Neville Goddard Lectures: “The New Idea Against The Old”

02 Jun Neville Goddard Lectures: “The New Idea Against The Old”

3/31/67

I think you’ll find tonight very, very practical, also very spiritual. We’re all searching for the cause of the phenomena of life, everyone ___(??). It’s called in scripture the Father. Man will discover this after the entire story as given to us in the gospel is re-enacted in him. But before this story is re-enacted in him, we can see this cause of the phenomena of life.

So tonight, come with me and let me show you, if you have not experienced it, let me show you Jesus Christ through the eyes of Paul. If you look at him through the eyes of Paul, you’ll see him more clearly than anyone in this world can show you. I’ll show you tonight who Paul really is. Just see him through the eyes of Paul. There is no mention of Paul in any contemporary work of the 1st Century, no mention of him. He is mentioned only in the Book of Acts, the last part of Acts, and then he is mentioned in his letters, thirteen letters, but no record of Paul. So who is Paul? May I tell you Paul is as much a state as Moses, as Abraham, as Isaac, as Jacob, as Jesus Christ. Here we are dealing with states and we’re only dealing with the fundamental state called God—that is the Father, the creative power, and you. Just God and this extension of himself called you. When you say “I am,” that’s he.

Now here, let us turn to Paul and remember it is a state. And in this state, here is one who is so zealous for the traditions of his fathers. He knew Hebrew backwards. He knew the traditions of the fathers backwards, all that was taught him in the book; and he protected with his life and opposed everyone who was in conflict with the traditions of the fathers. Then suddenly he saw the spirit behind the letter. Now this is something in man that’s seeing; it’s not someone on the outside. Something in man is seeing the spirit behind the law, behind the letter. And he’s just as ardent in promoting it as he was in defending the letter. He makes the statement, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.” Here we read it in the first chapter of his letter to the Romans. ___(??) his letter, which is simply something coming up. No one knows who the writer really is: “I’m not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God for the salvation of every one who has faith” (Rom.1:16). It is the power of God for the salvation of him who has faith. He calls the power of God in his letter, Jesus Christ.

You and I think of a person when we think of Jesus Christ, Paul doesn’t. Listen to his words: “Even though I once regarded Christ from a human point of view, I regard him thus no longer” (2Cor. 5:16). When someone told him that God was on the earth as a man, and he knew his traditions of the fathers, “Make no graven image unto me” (Exod. 20:4)…and to tell you that a man, an individual other than yourself was in the world, and that is Christ, that is God? And then he realized who Jesus Christ really was, and he defines him in his letter to the Corinthians, “Jesus Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God…and I preach only Jesus Christ crucified…and raised from the dead” (1Cor.1:24); 1:23; Rom.6:4). That’s all that he would preach. The power of God and the wisdom of God crucified, where?—on man, in man, buried in man, and then raised in man.

Now you listen to it carefully. Tonight we will see the most practical ___(??) of this great mystery. For here, Paul is not a person as you are, as I am. Paul is a state, and if you are not zealous for the traditions of your fathers, then you cannot really enter it. You have accepted a certain concept of life and you are going to protect it with your life; then you see the story behind the story. You see the mystery behind it and you protect it with your life. And then tell it…he must tell it to the world.