A: All right. You do understand then, that a creative principle cannot be an effect. Now, be clear in your own mind that mind is an effect; that there is someone, which I am, which has a mind and has a body. Think of that. Do you have a mind? Do you have a body? Then there is a “you,” and there is a mind and a body, but you possess the mind and the body. Therefore, mind is an effect, just as body is effect. Therefore, mind cannot be causative.
But when we speak of “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus,” we are not saying “mind” at all. We’re saying, “Let this state of consciousness be in you, the same state of pure spiritual consciousness. Let this pure, spiritual consciousness which Jesus demonstrated be your state of consciousness.” That is what that statement means. It means that we are to demonstrate in our individual experiences the same perfect, spiritual state of consciousness that the Master did.
God is no respecter of persons, and actually, there is only one consciousness, and it is infinite. It is spiritual. But there are states and stages of development or demonstration. And, of course, the person coming into a spiritual way of life is beginning to show forth something of that state of consciousness which is Christ consciousness. But as you progress on this path, ultimately you rise higher and higher and higher until your friends and relatives begin to notice that you are of a different state of consciousness than you were last year. And as you continue, it is possible that the entire world begins to think of you in terms of Christ consciousness.
It has happened in our lifetime. Many, many have risen in their experience to where they were known by the people of the world to be Christly, or to be Christ-like, or to show forth spiritual consciousness, or Christ consciousness. Oh, so many in this past century have attained a great measure of “that mind which was in Christ Jesus,” that is, that state of developed spiritual consciousness.
We must not be tricked by the use of words, because words seldom mean what they seem to mean when we are interpreting them spiritually. And this happens to be one of those words. Mind really is a reasoning faculty. Mind is really something which we use in our reasoning processes, and so it couldn’t be God. But it is God-given, and it is to be used for its rightful spiritual purpose and not to be misused, as it often is under the belief of good and evil. A person can use their mind for good purposes, and they can use their mind for evil purposes, so it can’t be God.
1This question and answer is from Recording 220B: 1958 New York Closed Class, “Christ Jesus Introduces the True God and Prayer.” It is posted with kind permission from the Estate of Joel Goldsmith, which holds the copy protection on the recorded classes and the copyright on the transcripts. The full transcript of this recording is available from The Infinite Way website or by calling 1-800-922-3195.