"The immortality of the human soul and the ability of the spiritually evolved man to work out his own salvation under the Law of Birth anew, and subsequently to observe the Law of Cause and Effect, are the principal factors which govern man's conduct and all his endeavors" ("The Reappearance of the Christ," New York: Lucis Publishing Co., 1948, p. 147).

Salvation in the understanding of the New Age

Salvation in the understanding of the New Age is deliverance from the law of karma and reincarnation. The New Time offers various ways to achieve this goal. Some call it God consciousness. God's enlightenment, spiritual enlightenment, one-on-one positioning, self-awareness, self-realization, and individual transformation, among other things. Modern writer David Spengler believes that Jesus received the same enlightenment as the Buddha: "Jesus was a person who had to go through certain stages. He built according to the model given by the Buddha. He himself needed to wake up. In his consciousness he had to attain this pattern of Christ" ("Reflection on the Christ," Moray, Scotland: Findhorn Publications, 1978, p. 6). Shirley MacLaine writes, "Becoming an enlightened person requires, first, a concentration on inner spirituality, which will lead to the belief that by 'turning within' one can find something there" (Los Angeles Times, Aug. 19, 1987). Marilyn Ferguson, author of The Aquarian Conspiracy, points out that different methods achieve the same consciousness: "Stammering, poetry, the sacred mysteries of Job—these are the bridges connecting two minds, two brains—what matters is that there is something wiser and more informed within us than our ordinary consciousness" (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1980, p. 81). "Meditation, breathing exercises, fasting are among the most common techniques for changing brain function" (ibid., p. 374).

A Biblical Analysis of Modern Beliefs

The monism of the Modern Age (everything is one) cannot be recognized as an objective truth. The Bible says that God is eternal and has existed from eternity. Isaiah 40:28 says, "Do you not know? Have you not heard that the eternal Lord God, who made the ends of the earth, is not weary and faint? His mind is unsearchable." Both Genesis 1:1 and Colossians 1:16-17 show that God is uncreated and eternal. The monistic view of God asserts that He is impersonal. The Bible says that God has personal characteristics. Otherwise, love has no meaning, just as the word "He" in relation to God is also meaningless. According to Scripture, God is a three-person being. The Father is God (Gol. 1:3). The Son is God (John 1:1, 5:18, 20:28). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3, 4). There is only one God (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 43:10). Therefore, the three persons are the one true God (Ne. 48:16 - the three persons are the real Jehovah, and in the New Testament Matt. 28:19 a similar statement of Jesus is given). The God of the Bible is a being endowed with morality. No lie is found in Him (Num. 23:19). 0 The moral nature of Jesus Christ says: "For we have not such a high priest who cannot have compassion on us in our weaknesses, but who is tempted in all things like them, save sin" (Hebrews 4:15). And it is clearly shown that it is impossible for God to lie (ibid., 6:18). The New Age asserts that the world is an illusion or that the world is maya. Most supporters of the Movement would say that the world is made of the same substance as God, only at a slower level of energy vibration. It is believed that the higher vibration is pure spirit, whereas the lower vibration is matter. However, the Bible makes a clear distinction between God and the matter we encounter in the physical world (see Hebrews 1:10-12). As for Jesus the Creator, Colossians 1:16, 17 says that He created all things in heaven and on earth, visible or not. He created them. In that case, they could hardly become a part of Him. Spirit is not the invisible side of matter, and matter is not the visible side of spirit. Everything created and invisible was created by Jesus Christ. Everything created and visible was created by Jesus Christ. He made everything on earth and in heaven, visible and invisible. Therefore, He could not have been part of the creation of matter. As for the source of knowledge of the New Age Movement, their monistic pantheism asserts that the truth is within. However, this does not make their "truths" objective and, therefore, unfounded. God interacts with man in the way that the Bible says. In all the miracles of the Bible, from the parting of the waters of the Red Sea to the resurrection of Lazarus, we find objective, verifiable events that took place before the eyes of witnesses. The events of the Bible are true and can be verified by historical testimony. Peter insists on this, saying: "For we have announced to you also the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, not following cunning fables, but being eyewitnesses of His majesty" (2 Pet. 1:16). The Apostle Paul made an open statement before King Agrippa, boldly asserting that "all this did not happen in a corner" (Acts 26:26). He pointed out that God did not use subjective evidence to prove the resurrection, but did everything in a verifiable historical environment. We have seen that the Modern Age teaches that man is fundamentally virtuous. History shows the opposite, for we have not improved. Everything continues to get worse. It is also interesting to note that virtue is one of the categories of morality. The New Age wants to abolish absolute morality, but at the same time recognizes the presence of a moral quality in man. The Bible tells us that man is inherently sinful. Romans 3:10-18 shows that man is not righteous, and none of us are. Paul says, "For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). And in 1 John 1:8 it says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." The New Age believes in reincarnation. But this has nothing to do with the Bible. Luke 16:19-31 tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus back into the world to warn his five brothers of their fate (verse 28), but his request was denied. In the words of Abraham, "They have Moses and the prophets: let them hear them." And then in verse 31, "If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't believe even if someone were raised from the dead." This parable contains an interesting parallel with reincarnation. The New Age advocates seek truth from those who they believe have entered and returned from the other world, just as the rich man wanted Lazarus to do. God refused to give permission to Lazarus to return to the rich man's brothers, so we should not expect Him to contradict Himself and allow others to return through reincarnation. Let us consider separately the New Testament texts that deny reincarnation. Jesus rejects the doctrine of reincarnation: "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world" (John 8:23). Jesus makes it very clear that we are not all from the same place. He is the only one who is from the highest, and we, all the others, are from the lowest. He is the only one who is not of this world, and we, all the others, are of this world. 1 Corinthians 15:46 tells us that the natural body came first, and then the spiritual body, which we call the resurrected. Proponents of reincarnation argue the opposite. They believe that the spiritual body comes first, and then the spiritual body. Hebrews 9:27 says, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." This is probably the only text that openly condemns the idea of reincarnation. A person is destined to die once, not several. And after death, which occurs once, judgment comes. Reincarnation also denies some Christian teachings from the Bible. The doctrine of hell and the eternal punishment of sinners is denied by supporters of reincarnation, but in Luke 16:19-31 we have already seen that no one returns from the dead. Another doctrine denied by reincarnation is the atonement of guilt by Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:28 says, "So also Christ, having once offered Himself as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to be cleansed, but to those who wait on Him for salvation." Once Jesus Christ offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of many. This refutes the law of karma, which states that a person must return several times in order to find his own salvation with the help of each new reincarnation. Jesus Christ on the cross took care of our sins. 1 Peter 1:18, 19 tells us that redemption was received through the precious blood of Christ. By returning to the earth, we cannot atone for our own sins. Reincarnation denies the very purpose of Jesus Christ's coming to earth. His mission is summarized in Revelation 13:8: "And all who dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world." If reincarnation were true, then there would be no point in the coming of Jesus Christ and His fulfillment of the role of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The fact that He came proves that we cannot save ourselves through the cycles of birth, death, and new birth. The full resurrection of Jesus Christ and our future resurrection give the Christian a firm conviction that reincarnation is false. At the resurrection, Jesus received the same body that He had left. And in our future resurrection we will receive the same body, only in an exalted state. The full resurrection of Jesus and our future resurrection, as emphasized in 1 Corinthians 15, refute the doctrine of reincarnation. The plan of salvation in the New Age Movement, called self-realization and self-realization, is contrary to Scripture. Biblical salvation is faith in Jesus Christ. John 3:16-18 promises believers that they will not die but have eternal life through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Bible says nothing about self-contemplation, it speaks only about knowing the true God and knowing Jesus Christ personally. Acts 4:10-2 tells us that there is only one name under heaven by which we should be saved—and that is the name of Jesus. It is not the guru of the New Age who can help us. Non-former religious leaders can help us. It is not the techniques and methods of the New Age that can help us. Only through faith in Jesus Christ, the only name under heaven by which all people should be saved, can we find true salvation.

Conclusion

The New Age is an old lie, leading to the same impasse that Adam and Eve entered. We're all going to die, so what will we say before God? The supporters of the New Age believe that their deeds, in accordance with the law of karma, will someday justify them - they hope. A Christian has confidence in salvation in Christ. We do not hope to get it, we know (1 John 5:13). In short, the Modern Age depicts a hopeless situation leading millions of people to a Christless eternity. Only the knowledge of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ can help the supporter of the New Age to come to the truth.

Counsel to Those Who Bear Witness to Christ

We have come to the conclusion that the diversity of directions within the New Age makes it incredible that you will be aware of all the theories of the person you may encounter. An adherent of the New Age will peremptorily expound his knowledge to you. You will have to ask him what makes his arguments credible. Therefore, let him speak. The more he talks, the more comments you can write down or make in your mind. As you ask questions, pray the Holy Ghost to guide you and help you ask consistent and correct questions. A person always designates the source of his knowledge ("I have read... I experienced it... My inner voice told me... I saw a deceased relative... etc."). This happens when you begin to show the reliability of the Bible as opposed to untrustworthy sources. We know what makes the testimony of the Bible true—God has left it for us. We need to test all the knowledge of the adherent of the Modern Age by an objective criterion, such as the Bible. Begin with solid evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a verifiable and trustworthy event (see "Undeniable Evidence"). If he objects to the biblical evidence, give him his homework and let him try to refute it. Set up a meeting and continue your discussion next week to see how he is doing. Always define the terms you use when talking to a New Age adherent. Ask him what he means by a particular word, and use the mismatch of your definitions in a conversation with him. This will resolve communication difficulties from the very beginning. Try to get this person to read the modern translation of the Bible with you. Such people seem to like to build mystical interpretations around the archaic style of the King James Bible. If you give him a modern translation of the Bible, he will probably actually begin to understand and appreciate the Word of God.

16. Theosophy