I Have a Function God Would Have Me Fill.
1. The holy Will of your Father is that you complete Him.
²And that your Self be His holy Son, forever pure as He.
³Created by Love, and preserved in Love.
⁴Extending Love, and creating in His Name.
⁵Forever One with God and with your Self.
2. But what could such a function mean in a world of envy, hatred, and attack?
²This is why you have a function in the world as it understands.I
³For who could understand a language here that lies beyond its simple grasp?
3. Forgiveness is your function here.
²It is not a creation of God, for it is the means by which what is not true can be undone.
³Who could need forgiveness in Heaven?
⁴Yet on earth, you do need the means to leave illusion behind.II
⁵Creation merely waits for your return, not to be complete, but to be recognized.
4. Creation is something that cannot even be conceived of in the world.
²Here, it means nothing.III
³Forgiveness is the closest thing to it the earth can offer.
⁴For having been born in Heaven, it has no form.
⁵Yet God created One with the power to give form to what is formless.
⁶He shapes dreams so close to waking that the light of day already shines within them.
⁷And eyes beginning now to open behold the happy landscapes His gifts contain.
5. Forgiveness gently looks upon all things that are unknown in Heaven.IV
²It sees them disappear and leaves the world a clean and spotless slate on which the Word of God can now replace the meaningless symbols that once were written there.
³Forgiveness is the means by which the fear of death is overcome, for it no longer has the fierce attraction, and guilt has vanished.
⁴Forgiveness lets the body be perceived as what it is: a simple aid to teaching that is laid aside when learning is complete, but that in no way changes the learner.
6. Without the body, the mind cannot err.
²It cannot think it will die, nor be the prey of merciless attacks.
³Without the body, anger is meaningless.
⁴Then what is there to fear?
⁵What fears could still pursue the one who has let go of the source of all attack, the core of anguish, and the seat of fear?
⁶Only forgiveness can release the mind from thinking that the body is its home.
⁷Only forgiveness can restore the peace God wills for His holy Son.
⁸Only forgiveness can persuade the Son to look once more upon his holiness.
7. When anger is gone, you will truly see that no sacrifice was asked of you to restore the vision of Christ and the gift of sight.
²Only the pain of a tortured and sickened mind was lifted.
³Is that not something to desire?
⁴Must you fear it?
⁵Or is it something you should long for, receive with gratitude, and welcome with joy?
⁶We are one, and thus we give up nothing.
⁷God, in truth, has already given us everything.
8. But we need forgiveness to perceive that this is so.
²Without its kindly light, we stumble in the dark, using reason only to justify our rage and our attacks.
³Our understanding is so limited that what we think we grasp is but confusion born of error. V
⁴We are lost in the shadows of shifting dreams and fearful thoughts, with eyes closed to avoid the light and minds prepared to worship what does not exist.
9. Who can be reborn in Christ but he who has forgiven everyone he sees, thinks of, or imagines? VI
²Who can be free while he imprisons anyone?
³A jailer is not free, for he is bound to what he keeps in chains.
⁴He must be sure his prisoner does not escape, and so he spends his time in watching him.
⁵The bars that keep his captive locked become the world in which he lives with him.
⁶And the freedom of one is the freedom of the other.
10. Therefore, do not hold anyone in prison.
²Release instead of bind, and so you will be released.VII
³And the way to do this is very simple.
⁴Each time you feel a stab of anger, realize you hold a sword above your head.VIII
⁵And it will fall or not, depending on your choice to condemn or to release.
⁶Thus, everyone who seems to rouse your anger is your savior, come to free you from the prison of death.
⁷And for this you owe him thanks instead of pain.
11. Be merciful today.
²The Son of God deserves your mercy.
³It is he who asks you now to take the road to freedom.
⁴Do not deny it to him.
⁵The Love his Father bears for him is yours as well.
⁶Your only function here on earth is to forgive him, that you may accept him back as your true Self.
⁷He is as God created him.
⁸And you are what he is.
⁹Forgive him now his sins, and you will see that you are one with him.
I This lesson reminds you that your function here is not something you decide for yourself—it has been given to you. And that function, which in the world translates as forgiveness, is the means by which you can begin to remember who you are. Forgiveness is the earthly form of mercy—the way your mind, still trapped in time, can glimpse eternity.
But do not forget this: forgiveness is not a theory. It is not a brilliant idea to be taught in talks or workshops, nor an inspiring phrase to post on social media. Forgiveness is a living practice that involves your whole being. And above all, it is relational. It is not about “understanding” that the world is an illusion, but about treating others with respect, kindness, and truth. True forgiveness begins where theory ends—in the gentle gesture, the simple act, the shared meal, or the hand that refrains from judging.
