Q: Why does The Urantia Book say, “if any man has Christ Jesus in him, he is a new creature; old things are passing away; behold all things are becoming new.” Because “Christ Jesus in you” is antichrist in my book.
A: I am a little perplexed at your reference to the “antichrist” in connection to this statement about Christ Jesus being within us. It is my understanding that the antichrist is an individual that is supposed to appear sometime after the rapture and the tribulations of the Bible—a being who will seem to be good, but will actually be bad.
I found this website which lists 27 ways (from Bible verses) in which we will be able to recognize this being, and nowhere in there do I see anything about having Jesus as our inner companion, and being a new creature because of it.
I just want to include this entire passage from The Urantia Book that you referenced, so we can look at it together:
Jesus was the perfectly unified human personality. And today, as in Galilee, he continues to unify mortal experience and to co-ordinate human endeavors. He unifies life, ennobles character, and simplifies experience. He enters the human mind to elevate, transform, and transfigure it. It is literally true: “If any man has Christ Jesus within him, he is a new creature; old things are passing away; behold, all things are becoming new.”(100:7.18)
This is one of the most inspiring statements that I’ve ever read. I think that anyone who has been born of the Spirit, anyone who has seen in Jesus’ life the ideal of doing God’s will, anyone who follows the religion of the Spirit as Jesus taught—anyone who has had any experiences like this with the Master knows that experience with Jesus truly does “elevate, transform, and transfigure” our minds.
Jesus is literally still with us, represented as the Spirit of Truth. It is the presence that he promised. Jesus talked about the promised helper many times:
“When I have gone to the Father, and after he has fully accepted the work I have done for you on earth, and after I have received the final sovereignty of my own domain, I shall say to my Father: Having left my children alone on earth, it is in accordance with my promise to send them another teacher. And when the Father shall approve, I will pour out the Spirit of Truth upon all flesh. Already is my Father’s spirit in your hearts, and when this day shall come, you will also have me with you even as you now have the Father. This new gift is the spirit of living truth. (180:4.1)1
“…when my spirit comes to indwell you, he will illuminate the difference between sin and righteousness and will enable you to judge wisely in your hearts concerning them.” (180:6.2)
” …I am going to send you my spirit, just like me except for this material body. This new teacher is the Spirit of Truth who will live with each one of you, in your hearts, and so will all the children of light be made one and be drawn toward one another. And in this very manner will my Father and I be able to live in the souls of each one of you and also in the hearts of all other men who love us and make that love real in their experiences by loving one another, even as I am now loving you.” (180:4.5)
And this bestowal of the Spirit of Truth happened on the day of Pentecost.
Perhaps you misunderstand the function of the Spirit of Truth—the promised helper. Among other things in this section, we read:
The new helper which Jesus promised to send into the hearts of believers, to pour out upon all flesh, is the Spirit of Truth. This divine endowment is not the letter or law of truth, neither is it to function as the form or expression of truth. The new teacher is the conviction of truth, the consciousness and assurance of true meanings on real spirit levels. And this new teacher is the spirit of living and growing truth, expanding, unfolding, and adaptative truth. (180:5.1)
The Spirit of Truth works in the mind with the Thought Adjuster. This is a great mercy for humanity, and without these Divine spiritual helpers we would be lost even more than we already are…
…But we know that there dwells within the human mind a fragment of God, and that there sojourns with the human soul the Spirit of Truth; and we further know that these spirit forces conspire to enable material man to grasp the reality of spiritual values and to comprehend the philosophy of universe meanings. But even more certainly we know that these spirits of the Divine Presence are able to assist man in the spiritual appropriation of all truth contributory to the enhancement of the ever-progressing reality of personal religious experience—God-consciousness. (0:12.13)
The indwelling Spirit of Truth does not make us think that WE are God. What it does do, is bring us CLOSER to God in loving parent/child relationship and in greater CONSCIOUSNESS of him. And through that relationship and through experiencing God in this way—in our minds and thoughts—we eventually strive to become more like God, our Spirit Father. But no sincere seeker of God would ever think of replacing him, nor think that having the indwelling Presence would somehow be anything but good. I suspect that may be another aspect of this question you have about “antichrist”—this idea that somehow man is going to start to believe that he is a god, or somehow equal to God—very “antichrist, ” indeed. But it bears no relation whatsoever to this passage that you cited.
Any connection of the Spirit of Truth with a being who is “anti” Christ just does not add up. Jesus lives in the heart of every believer, ministering and answering when he is asked. He stands at the door and knocks…willing to reveal divine Truth to us. Jesus not only SEEMS to be good, he really IS good.
But don’t take my word for it. He lives in your heart, too…and you can always call upon him to find out if there is any truth contained in the assumptions you have made…if you are sincere, he will always answer you.
I hope that my reply was of some help…
