THE unbelief which stands in the way of spiritual progress is not so much disbelief of the truth which has been presented, as it is the occupation of the mind with beliefs which are contrary to the truth. Since the mind is thus preoccupied, it has no hospitality for the truth. "Why do ye not understand my speech?" asked Jesus; and in reply he went on to say, "even because ye cannot hear my word." He was speaking to those who claimed to be the children of Abraham without discerning the spirit which had animated Abraham; they were proud of their lineal descent, but unable to discern the qualities of mind which exalted their great ancestor. Their formality and pride prevented them from accepting the teaching which was in accord with the vision and faith of Abraham. Later, Jesus made the sweeping statement, "Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." The converse of this would be that they who were of error did not hear, because they were listening for something else than the voice of Truth. "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them," is the explanation given by John, regarding those who affiliate with the "spirit of error."
Unbelief, then, is that condition of mind which is so receptive of erroneous views that the word of Truth seems to be a strange language, and there is no hospitality for its messenger. Disbelief may express itself in argument and controversy, and finally be changed to a new conviction as it yields to facts; but unbelief is of the nature of apathy and deafness, and it is necessary that there should first be an arousing, an awakening, then a clearing of thought, whereby the beliefs in error sheltered in the house of unbelief are dispersed. In speaking of the kind of grieving which effects repentance, Paul said, "For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves."
The abolishment of unbelief is accomplished by such a clearing of thought that wrong beliefs are seen to be without basis, and as they are dispersed there comes a vision of that which has basis and enduring cause. The false sense of man as a composite of sensations, errors, sicknesses, sins, and unsatisfied desires, yields to a vision of the truth of being. As discernment of that on which being depends, the creative power which we name God, becomes clearer, eventually it can be said that by faith we understand what man is; we are able to see the causal connection between the Father and the son who is the expression of the Father's being and character.
