In this lecture Neville Goddard teaches that every human being is born divine because the simple act of saying “I am” proclaims the presence of the Christ-child within. He explains that scripture uses parables – such as placing a child in the midst of the disciples – to illustrate the truth that our inner divine self continually beholds and molds us into the Father’s image. Goddard emphasizes that our worldly roles are merely shadows cast by this inner child, and by applying the precept “whatever you desire, believe that you have it and you will,” we can consciously assume and manifest any state. He draws on biblical examples like David and Jesus to show the unfolding of our true identity as both son and Father in the divine drama. Ultimately, he assures listeners that no matter what roles they play or hardships they suffer, the Christ-seed within them never deviates from its goal of perfect likeness to God.
In the nature of things it is impossible for any child born of woman to go unredeemed, for the moment he says, “I am,” he is proclaiming all that is divine in his flesh. Therefore, God cannot cast away that which constitutes the “I” of man without casting himself away, and that is impossible.
Scripture teaches in the form of parables, and we must learn to distinguish between the parable told and its message. In the 18th chapter of the gospel of Matthew we read that he placed a child in the midst of them and said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” The word “angel” means a messenger; to bring forth, and the word translated “child” means “an infant; a term of endearment.” Here we find a child is always beholding the face of the Father who is in heaven and bringing forth his message by becoming what he beholds.
The reality of man is symbolised as that of the Christ-child, the incorruptible seed which is always beholding the face of the Father, molding man’s reality into the Father’s image that he may become one with his Father. Casting his shadow into a certain role, we judge the role, not knowing that the innocent child is doing it as he molds himself into the image of the Father. In the world we play our parts by saying, I am rich, I am poor, I am known, I am unknown; yet all the while the innocent Christ-child (this incorruptible seed) is beholding the face of the perfect one, molding itself into the image of that which it beholds. It is my desire to constantly see truth so clearly that I become its image and share it with everyone who will listen.
Not understanding the horrors of the world, man thinks he is damned and not saved; but I tell you, every child born of woman is already redeemed. The being that is the child’s reality is molding himself into the image of the Father and becoming what he beholds. But in the world he is casting himself into the many parts to be played. At the moment he may be playing the part of a rich man or perhaps a poor man; still he is free to choose yet another state by applying the precept, “Whatever you desire, believe that you have it and you will.” You are always molding yourself into the image of what you are beholding, whether in this world of death or that world of life. But your Christ-child is always beholding the face of your Father and molding himself into his likeness, that you may know who you are and say within yourself, “I am He!”
This seems fantastic, but it is true, for I am telling you what I know, not what I am theorising or speculating about. No one can fail. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he could not let his people go. Then giving them blow after blow, he again hardened his heart – so who is responsible? The child is dreaming he is Job as he casts his shadow and plays the many parts. But in the end you will understand why you put yourself through hell, and you will be given a hundred times more than you had before.
You are playing a role now, and have played unnumbered roles in the past. Many of you here are playing the last role, but every role was for the purpose of molding you into the image of that which you are beholding. Always beholding the perfect image, hopeful that you will not deviate from it, you will become an image of truth.
Now he tells you, “If you abide in my Word you will know that I am the truth.” You will know this when God’s son sets you free, and when your son sets you free, you are free indeed. In the meantime you are molding your face into the image of that which you are beholding. Now you see only the shadow world, but if you believe me and remember my words in your moments of despair, they will support you in your times of trouble.
In the 8th chapter of Proverbs, the little child tells us, “In the beginning, when the Lord created the universe, I was beside him as a little child. I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always. He who finds me, finds life. He who misses me, injures himself; all who hate me, love death,” for they are in love with this world of death.
When you view consciousness you must see the two relationships: the pure, unconditioned I AM, and the conditioned I AM. Now conditioned, I am aware ofbeing Neville, a speaker and teacher. Another condition placed upon pure awareness is that of a banker, a lawyer, or that of a thief. These are all conditioned states of being the little child has cast you into, and you are playing your part perfectly.
You do not see that little child until the end of the play, at which time you will hold that infant in your arms and your intense feeling towards him will come forward into speech. In my own case I said, “How is my sweetheart?” The child calls forth a term of endearment, for when you find that child, you find life. You find he who was beside the Lord when he created the world, and you will know that. He who misses me, injures himself, and he who hates me is in love with the world of death.
Everything here is mortal, and in time the billionaire will leave his billions and the honored general will leave his medals. The billions will decay and the medals will tarnish. Everything here will vanish and leave not a trace behind, but he who played the part of the millionaire and the general cannot vanish. He is that little child within, who was one with God, and is God. It is he who watches and changes the image until he is as perfect as his father in heaven is perfect. He is building the same image and when he reflects and radiates it, you will find that child and speak words of endearment to him.
