Part I.—TuHr ATONEMENT

Study : Esoteric Christianity, Chapter VII
Tue key-note of Christianity is Jove, its outward expression service, and its spiritual foundation the law of sacrifice, in the comprehension of which lies the meaning of its entire doctrine and precept. To interpret this aright we must learn that whereas to the humanity of to-day sacrifice connotes suffering, because only seen from the standpoint of the separated self, in the Divine life sacrifice is joy. This is the key to the inner meaning of the Atone- ment.
There is cause for thankfulness that the orthodox exposition of this doctrine is no longer what it was when our text-book first appeared. To-day all but the most narrow-minded of theologians have rejected or profoundly modified the theory of “substitution.” | Modern theology emphasises vicarious sacrifice in place of vicarious atonement ; it asserts that Christ suffered for man, not instead of
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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION
man, thereby removing much that was crude, painful and unacceptable to our innate sense of justice. Yet it is still of the utmost importance that we should understand what is meant by the sacrifice of the Lord as the means of human salvation.
“No man liveth to himself alone,” and it is true that the life of even the most lowly evolved indivi- dual affects the whole of human existence, for each good or evil action accelerates or retards the advance of the race. “The gain of the individual is the gain of all; his progress is registered upon all, though he and they be unconscious of it. As man advances in spirituality, however, he consciously co-operates
‘with this universal law, and in doing so finds his highest satisfaction. He learns to rejoice in service. What was once irksome necessity becomes joyous privilege as he experiences the joy of giving, and he learns ultimately to realise his own spiritual being in the complete dedication of life to the uplift- ment of his brethren. If man can already experi- ence such joy in sacrifice, unimaginable must be that bliss known by the Divine life in its infinite giving of Itself. It is the outpouring of Deity as a joyous sharing of Itself that is presented in the Atonement, (however materialised and distorted that doctrine may have become), and all Christian worship and
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ESOTERIC CHRISTIANITY
ceremonial observance is designed to assist man to benefit by that perpetually proffered gift. It is not forced upon him, for his freedom of choice may not be violated, but he may be helped by precept and prayer and by the offices of the Church to avail himself ever more bountifully of that benefit, for the Master said : “‘ I am come that they might have life, and more abundantly.” *
It is possible for the devotee so to inwardly orientate himself, opening himself up to the higher influences by fervent desire, that he constitutes himself a receptacle for this force. “The Christ may be thought of as a great spiritual reservoir, an ever- replenished fount of Divine love which overflows into the vessel offered for its reception. ‘This distribution of spiritual energy through the mediation of the Christ is termed in Christian theology “‘orace,” and in the true understanding of that metaphysical concept lies the key to the whole structure of doctrine concerning salvation.
* John x. 10.
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