A crucial revelation once shared in a meeting sheds light on this path: though the statement “the world does not exist” is literally true, it can often be pedagogically useless, or even counterproductive. Not because it is false, but because it often separates rather than unites. The purpose of the Course is not to make you feel special or more enlightened than others. Quite the opposite: it is to help you become a normal, loving, useful person. To bring Heaven down to earth without losing sight of it. For your forgiveness will not be believable unless it is kind. And your holiness will not be real unless it takes concrete form in acts of goodness.
Jesus never taught that the world did not exist. The saints who walked the earth did not carry that idea as their banner. Why? Because the highest truth is not shouted—it is embodied. The Course teaches you that illusion is undone from within, patiently, without specialness. The enlightened one is not he who repeats grand phrases, but he who comforts, serves, and loves.
To be a good student of the Course is not to speak of non-dualism; it is to never lose your tenderness. It is to smile when you don’t feel like it, to help your neighbor even if she doesn’t understand you, to dance boleros on a Saturday with your brothers and not forget that all of that—though illusory—is precisely the place where your function is fulfilled. For love can only be given where you believe yourself to be. And as long as you see bodies, stories, and streets, that is where forgiveness takes place.
The greatest miracle is that you can learn to love within a dream. And that learning is your only function here.
In the realm of dreams, both liberation and the means to attain it must themselves be dreams. Dreams are your brother’s sins and your own. The idea you hold of yourself is a dream, and the forgiveness that will lead you to awaken from this nightmare is also a dream. Your function must be consistent with the medium in which it appears.
Your function here is to forgive; that is all you have to do. To forgive, to be happy, and to make others happy is your only function here. And there can be no happiness while anything remains outside your forgiveness or excluded from your love.
II Although you are already quite familiar with the idea of forgiveness as thisCourse presents it, you may still not be fully aware of where to apply it or what it really means to forgive everything. You may think this means forgiving all your “enemies” or the offenses and attacks you sometimes perceive from people or from life itself. Certainly, all that must be forgiven, but the true forgiveness thisCourse teaches goes far beyond that: you must forgive everything. And here, “everything” means everything you perceive, without exception.
In truth, the only thing you must forgive are illusions, and to visualize this better we will divide the object of forgiveness into two broad areas. The first encompasses everything you consider external to yourself and call the world. That world you perceive is an illusion—you already know this—and it presents itself to you as composed of multiple distinct aspects you call “things.” Thus, we may say that for you the world is a collection of illusions. You must forgive them all, for they are unreal: they are not true, they are not like you, and you must be fully aware that this is always so. Forgiveness is precisely that: letting something pass by, knowing it is an illusion, and allowing yourself to see in it only the faint reflection of love it may evoke or contain.
All perceptual experiences you name with particular terms are illusions. Every concrete object, every living body, every physical phenomenon is an illusion. The trees, the wind, the sun, and the stars; the earth beneath your feet and the bodies of your loved ones; the animals, the rivers, the rain—all of it is illusion, and you must learn to see it as such and forgive it.
None of it is true, for none of it is like you. None of it is your Self, though in some way it is contained within It. None of it is relevant or has any importance, for none of it is known in Heaven. It exists only in your private world and must be forgiven. Why? Because now you know that you are dreaming, and everything you encounter in your dream must be unreal and forgiven. If you do not forgive it, the dream will trap you, and you will not awaken.
Perhaps such a radical stance makes you uncomfortable, and if so, it is because you still harbor some hope of finding comfort within your dream. There is none. The true comfort—and the good news—is to know that you are dreaming and that you will awaken, not to try to build a better dream, for that is the oldest illusion of all. All your capacity to forgive, to heal, and to work miracles rests on the firm recognition that the world is an illusion. This Course is built upon that truth. It is the cornerstone of your liberation and your happiness, even within this world.
And if you wish to play your part faithfully—to heal, to heal others, and to be happy—you must never forget this: the world is an illusion. Period. Yet it is also true that illusions deserve your gentle respect. This means you must look upon them with care and consult the One who knows what to do with them. He will show you the optimal way to handle them, to save time and to fulfill your role in the plan of salvation impeccably.
The second area to forgive is your “inner world”: your thoughts. And this refers to everything—absolutely everything—that crosses your mind: your opinions, judgments, interpretations, preferences, desires, fears, guilt, lofty ideas, the image you have of yourself, your past, your present, your future. All of it, without exception, must be forgiven. Let it go. Do not hold onto it, do not value or cherish it. All of it is illusion and untrue. A flower, a dog, the breeze on your face are exactly the same as a political opinion, a toothache, or a holiday memory. They are the same because they are illusions, and as such they must be forgiven so they cannot imprison you and cause you pain.
