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The Spirit quickens the letter of the Law, but the letter by itself kills the meaning of the revealed Word, leaving only a shell and husk, a shadow and semblance of the truth it professes to define. We do not and never can define the Life of Christ and His Words; rather, His Life and Words, and those of all of the Manifestations of God create and expand the categories of thought and understanding by means of which we comprehend ourselves and the universe around us. We should approach the Great Teachers of Mankind with humility, and not with a list of tests, prescriptions, and requirements they must fulfill to satisfy what so often turn out to be only our vain thoughts and idle imaginings (146:6) We should pay attention, therefore, to the inner meaning and intent of Christ's words, and not to the outer semblance of their language which so obsesses and deceives us when we are preoccupied by our own presumptions and expectations. When we look to the inner meaning, we will be illumined by the spirit and love that informs all of Christ's sayings. We will see that Christ's precious words ceaselessly drew attention to the quality of life, the quality of love, the quality of worship that was to become synonymous with His glorious Name. This new standard which He raised was not just a superior, but a perfect standard:
(146:7)
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