The word "sin" has been so much used, so abused and so greatly misinterpreted that it is, so to speak, "out of favor"; to be shunned, and if possible, discarded. Sin has become a word more or less of the "common" people; somewhat vulgar as part of the modern language, and to be avoided because it is self-accusing.

Despite its disrepute, the word "sin" is one of the two most important words in any language, the other being righteousness. Sin is disobedience to the Divine Law which no man can escape, be he ever so great, strong, or important in the eyes of the world. The Divine Law judges man's every act - by reaction - and punishes or rewards it accordingly. Righteousness is obedience to the dictates of the Divine Law.

The sinner sows the tares, the "chaff" of revelation; while he who follows the law of righteousness, sows the "wheat," and reaps the harvest of the Bread of Life.

These two little words cover, or embrace, every act that man can commit and which may bring upon him damnation of the Soul, or Sonship with the Father. One path leads to the "shoals" or Hades; the other to "the heaven upon earth," the peace and tranquility of the Soul, depicted in Revelation. The privilege of choice is the birthright of every man; rich or poor; humble or of exalted position. There is, can be, no favoritism.

This question of sin is not to be evaded, nor can man become strong enough, powerful enough, or great enough, to sidestep the issue which confronts him at every turn, and every moment of his life. From the moment man attains the years of responsibility until the grave opens to receive him, he is called upon to use the reasoning faculty God gave him so that he may make the right decision as to what his conduct shall be.

What actually constitutes "sin?"

The term "sin" will be more easily understood if we develop a better and clearer understanding of our relationship with God and the Laws which He instituted at the beginning of the world. These Laws govern every activity, whether it be of man or creature, animate or inanimate substance. Man is, by nature of the beginning of his being, an integral part of the universe in which he lives, moves and has his being. Moreover, and unlike all else in the universe, he is part of both, the God who created all things, and the universe in which all things move and have their being.

When man obeys the Laws of God and the universe, he lives in righteousness. The fruits of righteousness will then be showered upon him by God; or, in the words of the Nazarene, having sown wheat, he will reap wheat, and this wheat in the Bread of Life, or the fruit of the tree of Life, which grows in the midst of the garden, i.e., the Heart.

If, on the contrary, he tries to evade by any means whatever, or under any consideration, the edicts of God and His universe, he sows the seeds of tares, and his reaping shall be the "chaff" which is to be burned up. He will have eaten of the Tree of Death which also grows in the midst of the Garden, i.e., The Heart.

Man can learn to know God in but one way: by the love that he awakens in the heart; the greatest of the fruits of the Tree of Life. By such obedience he will gradually bring into visible manifestation the law, harmony and order of the Universe. Whether he will or not, however much man may try to disorganize this law, order and harmony, it continues to exist and to operate and we, not the Law, are thrown into the throes of chaos, if, stubbornly, we continue in our foolish way, we will cease to exist as individuals.

Even a haphazard study of nature, including that of ur ever active planetary system, plus superficial observation of life from the simplest to the most complex forms, can lead us to no other conclusion than that, despite what we would have it be, law and harmony, i.e., order, is the fundamental basis of both creation and activity. If man is foolish enough to think that he can disorganize this constant, never-deviating activity of the Law, he will find himself between the grindstones, which though they may grind slowly, grind exceedingly fine.

In reality there is but one Law; though its operation is dual, just as is man's nature. God is one and the All. This one Law is constructive; even though man misdirects or misapplies it to produce evil results. The Law is like man's own nature. Its basis is in "good" or the constructive. If it is righteous, its basis is in love; but man permits love to be replaced by evil - that is, selfishness - the basis of all evil, whether this be hatred, malice, jealousy or any other form of disintegration.

The basic Law of the life of the Soul is Love; all other Laws are expressions of this one Law. Every constructive, exalting, elevating phase of life is a manifestation of this Law. This Love is not the bastard or negative phase of the physical, carnal and selfish thing we call "love." but rather the Love which is a feeling of kindness toward all things, develops as graciousness, and the reaction of which is the sense of peace.

Man repeats the Mosaic commandments, but does not concern himself overly much with their real meaning or their application to his daily life; his behaviour and his relationship with his fellow men. He believes that to "believe is to be saved." Question him and he will tell you there are ten commandments. In reality, the ten separate commandments resolve themselves into the One Law; the Law of Love.

If man loves he cannot hate; if he loves, he can do nothing which will harm his neighbor; if he loves he cannot steal or defraud because that would deprive his fellow man of what he may need and cause him to suffer. Love relieves suffering; under no circumstances does it cause suffering.

Every rule of conduct is neither more nor less than a different aspect of the one Law of Love. This is even true as it concerns ourselves. We must come to so love the Soul that we will commit no act which will bring harm to the Soul. The problems of life become simplified if we measure every thought and act by this one great Law of Love.

Trhis Law concerns us as directly as it does others; because, as we will not permit ourselves to do aught that might prove detrimental to others; so in like manner we will not permit others to do anything which will bring us harm. Love is the standard of the universe. All thoughts, desires and act of which man is capable, if they conform to the Law of Love, are highly desirable; that is: constructive, exalting, uplifting, and in harmony with the Divine Intelligence we know as God.

All thoughts, desires and acts contrary to the Law of Love are undesirable and inharmonious, and bring upon us discord, sorrow, suffering, loss and, being contrary to the one all-pervading constructive Law, are sinful, because their end is death.

When there is the feeling of love in the heart, one does not think of bringing harm of any nature to another. We cannot hate; cannot be angry with our fellow man; not can we be envious or covetous of another. We will not think to take life unless it be in defense of life. Life has been given us to defend and preserve. It is a "Talent" from God to be wisely used, but not abused, or permitted to be abused. Obedience to the Law of love does not make man a spineless being, but a staunch defender of the right, the just and all that is holy; often a destroyer of that which is evil or destructive.

Sin is to be considered from still another aspect. All thoughts, desires and acts come under one of just two categories: They are either constructive or destructive; positive or negative; exalting or degrading. Love is in opposition to, or has as its opposite, hate. Love, in its wider sense, is positive constructive and exalting; hence it naturally follows that any thight, desire or act which does not conform to the spirit of love is of a negative or destructive character and constitutes what we classify as "son," - the opposite of good, the quality that manifests as love which is of God - for it is truthfully written that " God is Love."

The constitution of sin is based on defiance of the Divine, hence the Eternal Law, and not on infraction of civil or man-made laws, unless these laws are based on Divine Law. It is easily possible to evade or act in defiance of civil or man-made laws and still be innocent of sinning. This is clearly made manifest by the constant annulment of an untold number of civil enactments.

Thus, as an example, if it were forbidden - as it was in times past - to heal the sick on the Sabbath day, and one violated such an edict, there would not be a commitment of sin, for the reason that such an act, having as its incentive the relief of the sick, would not be contrary to the law of love; therefore not contrary to the Divine Law.

On the other hand, if one were to weakly obey such a man-made edict and refuse to render all possible service to one in distress, he would them be committing sin by a refusal to obey a Divine injunction.

This is only one instance wherein one would live in obedience to human injunctions and, at the same time, be guilty of disobedience to the Divine Law. The Divine Law preceded all Man-made enactments; is the highest Law man can know and obey, and all human edicts should be in harmony with, and in subservience to this Law.

In the full and serious consideration of this all-important subject, we must fully recognize that it is of prime importance to clearly distinguish between sin as the term is popularly understood - based on customs and theological dogmas, which may, or may not, be based on the Divine Law - and thoughts, desires and act which are not in harmony with the Divine Law.

We must recognize that, in later centuries, most of the rules and regulations governing the conduct of man were of priestly origin; that is to say, they were laid down by men who, in many instances, were incapable of correctly
interpreting either the Divine Law or Sacred inculcation.

Such laws were based on what these authorities wanted to be considered right or wrong and, not infrequently, were the result of selfish desires either for gain or power.

The dependence of the masses through long ages, upon the priesthood for their religious guidance, with little or no conception of the spirit of the Law of love, is largely responsible for the misconceptions as to what really constitutes sin. History is replete with the record of creeds, dogmas and rules for the guidance and conduct of the people, given them by the priesthood as solemn inculcations from god and to be adhered to under heavy penalties, only to be completely discarded later for the substitution of another, and possibly more severe, rules and regulations which, in turn, had to be rescinded.

There is the Biblical instance where it was considered a sin, according to the then popular theological dogma, to pluck and ear of corn on the Sabbath, however hungry a man might have been or how impossible it many have been for him to obtain food the previous day.

This was no more absurd or inane than the theological edict that it was a sin for a man to shave his beard. In either instance the thinking man might have quickly found the correct answer had he questioned: "Does the plucking and eating of an ear of corn on the Sabbath, or the shaving of my beard, result in harm, loss or degradation either to myself or any other man, or does it dishonor God?" If the answer to the question was the negative, then it could not be in defiance of Divine Law, hence nowise a sin.

The regulation of pleasures, recreations, observances as to dress and conduct on the Sabbath, as differing from any other day of the week, were all instituted by, or at the instigation of, one priesthood or another. They were never sanctioned by the Divine Law, unless such pleasures, recreations, observances or forms of dress, were to the detriment of the individuals concerned, or to others. Most of these rules, regulations and edicts have been discarded. Proving that they never really constituted "sin."

The action of the Divine Law is Universal, all-pervading and constantly operative. Divine Law not alone governs man in all his activities, whatever they may be, but all the world that now are, and the worlds yet to be. It is eternal, never changing; it was, is and ever will be. Rules of conduct enacted by man, unless they harmonize with the Divine Law, are temporal and changeable and are without true foundation.

The greatest and most heinous crimes throughout the world's history were committed in the name of God and religion. Gross misinterpretation of what was believed to be god's Law, or His wishes, as regard the behavior of mankind has left a gory record throughout the pages of the world's history.

The Spanish inquisition, the various Crusades, the many massacres and the destruction of the Templars Crusades, the many massacres and the destruction of the Templars - these were only a few of the long list of crimes in the reign of man's inhumanity to man. They were all instigated and approved by church and state and were supposedly based on god's Will, or the Divine Law; nevertheless, no one today would be so unreasoning as to even pretend that these gross evils were God-inspired; God-sanctioned, or Divinely ordained.

In times past, it was considered a holy duty - a Godly prerogative - to debase and destroy bodies, even of unborn children, in order to save Souls. This was a total disregard of the Divine teachings throughout the ages, particularly by the Nazarene, as to the actual means necessary for the saving of the Soul.

The salvation of the Soul has always been conditional upon man's own action. This is emphasized in the Nazarene's statement: "Ye must be born again." this in no way implies that man can be saved from his sins except by his own efforts.

Mankind, as a whole, has been misled; or, probably more correctly, has permitted himself to be misled, by traditions, customs and formal observances, he will be living a religious, a godly life, and that if he transgresses these traditions and customs, he will be committing "sin." Traditions, customs and observances are of the highest value only if they are based on the Divine Law and do not interfere with the rights and privileges of others.

Through "blindly following the blind," the vast multitudes, throughout the ages, have paid little heed to the dominant thoughts and desires harbored within the heart. They have wholly overlooked the all-important fact that the quality of their thoughts and desires determined the absence or presence of sin, and that the second birth, the spiritual birth which alone can bring salvation, does not begin with outward observances, but with the innermost thoughts which give birth to desire, and the desires which lead to noble, exalting action.

This was fully recognized by the Nazarene, as it had been by all real Avatars before him, and he considered it so important that he made an issue of it.

The Pharisees of his time considered it a sin for an individual to eat with unwashed hands. Recognizing their blind obedience to form, he told them:

"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man." __Matt. 15:19-20.

It is far more important for a man to guard his thoughts and the desires of his heart than to live according to religious or racial customs. The quality of the thoughts of the mind and the desires in the heart determine man's action and whether he will live in accordance with the Divine Law and son not.

The mind was given to man for an express purpose and that purpose is to think for himself; analyze all action and bring it into accord with the Divine Law. Through the action of the mind and by the agency of his thoughts, man must begin his ascent toward God. His first step toward evil, and are therefore sins.

In this, man is admittedly confronted by a Herculean task, chiefly because of ages of erroneous teaching and false conceptions. But - he can be reborn into a new creature. Had it not been so, the Nazarene would not have made so positive his reference to this rebirth as a must.

Man's thoughts supply the urge which gives birth to practically all of his trouble and sorrow, not to mention loss and failure. By giving way to thoughts which incline him to act contrary to the Divine Law, he brings injury to himself and to others, in turn. This is his sin, and no man has any real conception of how great are the number of these sins until he stops short and takes time to account for them.

The standard of measurement for our thoughts and desires must be love, i.e., our desire for the welfare of others, mo less than ourselves. If these thoughts and desires be free from the lower or carnal self, our acts will be free from sin. But if filled with, or contaminated by envy, greed, malice, jealousy, hate, self-righteousness and the like, then life is sinful, and the reaping will be accordingly. It is well to repeat the Nazarene's positive statement:

"For out of the heart proceed all evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; these are the things which defile man [cause him to sin], but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man." __Matt. 15:19-20.