With this in mind, continue with the Lesson, and perhaps now you will better understand the role of the Holy Spirit and forgiveness in your illusory life: they are essential—they are the key to your happiness and your salvation. You need forgiveness far more than air. Never forget this. Do not turn away from forgiveness for even an instant, for if you do, you will begin to slip into an uncertain world, and fear and anger will arise.
III It is very important that you become familiar with the idea that thisCourse will speak to you of many things you cannot now understand, for to understand them is salvation itself. Be very careful with all of this and do not assume you are capable of understanding real concepts such as God, the Son of God, Creation, Truth, Love, Eternity, and others.
All the terms in this Course that appear capitalized are, here and now, incomprehensible. The good news is that you are not really “here and now,” and that you understand them perfectly, for they are what you truly are, even though here and now you seem to have forgotten.
Do not worry—you have many resources to function perfectly well here and now and to fulfill your function: you have forgiveness, prayer, trust, and all the other qualities of the teachers; the Holy Spirit is your Guide, and Jesus always walks beside you. So, as said, do not worry—walk forward in full confidence, for even here and now you can and must be happy.
IV Do not obsess, do not fear; trust. Do what you can, forgive everything—but before all else, forgive yourself. For once you have forgiven yourself, forgiving anything else will not only be easy, it will be inevitable. Forgive yourself for all your lapses, your sins, and your faults; forgive yourself for your forgetfulness, your resentments, your impatience, and your harmful habits. When you notice them, correct them and cleanse them at once from your holy mind.
You have not a single moment to waste in useless guilt. The present awaits you, yearning, every passing second, to give you all the happiness it contains. You are born anew and innocent in it each instant. Do not stain it with senseless guilt over a past long gone or what you have just done. You have no time for such foolishness. You have much to do, and not a second to waste on guilt.
Once you have learned to treat yourself in this way, apply the same rule to everyone else. Give all your brothers the same treatment. When someone offends you, forget the matter at once, bless him, and wait with trust and hope for his blessing, for that person, like you, has been reborn innocent and pure into the eternal present. And if, instead of blessing you, he offends you again, forgive him again and wait once more for his blessing. Do this again and again until your brother blesses you—and, if necessary, for all eternity, or until the Holy Spirit tells you otherwise.
You may think this is an unproductive investment and that your reward takes too long to arrive. Do not be mistaken: your reward is immediate. The blessing you receive each time is instantaneous, for it is your own. Your brother’s behavior is not your concern, for he is free to do as he chooses. You are not seeking anything in him, but in yourself—and you find it when you give it.
Do this well, and you will see two things. On one hand, you will find that very few people can resist your unconditional acceptance and forgiveness—but that does not depend on you, nor is it relevant. What you will find is that your capacity to forgive and your inner strength increase exponentially in that process—and that is what you truly seek.
After all you have read here about forgiveness, realize this: in truth, the only thing you ever forgive are your own thoughts—your interpretations of reality. And you forgive them because “My thoughts do not mean anything.” (W-10)
Forgiveness is the key to happiness. Never forget that.
V Read this line several times, and then tell yourself that you understand what it says—but that you have not yet internalized it. Give yourself time, but stay very alert. Watch your mind and notice that only a few seconds will pass before a new foolish thought arises that you will believe to be true. Be patient with yourself. That, too, will pass.
VI John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
The expression “to be born again in Christ” is probably a reference to the popular use of the term “born again,” which gained prominence in American culture in the late 1960s (this Lesson was dictated in 1970) through the Jesus People movement—often called “Jesus freaks”—and the Christian counterculture. The term, originating in John 3:3, came to describe a conversion experience in which one accepts Jesus Christ as personal Savior, thus ensuring “salvation” and entry into Heaven rather than hell.
The preceding reference reinterprets the concept of being “born again in Christ.” In this context, one is born again not by accepting Jesus as Savior, but by having “forgiven everyone you see, think of, or imagine.” For a similar reinterpretation, see M-13.1:10: “He has accepted Christ, and he is saved.”
VII Matthew 16:19 “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
VIII This image seems inspired by the famous story of the Sword of Damocles, in which Damocles, after praising the fortune of his king, is invited to sit upon the throne, only to discover a sword hanging over his head, suspended by a single horsehair. The king had placed it there to illustrate the constant peril faced by those who hold power. In the reinterpretation above, when we feel a “pang of anger,” it is we ourselves who hold a sword over our own heads. If we yield to that anger, we let the sword fall upon us; if instead we forgive, we lay the sword down. In a way, this image also represents the precarious position of those who hold the power… to become angry.