YouTube: Believe in Yourself
“He who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.” John 14:12
It seems clear that the Gospel writers modified certain passages that might suggest an alternative view to their portrayal of Jesus’ divine uniqueness and power. For instance, Jesus may very well have said that you can do the things I do, and greater things. But John added, “… he who believes in me … ” to keep his (John’s) only begotten designation intact. Based on the principles of mysticism—the omnipotence of God, the divinity of the individual, and the oneness of God and the individual—Jesus would more likely have said, “If you believe in yourself, if you come to know your own connection with God, your indwelling Father as I do, you’ll do the kinds of things I do, and even greater things.”
Can we afford to take such liberties with scripture? Are we just twisting it into something we want it to say? The average reader of the Gospels is probably unaware that this is exactly what the authors did. They used the voice and person of Jesus to advance the narrative of the early church. We’re left with the job of distinguishing between the teachings of the church and the teachings of Jesus.
Did Jesus make himself the exclusive gateway to God? The mainstream Christian has certainly adopted this doctrine as absolute fact. But it contradicts the truth of omnipresence, which implies all people have equal access to God, regardless of their religious beliefs, or lack thereof.
To believe in yourself is to affirm your divine makeup, which includes as your source the creative life force that is God. There’s no need to aspire to be a miracle worker. You begin with the simple acceptance that you are an expression of God. Affirm that you now let the limitless will of God work through you, to expand your understanding and to erase any limitation you have set on yourself. Believe in yourself as the worthy channel through which God is now expressing.