The term character has been a very nebulous word in religious circles, but the judgment of the living is the judgment of character. Whose character remains in us? Our own, or the character of the Son?
Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of the Saviour shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim His own. It is the privilege of every Christian, not only to look for, but to hasten, the coming of our Lord. CT 324.
It is written, "The thoughts must be brought into subjection to the will of God, and the feelings.... The thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character. RH 4-21-85. So, during the twenty one days of Faithful's consummation, the character — the habits of thought and the habits of feeling, of Michael, the Son of God — came into Faithful, and they came "to remain." This character, which came to remain in Faithful has a description in Scripture. It is called "the wedding garment."
In the past this "wedding garment" has been something with which one was covered "spiritually speaking." Somehow God covered us with the pure white character of His Son, but how that actually occurred in real life, and how it looked and felt in our experience, was a mystery. Father desires to open this mystery up with two separate imageries. The imagery of "the wedding garment" is the first one.
The parable of the wedding garment opens before us a lesson of the highest consequence. By the marriage is represented the union of [laid down] humanity [in the quiet, yielded soul] with [the laid down] divinity [of Michael, the Faithful Son of God]. The wedding garment represents the character [the actual offspring of the soul's intimate reception of the character of the Son] which all must possess who shall be accounted fit guests for the wedding...
By the wedding garment in the parable is represented the pure, spotless character [the Son's very Own habits of thought and feeling] which Christ's true followers will possess. To the church [the bride of the Son] it is given "that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white," "not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." Eph. 5:27. The fine linen, says the Scripture, "is the righteousness of saints." Rev. 19:8. It is the righteousness of Christ [Michael, the Son of God], His own unblemished character, that through faith [the intimate act of receiving Him into her very soul] is imPARTed [becomes a very part] to all who receive Him [Michael] as their personal [intimate] Saviour.
The white robe of innocence was worn by our first parents when they were placed by God in holy Eden. They lived in perfect conformity to the will of God. All the strength of their affections was given to their heavenly Father. A beautiful soft light, the light of God, enshrouded the holy pair. This robe of light was a symbol of their spiritual garments of heavenly innocence. Had they remained true to God it would ever have continued to enshroud them. But when sin entered [when Eve received into her soul the seed of Satan's separateness and independence from the Father], they severed their connection with God, and the light that had encircled them departed... Nothing can man devise to supply the place of his lost robe of innocence. No fig-leaf garment, no worldly citizen dress, can be worn by those who sit down with Christ and angels at the marriage supper of the Lamb [the intimate place where this connection is restored]. Only the covering [of character] which Christ Himself has provided [by His Own thoughts which "cross our minds" and His Own feelings which "cross our hearts" because of His immediate Presence in us] can make us meet to appear in God's presence. This covering, the robe of His own righteousness, Christ will put upon [imPUTe to] every repenting, believing soul. "I counsel thee," He says, "to buy of Me [give me your thoughts and feelings for My thoughts and feelings]...white raiment [pure innocence — pure freedom from intimately knowing your own natural self any more], that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear [that the painfulness of My character not appearing on you, not be seen anymore]." Rev. 3:18.
This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising [independence from the Father]. Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to imPART to [make a part of] us. "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Isa. 64:6. Everything that we of ourselves can do is defiled by sin [Satan's–Independent—Notion]. But the Son of God "was manifested to take away our sins [our ability to ever be independent again]; and in Him is no sin [no independent ability AT ALL]." ...He said of Himself, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart." Ps. 40:8. When on earth, He said to His disciples, "I have kept My Father's commandments." John 15:10. By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God's commandments.
When we submit ourselves to Christ [when we quietly lay down to Him for intimate penetration], the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him [impregnated with Him]; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness...