There can be no act, whether good or evil, without thought and desire preceding it. Another truism voiced by the Nazarene and which vitally applies here, is that a wrong thought, followed by desire, is as evil as a wrong deed:

"That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." __Matt.. 5:28.

Unfortunately for humanity, both of the past and present, little or no thought has been given to the evils of thought and desire - to the fact that these are the seeds that bear the fruit of evil. Usually, man is conscious of evil only after it is committed.

Man alone of all God's creation was endowed with a mind with which to think, analyze, reason, plan and then create or act. Man was not given mind and reason to bury them and permit others to think, reason and arrive at conclusions for him. It was never intended that he should bury this "talent," but to make the fullest use of it.

The story of the "ten talents" applies here. Endowed with a mind with which to think, reason and to arrive at conclusions, man was made a free moral agent. His is the right of choice. This prerogative imposes a heavy responsibility because it makes him accountable for every thought, every desire, every act.

The Law of Action and Reaction, and its direct impetus on the human creature, is only now beginning to be understood. It is now an accepted fact that a force, known as vibration, is at the base, or foundation of all activity. Whether man thinks, feels, desires or acts, a vibration duplicating the nature of the thought, feeling, desire or act always results. This vibration is like a boomerang that, after leaving the person who gave it birth, completes a circle and returns, at length, to its source. This is the reaction of the action. These vibrations are being constantly created because at no time, except then unconscious, is man free from thinking, feeling, desiring or acting.

These vibrations pass first though the individual and, according to their nature, contribute to his health, happiness, peace of mind and success, or, conversely, lay the foundation for ill-health, weakness, an uneasy conscience, frustration and failure.

Basically, disease, un-ease, weakness and failure are "sin," stemming, as they do, from disobedience to some law that is part and parcel of the Divine Law. With this concept of sin and its possible train of ills before us, we can appreciate the importance of keeping the mind under control and maintaining the proper attitude by thinking only constructive, exalting, uplifting thoughts.

Just as thoughts emanating from a consciousness unawakened by love - that is, un-holy thoughts - constitute sin, so does improper care of the body, even though in ignorance, lead to weakness and disease. This, too, although in another form, is "sin." Man is endowed with a body to sustain him. In this sense it is to him what the foundation is to a building.

The body is the foundation of man's being; the prop upon which he must depend. How important, then, to give it the proper care! A knowledge of, and obedience to, hygienic and dietary Laws should be fully understood. To treat the body carelessly, to supply it with improper food and drink, to overtax its strength, or abuse it in any manner whatsoever, constitutes "sin."

The body is the handiwork of God, created after His own image, or after the pattern of Himself. God because of His love for man, gave him the earthly temple in which to dwell and it is imperative that man shall not fail in giving it proper care.

Among the greatest sins of which man is guilty, are those against his spiritual self, the Soul; the Soul being the real or Divine self. Sacred literature informs us that "the Soul that sinneth, it shall die." Let man squander the fires of his Soul in lust, wasting the Divine or Soul fire in sensual gratification, and he will in time cease to be a creative being. Losing his semblance to the Creating God, he passes into oblivion for the "wages of this sin is death."

The purpose of life is individualization - an attainment that cannot be realized without the fires of the Soul. Man builds his Soul into consciousness by overcoming and transmuting the baser passions into the pure gold of love, the Love which is God: Love, God and the Soul being synonymous and of the same substance. It is man's duty to transmute his sensuous desires into a deeper love. In doing this, man follows the example of Moses, for it is written:

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." __St. John 3:14.

There can be no Regeneration, no spiritualization, no second birth - that of the spirit - without this lifting up of "the serpent," whereby the sons of men become the Sons of God.

Each and every individual of the race of men is the sum total of past and present deeds and misdeeds against the welfare of his body, mind, spirit and Soul, and against the race. Sin, in essence, is a violation of the Divine Law of love; and the "sinner" must reap the results of his sowing.

To the man who has sinned - and who has not? - it becomes vitally important to learn the way of atonement. Can atonement conceivably be made by blind belief and faith alone, or must the debt be paid in full and atonement made in addition? The man who is honest of heart will find no difficulty in answering the question. Both a-tone-ment and at-one-ment are necessary.

The creedal "justification by faith" was never part of the teachings of true religion and was unacceptable alike to the Nazarene and to the old prophets and Initiates. Such a doctrine is a total contradiction of the Nazarene's edict: "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." __Gal. 6;7. This doctrine makes machines of men. It prevents them from thinking and judging their act in the measure of their true value. It offers man the opportunity to commit almost any crime in the catalog, however terrible, with the comforting assurance that he may recant, request forgiveness, to of those grossly sinned against, but of God, and find his Soul "washed white as snow." Meanwhile, his victim, possibly wholly innocent in intent, suffers untold torment and believes himself or herself damned to hell.

