “God is love,” is finitizing God, for God is much more than love. God is also wisdom, spirit, life, and truth, but God is even beyond all these. So, we simply acknowledge “God is.”
The Kingdom of God Is Within YOU
If we say that God is “I Am,” we begin to understand the mystical poet who said, “God is closer to me than breathing, nearer than hands and feet,” or Jesus who said, “The kingdom of God is neither lo here nor lo there. The kingdom of God is within you.” Yet, no one has ever found God within a physical body, so Jesus did not mean that God was in our physical form. But what else is there to us than our physical form?
Joel had the revelation that meditation is the only way of attaining spiritual wisdom and that spiritual wisdom does not come from an outside source but from within. Therefore, if you would know about God, go to the kingdom that is within you.
If you close your eyes to the without, your attention is turned within you. You are not turning within your mind; you are using your mind as an instrument to turn within to a deeper source than the mind. In other words, there is a “you” directing your mind: “I, [your name], am turning within, seeking the kingdom of God within me, the Father within, seeking Truth, spiritual wisdom, the Word of God.” You are turning to the infinite divine consciousness, which constitutes your real being and the being of all people. You are the child of God, individual, infinite consciousness, the offspring of infinite Consciousness, pouring Itself through you in an individual way.
This consciousness, the Father within, the “I Am,” is our equality because when we have realized it, we can turn within and draw on its infinity. We can draw forth wisdom for our business, art, or profession. We can draw forth divine, infinite love to provide every form of good necessary to our experience unto eternity. “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”
Your Name is I
The Master gave us the name “I”: “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” “I will be with thee to the end of the world.” “I was with you before Abraham was.” “I am come that you might have life and that you might have life more abundant.” Never forget this. The Master revealed to us what was revealed to Moses and the great Hebrew masters: God is “I Am.”
Moses and the other Hebrew prophets veiled this name because the unprepared thought would not understand it and might misuse it. The Master unveiled it and revealed that God is in the midst of you and His name is I, so that you would never again look for God in heaven, or in holy mountains, holy temples, or holy books. Instead, you would realize “the place whereon I stand is holy ground” because I am here, and I is in the midst of me, and “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” If you are hungry, take no thought for material bread or meat, for you have in the midst of you the I that I am, and that I is your meat, bread, wine, and water. This I in the midst of you can set a table before you in the wilderness.
With this revelation that I am within you, you are set free. No longer are you dependent on man, whose breath is in his nostril, or on clergy, holy people, holy books, or the governments of men. You are living, moving, and having your being in God, in I Am. No might or power can withstand the knowledge of God as I Am. To know God aright as I Am is not only life eternal; it is life joyous, free, and abundant.
Each of us is two people—the divine I that I am, and my human self, my mortal self, which is a sense of separation from God. Our human selfhood must die, must be put off, so that the divine self can be revealed. You cannot make a human being spiritual or turn him into the Son of God. How do we put off the human, mortal self? Recognize I at the center of your being and realize Its name, nature, and function.
The Nature and Function of I
You must acknowledge that there has existed a mortal sense of selfhood, and that it may continue to exist, even as we are dying to it. But you must also acknowledge the I within that has come that you might have life eternal. It says to you:
“I am with you. I have always been with you, awaiting your recognition. I will never leave you. Rest in me. Put your faith, hope, and confidence in the truth that I am in the midst of you, and that I am God. Be still and know that I, in the midst of you, am God, and that I will never leave you. I am your bread, meat, and water. Cease ye from dependence on man whose breath is in his nostril. Know that I live in you, and you live in me, for we are one. I am thee. I am thy life eternal. I am the Word that becomes flesh as you. I am the Word by which you live. Man shall not live by bread alone but by the Word I. I am your comforter, your healer. I am come that you be made whole, not for three score years and ten, but forever.
“I am your eternal life, your eternal being, your spiritual, immortal being. You are not this man of earth as you have thought yourself to be, or this human, born of woman. Call no man on earth your father. You are the offspring of God, the infinite, the divine creator of all that is, and God found everything He created to be good. Forsake that false identity, that mortal man whose breath is in his nostril. Let that false identity die, and be reborn by acknowledging, ‘I in the midst of me is God, and I am created in His image and likeness.’ All that God is, I am. The infinite divine life of God is the life of my individual being and yours.
“I, [your name], have access to the I that is within me, which is God, for I and the Father are one, and this I is forever in the midst of me, that I might have life and that I might have it more abundantly.”
Truth Is Revealed from Within
The kingdom of God is within you. Be still, in quietness and in confidence, and truth will be revealed to you from the center of your being. You do not need to accept the word of a person or a book. You can go to the center of your being and ask, “Father, who am I? What am I? For what purpose was I created in Thy image and likeness? As a human, I am not fulfilling any divine function, and my days are numbered. Reveal Thyself and Thy plan, Thy name and Thy nature, and my relationship to Thee, and Thy relationship to me.”
