The Sermon on the Mount

1. Jesus Taught Spiritual Truth, Not Theology

The plain fact is that Jesus taught no theology whatever.

Focus on Spirit. Jesus's teaching is fundamentally spiritual and metaphysical, not a system of doctrines or theology. Historical Christianity often got sidetracked by human-invented theological questions that aren't in the Gospels. The Bible, correctly understood with a spiritual key, is a practical guide for soul development and shaping destiny.

Beyond intellect. Traditional theology attempts a purely intellectual explanation of life, which is impossible because man is essentially spiritual and eternal. The world we perceive is just a limited cross-section of the whole truth. Trying to understand the infinite through finite intellectual frameworks leads to absurd and often fearful fables about God.

No "Plan of Salvation". Concepts like original sin, vicarious atonement, or predestination are not taught in the Bible. Jesus taught that we are punished by our own mistakes, not for another's sin, and that everyone has direct access to an all-loving Father-God who offers forgiveness and strength, even "unto seventy times seven."

2. Blessed Are Certain Mental States

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Inner state matters. The Beatitudes are a summary of Christian teaching focused on mental states, not outer actions. Jesus knew that right mental states lead to right external conditions. Unlike other teachers, he gave principles about inner spirit rather than detailed rules for outward conduct.

Meekness is power. "Meekness" in the Bible means emptying personal self-will and preconceived opinions in the search for God. It's a combination of open-mindedness, faith, and willingness to accept God's joyous will. This mental attitude is the "Secret of Dominion," allowing you to govern your outer experience ("inherit the earth").

Mourning leads to comfort. Sorrow and trouble, while not good in themselves, can be blessings if they drive you to seek God and the Truth. Learning by painful experience is a choice, but it compels you to acquire the understanding that overcomes limitations. This mourning leads to "comfort," which is the experience of God's Presence, ending sorrow.

3. Your Thought Creates Your Reality

the whole of our life’s experience is but the outer expression of inner thought.

As within, so without. This is the great law of the universe: what you think in your mind will manifest in your experience. Your body, affairs, home, business – your entire outer world – is a manifestation of your mental states, even those in your subconscious mind.

Choose your thoughts. You have dominion over your thoughts and can choose what to entertain. While breaking old habits of thought is difficult, it's possible. Your life is the result of the thoughts you've chosen to hold, demonstrating perfect justice in the universe – you reap what you sow in your unseen thoughts.

Right thinking is righteousness. "Righteousness" in the Bible means right thinking on all subjects. You have no direct power over outer things because they are consequences. To control circumstances for harmony, you must first control your thoughts. Thinking health, prosperity, love, and good-will attracts those things into your life.

4. Non-Resistance is Spiritual Power

Resist not evil, spiritually understood, is the grand secret of success in life.

Reverse the natural instinct. The old law was "an eye for an eye," but Jesus taught the opposite: resist not evil. This is not weak surrender but "superb spiritual strategy." Antagonizing a situation gives it power; offering mental nonresistance causes it to crumble.

Mental nonresistance. This means refusing to feed your soul-substance (attention, belief) into the undesirable circumstance. Instead of mentally fighting the problem, turn your thought to the Divine Presence. Realize the Truth of Being in the situation or person.

Love your enemies. This teaching is a practical application of non-resistance. Instead of hating, bless and pray for those who seem to harm you. Meeting hatred with Love (the scientific application of God's power) destroys the evil condition and frees both you and the other person. This is the "Royal Christ Road to freedom."

5. Prayer Connects You to the Secret Place

Pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Consciousness is the Secret Place. Your own mentality, your consciousness, is your "Secret Place," the controlling center of your life's "kingdom." It's secret because only you know what goes on there, and it's where you have dominion over your thoughts.

Prayer is realization. Prayer is the means of communion with God and the art of attaining "realization" – an actual sense of God's Presence. This realization is the secret to healing, inspiration, and spiritual development. It's not about vain repetitions but about making yourself receptive to Divine inspiration.

Pray in the present. Scientific prayer adjusts your consciousness, which must be done now. Deal with past or future worries by treating them in the present tense, as the thought of them is present. The best preparation for tomorrow is a serene and harmonious consciousness today.