It is not enough for us to believe that Jesus is not an impostor [Jesus was really Michael, the Son of God in human flesh, and it is not enough for us to believe that Michael is not an impostor], and that the religion of the Bible [which Father has brought out into the mature light of its true meaning in Strongcity] is no cunningly devised fable. We may believe that the name of Jesus (Michael, the Son of God in human flesh) is the only name under heaven whereby man may be saved, and yet we may not through faith make Him our personal [intimate] Saviour. It is not enough to believe the theory of truth. [It is not enough to believe the truth "spiritually speaking"]. It is not enough to make a profession of faith in Christ. ["I believe that Michael, the Son of God, has come in human flesh — just not my flesh yet."] ..."He that keepeth His commandments [is impregnated with the Seed of His Word and] dwelleth in Him [dwells in His character], and He in him [His character dwells in their character]. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us." ...
The truth is to be planted in the heart. [It is planted there by intimate intercourse with the Son of God.] It is to control the mind and regulate the affections [of the heart]. The whole character must be stamped [made into habit] with the divine...The word of God is to be brought into the daily practice [Daily making use of Michael's habits of thought and feeling in us, makes them become our habits of character]... Satan had claimed that it was impossible for man to obey God's commandments; and in our own strength it is true that we cannot obey them. But Christ (Michael, the Son of God) came in the form of humanity, and by His perfect obedience He proved that humanity and divinity combined [wedded] can obey every one of God's precepts [personal instructions]. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. This power is not in the human agent. It is the power of God. When a soul receives Christ [intimately takes in the Son and His Seed], he receives power to live the life of Christ (the Son). ...Then the Lord can trust them to be of the number who shall compose the family of heaven. Clothed in the glorious apparel of Christ's righteousness [wedded to the character of the Son of God], they [the wedded members of His bride] have a place at the King's feast. They have a right to join the blood-washed [and impregnated] throng. COL 307-315.
The Father initially "covers" you with "the robe of Christ's righteousness," the character of His Son's Own habits of thought and His Own habits of feeling, which cross your mind and are felt in your heart because of His personal Presence in you. It is true, this robe of character which "covers" you, and which is not your own, at all, nor does it in any way come from you, is "put" on you by Father — "imPUTed" to you. That means you are given credit for the thoughts and feelings of the Son because the Son is supplying His ways of thinking and feeling to you through the neurological pathways in your mind and in your body. But His character was not meant to always hang upon you as a loosely fitting garment, which the breezes of varying circumstances would seem to press closely upon your person, making its reality upon you very felt at some times, and at other times would seem to blow it away from your person, making you feel that there is nothing there at all. The robe of His Own character was meant to literally become a part of you.
The robe of Christ's righteousness, the character of the Son, woven by every one of His Own habits of thought and feeling into one character, was meant for you to become "wedded" to. Each part of it which is covering you, was meant to come in you, to be born out of your own soul — the center, or womb of your being, from whence all thoughts and feelings are born. The entire character of the Son is "covering" for you while His character is in the process of coming into you. The robe of Christ's righteousness which was "put" on you, was meant to come in you, each part of it, so that the entire character of Christ could be born from your most intimate union with the Son, as an inseparable "part" of your own character now — "imPARTed righteousness" — as the theologians say. Now the robe of Christ's righteousness, or the character of the Son of God, would be a "wedded" character, wedded to you, and you to it, to appear upon you, as it is born out of your most intimate places of intercourse with God. Thus the "robe of Christ's righteousness" would become a "wedded" garment, or as we have read, "the wedding garment" of light.
The appearing of the character of Michael, in Faithful, during the consummation of the marriage of the Lamb, marked the beginning of the second coming of the character of the Son of God in every member of the mystical bride of Christ. A new character was born out of that first divine–human union at the end of the world. Wayne had been the first human soul of the "second coming of the Son" in the new land, to lose his own identity in the Anointing, and Father had changed His name from Wayne to Faithful. It was now in the Son of God's human Person, Faithful, that the Son was consummated to the Father, during the twenty one days of the consummation, birthing the character of Michael, Who is One indivisible Being with His Father.