If you are a sincere truth seeker, eventually, all truth must be revealed to you from within. You have access to the entire kingdom of God, of truth, of light, within yourself, and you are not dependent on any person, teacher, or teaching. You are dependent only on I, who sent you into expression, the I within you that is closer to you than breathing. “Be still, be still, and know that I in the midst of you am God.” Then go to the Source of your being, and you will discover the great revelators of truth throughout all ages and learn why they have survived in the hearts, souls, and consciousness of mankind. Each of them has turned us to the kingdom within ourselves, showing us the full and complete nature of our identity.
Putting Off the Old Man
It can be hard to “put off the old man,” but to come into the full consciousness of God as “I Am,” there is a dying process. But it’s not the death of the body, mind, or soul. It is your refusal to accept anything about yourself that is not of a spiritual nature.
You have been looking outside and all around you for the truth that is already within you. But as Browning said, “Open out a way for the imprisoned splendor to escape.” God is the imprisoned splendor that has been locked up within each of us, even as we sought God in holy mountains, holy temples, holy men, and holy books.
Morning, noon, and night, practice living with the truth that God is in the midst of you. “The place whereon thou standest is holy ground, for I am with you.” “Whither shall I flee from Thy Spirit? If I mount up to heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, Thou art there. If I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Thou art there.” You cannot escape the I of your own being. I am with you wherever you are, and I will never leave you nor forsake you.
You must put off the old man who believes he was born on a certain day and has a certain number of years to live, and grows weaker as the years pass. You must realize, “No. I am life eternal. I am immortal. I am the offspring of infinite, spiritual, divine Being, and the life that is God is the life that is man. My life is eternal, immortal, undying, unchanging, and does not age.”
In this way, you die to that old man and are reborn into your true identity, which is immortal, divine, and spiritual. Then comes the first faint glimpse of why you were sent forth into expression. Even as you acknowledge your parents as the instruments, know that it was God that sent you to earth. Your parents were the caretakers, responsible for caring for your mind, body, and soul until you were strong enough to stand on your own. But you were sent forth for God’s purpose, a spiritual purpose, a divine purpose.
Scripture tells us that we were sent here to show forth God’s glory. Just as “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth showeth forth his handiwork,” so do we glorify God by being alive—not in our humanhood, but as the I of me, my spiritual identity. I do not testify to my greatness, wisdom, love, or benevolence, but only to God expressing through me, God revealing Himself on earth through me that I may enjoy life and bring forth some spiritual function on earth, just as there is a spiritual function in heaven.
As you continue your meditations, you will become more confident in your ability to be still. In hearing the still, small voice in that stillness, we receive our instruction from within.
This Teaching Is Sacred
What you have learned in this lesson is so sacred that you must not tell it to another. You must live with it and let it live with you until one day, everything you heard will be confirmed from within you. Then you have it on divine authority, and you can begin your ministry and teach it to those who are receptive. But never attempt to teach this until you receive it on the divine authority within yourself. A teacher is one who has been ordained: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, and I am ordained.” You know when that Spirit of God is upon you because It tells you.
At first, you may be like Moses and say, “No, no. I do not have this ability.” Then the promise will come, “Open your mouth, and I will say the words,” and you will know that you are ordained and can take your place among those who have been entrusted with imparting this word. But impart it in a secret and sacred way. Do not go out and shout it to the world; you will be mocked. Be sure that those to whom you impart it are seeking it and giving you some evidence that they want whatever secret God has revealed.
In this class, Joel says that we can put off the old man and be reborn as the new by constant, conscious remembrance that God as “I Am” is the very I of your being, and by refusing to accept accept anything about yourself that is not of a spiritual nature.
We prepared a document containing seven ideas for reflection along the theme of this class—one for each day of the week. The document is provided below, and you can also download and/or print it in either a 5.5 x 8.5-inch booklet format or a standard 8.5 x 11-inch document format.
IMPORTANT: To ensure that you can print the document as a booklet, first download the document to your computer and then print it from your computer. If you print directly from the website, the document will NOT print in booklet format. Note that to print the document as a booklet, your printer must be capable of two-sided printing, using “flip pages on the short edge.”
“The New Man”
Reflections to Accompany Recording 491B:
1962 Manchester Closed Class, “The New Man”
In this second session of the 1962 Manchester Closed Class, titled “The New Man,” Joel reminds us that humanity has worshipped many erroneous concepts of God that have been passed down from generation to generation. The history of the world is a testimony to the failure of these many gods. But God has not failed; mankind has failed to find the true God.
Joel teaches that there is only one true God, and Its name is “I Am.” This one true God cannot be named, visualized, or embraced in thought; it is the God of whom you can only say, “‘I Am’ is His name.” That “I Am” dwells in you; It is your very being. Therefore, in quietness and confidence, you can turn within to find Truth, spiritual wisdom, the Word of God, and the fulfillment of your every need.
Joel had the revelation that meditation is the only way to attain spiritual wisdom because it comes from within. So, to know God, we must go to the kingdom of God within us.
When we realize this “I Am” as the I of our very being, we begin to make the transition in consciousness from the “old man,” who “receiveth not the things of God,” to the new man, who lives, moves, and has his being in God and shows forth God’s glory.
As with our previous session, we’ve identified seven key points from this class for reflection—one for each day of the week. You may well find others that speak to you and wish to add them.