6. Forgiveness Frees You From Judgment

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

The Great Law. The law of life is that as you think, speak, and act towards others, so will they towards you. Whatever you give out, you get back, often from different people at different times. This is a cosmic law, impersonal and inescapable, like gravity.

Mercy in thought. The true application of this law is in your thoughts. Be merciful in your mental judgments of others. Unkind thoughts, resentment, condemnation, and the desire to punish create an impenetrable barrier to spiritual power and progress.

Forgive to be forgiven. Jesus stresses the absolute necessity of forgiveness for spiritual progress. Holding hard feelings about others prevents your own prayers from having effect and shuts you off from receiving mercy yourself. In freeing others from your condemnation, you free yourself from self-condemnation.

7. Seek Spiritual, Not Material, Treasure

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Material security is an illusion. Understanding that the material plane is objectified thought reveals the folly of focusing on accumulating material possessions. Earthly treasures are vulnerable to loss ("moth and rust," "thieves").

Spiritual understanding is true security. If your consciousness is right, realizing God as the boundless source of supply, you will always be able to demonstrate what you need. Until you realize this, no amount of material wealth can make you truly safe, as channels of supply can fail.

Single eye on God. "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." The "eye" is spiritual perception, and "single" means recognizing God alone as the only real Cause and Power. Directing your attention steadfastly to God, putting His glory first, fills your entire experience ("body") with light and harmony. You cannot effectively serve both God and "mammon" (material wealth/worldliness).

8. God is Your Loving Father

Our Father.

Foundation of religion. This simple statement is the cornerstone of true religion, establishing God's nature as a loving parent, not a distant tyrant. This sweeps away fearful theological concepts and reveals the truth of man's relationship to God.

Like begets like. If God is Father and man is child, man must partake of God's nature – essentially Divine Spirit, capable of infinite growth. This refutes the idea of man as a hopeless, fallen creature and affirms his potential for perfection as the "image and likeness of God."

Ask and receive. Because God is a loving Father, you are entitled to expect that He will provide everything you need. Ask, seek, and knock with faith and understanding, recognizing God as the sole Source of your good. This is man's charter of freedom, refuting the idea that resignation to inharmony is a virtue.

9. The Golden Rule is the Great Law

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Unity is the reason. This sublime precept, the Golden Rule, reiterates the Great Law (as you mete, it is measured back) and is explained by the metaphysical fact of fundamental unity. Because we are all ultimately one, hurting another is hurting yourself, and helping another is helping yourself.

Brotherhood is unity. The Fatherhood of God compels acceptance of the brotherhood of man, and spiritually, brotherhood is unity. Understanding this truth encompasses all other religious knowledge; it is "the law and the prophets."

Think as you wish to be thought of. In Scientific Christianity, the Golden Rule means: Think about others as you would wish them to think about you. This is a solemn duty and a vital debt of honor, as your thoughts about others inevitably return upon yourself.

10. Truth is Proven by Its Fruits

By their fruits ye shall know them.

The infallible test. Jesus provided a simple, universal test for religious truth: Does it work? Truth always works; it heals the body, purifies the soul, solves difficulties, and brings harmony. False teaching, regardless of presentation or prestige, fails this test.

Demonstration is proof. Teaching that is true proves itself by practical demonstration – healing, overcoming limitations, bringing about positive change. These "fruits" are the visible evidence of inner spiritual understanding.

Test yourself and others. This test applies to teachers, churches, books, and your own spiritual progress. If you are not getting real demonstrations in any area of your life, it indicates you have left the path and are not praying rightly. The outer picture is a gauge of your inner spiritual state.

11. Build Your Life on Spiritual Practice

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his home upon a rock:

Practice is essential. Hearing the truth is not enough; you must do it. Building your life ("home") on the "Rock" (the Christ Truth, the understanding of God) provides a secure foundation that withstands the storms of error, fear, and doubt. Building on anything less ("sand") leads to collapse.

Change your consciousness. The only way to attain harmony, health, prosperity, and peace is by bringing about a radical, permanent change in your own consciousness. This is the "strait gate" that leads to life, though few find it because it requires constant vigilance and breaking old mental habits.

Earn your salvation. Salvation is earned by genuine, consistent hard work on your own consciousness, realizing God's presence and doing His will in all things. Relying on anything less than your own understanding of Truth – institutions, teachers, books, or personal resources – is building on sand and will fail you when tested.

Last updated: May 2, 2025