Doing the Father's Will and Human Motivation:
Insights from The Urantia Book

by Henry Begemann
Wassenaar, Netherlands

 

There may be a great difference between acting from good human motives and doing the Father's will. Morality, and its correlated motivation, is in the first place an evolutionary phenomenon. Then it is "super-animal, but sub-spiritual." Morality derived from this level is not spiritual activity, but an activity derived from a sense of duty. Morality as Jesus taught is more than evolutionary, it is revelationary, because its origin is in the Father-child relationship. This experienced relationship has as a consequence an enhanced morality that transcends duty. The Urantia Book tells us that, "The one characteristic of Jesus' teaching was that the morality of his philosophy originated in the personal relation of the individual to God--this very child-father relationship." (*1585:3)

We may intellectually accept this, believe it, but this is not sufficient, not the real thing. The Urantia Book continually and consistently places the accent on the point that such a relationship should be an actuality for us. The first phase of the kingdom is described as: "The personal and inward experience of the spiritual life of the fellowship of the individual believer with God the .7.4 Father." (*1862:11) Then the second phase of the kingdom results as "The enlarging brotherhood of gospel believers, the social aspects of the enhanced morals and quickened ethics resulting from the reign of God's spirit in the hearts of individual believers." (*1863:1)

To have once experienced this contact with the Father does not imply that henceforward this contact is an established factual relationship. All too often, and all too easily, we drift away from this living contact. Then our morality is no longer rooted in this communion-experience, and it descends again to the evolutionary level of duty, though our aims and purposes may nominally remain the same. We then act as sons of God, (at best), but not in a sonship with God. And our good motives and intentions are human then, and not divine, though they may be our human concepts (not experience) of the Father's will.

To know the Father's will requires an actual, living contact with him, as he lives in us. This contact is characterized by experiencing his attributes as our values. When we actually feel those values (values must be felt, says The Urantia Book), then we begin to discern the Father's will. "The human Jesus saw God as being holy, just, and great, as well as being true, beautiful, and good. All these attributes of divinity he focused in his mind as the 'will of the Father in heaven.' " (*2087:2)

By These Fruits

The Father's will is the Father's way. His ways are characterized by beauty, goodness, truth, mercy, fairness, greatness, nobility, etc. And if we desire to do the will of the Father, our ways should reflect those same values, even though necessarily incompletely, finitely. Then we show forth the fruits of the spirit. And by these fruits we shall be judged. Nobody can judge somebody else's contact with the Father. But a good tree will bring forth good fruits, and an evil tree evil fruits. The Father, generally, does not tell us what to do, but how to act. If he should say: do this, do that, he would not deal with us as sons, but as servants. The Father respects us too much for that. But he is always longing to show us how we should act. "The Father's will is manifest throughout the universes." His attributes are; and we know them as spiritual values. So when we have to make a decision, or have a problem, we should not submit to our human minds that want to tackle the problem itself. The solution of a problem does not lie in that problem, it must be found on a higher level.

We should look away from the problem, and do as Jesus did: focus our minds on the Father's attributes. Then we soon realize that all solutions of the problem that do not reflect, or hardly reflect, those attributes, are not the Father's way. That already turns our minds in the right direction. And when we begin to feel truth, beauty, and goodness in our meditative minds, those minds become enlightened, spiritualized. And the father knows that the what of the Father's will will unfold now we begin to see the how of his will.

There is a great difference between knowing and seeing. Knowing essentially is an intellectual function; seeing, with the spiritual eye, is a spiritual function. The Urantia Book states, for example, that believing in Jesus is not sufficient, not even believing in his teachings; you must see Jesus. (*1857:3) So when we meditate on the Father's attributes (e.g. truth), we should not make the mistake of substituting the form, the expression, the letter of truth for truth itself. Truth is living, a dynamic value, that must be felt, experienced. Values must be felt. (see p. 1219:6) A passage from our book may lead us to that experience, it is not that experience. Mind may be the gateway to spirit, it is not spirit.

Try to feel truth, and you'll discover how much more difficult that is than knowing truth. it is the same difference as between being a son of God, and having sonship with God. When we see truth, when we feel it, then indeed are we in the presence of God, and his will is manifest to us. But truth is only one aspect of the Father's reality. Love, beauty, and goodness are as characteristic of his nature and ways as truth. And we should, to solve our problems, meditate on these other attributes as well. Especially feeling the Father's goodness will prove to be a mighty help in solving our problems, though solving the problem should not be the main feature of our activity. To find the Father, to be like him, is the greater goal, and the problem is just a step on that long, long way. Let us not be result-oriented, and look for immediate results. The Father's way is the slow, but sure way. The Father is patient, but not compromising.

There is a great temptation in good motives. They may seem so nice and good, and we feel so nice and good when well-motivated. But let us beware. Remember Cano and Eve. Cano, though "completely honest and sincere", was, unconsciously, a tool in the hands of Caligastia. And his philosophy was: "Men and women of good motives and true intentions can do no evil." Have we really outgrown that philosophy? The second epochal revelation stranded on good motives. Let us behold Jesus, the Father incarnate amongst us. His philosophy was: "The Son can do nothing of himself, only what he sees the Father doing." Sonship with God. Let us not be satisfied with our good motives and hard work for the kingdom, sometimes for the Brotherhood, or the Foundation. "According to the truth committed to your hands you will be judged." And our book stresses continually the point of true religion, experienced values, living inward fellowship with the Father. To be a son of God will not do, sonship with God is required, and our great privilege.

A service of
The Urantia Book Fellowship