Wayne's human nature had been brought to crucifixion through the actual cleansing blood of the Son of God, which came from His life and crucifixion of Himself in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth. Wayne had laid hold of the "hem of Christ's garment" and had drawn it into his soul, healing him completely of his own natural thoughts and feelings. Michael, the Son of God, felt Wayne lay hold of Him, just as He had felt the woman with the issue of blood lay hold of Him when He was on earth in Person the first time.
He could distinguish the touch of faith from the casual touch of the careless throng. Some one had touched Him with a deep purpose, and had received answer... The wondering crowd that pressed close about Christ realized no accession of vital power. But when the suffering woman put forth her hand to touch Him, believing that she would be made whole, she felt the healing virtue. So it is in spiritual things. To talk of religion in a casual way, to pray without soul-hunger and living faith, avails nothing. A nominal faith in Christ, which accepts Him only as the Saviour of the world, can never bring healing to the soul. The faith that is unto salvation is not a mere intellectual assent to the truth. He who waits for entire knowledge before he will exercise faith, can not receive blessing from God. It is not enough to believe about Christ; we must believe in Him. The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him [takes in His coming] as a personal [intimate] Saviour, which appropriates His merits to ourselves. Many hold faith as an opinion. Saving faith is a transaction, by which those who receive Christ join themselves in covenant relation with God. ST 6-01-04
When Wayne received "with deep purpose" the Atonement by Blood made by the Son of God in Jesus of Nazareth, it prepared the way in his soul for the Son of God to make him Faithful, and to complete the Atonement by Consummation in his physical Person. The Atonement by Blood cleansed and covered Wayne while he was being emptied, yet the blood of the Son of God is not the end of the Messianic salvation promised. The actual Atonement by Consummation was what made the way for the divine Seed to come and remain in his soul, causing the character of the Son of God to be born out of Him.
Faithful's consummation made the way for the universe to now be witness to the character of Michael being born out from every quietly laid down soul who will let His Seed come to remain, in them. Michael, the Son of God, had faithfully brought this human soul to be laid down completely to the coming of His character, His Own thoughts and feelings, in him, and because of this, an atoning way has been made for every soul to follow in the footsteps of Faithful and let Michael's character come to remain in them. The world will yet be witness to divinity flashing through humanity in 144,000 countenances, as the glory of the Father and the glory of the Son are revealed on each face who has received the character of God in the place of their own natural character. All of these things were accomplished, not by the will of Wayne, but by the will of the Father, and by Him taking things into His Own hands.
The other imagery which Father is using to make plain the birth of the character of His Son in His bride, is the imagery of a city with its many habitations, which is like the character with its many habits. City is defined as "a collection of habitations, a large number of inhabited dwelling places established in one place." The character is like a city. This internal city is a collection of habits, a large number of habitations established in one place — within you. Every habit is truly an inhabited dwelling place, for either a part of the life of the natural self dwells in a habit of the character, or a part of the life of the Son of God dwells in a habit. Each habitation was built by the soul and the self, or by the soul and the Son, a product or fruit of intimate union and cooperation. The character city has a center from whence the life of every thought and feeling emerges to begin building a habitation. The center of the city inside of you is the soul. It is the temple of the city which contains the Holy Place of the heart and the Most Holy Place of the mind.
Habit is defined as a "condition of the mind or body acquired by custom ('long consent') or a frequent repetition of the same act. Habit is that which is held or retained, the effect of custom or frequent repetition" Webster 1828. So it is the repeated action of a soul that builds a habit. "Actions make habits, and habits, character." RH 12-08-91. "Character is formed by habits.... Habits are formed by repetition of acts...." RH 6-29-97.
This is how the soul builds a habit. A thought or feeling comes to the soul, and the soul acts on it by giving its agreement to it. The thought or feeling comes again, and the soul acts on it again, giving its agreement once again. The repeated action of the soul to that thought or feeling, builds a habitation in the soul for the one who originated the thought or feeling. For example, as the Presence of the Son is within you, one of His habits of thought crosses your mind as He is thinking it in you. Father awakens the desire in you for the thought of His Son to stay in your mind and become a part of you. As you express your desire and gratitude to Him for thinking His thoughts in you, you are giving agreement and acting on His thought.
