Since Jesus' appearance, many have waited for salvation, and many more have given up faith in salvation. Both groups are right and wrong at the same time. How is this possible? From an everyday perspective, it seems impossible to resolve the contradiction. But if the readers will abandon themselves to my writing, much will become clear.

Those who are waiting for salvation have received partial knowledge only from their leaders, which, without understanding, is not sufficient for salvation, so they wait in vain. And those who have given up faith in salvation have rejected the participatory knowledge, finding that it does not work, but they have not set out to seek full knowledge, so the true mystery of salvation has not been revealed to them.

First, we need to understand what is redemption? There are many layers of meaning. It can mean redemption from suffering, from bad fate (karma), from earthly existence, from the compulsion to be reborn (the cycle of existence in samsara), but it can also mean the recovery of the Edenic state, ascension to Heaven, even enlightenment, whatever that may mean, since it has different meanings in different systems.

What Jesus showed by the example of his life satisfies all the above definitions and even goes beyond them. The only problem is that salvation is not automatic. Something has to be done for it. But what? Pray, confess, go to church, keep the Ten Commandments? Unfortunately, all this is not enough, and that is not the point

The point is in the first commandment. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew, 22.37.) Even the apostles did not understand this phrase alike, for example, Mark mentions phrase "force", instead of "mind", according to Mosaic commandment (Deuteronomy 6.5). But these two don't have the same meaning.

So, how should we love God? With all your heart! What dwells in the heart? The divine soul-spark (atman). When you love with all your heart, you offer the soul-spark to God for devotional service. As Jesus did.

How to love God? With all your soul! The soul in Christianity is the part of us that leaves the physical body at death, this is the astral-mental body, which is nothing more than what man considers his/her personality, of which the ego is the controlling center. If you love with all your soul, you offer your whole personality to God, which means giving up the ego consciousness. As Jesus did.

How to love God? With your whole mind! If you love with your whole mind, you offer God your whole mind, which means transforming mind-consciousness into God-consciousness. As Jesus did.

What are you putting on the altar of sacrifice? All that you are temporarily: personality, ego, mind, and you gain that you are eternally: the divine essence that resides in your heart. And that is the true meaning of redemption.

Margaret Rhasoda Varga
UCCM head-master
2025. Budapest, Hungary