John 1:12-13

"But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13).

Question:

My next-door neighbor, who is a born-again Christian, insists that "Our Father" in the Lord's Prayer does not include everyone unless they have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. I beg to differ, since I was a member in the ‘80s and ‘90s of Unity Church in Palo Alto, California. Thank you in advance for your kind consideration.

Comment:

This question goes to the heart of the way in which Unity's theology differs from that of most born-again Christians. The author of John is writing, not simply about Jesus of Nazareth, but about the Christ—the spiritual identity inherent in each and all of us, which Jesus was able to reach and express so completely that it became his entire nature, and he became Jesus Christ. The Christ is the Word—the creative Power of the divine. Jesus is the example, the way-shower offering us the validation and support we need to express our own Christ nature.

Christ is the name the Christian Church uses to describe the universal spiritual energy that is common to all people. The same energy has other names in other traditions, but its Truth is universal.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed