Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/6517

6517 Loving help.... Free decision of the individual....

April 7, 1956: Book 70

Every human being must take responsibility for himself; his fellow human being cannot take over his responsibility, even if his love is ever so great. Each person must decide for himself and thus avow himself for or against God.... And this avowal must be a matter of the heart, not just an empty assurance of the mouth. And the heart will then also feel if and when the human being moves in truth. The human being will profess the truth just as he professes God.... He will not go astray, he will no longer be able to think wrong because God Himself, Whom he has recognised and professed, guides his thinking and draws him to Himself.... But an acknowledgement and profession of God is at the same time also the acknowledgement and profession of the divine Redeemer Jesus Christ, because a thinking which is now directed right by God also includes the understanding for the significance of the act of Salvation, because the human being now clearly understands all relations, and the incarnation of God in Jesus is fully comprehensible to him.... Whose heart professes God has decided freely and, as it were, already passed the test of will on earth.... which is the purpose of earthly life. For this reason, however, one person cannot make this decision for another, each person has to come to a conviction within himself and live his life in accordance with this conviction. And therefore the right knowledge cannot be transmitted in a school-like way either, only certain teachings can be imparted to the fellow human being which, however, he himself first has to mentally digest so that his heart will then be urged to make a decision. The disciples of Jesus were given the task of going into the world and teaching all peoples.... Only the Gospel could be brought to the people, but they themselves now had to make their will become active, they had to accept it and live according to it, only then would they decide.... And no-one can be relieved of this decision.... But love can intercessionally remember the fellow human being.... And love can do infinitely much. What intellectual explanations cannot achieve, love can achieve, which is meant for a weak, still unwilling person and his salvation. Through loving intercession strength can constantly flow to his soul which, although it does not determine his will, directs him more and more to where the power of love emanates.... to the original source of power, to eternal love Itself.... Love can achieve anything.... If the human being himself is active in love with complete unselfishness, then this also guarantees that his thinking will become clearer, that the human being himself will come to recognise the Deity in Jesus Christ. But if he lacks such unselfish love, then the fellow human being who is capable of love and willing to love can step in to help.... then his love can give strength to the former, for vicarious love is accepted by God, yet always passed on in a form which does not mean compulsion of will but strengthening of will. Nevertheless, the human being must make the free decision himself, it cannot be relieved of it.... The human being can be guided into right thinking through the supply of strength but still remain in defence according to his will or go up to God. However, the soul usually feels loving help and thereby softens and opens itself to right knowledge. This is why a person who is followed by loving thoughts, who receives loving spiritual help, is not lost, because loving intercession can achieve infinitely much.... And no human being would need to be lost on earth if people's love for each other were stronger. Yet the free decision must be made by every person himself, it cannot be made vicariously, for this is the purpose of earthly life and the final test, the passing of which liberates him from all shackles....

Amen

Translated by Christian Taffertshofer