THE_LAW
The New Code / Mental Causation
The 'new code' or 'new law' shifts the focus of causation from physical actions to mental states. Under this law, merely entertaining a thought of…
Related Bible passages
- Matthew 5:21-22
- Matthew 5:27-28
Related ideas
HeartMindThoughtNew LawMental CausationThought as ActInner PurityPharisee
Pure In Heart
But it is a new code, a new law where causation becomes mental and not physical. You are told: “You have heard it said, ‘thou shalt not kill’ but I say unto you . . .Thou shalt not commit adultery, but I say unto you, any man who looks lustfully upon a woman has already committed the act in his heart.” The whole thing is raised from the physical level of the Pharisee – where he does not do it physically but he does it mentally – and it is raised to the level of the mind, where if you do it mentally you have done it. To plot and plan to take advantage of another and you restrain the impulse – you think of the consequences to yourself, your friends and family, and because you could not stand the embarrassment if you were caught, then you restrain the impulse to do it. That was not good enough. You should not have entertained the thought. To entertain the thought is to perform the act, with the new code. Until you cannot even entertain the thought...
The 'new code' or 'new law' shifts the focus of causation from physical actions to mental states. Under this law, merely entertaining a thought of wrongdoing, especially deceit for personal gain, is equivalent to performing the act itself. True purity requires not just refraining from physical acts but also from the mental conception of such acts.