My Neville GoddardNeville Goddard Word Study: Scripture
Executive Summary
Neville teaches that Scripture should not be read as a historical account of external events or people. Instead, it is a collection of allegorical lessons depicting a psychological drama that unfolds within every human being. The Bible is presented as the personal biography and autobiography of the individual, a divine pattern that each person is destined to experience and fulfill within their own consciousness. Its true meaning is not found through rationalization but is revealed through direct, personal experience.
Key Concepts
- Not History: Scripture is not a factual record of past events or people, but a series of allegorical picture lessons.
- Psychological Drama: The stories and characters are personifications of psychological truths and states of consciousness.
- Your Personal Biography: The Bible is the story of you; it is your autobiography, which you inspired and are here to fulfill.
- A Pattern for Fulfillment: The life of Jesus described in Scripture is not a historical account but a pattern that will be reproduced and accomplished within every individual.
- Revealed Truth: The mystery of Scripture cannot be understood through intellectual analysis or tradition; it must be known by inner revelation and experience.
Detailed Explanation
The primary teaching regarding Scripture is that it must be understood psychologically, not historically. The Bible has no reference to actual people who lived or events that occurred on earth. The ancient storytellers crafted allegories and parables as vehicles to convey deep psychological instruction. To grasp the intended meaning, one must develop intuitive faculties to discover the "psychological life-germ" within the stories, discriminating between the outer form of the tale and its inner substance, just as the body discriminates between food to be absorbed and food to be discarded.
The most profound aspect of this teaching is that Scripture is intensely personal. It is presented as the biography and autobiography of every individual. You are the one who inspired and dictated it, and its entire narrative is about you. The central figure, Jesus, is not a historical man but represents the pattern of God buried within every person. This pattern is your own wonderful human imagination, your awareness of being, or "I Am." The purpose of your life is to fulfill Scripture by awakening this pattern within yourself, thereby reproducing the entire story of Jesus Christ as your own personal experience.
Consequently, the purpose of Scripture is to lift the individual to a higher level of being. It defines fundamental truths, such as identifying the one true substance of the universe as consciousness and the creative power of God as Christ. Its meaning remains a mystery to those who try to understand it through rationalization or by accepting the traditions of men. The truth of the Bible is a spiritual realization that can only be known through direct revelation, when the pattern awakens and unfolds from within you.
Important Quotes
The Bible is your biography. It is also your autobiography, because you inspired it.
— The Promise Fulfilled
The Bible has no reference at all to any persons who ever existed or to any event that ever occurred upon earth.
— How To Manifest Your Desires
The Bible is a mystery, to be known only by revelation.
— The Pattern Man
I have come to fulfill scripture.
— Fulfillment Of God’s Plan
Common Misunderstandings
- Taking Scripture Literally: The most common misunderstanding is to mistake the allegorical stories for historical fact. The characters are not people who lived, and the events are not things that happened in the outer world; they are parts of a psychological lesson.
- Jesus as a Historical Figure: It is an error to believe Jesus was a specific man who lived centuries ago. According to these teachings, Jesus is the pattern of salvation buried in every person, which must awaken and rise within them as their own consciousness.
Practical Applications
The practical application of this teaching is to stop looking outside of yourself for a savior or for historical validation of the Bible's stories. Instead, you are encouraged to turn inward and recognize that the entire drama of Scripture is about you. Read the Bible as your own biography. Understand that its promises are for you, and its commands, like "arise," are instructions for you to change your own state of consciousness. The ultimate application is to live in the awareness that you are here to fulfill this divine pattern, to awaken the being spoken of in Scripture—your own I AM—within yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Bible historically accurate according to Neville?
No. The source material states that the Bible has no reference to any persons who ever existed or any event that ever occurred on earth. It is an allegorical and psychological work, not a history book.
Who is Jesus in Scripture?
Jesus is not a historical man but the divine pattern buried in every human being. He is the Son of Man, which is equated with your own awareness of being, your "I Am."
What is the purpose of Scripture?
Its purpose is to be fulfilled within you. It serves as your personal biography, outlining the divine pattern that you are destined to reproduce and experience within your own consciousness, thereby lifting you to a higher level of being.
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