This doctrine is, so utterly unjust, dishonorable and unmanly, that it would seem impossible to have been acceptable to any rational mind; nevertheless, there have been millions uncountable who still accept it, and who have raped and murdered in the firm belief that they were doing the Will of a God of Love, Kindness and Justice.

They were perhaps wholly ignorant of the fact that the Nazarene, whom, presumably, they believed they were following, never once taught such a doctrine; but, rather, placed special emphasis on the Law, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." This law clearly and uncontradictably states that if man commits a wrong, either to himself or to another, he must suffer for it, and that there is no law, either in heaven or on earth, whereby he can find a way to escape his just punishment, and what is of even greater importance, no honest man would seek to do so.

Man is in possession of free Will and the right of free choice. If he chooses to think, desire and act contrary to the law of ‘love they neighbor as thyself," and willfully and knowingly commits act based on error, and which are "sin," he must pay the penalty for so doing; but by means of these same heavenly treasures, Free Will and Free Choice, he can change his attitude and his desires, Regenerate himself and free himself from the penalty of his unholy acts.

The Law of Justice - and he who denies that there is such a Law operating, also denies that there is a God - is impersonal in its operation, consequently impartial. This being true, no one whoever he may be, however great he may be, will be able to commit sin without suffering, i.e., paying the penalty for it. Faith is desirable; faith is necessary; but faith alone can never pay man's debts to God and his fellow man, nor free him from misdeeds, both past and present. If man, as a result of evil-doing, has brought loss and suffering to others, it would be unjust to free him from the penalty invoked by such evil acts, regardless of the fact that he may believe this possible. The Law of love, though merciful, is likewise just, and no one is able to escape, its dictates.

Man, having sinned, as all men have, may atone for his misdeeds by setting his course in the opposite direction. He can do deeds of kindness; every such deed paying for one of his sins, and by such A-tone-ment. Gradually become Godlike, hence one with God. No man can accomplish this rebirth until he has paid the Biblical "uttermost farthing." A-tone-ment finally ends in At-one-ment. This means being reconciled to God and coming into harmony with His Divine Law.

Every man, declared the Nazarene, must be reborn; born of the spirit as he was born of the flesh. To do this he must retrace his steps; reverse his manner of thinking, desiring and acting. To be "born again" is to become conscious of a new understanding of the Law and its application; to proceed to free the body of its infirmities; cleanse the heart of degrading desires, and train the mind to think only in terms of constructive, exalting desires.

Salvation and Regeneration are one and the same thing. The possibility of Regeneration is within the grasp of every human creature who has the desire and the Will to follow through. It implies the living of a sane and sensible mode of life; of unselfish but no servile service to mankind, believing not merely in some creed, or Law, but in living according to the spirit of the Law.

Regeneration is to become free from sin; it is the gradual transformation of the sinful, sensuous, spiritually underdeveloped man into an exalted and Soul - conscious being. This can be accomplished only by living in harmony with the Christic life and bringing the deeply hidden Christos into manifestation so that the Immortal will function instead of the mortal; it is "mortality taking on Immortality." __Cor. 15:53-54.

Delude ourselves as we will, by any concepts we will, it is nevertheless uncontradictable that a life contrary to the laws of, i.e., a sinful life, brings upon us weakness, disease, sorrow, failure, suffering and ends in death. Death, in its true sense, is the destroying or "burning up" of the "chaff" so clearly stated in Revelation. Death - final, ultimate death - is the extinction of our individuality ad the surrender of our God-given right to remain a separate entity and to become a Christic, or Conscious Soul. The gift of God, though it must be earned, is eternal life. Immortalization of the Soul can be attained only through the awakening of the Christos within and bringing Him into Manifestation.

In imitation of the Nazarene who, though born of woman, overcame all evil through love and developed within himself the Christos, or Christic Soul, so can all men be reborn and "the sons of men become the Sons of God," by living a life in conformity with the Laws taught by the Nazarene.

There is but one Law - though its expressions are many - in the Universe and that is the Law of Love; to live contrary to his law constitutes "sin." Man sinks into degrading materiality and brings suffering upon himself because he chooses evil instead of good. He is able to raise himself and attain to Immortality of Soul only through love of truth and goodness. Love is the golden means to "the Way, the Truth and the Life."
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