Chapter 1

Character and aim of the divine or natural law. — Good and evil. — Difference between natural law and the state of nature. — Intuitive knowledge of natural law. — Revelation. — Prophets. — Character of the law of Jesus. — Aim of the teaching given by the Spirits. — Division of the natural law. (Questions 277 to 305 a.)

Is the Law of God eternal? 111, 112 [Question 615.]

“Yes, and immutable.”

a. Is it possible that God may have prescribed to men, at a certain epoch, that which He would forbid them at another epoch? [Question 616.]

“God does not err. It is men who are obliged to modify their laws, because they are imperfect.”

The harmony that governs the material universe and the moral universe is based on laws established by God from all eternity. These laws are immutable like God Himself.” 113

Do the divine laws refer only to moral conduct? [Question 617.]

“All the laws of Nature are divine laws, since God is the author of all things. The wise man studies the laws of matter; the man of good studies and practices the laws of the soul.”

a. Is man permitted to delve deeply into these laws? [Question 617 a.]

“Yes, but a single existence does not suffice him for that.”

Among the divine laws, some regulate the movement and the relations of brute matter: these are the physical laws, the study of which belongs to the domain of Science.

The others concern man himself in particular and his relations with God and with his fellows. They embrace both the rules of the life of the body and those of the life of the soul: these are the moral laws.

What is morality? [Question 629.]

“Morality is the rule of right conduct, that is to say, the distinction between good and evil. Man acts rightly when he does everything for the good of all, because then he fulfills the Law of God.”

a. On what is morality founded?

“On the observance of the laws of God.”

All sound morality must be founded on the Law of God, for good is all that is in conformity with the Law of God, and evil is all that departs from it. Thus, to do good is to act in accordance with the Law of God; to do evil is to infringe that law. [Question 630.]

Has God provided all men with the means of knowing His laws? [Question 619.]

“All can know it; there are, however, those who understand it better than others.”

a. Who are those who understand the Law of God better?

“The men of good and those who desire to investigate it. All, nevertheless, will understand it one day, for progress must be accomplished. The child cannot understand as well as the adult.”

The justice of man's various incarnations is a consequence of this principle, for with each new existence his intelligence is found to be more developed and he better understands what is good and what is evil.

Is the Law of God that which is called natural law?

“Yes; it is the only true one for man's happiness. It indicates to him what he must do or refrain from doing, and he is unhappy only because he departs from it.” [Question 614.]

Are the state of nature and natural law the same thing? [Question 776.]

“No; the state of nature is the primitive state. Civilization is incompatible with the state of nature, whereas natural law contributes to the progress of Humanity.”

a. What is to be thought of the opinion according to which the state of nature would be that of perfect happiness on Earth? [Question 777.]

“What would you have? It is the happiness of the brute. There are persons who understand no other.”

The state of nature is the infancy of Humanity and the point of departure of its intellectual and moral development. Since man is perfectible and carries within himself the germ of his improvement, he was not destined to live perpetually in the state of nature, leaving it by virtue of the progress of civilization. Natural law, on the contrary, governs the whole of Humanity, and man improves himself as he better understands and practices that law.

Where is the Law of God written? [Question 621.]

“In the conscience.”

a. Does man have the means of distinguishing by himself what is good from what is evil? [Question 631.]

“Yes, when he believes in God and wishes to know it. God has given him intelligence to distinguish the one from the other.”

Since he is subject to error, can man not be deceived in the appreciation of good and evil, and believe that he does good when in reality he does evil? [Question 632.]

“Jesus said to you: see what you would like to be done to you. Everything is summed up in that. You will not be deceived.”

The rule of good and evil, which might be called reciprocity or solidarity, cannot be applied to man's personal conduct toward himself. Will he find, in natural law, the rule of that conduct and a sure guide? [Question 633.] “When you eat to excess, it does you harm. Well then! It is God who gives you the measure of what you need. When you exceed that measure, you are punished. The same occurs in all things.”

