St. Paul Writes About the Truth of Perfection

August 31, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, St. Paul.

I was with you tonight at the meeting, and heard what the young man said about perfection, and I agree entirely with his ideas and the application of the truth to the lives of human beings.

He had the correct conception of what perfection means, and when he said that perfection is a relative term, he spoke the exact truth. No man can expect to have the perfection of the Father in quantity, but he may in quality; for the spirit of truth that enters into the soul of a man in response to prayer and faith is a part of the Divine Nature of the Father, and the essence is the same, and the quality must be the same; but, of course, no man can obtain it to the extent of making him pure and holy as the Father is pure and holy.

Even we, who live in the high Celestial Heavens, have not that perfection which the Father has. But let men know that even while on earth they can obtain this inflowing of the Holy Spirit in their hearts to such an extent that sin and error will be entirely eradicated. This, I say, is possible, but few men attain to such a state of perfection, because the worldly affairs and natural appetites which belong to mortals are always interfering to prevent the makings of the spirit in men's souls so that perfection of this kind may take possession of them. But notwithstanding this great difficulty, and material desires of men, they should have this perfect ideal before them always and strive to obtain the possession of it.

I was much interested in the discourse not only because it was founded on a text attributed to me, but because of the right conception and the explanation made by the young man. I could see his soul and its workings, and I was glad to know that he possessed this Divine Love to an unusual degree and was fitted almost for a home in the Celestial Spheres.

You were benefited by what he said, and you felt the influence of the presence of the Holy Spirit at the meeting.

If the people of this church would understand that there is only one thing that saves them from their sins and makes them at-one with the Father, and that is the inflowing of the Divine Love into their souls, which was what Jesus meant when he told Nicodemus that he must be Born Again, they would easily see that their doctrine of holiness is not only a reasonable doctrine but one in accord with the truths of God; for as this Divine Love fills their souls, all sin and error must disappear.

Of course, this is a relative matter, for it depends upon how much of this Divine Love is in their souls to determine how much of sin or error exists. The more of the Divine Love, the less of sin, and on the contrary, the more of sin the less of the Divine Love. But I want to say with all the emphasis that I am capable of, that it is possible for a human being to obtain such a quantity of this Divine Love in his soul that sin will be entirely eradicated. This was the doctrine taught by Jesus, and this is the truth of God's Law of Love.

I know that the great majority of mankind do not believe this truth and think it foolishness, and that those who claim that they have received this Divine Love to a great degree are enthusiastic fanatics, and not worthy of credence, but I want to tell you that no greater truth was ever proclaimed by the Master; and sometime, in the not far distant future, many men who are now merely intellectual Christians will believe and embrace and experience this great truth.

You will find yourself much benefited by attending these meetings, and while there are some things in their creed to which you do not subscribe, yet, they have the foundation truth that the Divine Love of the Father can clear their souls from all sins, and make them perfect, to the extent that they receive that Love in their souls.

I will not write more tonight, but will say that the Holy Spirit, which conveys God's Love to man, is with these people in great power and fullness and manifests its workings in a real and irresistible manner, and God is blessing them and giving them that faith, which enables them to become overcomers and inheritors of immortality and homes in the Celestial Heavens.

So without taking up more of your time, I will say goodnight and God bless you.

Your brother in Christ,
St. Paul

Nicodemus Writes That the New Birth is the Inflowing of God's Divine Love into the Soul

July 30, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

A master in Israel and, yet, I did not understand this New Birth. How few understood it then, and how few now. Oh, the long years that have gone by since Jesus told me that I must be Born Again to inherit eternal life, and how comparatively seldom this great truth is taught by the churches and the teachers of religious matters.

This truth is at the very foundation of mankind's redemption, and until a man receives this New Birth, he cannot possibly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Men may claim to have faith in God and believe on Jesus' name and conform to all the essentials and sacraments of the churches and yet, unless they have this New Birth, their faith and works as Christians are vain. This I know from my own experience as well as from the teachings of the Master, and I desire to emphasize, with all the powers that I have, that it is the only important requirement to immortality.

The New Birth means the flowing into the soul of a man the Divine Love of the Father, so that that man becomes, as it were, a part of the Father in His Divinity and Immortality.

When this truth comes to a man, he commences to take on himself the Divine Nature of the Father, and all that part of him that may be called the natural nature commences to leave him, and as the Divine Love continues to grow and fill his soul, the natural love and affections for things of the earth will disappear, and as a result he will become at-one with the Father and immortal.

Why don't those who profess to be teachers of Jesus' truths - which are the truths of the Father - and all followers of him, pay more attention to this vital truth?

When you shall have received the messages from the Master, I think you will find this Truth of the New Birth to be the one thing that Jesus will emphasize and reiterate most. It is the most important thing for men not only to hear about and acquiesce in their intellectual beliefs, but also to actually experience. I wish that I had understood it when on earth as I do now.

He meant as no man could see the wind or tell from whence it came or whither it was going, so no man who received this New Birth could see the operations of the Holy Spirit or know whence it came. But this latter expression must be modified, because we all know it comes from the Father; but just how we do not know. The Holy Spirit is as invisible as the wind and, yet, it is just as real and existing.

But men need not trouble their intellects to know exactly what this Great Power is for it is sufficient to know: that which causes the New Birth is the Divine Love of the Father coming into the souls of men.

I must stop as I have written enough for tonight. So let me subscribe myself a brother who has received the New Birth and a lover and follower of the Master.

Nicodemus