Neville Goddard on Matthew 5:28 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 5 in context

Scripture Focus

28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Matthew 5:28

Biblical Context

In this verse, Jesus declares that lustful looking is already adultery in the heart. True transgression begins in the inner life, not merely in outward acts.

Neville's Inner Vision

Your verse is not a condemnation; it is a map of consciousness. Lust is not born outside you; it is a movement within the imagination, a mis-identified desire masquerading as reality. Return to the I AM, the conscious spaciousness that is always present. When a image or thought of a person arises, do not condemn it or fight it; instead, revise the impression by assuming the state you wish to inhabit: purity, reverence, and complete inner integrity. Say to yourself, I am the state of pure awareness; I do not possess but admire; I am free from attachment because I am consciousness itself. Visualize, right now, yourself looking with love and respect, as one beholding the divine in all forms, not to take, but to bless. Persist in this feeling until the old thought softens and dissolves. In that moment, you awaken to the truth that you are not a body producing desire, but the I AM producing the world. The outer scene then reflects your inner revision, and lust loses its hold.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Sit quietly, close your eyes, assume the feeling of the fulfilled state—purity now. When a lustful thought arises, revise it by declaring, I am the I AM, pure and whole; see yourself blessing, not taking; dwell in reverent seeing.