Natural law traces for man the limit of his needs; when he exceeds it, he is punished by suffering. If man always heeded that voice which says to him “enough!”, he would avoid the greater part of the ills of which he accuses Nature.

The different social positions create new needs, which are not the same for all men. Does it not then appear that natural law does not constitute a uniform rule? [Question 635.]

“Those different positions are in Nature according to the law of progress, which does not prevent the unity of natural law, which applies to everything.”

The conditions of man's existence change according to times and places, resulting for him in different needs and social positions appropriate to those needs. Since this diversity is in the order of things, it is in conformity with the Law of God, a law that does not cease to be one in its principle. It is for reason to distinguish real needs from artificial or conventional needs.

Are good and evil absolute for all men? [Question 636.]

“Yes, for the Law of God is the same for all.”

a. Is that which is evil for some also evil, and to the same degree, for all?

“No; evil depends on the will one has to do it.”

b. According to this principle, good would always be good and evil always evil, whatever the position of man. The difference would then lie in the degree of responsibility?

“Exactly.”

c. Will the savage who, yielding to his instinct, feeds on human flesh be guilty? [Question 637.]

“I have already said that evil depends on the will. Well then! Man is the more guilty the better he knows what he is doing.”

The conditions of existence in which man is placed by Nature give to good and evil a relative gravity. Man often commits faults which, though arising from the position in which society has placed him, are no less reprehensible. But his responsibility is proportional to the means he has at his disposal for understanding good and evil. That is why the enlightened man who commits a mere injustice is more guilty in the eyes of God than the ignorant savage who gives himself over to his instincts.

It sometimes appears that evil is a consequence of the force of things. Such, for example, in certain cases, is the necessity of destruction, even of our fellow man. Can it then be said that there is a transgression of the Law of God? [Question 638.] “Although necessary, evil does not cease to be evil. But this necessity disappears as the soul purifies itself, passing from one existence to another. Then man becomes more guilty when he commits it, because he understands it better.”

a. Why is evil in the nature of things? Could God not have created Humanity under better conditions? [Question 634.]

“We have already told you: the Spirits were created simple and ignorant. Man is composed of matter and Spirit. The body is a garment with which the Spirit clothes itself, in order to be able to instruct itself. If there were no mountains, man would not understand that one can ascend and descend; and if there were no rocks, he would not understand that there are hard bodies. The Spirit must acquire experience, and for that, it is necessary that it know good and evil. That is why there is a union of the Spirit with the body.”

Does not the evil we commit often result from the position in which men have placed us? Who, in that case, are the most guilty? [Question 639.]

“The evil falls upon him who was its cause.”

Thus, the man who is led to practice evil by the position in which his fellows have placed him is less guilty than those who caused that evil, because each one will be punished not only for the evil he may have done, but also for the evil he may have provoked.

Is he who does not practice evil, but who profits from the evil practiced by another, as guilty as the latter? [Question 640.]

“It is as if he had practiced it. To profit from evil is to participate in evil.”

Is it as reprehensible to desire evil as to practice it? [Question 641.]

“It depends. There is virtue in voluntarily resisting the evil one desires to practice. If, however, only the occasion for it was lacking, the man is guilty.”

Are good and evil eternal?

“Only good is eternal, since it is the final aim of all things; evil will have an end.”

a. When will evil come to an end?

“In eternal life.”

b. Is evil a permanent condition of Humanity on Earth?

“No; the end of evil will begin in this very world, when men practice the Law of God.”

Good consisting in the observance of the Law of God, the diminution of evil on Earth will be the consequence of the observance of that law; evil will disappear when that law is sincerely and universally practiced.

Is it enough [for man] not to do evil?” 114 [Question 642.]

“No; he must do good to the limit of his powers, for each one will answer for all the evil that may have resulted from his not having practiced good.”

Are there persons who, by their position, do not have the possibility of doing good? [Question 643.]

“There is no one who cannot do good. Only the egoist never finds an opportunity to practice it.”

