The story of Christ’s crucifixion is one of the most widely recognized histories in the entire world.
But, according to A Course in Miracles, it is also one of the most widely misunderstood aspects of Christianity.
In this post I’ll outline what ACIM says about the crucifixion, and how you can apply this lesson to your life.
The Real Meaning of The Crucifixion
Many people interpret the crucifixion as a symbol of persecution, and see the last days of Christ as an indication of betrayal that leads to suffering.
ACIM offers a different interpretation, however, as it explains that suffering can only be experienced through the eyes of the body. If you see as Christ sees, you are able to see not suffering, persecution, and betrayal (which are not real), but rather the impermeable love of God, and an opportunity to gain true sight through universal forgiveness.
You Cannot Be Persecuted
The first aspect of this message is the idea that you cannot be persecuted. You are the light and love of God, and the world that you see is a reflection of your awareness of this fact.
When you believe in persecution, you are ignorant of your place with God, because you believe that you are a victim to the world. This belief gives the body and all material experiences a level of reality that, in fact, does not exist.
If, however, you were to view from Christ’s perspective, you would see that the world as you believe it to be is not real, and thus that the actors that appear to be persecuting you are guiltless, because no one can be held responsible for something that they do not do.
To see persecution and betrayal in the crucifixion, then, is to deny the eternal light of God within yourself and your brothers, and to give reality to the body and physical world, which is the same as worshipping a false idol.
Related Post: Learn ACIM’s Teachings on Forgiveness.
You Teach What You Are
The second aspect of this teaching to take away is that you are already a teacher. Every action that you take, every word that you speak, and every thought that you think, teaches your worldview.
You can choose to teach love and forgiveness, as Christ did, or you can choose to teach fear.
When you assume the embodiment of love, you have no choice but to forgive, because you recognize the guiltlessness of yourself and others.
Thus, the real meaning of the crucifixion is to be able to see and understand how you are crucifying yourself every single day, with every attack thought that you hold. When you can learn to see that you and everyone around you is innocent, you will stop believing that anyone other than yourself causes your world to exist; you will stop believing you are a victim that is persecuted by the world, and can begin to choose to love in the face of any circustance.
Excerpts from A Course In Miracles Chapter 6
The crucifixion cannot be shared because it is the symbol of projection, but the resurrection is the symbol of sharing because the reawakening of every Son of God is necessary to enable the Sonship to know its wholeness. Only this is knowledge.
The message of the crucifixion is perfectly clear:
Teach only love, for that is what you are.
If you interpret the crucifixion in any other way, you are using it as a weapon for assault rather than as the call for peace for which it was intended.
Assault can ultimately be made only on the body. There is little doubt that one body can assault another, and can even destroy it. Yet if destruction itself is impossible, anything that is destructible cannot be real. Its destruction, therefore, does not justify anger. To the extent to which you believe that it does, you are accepting false premises and teaching them to others. The message the crucifixion was intended to teach was that it is not necessary to perceive any form of assault in persecution, because you cannot be persecuted. If you respond with anger, you must be equating yourself with the destructible, and are therefore regarding yourself insanely.
Your resurrection is your reawakening. I am the model for rebirth, but rebirth itself is merely the dawning on your mind of what is already in it.
Further Resources
Learn more about the courses teachings in these posts:
