T. 22. II. 4 – 7. Jesus: “One illusion cherished and defended against the truth makes all truth meaningless to you, and all illusions real! Such is the power of belief. It cannot compromise. And your faith in innocence still is ‘faith in sin’ if the belief excludes one living thing and holds it apart from your forgiveness.
Both reason and the ego will tell you this, but what they make of it for you is not the same! The ego will try to assure you that it is impossible for you to see anyone utterly guiltless! And if its ‘seeing’ were the only means by which escape from guilt could be attained, then the belief in sin must be eternal. Yet reason looks upon this lesson another way, for reason sees the source of an idea as what will make it either true or false. This must be so, if the idea is like its source, which it must be.
Therefore, says reason, if escape from guilt was given the Holy Spirit as His purpose, given by One to Whom nothing willed can be impossible, then the means for its attainment are more than merely ‘possible.’ They must be there now, and you must have them!
In this course, this is a crucial period for you, for here the recognition that you are not the ego must be made complete. If you have the means to let the Holy Spirit’s purpose be accomplished, they can be used. And through their use will you gain faith in them. Yet the ego makes this seem impossible to you, and no one undertakes to do what holds no hope of ever being done.
You know what your Creator wills is possible, but the ‘other self’ you made believes it is not so. Now must you choose between yourself and an illusion of yourself. Not both, but one!
There is no point in trying to avoid this one decision. It must be made! Faith and belief can go to either side, but reason tells you misery lies on one side, while joy lies on the other! Forsake your brother not at this point! For you two who are the same will not decide alone nor differently. Either you give each other life or death; either you are each other’s savior or his judge, offering him sanctuary or condemnation.
This course will be believed entirely or not at all! For it is wholly true or wholly false to you, and cannot be but partially believed. And accordingly, you will either escape from misery entirely or not at all!
Reason will tell you that there is no middle ground where you can pause uncertainly, waiting to choose between the joy of Heaven and the misery of hell. Until you choose Heaven, you are in hell and misery!”