It is enough to be in relation with other men to have occasion to do good, and each day of existence offers this possibility to whoever is not blinded by egoism. For to do good does not consist only in being charitable, but in being useful, to the extent possible, every time help becomes necessary.

Is the merit of the good one does subordinate to certain conditions? In other words: will the merit that results from the practice of good be of different degrees? [Question 646.]

“The merit of good lies in the difficulty of practicing it. There is no merit whatever in doing good without effort and when it costs nothing.”

There is no merit whatever in doing good without sacrifice. God takes more into account the poor man who shares his only piece of bread than the rich man who merely gives of his surplus. Jesus said this with regard to the widow's mite.

Before uniting with the body, does the soul understand the Law of God better than after its incarnation? [Question 620.]

“Yes; it understands it according to the degree of perfection it has reached, and it retains the intuition of it when united with the body. But man's evil instincts often cause him to forget it.”

Since everything comes from God, are not the evil instincts also His work? And should man be held responsible for them?

“Man is not an animal. God leaves him the choice of paths; so much the worse for him if he takes a bad one: his pilgrimage will be longer.”

What is to be understood by revelation?

“It is the gift of knowing and understanding the truths that are not seen.”

a. Since man carries the Law of God in his conscience, what need was there for it to be revealed to him? [Question 621a.]

“He had forgotten and disdained it: God willed that it be revealed to him.”

Has God entrusted to certain men the mission of revealing His law? [Question 622.]

“Yes, certainly. In all times there have been men who received that mission. They are superior Spirits, incarnated with the aim of making Humanity progress.”

a. By what signs can the men who have received such a mission be recognized?

“They are men of good and of genius who have merited a reward in another existence. You will recognize them by their actions.”

Have those who have claimed to instruct men in the Law of God not sometimes been mistaken, frequently leading them astray by means of false paths? [Question 623.]

“Yes, those who were not inspired by God and who, out of ambition, attributed to themselves a mission that had not been entrusted to them. Nevertheless, since they were, after all, men of genius, even among the errors they taught great truths are often found.”

a. What is the character of the true prophet? [Question 624.]

“I said that the prophet is a man of good inspired by God. You can recognize him by his words and acts. God cannot make use of the mouth of the liar to teach the truth.”

If some of those who claimed to instruct man in the Law of God have sometimes diverted him by means of false principles, it is because they allowed themselves to be dominated, themselves, by sentiments too earthly and because they confused the laws that govern the conditions of the life of the soul with those that govern the life of the body. Many of them have given as divine laws what was no more than human laws, created to serve the passions and to dominate men.

What is the most perfect type that God has ever offered to man to serve him as guide and model? [Question 625.]

“Jesus.”

For man, Jesus represents the type of moral perfection to which Humanity can aspire on Earth. God offers him to us as the most perfect model, and the Doctrine he taught is the purest expression of the law of the Lord, because the divine spirit animated him, and because he was the purest being of all that have ever appeared on Earth.

Were the divine and natural laws revealed to men only by Jesus? Before him, did people know them only by intuition? [Question 626.]

“Have we not already said that they are written everywhere? All the men who have meditated on wisdom have been able to understand them and teach them, from the most remote times. Through their teachings, even though incomplete, they prepared the ground to receive the seed.” The divine laws being written in the book of Nature, it was possible for man to know them when he wished to seek them. That is why the precepts they consecrate have been proclaimed in all times by men of good, and it is also why we find their elements in the moral doctrine of all peoples who have emerged from barbarism, although incomplete or disfigured by ignorance and superstition.

Since Jesus taught the true laws of God, of what use is the teaching given by the Spirits? Have they anything more to teach us? [Question 627.]

“Often the words of Jesus were allegorical and in the form of parables, because He spoke according to the epoch and the places. Now, it is necessary that the truth be intelligible to all. Our mission is to open the eyes and the ears of all in order to confound the proud and unmask the hypocrites, who keep only the appearance of religion and virtue, in order to conceal their baseness.”

a. Why has the truth not always been placed within the reach of all?

“It is necessary that each thing come in its time. Truth is like light: one must accustom oneself to it little by little, otherwise it dazzles.”

