What Jesus means to Me


What Jesus Means To Me

WHAT JESUS MEANS TO ME

Written by :
M. K. Gandhi
Compiled by :
R. K. Prabhu


Table of Contents

  1. My early studies in Christianity
  2. The Sermon on The Mount
  3. Why I am Not A Convert To Christianity
  4. Only Begotten Son of God?
  5. What Jesus Means To Me
  6. The Message of Jesus
  7. The Jesus I Love
  8. Christ - A Prince Amongst Satyagrahis
  9. The Greatest Economist of His Time
  10. Proselytization
  11. For Missionaries in India
  12. For Christian Indians
  13. For Christian Friends
  14. Value of Scriptural Texts
  15. Western Christianity Today
  16. To The Ceylonese Youth
  17. Some Questions And Answers
  18. Appendix I : Sermon on The Mount
  19. Appendix II : Two Favorite Christian Hymns of Gandhiji

About This Book


Written by :M. K. Gandhi
Compiled by :R. K. Prabhu
First Edition : 10,000 copies, September 1959
I.S.B.N :81-7229-387-9
Printed and Published by : Jitendra T. Desai,
Navajivan Mudranalaya,
Ahmedabad - 380 014,
India.
© Navajivan Trust, 1959


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Chapter-14: Value of Scriptural Texts

I believe that all great religions of the world are true more or less. I say "more or less" because I believe that everything that the human hand touches, by reason of the very fact that human beings are imperfect, becomes imperfect. Perfection is the exclusive attribute of God and it is undescribable, untranslatable. I do believe that it is possible for every human being to become perfect even as God is perfect. It is necessary for us all to aspire after perfection, but when that blessed state is attained it becomes indescribable, indefinable. And, I, therefore, admit, in all humility, that even the Vedas, the Koran and the Bible are imperfect word of God and, imperfect beings that we are, swayed to and fro by a multitude of passions, it is impossible for us even to understand this word of God in its fullness.

Young India,
22-9-1927

I exercise my judgment about every scripture, including the Gita. I cannot let a scriptural text supersede my reason. Whilst I believe that the principle books are inspired, they suffer from a process of double distillation. Firstly they come through a human prophet, and then through the commentaries of interpreters. Nothing in them comes from God directly. Mathew may give one version of one text and John may give another. I cannot surrender my reason whilst I subscribe to divine revelation. And above all, 'the letter killeth, the spirit giveth life*. But you must not misunderstand my position. I believe in faith also, in things where reason has no place, e.g. the existence of God. No argument can move me from that faith, and like that little girl who repeated against all reason, "yet we are seven", I would like to repeat, on being baffled in argument by a very superior intellect, "Yet there is God".

Harijan,
5-12-1936