The Inner Decides - Gospel of Thomas

Verse - The Inner Decides

Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will incur a sin; if you pray, you will be condemned; and if you give alms, you will not do your spirit any good. When you go out into the country and walk there, and when they let you in, eat whatever is set before you and heal those who are sick among them. For what goes into your mouth will not hurt you, but what comes out of your mouth, that is what hurts you."

Comment

What is only done externally is useless, indeed detrimental to inner growth, because it directs the gaze outward rather than inward. No matter how good a work is, if it is done with a view to the self and its well-being, it can have the opposite effect. Outward intentions lead to looking away from the self and turning virtue into vice. Living from the spirit means what it is. Being completely directed towards the spirit, which soul and body, thought and work follow with insight - looking inward, not outward - in the spirit of oneness.

To be carnally minded is death. But to be spiritually minded is life and joy. But you are not carnal, but spiritual, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if Christ is in you, the body is dead, but the spirit is alive. If the Spirit of Christ is in you, he will give life to your mortal bodies. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God and heirs of the kingdom of God.