Why have the communications with the spiritual world, which have occurred in all times, become more generalized today?

“The times marked for that universal manifestation have just arrived. These communications will become more and more common; they will strike the eyes of the most incredulous, and the day is not far off when doubt will no longer be permitted. Then the face of the moral world will change, and little by little the vices and prejudices that make the misfortune of the human race will disappear.” The universal manifestation of the Spirits constitutes a New Era that begins for Humanity and prepares its regeneration, in some measure unveiling for it the secrets of the spiritual world, which is its true homeland. Only those who wish to remain blind will not see.

Is the whole Law of God contained in the maxim of love of neighbor, taught by Jesus? [Question 647.]

“Certainly that maxim encloses all the duties of men toward one another. But it is necessary to show them its application, for otherwise they will fail to practice it, as they do to this day. Moreover, natural law embraces all the circumstances of life, and that maxim is only a part of the law.”

a. Does the division of natural law into ten parts, comprising the laws of adoration, labor, reproduction, preservation, destruction, society, progress, equality, liberty and, finally, that of justice, love and charity, embrace all the phases of man's individual and social life? [Question 648.] “Yes; that division of the Law of God into ten parts is that of Moses. The last law is the most important; it is by means of it that man can advance furthest in spiritual life, since it sums up all the others.” [111] Note by Allan Kardec: We have made a modification in the arrangement of the matter from this part of the book onward. Henceforth, the two columns will follow one another in sequence and will not present two distinct parts. As before, the textual answers given by the Spirits follow immediately upon the questions and are placed in quotation marks. What comes after the answers constitutes a development of the subject, also emanating from the Spirits as to substance, but not as to form, and in the end always reviewed, approved, and often corrected by them. They are ideas they emitted partially at various epochs, summarized in a more fluent style, excluding, however, what formed a double lesson with the text of the preceding answer. [112] Translator's Note: As we already explained in footnote no. 72, p. 73 of this book, we chose from the outset to present the matters contained in it in a single column, instead of two, following this order: question, answer, comment by Allan Kardec. [113] Translator's Note: Some comments, or part of them, normally attributed to Allan Kardec in the 1st edition of this book, and which appear in the second column of the original edition, were later incorporated into the answers of the Spirits of the Codification, which substantially increased their wording and complemented them. This is the case with the comments on questions 84-a, 91, 110-a, 144, 151, 179, 185-b, 196-a, 198, 277-a, 280-a, 285, 289, 294, 295, 302, 315, 326, 327-b, 330-a, 333, 339, 340, 343-a, 348-a, 359-a, 375, 380, 392-a, 394, 416-a, 418-b, 420, 422, 436, 456-c, 467 and 489 of this translation, which, in the definitive edition of 1860, come to form part of the answers of the Spirits to questions 605, 215, 157, 998, 216, 993, 204, 295, 473, 616, 619, 633, 639, 643, 646, 626, 657, 684, 681, 689, 692, 704, 705, 716, 720-a, 733, 740, 766, 780-a, 778, 822-a, 826, 830, 832, 595, 916, 943 and 983, respectively. This fact should not surprise us at all, if we take into account the Note by Allan Kardec that follows the “Prolegomena” of this work. In justifying the graphic presentation of the matters of the book in two columns, he explains that both present a double wording or two different forms of the same theme, the first having the advantage of presenting the matter in the manner of the Spiritist sessions, while the second permits a sequential reading. Nevertheless, “although the subject treated in each of them is the same, they contain, in one and the other, special thoughts which, even when they do not result from direct questions, are no less the fruit of the lessons given by the Spirits, for there is none that is not the expression of their thought.” [114] Translator's Note: In the definitive edition of The Spirits' Book, this question is more categorical and much more objective: “To please God and to assure his future position, will it be enough for man not to practice evil?” [115] Translator's Note: See The Gospel According to Spiritism, chapter XXI, item 9.

[116] Translator's Note: Literally, “Vide Jesus”, as it appears in the original.