“From a metaphysical perspective, forgiveness is a necessary condition for answered prayer. Metaphysically, forgiveness means giving up the false for the true. It means living from our Christ Consciousness instead of
our coma consciousness.”

Further, in the Gospel of Luke it states: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37, NIV). When I read “Forgive and you will be forgiven”, this didn’t seem to be the whole truth to me for it implies a ‘this for that’ mentality–reward and punishment. It implies “If I am good, God will reward me”, which is really just more embedded theology. So, I took some advice from Unity author, H. Emilie Cady, and I took this verse to meditation. After spending some time in the silence along with Dr. Bil’s definition that forgiveness is really just turning in the false for the true, I received a more clear definition of this law. It is not that I will not be forgiven if I do not forgive another, but really that I cannot be. For as long as I hold to the false and do not forgive I am stuck in error thinking. I am pretending that the pain someone caused me is more important than their divinity.

Forgiveness is a higher state, and to reach it means that I must let go of the false state of separation and fully internalize the truth that no one can take anything from me for freely I am given to and freely I give. To reach a state where you can forgive means that you have become unencumbered by the errors that have defined you, and therefore forgiveness is simply a state of higher of consciousness.

So why is this necessary for prayers to be answered? It is not necessary for prayers to be answered, but really so that prayers can be heard! In Shakespeare’s Hamlet there is a scene where the king kneels and prays not so much for forgiveness for his “rank” offense in killing his brother, but rather that he will get away with it. When he finishes praying, he rises and utters: “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” How often do we go to prayer with our thoughts, emotions, and words all going in different directions? If we do not know the truth, then how can we ask rightly? Forgiveness is necessary for prayer to be heard, because it allows us to remove our focus from the false so that we can align our thoughts, words, and deeds in the truth. And when we are fully aligned in truth, we have a clear channel to the Almighty source.

So what exactly are the properties of true forgiveness. I would offer that true forgiveness is the belief that the violation never happened. It simply could not have occurred. Anything less maintains that you are a ‘body’ that can be violated and not the spirit of Christ that is impervious to harm.

When you realize that in an illusory world you cannot be violated due to its illusory nature what is there to forgive. However, if you experience violation then you do assert belief that you are a body in an illusory world bereft of the Spirit of God.

This illusory world requires fear, and fear is the “cloud” through which moses’ prayers go unheeded and it is this very same cloud that obstructs our payers. When you “Dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven Within…” you do so in realization of spirit and in finally denying that you could have ever been a body. Therefore, without fear your prayers are easily answered and “…all else is added unto thee.”

Just my humble opinion
Mike S