God is close to man.

 

32. God is close to man. One of the things the religions of God tell us is that God is ever close to man, even though we are far spiritually away from Him by the worldly deeds of our own actions: The religions of God tell us that God is so close to man that He can be found within us even though we are unaware of it. BAHA’I FAITH: “The All-Glorious and Almighty God, within thy proper self and is wrapped up within thee.” “O SON OF BEING! Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation.”

(Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 152 and The Arabic Hidden Words verse quotation 59) 

We find in the Bahá’í Writings that God is closer to us then we are to ourselves. The other religions of God also tell us that God is ever close to us even if we can’t tell it. (See God is found inside of us for more information)  JUDAISM: Isaiah: 46:13 “I bring near My righteousness; it shall not be far off, and My salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel My glory.” Isaiah: 51:5 “My righteousness is near; My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the people;” Isaiah: 50:7 “For The Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me;” Jeremiah: 23:23 “Am I a God at hand, saith The LORD, and not a God afar off?” 23:24 “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith The LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith The LORD.”  CHRISTIANITY: Acts: 17:27 “That they should seek The Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us.” James: 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of The Lord, and He shall lift you up.” Ephesians: 4:4 “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;” 4:5 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism,” 4:6 “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Romans: 8: 9 “…..the Spirit of God dwell in you.” 1 Corinthians: 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 2 Corinthians: 6:16 “Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 1 Corinthians: 14:25 “…..God is in you of a truth.”

 ISLAM: 16. “It was We who created man and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein.”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 50)

 “Lower your voices, for you are not calling a deaf or an absent one, but you are calling a Hearer Who is near and is with you.”

(Hadith, Bukhari Vol 5, Book 59, # 516)

 ZOROASTRIANISM: 4. “Lord who is Ahura Mazda (God) Himself, Him who has attained the most to this our ritual, Him who has approached the nearest to us.”

(Zoroaster, The Zend-Avesta, Avesta – Yasna 57)

 6. “I, Ahura Mazda, brought it down with mighty vigor, for the increase of the house, of the borough of the town, of the country, to keep them, to maintain them, to look over them, to keep and maintain them close.”

(The Zend-Avesta, Khorda Avesta – Book of Common Prayer pt. 1)

 4. I who by worship would keep far from Thee, O Mazda…..that is most near,….. and from the Right, wherein Mazda Ahura dwells. Him who has approached the nearest to us.”

(The Zend-Avesta, Avesta – Yasnas 33 and 57)

 HINDUISM: “For subtlety of instant presence; close To all, to each; yet measurelessly far!”

(Hindu, Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr) chapter 13)

 5. “Always near, The Lord of the past and the future, hence-forward fears no more. This is that!”

(Hindu, Upanishads vol. 2, Katha-Upanishad)

 “He is the one God, hidden in all beings, all pervading, the self within all beings, watching over all works, dwelling in all beings, the witness, the perceiver, the only one, free from qualities.”

 (Upanishads vol. 2, Svetasvatara-Upanishad)

 BUDDHISM: “I (Brahma/God) am known by uncounted trillions of names. They address me by (these) different names not realizing that they are all names of the one same (God), Tathagata. Some recognize me as Tathagata, some as The Self-existent One, some as Gautama the Ascetic, some as Buddha. Then there are others who recognize me as Brahma, as Vishnu, as Ishvara; some see me as Sun, as Moon; what they have imagined, and fail to see that the name they are using is only one of the many names of the Tathagata.” “The Tathagata,” The One, who watches over us and guides us, with aid and assistance, is ever close at hand. “The Tathagatas are in close fellowship with each individual being comforting, encouraging, guiding, and strengthening.” (Buddha, Lankavatara and Surangama Sutra)

 “Be aware of bodily anger and control your body. Let go of the body’s wrongs and practice virtue with your body. Be aware of the tongue’s anger and control your tongue. Let go of the tongue’s wrongs and practice virtue with your tongue. Be aware of the mind’s anger and control your mind. Let go of the mind’s wrongs and practice virtue with your mind. The wise who control their body, who control their tongue, the wise who control their mind are truly well controlled. That one is praised even by the gods, even by Brahma.” Who is ever close. “The one who is free from gullibility, who knows the Uncreated, who has severed all ties, removed all temptations, renounced all desires, is the greatest of people.”

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 2 (tr. J. Richards))

 SABEANISM: “And it was revealed to me and to all of them in this book, and they acted upon this reliable baser acting according to this (its) light and removing nothing from this writing of great revelation that was given to Adam the first man.” “And Thou hast spoken to us with Thy Word And hast commanded us with Thy commandment – Be My glory and I will be your Glory. Be my light and I will be your Light. And my name shall be in your mouths And I will be with you.” Ever near and close to you. (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapter 75) 

 “Put far from us Thy wrath and bring near Thy mercy.” “Behold, here I stand! Behold, here I dwell! Worlds against whom I guard myself Though your words are not far from my face.” (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapters 75 and 76)

 BABI RELIGION: “Verily I say, the heavenly Father is ever with you and keeps watch over you. If you be faithful to Him, He will assuredly exalt you above all.” God is ever near to us.

        The Bab: (Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 92) 

 “DO men imagine that We are far distant from the people of the world? Nay, the day We cause them to be assailed by the pangs of death they shall, upon the plain of Resurrection, behold how the Lord of Mercy and His Remembrance were near. For verily the Remembrance of God appeared before us, behind us, and on all sides, yet we were, in very truth, shut out as by a veil from Him.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 46)

BAHA’I FAITH: “They shall glorify their creator and sanctify the self of God which standeth within all things.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, The Tablet of the Branch – from BWF)

“Be thou not sad, for God is near to thee.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha v3, p. 557)

“Methinks Thou art near, invested with the signs.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Tablets of Baha’u’llah, p. 15)

“We are closer to man than his life-vein.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 185)

“Wonder not, if my Best-Beloved be closer to me than mine own self; wonder at this, that I, despite such nearness, should still be so far from Him.”

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 184)