The child is but a sign of your true being who is casting himself into these many roles. He cast me into the role of a poor boy, in a family with no intellectual, social or financial background. Then he brought me out as the perfect image of the Father for me to discover my own being. That is the story of everyone in this world.
Now, he gives you a cushion by telling you that, through the act of assumption, you can fulfill every desire of your heart. Knowing what you want, you must assume that you have it in the same sense that the Christ child is assuming he is what he is beholding. You must behold yourself as secure if that is your desire. You must behold yourself as healthy if that is what you want. You must feel yourself into the state desired with the same persistence as Christ in you is feeling himself into the image of the Father, for he never deviates from that wish.
When you know who you are, you will discover that you are free to be anything, go anywhere and possess every desire of your heart. You will also know that, no matter what you have gone through, what you are going through or what you may go through, you will be redeemed, for he, in you, will not falter watching the face of the Father. As Blake said so beautifully, “You will see from what I teach, that I do not consider either the just or the wicked to be in a supreme state, but to be everyone of them states of the sleep into which the soul may fall in its deadly dreams of good and evil when it left paradise following the serpent.”
It was the serpent, the symbol of eternal life, that said, “Did God say you would die? I tell you, you will not really die, but will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eating of the tree of good and evil, you remain in the world as you judge another; but behind your mask is the Christ child, who is molding you into the image of the Father. If you find yourself in a state you do not like, apply this principle and assume you are free from all encroachments, knowing in the depth of your soul that you are seeing the face of your Father. When you first see him you do not know he is the Father. Just as a child knows its parents before he knows they are his parents, you will know God before you know he is the Father, and you know the Father before you know he is yourself. This is how consciousness awakens in the world.
The son of man comes to save those who are lost by their wandering consciousness. You simply wandered from the state, that is all. You are not lost. When you say, “I am” you are in, of and moving towards the I AM. Always in him and of him, you are moving towards consciously thinking from being the one I AM. Everyone is moving towards being that I AM, for everyone is in imagination, of imagination, and moving towards knowing consciously that he is all imagination.
Everything in this world invites you to wander away from the I AM. Urged to believe in that pill, this diet, a man, you move away from your true identity and become lost as your consciousness wanders. But it doesn’t really matter, for you cannot be lost, as the son of man will come. He is the one in whom the ideal has been realized. Called Jesus, he is the personification of the incorruptible seed which awoke, budded, flowered, and bore its fruit. And in that state you move towards Fatherhood when your son David reveals your true identity.
Last lecture night I tried to make my message clear, but there were those who did not understand, so I shall repeat it briefly now. The message is simple. In scripture, the expression “Christ” is used of the human race and of the human who has achieved the ideal. The human race, with all of its generations and experiences, is personified as the eternal youth, David. Now the being in whom the ideal is realised, is called Jesus, who is God the Father, whose son is David. Everyone in whom the ideal is attained is Jesus, and in the end there is Jesus only, who is the one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one God, and Father of all. You, individually, will attain the ideal when you are confronted by your son who bears witness to the fact that you are God the Father.
This may not be the easiest thing to grasp, but you dwell upon it. Lean against this truth in time of trouble. That is what Paul meant when he said, “I consider the sufferings of this present time not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed in us.” Paul never doubted this heavenly vision was the promise God made to the fathers, but he didnít spell it out. I am trying my best to make it as clear as possible. The sum total of your experiences in this world of humanity – no matter how cruel they may have been – when fulfilled, produce David; so in the end you will say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” On this level we judge and condemn, but these parts must be played by you, an individual, before you can produce David, and when you see David you know you are God the Father and that is Jesus.
Now, he calls a child and puts him in the midst of them saying, “Let no one despise one of these, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father, who is in heaven.” Why? Because a man always becomes what his “I” beholds. You can take anyone and represent him to yourself as the man (or woman) you would like him to be and, if you do not waver in that representation, he will conform to it. If you want someone to be big in your world, you must make him big in your mind first, and treat him that way morning, noon and night. If you see him as that being, he cannot fail, because he must become what you behold. But you cannot waver. The moment you listen to a rumor, you change the picture, and you cannot.
Many years ago I read the story of famous theatrical mothers and their sons. One was Milton Beryl. He was her only child and she built her world around him. She would join the group of boys playing ball and tell them that Milton was the star, and whatever he said, they were to do. If they did not, she would take their ball and bat away. The story listed a dozen such children whose mothers held that ideal of their sons in their mind’s eye. They did not falter and therefore their sons could not fail. They had to become what their mother beheld of them. If a mother compares her son to another child and finds hers wanting, she has broken the image. She sees him less than, but she must see him as great and never falter in her image of him if she really wants him to be great.
