The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 194 -
The correct forgiveness of sins.
He who can see well, can, if he sees a splinter in the eye of his brother, indeed say to him: 'Brother, allow me that I remove that splinter from your eye.' But someone who carries not only a splinter, but even a whole beam of sins and foolishness in his own eye, let him try to remove the beam from his own eye. Only after his own eye has become pure, he can also help his brother to remove the splinter from his eye.
2
He who teaches his fellowmen, should not only teach with wise and well-assembled words like the Pharisees and other false prophets are doing, but rather by his deeds and works, then he will move his fellowmen to a true and living observance. But if he teaches this or that and acts himself in contradiction with his teaching, he is like a wolf in sheep clothes who gathers the shortsighted and credulous sheep around him, giving them wise lessons, only to make them a willing prey for his mouth.
3
Will it then be of any use to such a wolf-teacher if he secretly perceives his injustice and says to God: 'Lord, forgive my sins, for I have often sinned against Your sheep', but would still remain the old wolf? O, this asking and praying will absolutely be of no use at all, for he is still the old wolf. He should desist completely from being a wolf and become a lamb, then he will have forgiven his sins himself, and then they will be forgiven in Heaven.
4
If your brother has offended you and done you evil, you have, by the love in your heart, the fullest right to forgive the sins of your brother that he has committed against you, and if he would then kindly come to you, would thank you for your love and would seriously promise to do you good, then the sins that he has committed against you are also forgiven in Heaven, even if you do not let yourself be indemnified by him.
5
But if that brother does not perceive the injustice that he has committed against you and perseveres in his evilness, then your love and patience will be highly accredited to you in Heaven, but the brother will retain his sins as long as he has not entirely forgiven them himself, which happens when he recognizes them completely as sins, abhors them in himself, lays them off entirely and does not commit them again.
6
Since this is now so and can impossibly be otherwise, then how can some of you, Essenes, say to the people: 'We are chosen for the people by the highest God as His representative and have the right to forgive the people their sins and vices that they have confessed to us, which is also valid in Heaven if the one who confesses his guilt, does the penance that we have imposed upon him and who brings this or that offering, by which especially the latter is regarded as important? And when I Myself cannot forgive the sins of any person before he has forgiven himself in the manner that has been shown to you, then how can you replace God by forgiving the people - in return of an offering - their sins that they have never committed against you?
7
Yes, as good doctors you can indeed in all earnest want from people who are looking for your help to confess all their sins and infirmities to you, so that then you can give them the right advice for the future, and if it is strictly observed, give them also the desired healing of their soul and their body. But also in that case you should not be a sin-forgiving representative of God but only helping brothers and friends of fellowmen who are suffering in body and soul, then their sins will also be completely forgiven in Heaven if they will follow your advice precisely and will have completely forgiven their sins themselves.
8
So if in the future you truly want to help people, then teach them most of all how they have to help themselves, for if there is no serious preceding self-help, then also no help from God is possible. This is especially the case for the soul of man who has become weak and sick through all kinds of sins and who is often already completely dead. Because of his free will and good intellect that soul is - as far as God is concerned - left on his own and he should purify himself of all dross of matter and its judgment, so that after that he can also be purified and strengthened by the Spirit.
9
So lay off all your old foolishness and empty deceits and make yourselves free from it. Purify your souls by that, then I will also be able to say to you: 'Now you are also pure in My eyes'. Then I will strengthen you by My Spirit, and this will then awaken you for a higher active power and will make you true, complete human beings.
10
Now that you know this and have heard it from My mouth, act accordingly, otherwise My most truthful and living words will be of as little use as your empty, untruthful and dead words have ever been for men.
11
My words are indeed the power and life from God Himself, but they only will become part of your life by the fact that you act accordingly. Therefore, be always true doers and not only hearers of the word that I have spoken to you, then also in Heaven all your sins will be forgiven and I will then always be able to help you. Did you well understand this?"
12
The chief of the Essenes said: "O Lord and Master in Your godly Spirit of eternity, who would not have understood this? Because this truth is as light as the sun at bright daylight, and in its light we have only now perceived what man should do and how he should live and act to truly be a person according to God's will and order. We will therefore from now on also not only be hearers, but until the end of times of the Earth also be and remain very fervent fulfillers of Your holy word.
13
Our old sinful stronghold must be materially and spiritually broken down to the ground and destroyed, and in place of it we will build a stronghold that will be free and open on all sides. In the future the firm walls of our old stronghold should not protect us anymore against all kinds of enemies, but only the power and eternal might of Your godly word.
14
And if ever Your teaching should become polluted among the people by all kinds of false teachers and prophets, then within our free walls and in our heart it still will remain in meaning, understanding, spirit and complete deed as pure as it has come in a godly pure way from Your holy mouth into our heart and our soul. O Lord and Master, do speak out Your almighty 'amen' over it, then we Essenes will as future free masons and builders of Your godly stronghold among the people on Earth also remain its most loyal guards."
15
I said: "Yes, over this I do speak out the great 'amen' from the mouth of the Father who has send Himself in My person from Heaven to you, and tomorrow you will already discover the result of the great 'amen' that I have now spoken out. But let us now consider the work of today as finished. However, he who still wants to ask something, can ask, and I will answer him."