Or, maybe you become conscious of one of the Son's habits of feeling crossing your heart as He is feeling it. You are drawn out to the Father, and you recognize it is the Son's feelings being drawn out to the Father, in you. You are grateful for His feelings, as you are well aware that you naturally don't have any drawn out feelings to God, and you desire for His drawing–out to remain in your heart forever. You act upon His feeling and turn to the Father, telling Him you love being drawn out to Him and ask Him to draw you out more. That action of the soul in response to the thoughts and feelings of the Son, repeated, form habits in your soul, or habitations in your character city.
The same process happens between the soul and the natural, familiar self. The soul generally experiences giving its agreement to the natural human thoughts of the self quite automatically. Its thoughts seem to be more natural for the soul to think, but nevertheless, its agreement, or consent, is always given, in order for a thought from self to stay around and start building a habit. The soul can give agreement by default, if it doesn't actively disagree, by refusing agreement with a thought that self has come up with.
When the soul builds a habit with the one who originated the thought or feeling it acted upon, it is a joint endeavor, a partnership, a cooperative endeavor, a trans-action, either with its own familiar self, or with the Son of God, the Anointing. The habit, in actuality, becomes the habitation of the spirit of self, or the Spirit of the Son. Habitation from the Latin word habitare means to inhabit; a residence, occupation, dwelling place, settlement." From habito, the meaning comes, "to dwell, and from habeo, to have, hold, or as we say in English, to keep; place of abode, a settled dwelling." Webster 1828. The soul either takes its familiar self — its natural, intimate soul companion "to have and hold" and keep, or it takes the Son of God "to have and to hold" and keep in its character. This is how we hold the Son of God or we hold our self — in our habits.
The modern definition of the word habit includes the additional picture of how thoroughly it becomes a part of the soul: "The prevailing disposition or character of a person's thoughts and feelings; a settled tendency; a way of acting fixed through repetition; a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition...that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance; an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary; habit implies a doing unconsciously." Merriam-Webster OnLine. A thought or feeling that has become habit, isn't given a second thought. That thought or feeling has become imPARTed to the soul, a spontaneous and constituent part of the character, a well-built habitation in the city of the soul.
The soul began building its city of habitations long before it was a conscious process. As a baby in the womb it began responding to the inherited impulses which it naturally found within its genes. After birth it naturally and quite unconsciously acted on every natural impulse of its human nature, according to its specific inherited nervous system and mental and physical makeup. By acting on its natural human impulses again and again, habits were built, and the settled city of the character began to appear.
As we read in the definitions above, the foundation of our internal city — our character — the collection of habitations built within us — is founded on two places: the thoughts of the mind and the feelings of the body, of which the heart is the center. Inspiration confirms the foundation of the character resting on these two parts of the soul, as well.
The thoughts must be brought into subjection to the will of God, and the feelings.... Our imagination was not given us to be allowed to run riot and have its own way, without any effort at restraint and discipline. If the thoughts are wrong, the feelings will be wrong; and the thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character. When we decide that as Christians we are not required to restrain our thoughts and feelings, we are brought under the influence of evil angels, and invite their presence and their control. RH 4-21-85.
The law of God is presented in the Scriptures, as broad in its requirements. ...(Its principles) reach to the thoughts and feelings of the soul. The law requires...that all thoughts and feelings shall be in accordance with the law of love and righteousness [in active agreement with only the thoughts and feelings of the Son, Who is the law of love personified]. 10MR 287.
The character was originally meant to be the habitation of God Himself, the place where He is Present in every habit. The entire character of the soul was meant to be a habitation for God. "The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation." Ex. 15:2. The word prepare means to "keep at home." We keep God at home in us, by the habits of character we build.
Chapter 12, page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