Now, there is something in you that has never taken his eyes off the face of the Father and will not deviate until you are perfect. In the meantime, it casts its shadow and you play the part of a bum, a part necessary to bring the image into focus. Then it will cast another image and yet another until you are perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. But what is the reality of your flesh? “I am.” When you say “I am” you are proclaiming that which is divine and cannot be cast off unless God is willing to lose himself, for the “I” in you is God. Therefore, God cannot fail to achieve his predetermined goal, which is to fashion himself into and eventually become the Father.
What a mystery! Just think, before that the world was, you were predestined to become its author, its actor and the one who supports and sustains it. You, who have played many horrible parts, are Jesus. And when your image is perfect, you will awaken as he who is God, the Father of humanity. And when humanity is gathered together into a single being and projected, you will see your son David. That is the mystery.
What the next play will be I do not know. I only know that, until everyone has awakened, this play is not complete. So, donít criticise, or condemn, because – from above – we will aid every being here to come home. We are the ones called, “Those who came to save the lost.” First we seek him, then save him by bringing that wandering consciousness back to the vision of the Father. Now my one consuming desire is to see truth so clearly that I become an eye-witness and can tell my experiences just as they happen m me.
I am not asking you to stop giving your money to charity if – in the giving -it gives you pleasure; but giving to the poor and needy is not going to save you. Only that which is in you, whose face is focused on the eternal Father, can save you by becoming what he is beholding. As he sees it, he casts its shadow. Knowing you need a certain experience embodied, he casts its shadow, yet gives you a cushion, telling you that whatever you desire, if you will but believe you have received it, you will. You may now be cast in the role of a poor man, but you need not anchor yourself there by claiming you cannot become rich. Rather, you can cast yourself in the role of a rich man by believing you are rich. You can cast yourself, consciously, into any role you desire to express while you are molding yourself into the image of the Father.
The Bible is filled with wonderful stories which the scholars have misunderstood. Like the one I quoted today. “He put the little child in the midst of them.” Scholars wonder who the little child was and what became of him, for they read it as a secular story and the Bible hasnít a thing to do with any happening on earth. Jesus is not a man of secular history. He is a representative of every man within whom that incorruptible seed blossomed and bore its fruit. The resurrection, the birth, the discovery of the Fatherhood – all of these are the fruit you are bearing.
There is nothing comparable to this truth. If you owned the world, what would it matter if tomorrow you died and left it all? What would be the point of living if there were no end to this mortal life? But what I am telling you is true. You are an immortal being who cannot die. Dead though the body seems, you, its reality, cannot die for your I AM is God. There never was another God and there never will be another God.
You are slowly awakening to the realisation that you are the God who created everything and that no one is greater than the other. In this world we all try to be better than the other, but when the truth is revealed, we will know that there is only one son and only one Father. And, if I am the father of David, and you are the father of David, are we not one? Then we will understand the great Sh’mah: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one.” He is the one Father, and cannot be two, but if he is a father there must be a son to bear witness to his fatherhood. If you have the identical experience as I do are we not one? So in the end there is only one God, one Father, and one son. The one fell asleep and is dreaming this scattered, divine state into being. In the end we all will awake as the one who fell asleep, yet we will not lose our identity. I will love you dearly as a seeming other, yet know that we are one. Itís a peculiar mystery. We are all God the Father, for there is no other being. God first reveals himself as almighty power, then as “I am” and finally as infinite love, the Father.
So, why are we here? Blake put it beautifully: “We are put on earth a little space that we may learn to bear the beams of love.” In your present state you could not stand the beams of love, for Godís infinite love is sheer power. We see power used in going to the moon, and we contemplate going to Venus and Mars, but the power to get us there is as a firecracker compared to your true being who brought the world into being and sustains it.
One day the play will be over and, I don’t care what a man has ever done, he will awaken as God. Put yourself now, in the part of a father whose son is accused of a horrible act. Loving your son, would you not want him to go free? I know I would. I would regret that he did it, but I would forgive him and want him to go free. Read David’s story carefully and you will find that there is not a thing that man could do that David did not do. He sent Urias into battle, knowing he would be killed so David could have Bathsheba. Although he had a thousand wives of his own, he stole a manís wife because he wanted one more; yet he was called the perfect man, the Lordís son, “A man after my own heart who will do all my will.”