I am turning within, seeking the kingdom of God within me, the Father within. I am seeking Truth, spiritual wisdom, the Word of God.
You are not turning to your mind. You are using your mind as an instrument to turn within to a deeper source than the mind. In other words, there is a “you” directing your mind to turn within.
You are turning to the infinite divine consciousness, the “I Am,” which constitutes your real being. You are the child of God, individual, infinite consciousness, the offspring of infinite Consciousness, which is pouring Itself through you in an individual way.
When you have realized this I of your being, you can draw on Its infinity to provide every form of good necessary to your experience unto eternity.
“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
“The place whereon I stand is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)
“Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)
“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)
“I will be with thee to the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20)
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
“I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more
abundantly.” (John 10:10)
The Master Jesus revealed that God is “I Am,” that God is in the midst of you, and His name is I. You need not look for God in heaven, or in holy mountains, holy temples, or holy books. “The kingdom of God is within you.”
“Take no thought for what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, or wherewithal you shall be clothed. Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” In other words, realize the I that is your own being, “and all these things will be added unto you” because I, your true being, is infinite.
When you realize the I, you are free. You are no longer dependent on man, whose breath is in his nostril. You live and move and have your being in God, in “I Am,” the I of your being. To know God aright as I is not only life eternal; it is life joyous, free, and abundant.
I in the midst of me is God, and I am created in His image and likeness. All that God is, I am. The infinite divine life of God is the life of my individual being.
Put your faith, hope, and confidence in the truth that I am in the midst of you, and that I am God. I live in you, and you live in me, for we are one. I am you. I am your life eternal. I am the Word that becomes flesh as you. I am your comforter, your healer. I am come that you be made whole, not for three score years and ten, but now and forever.
You have access to the I that is within you, which is God, for I and the Father are one. This I is forever in the midst of you, that you might have life and have it more abundantly.
I is your eternal life, your eternal being, your spiritual, immortal being. You are not a man of earth as you have thought yourself to be. “Call no man on earth your father.” You are the offspring of God, the Infinite, created in His image and likeness. All that God is, I am. The infinite divine life of God is the life of my individual being.
The kingdom of God is within me and will reveal truth to me.
Father, who am I? What am I? For what purpose was I created in Thy image and likeness?
Reveal Thyself and Thy plan, Thy name and Thy nature, my relationship to Thee, and Thy relationship to me.
You have access to the entire kingdom of God, of truth, of light, within yourself, and you are not dependent on any person, teacher, or teaching. You are dependent only on I, who sent you into expression, the I within you that is closer to you than breathing and can reveal truth.
Be still and know that I, in the midst of you, am God. All the great revelators of truth throughout all ages have turned us to the kingdom within ourselves, where we can learn the full and complete nature of our identity.
To have the full consciousness of God as “I Am,” I must put off the “old man”—my human, mortal sense of selfhood—so that my divine Self can be revealed.
To do this, I must constantly recognize the truth that God is in the midst of me and “open out a way for the imprisoned splendor to escape.” I must refuse to accept anything about myself that is not of a spiritual nature, for it belies the truth that my true identity, my true Self, is I.
I am life eternal. I am immortal. I am the offspring of infinite, spiritual, divine Being, and the life that is God is my life. My life is eternal, immortal, undying, unchanging, and does not age.”
You cannot make a human being spiritual or turn a human being into the Son of God. You must put off the “old man” who believes he was born on a certain day, has a certain number of years to live, and grows weaker as the years pass.
Forsake that false identity. Let it die, and be reborn as the new man by acknowledging: I in the midst of me is God. All that God is, I am. The infinite divine life of God is the life of my individual being. In this way, you die to the old man and are reborn as the new man, your true identity, the I, which is immortal, divine, and spiritual.
Scripture says that I am here to show forth God’s glory. Just as “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth shows forth his handiwork,” so do I glorify God by being alive—not in my humanhood, but as the I of me, my spiritual identity.
I do not testify to my greatness, wisdom, love, or benevolence, but only to God expressing through me, God revealing Himself on earth through me, that I may enjoy life and bring forth some spiritual function on earth, just as there is a spiritual function in heaven.
We die to the “old man,” who “receiveth not the things of God,” and we are born as the “new man,” who shows forth the glory of God in proportion to the effort, time, and devotion that we give to our spiritual studies, meditations, and practice.
Am I giving sufficient time and devotion to these?
If I witness some form of sin, disease, or false appetite and I do not correct the appearance in my mind, I lose an opportunity to develop the new man in me and let the old man die. If I accept appearances, the old man is still living in me.
But if I remember, “I must not accept appearances. I must accept God as omnipresence,” some part of the old man has died. The truth is coming alive in me, but it could come only from the new man. It cannot come out of the old man because there is no truth in the old man. He “is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
In proportion as you no longer react to appearances, you are dying to the old man and being reborn to the new. If you react to the news of the day with fear, or if you fear the economy or the government, the old man is in charge.
But if you can say, “Yes, that is the human scene, the carnal mind, but I know that my life and all life is dependent on God, not on man; my fate depends on the degree of God-consciousness I attain,” then the new man has been born in you and is being developed.