Article September 13, 1952 Issue

SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS

THOMAS L. LEISHMAN

Spiritual consciousness is the realization of the presence and power of God and of the eternal perfection of man, made in His image and likeness. It is significant that at the time of Christ Jesus' baptism in the river Jordan, "the Spirit of God" is said to have rested upon him. Again, in his first recorded address, given in the synagogue at Nazareth, the Master chose to quote with reference to himself the words of the earlier prophet (Luke 4:18), "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me."

Indeed, the Gospel records show that Christ Jesus possessed a perpetual and steadfast realization of the instant availability of divine power, and this constant spiritual consciousness gave inspiration to his teachings and enabled him to overcome sin, disease, discord of all kinds, and even death itself. He saw men as they really are, as children of God expressing harmony and perfection, and thus helped them to recognize what was already so clear to his unclouded spiritual vision. He urged his disciples not to set their thoughts and aspirations on material things, but on such spiritual concepts as God's kingdom and God's righteousness, assuring them that all their needs would be met through the maintenance of this spiritual consciousness.

In the course of his epistle to the church in Rome the Apostle Paul commended to his readers this constructive mental attitude, pointing out that it was to be considered as the very essence of peace and even of life itself. "To be carnally minded is death." he wrote (Rom. 8:5); "but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." On another occasion we find him reminding the Corinthians that "the things of the Spirit of God"—the bountiful spiritual gifts provided by our Father in heaven,—can only be "spiritually discerned" I Cor. 2:14). Thus it becomes plain that by the Apostle of the Gentiles, as by Christ Jesus, spiritual consciousness was regarded as of truly vital importance. Paul, like the Master, proved the efficacy of spiritualized thought, for in the face of the announcement that a certain Eutychus had died as the result of an accident Paul consciously realized and openly affirmed that his life was in him (see Acts 20:10). His statement was proved to be correct, for the young man speedily recovered.

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