David is not a little man born of a woman. He is spirit. Personified as an eternal youth, David is the result of your journey into the world of death. When the Christ child, in you, has put you through all the generations of men and you have experienced everything you agreed to in the beginning, you are perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect, and you have formed David, your son, to reveal you to yourself. The world thinks Jesus Christ is the son of God, but I tell you Jesus is the Lord. This is a mystery. David comes in the spirit and calls Jesus “Father.” Humanity is Christ, the son and Jesus is God the Father.
I cannot open your skull and force the solution to this mystery into it. I can only give it to you in words, but I can tell you that the day is coming when you will experience my words. Your skull will explode and you will experience everything said of Jesus Christ in the first person, singular, present tense. Cast in the major role, you will know you are he, even though you will remain a very limited being in this world of mortality. You came into this world of death to overcome it, bringing with you the incorruptible Christ seed who is beholding the Father, transforming you into his image. And since the Father cannot beget another, he is begetting himself.
But while you are here, take his wonderful precept and believe that you can have anything you desire. There is no restriction placed upon the power of belief. There is no need to first consult some holy man to see whether you should have it or not. You be the judge. Choose your desire and, to the degree that you are self-persuaded that you have it, you will get it. And, because we are all one, if it takes one million people to aid the birth of your assumption, they will do it, without their knowledge or consent, so you don’t have to ask anyone to aid you. They will do it not even knowing that they are. All you are called upon to do is to assume that you have it. An assumption, though false, if persisted in will harden into fact. That is the principle.
Behind this fantastic play where you are awakening as God, we have a secondary state. In it you may be cast into the role of a poor man and need Caesar’s coins to meet his demands of taxes, rent and food. So you can render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s by assuming that you have that which Caesar demands, and remain faithful to that assumption. In the meantime something else is taking place in you which is infinitely greater than Caesar’s world, for this world will come to an end, but the kingdom of heaven is forever as it is eternal. Caesar’s world is one of death, but the human imagination is eternal life. It is the human imagination who will reveal your true identity to you when you are perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. Then you will see David, the sign that you have reached the end of the journey. Having played all the parts, you are the conqueror and your crown is waiting for you as your son reveals your Fatherhood. If the Lord tells David, “Thou art my son, today I have begotten thee,” and David calls you Father, are you not the one called God in scripture?
It seems so silly for a little man, one of billions, to make these extravagant claims, but they are true. Einstein was a man of small stature, but he conceived an idea that has changed the thinking of the entire world. So God, wearing the mask of a little man, takes it off to reveal his true identity, and the little manís words, believed, will change the world.
So the little child was brought and put in the midst of everyone. Don’t despise him, for he is the one who was with me in the beginning of time. When I laid out the foundations of the world he was beside me as a little child. He was daily my delight, delighting forever in the affairs of men. He who finds him, finds life. He who misses him injures himself. He who hates him, loves death.
The little child is a symbol of you, molding yourself into the image of the Father. You are casting yourself into these shadow worlds and when you are perfect you will radiate your Father and bear the very stamp of his nature. Then David will stand before you, in the Spirit, and call you “Father.”
Now let us go into the silence.
Neville Goddard’s core thesis in “All That Is Divine” rests on the identification of the individual’s “I am” with the divine Christ-child, an incorruptible seed that perpetually beholds the Father’s face. By interpreting biblical narratives as symbolic dramas of consciousness, he reframes traditional theology into a psychological-metaphysical system: we are the actors in a play authored by our own imagination, and our beliefs harden into reality through persistent assumption.
Goddard uses the parable of Jesus placing a child among the disciples to highlight the power of inner vision. He insists that we must distinguish between the historical story and the spiritual message – that the invisible Christ within each person is always beholding the perfect image and drawing that image into manifestation. Thus, roles like rich man, poor man, or thief become temporary states cast by the child for the purpose of self-discovery and transformation.
The method of assumption is at the heart of his practical teaching. By unshakably assuming the state we desire – whether health, wealth, or divine realization – we mirror the Christ-child’s unwavering focus on the Father. Goddard extends this principle psychologically: collective human imagination cooperates unconsciously to manifest each individual’s steadfast assumption, making conscious change both personal and cosmically supported.
Finally, Goddard deepens his metaphysical narrative by exploring the relationship between Jesus and David as archetypes of ideal and journey. Here Jesus represents the perfected Father, and David the eternal youth born from our cumulative experiences. When the Christ-child within us has lived every human role and returned perfected, we awaken as both Father and son – the ultimate mystery that unites us all. This teaching offers a comprehensive model for spiritual awakening that is simultaneously mystical, psychological, and practical.
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