“In the preceding chapter, we viewed man as dependent upon the earth and being “of the earth, earthy”, and also in some of his relations to the Divine Likeness. We shall now consider some of the methods by which man is raised from the animal, earthy state into the spiritual; for nothing in the universe is effected without method involving a purpose – let it be the purpose of the Divine Mind or a purpose active in the human mind. Nothing is accomplished without conforming to natural law.
In the present chapter, we call attention to “Three Steps” or distinct methods, by which man ascends to a higher plane of existence – that of “The Likeness of God.” Man has nothing to do with these methods, that is, he has no direct control over them – a great truth which the prophet saw when, in his devotion to God, he exclaimed: “Thou hast wrought all our works in us.” The three steps are: (1) Inspiring or indrawing from the creative forces. (2) The incorporating of the paschal lamb – the Divine Word. (3) Man’s rebirth or the birth of the spirit-child.
The First Method is in pursuance of the law of natural inspiration, active in all creation. In accordance with this law, the creature when it has so developed as to feel the need of a higher state of unfoldment, begins to inspire from the all-fountain, the source of its life. Need produces desire and the sincere desire of the heart is prayer; so that when man has reached a point in his evolutionary unfoldment where he can go no further, there springs up within him a yearning, longing desire for something undefined, unknown. The soul prays, and as he prays the answer comes, and there flows into the man an added higher quality.
It must be remembered that all inspiration, all inflowing life, even in the growth of the plant, is governed by the law manifest in mind as desire, causing the intelligence to feel the need of that which is desired. Without this feeling of need, there can be no indrawing and incorporating into the organism of the higher element, there can be no inspiration from God. The first method, therefore, is the natural indrawing from the creative forces.
The Second Method is the incorporating of the emanation or inherent substance of the word spoken by the Lord Christ. God created the world by a word, therefore wherever the Spirit forms a word, it gives to that word life and power to cause action.
No doubt each one who reads this, has met at least one person whose thoughts were high, pure and grand, and while talking to the person you undoubtedly received something that was elevating, something that was added to you that you did not possess before – something, at least, of which you were not before conscious. There are qualities emanating from the thoughts of individuals that have an influence upon the atmosphere which surrounds them. This explains the mystery embodied in the words of the Lord Christ before quoted, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves.” … “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I have spoken unto you, are spirit and are life.”
Mark you, they are spirit, which is one thing, and they are life, which is another thing. The words are spirit because of their potentiality; they are life because they enter into the organism to which they are sent and begin the work of creating like spirit and thought. Again, Christ asks: “How can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.”
The strong man is the animal or natural man without the spirit of God. He is armed with all the requisites for self-preservation and for maintaining that which he esteems his goods; but when the spirit and life that were in the words spoken by the Christ enter into the strong man, they begin gradually to bind him by getting control of the passions and wrong desires, gradually winding the cord of spiritual desire around the old man, binding the passions, appetites and evil desires, supplanting them by the desires of the Spirit, until finally the spiritual man becomes strong enough to take control of the animal man, then we say of him he is converted. He has made his decision and perhaps declaration that he will thenceforth live for God and for righteousness.
This method is symbolized by the eating of the Passover Lamb. If you read the twelfth chapter of Exodus, you will observe that the children of Israel were told to take a lamb for a house and that they were to eat all of it, “his head with his legs and with the inwards thereof”, and they were to let nothing remain until the morning; and that which was not eaten was to be burned with fire. They were to eat it with their shoes on their feet and their staves in their hands, in readiness and in haste, to go out from the old conditions, Egypt.
Mark you, there is some reason for the emphasis made in regard to their eating all of the lamb. At the institution of the “Lord’s Supper”, Jesus the Christ used words that have not been understood by the translators of the New Testament. When he handed the cup to his disciples, he said to them, “Drink you out of it all this, for it is the blood of me”, and likewise when he gave them the bread he said, “Eat ye all of it”; that is, he impressed the thought that was symbolized by the Passover, that the bread and wine were his flesh and blood and that they were to eat “all of it.” Now, hold this thought in mind and let us look further.”
Hiram Butler
The Mark Of God: Understanding Your "I AM Presence" 