But certainly religion is quite another thing, and those who are acquainted with it will think far differently, and will disdain all those shadows and false imitations of it.
They know by experience that true religion is a union of the soul with God, a real participation of the divine nature, the very image of God drawn upon the soul — or, in the apostle's phrase, "It is Christ formed within us."
In short, I do not know how the nature of religion can be more fully expressed than by calling it a Divine Life.
✦ Christ Formed Within
After dismantling the three counterfeits — the head, the hands, the heart misused — Scougal names the real thing. And the name is not a doctrine. Not a duty. Not a feeling. A Divine Life. A union of the soul with God. A real participation of the divine nature. The very image of God drawn upon the soul. Christ formed within.
Every mentor in this journal has been circling this truth. Murray called it another life which must come in. Tozer called it the gaze of the soul upon God. MacDonald called it the consuming fire that becomes the highest consciousness of life. Paul said it in Galatians 2:20 — it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And Scougal, at 27, gives it its simplest name: a Divine Life. 🙏
I choose to express it by the name of life, first, because of its permanence and stability. Religion is not a sudden impulse or passing emotion.
There are few who do not feel some conviction of the necessity of doing something for the salvation of their souls, which may push them forward a few steps with a great show of eagerness; but soon they lose heart and give up.
They were in a fervent mood, but now they have cooled; they sprang up quickly and grew tall, but withered just as fast, because they had no root in themselves.
I can certainly relate to this — they were in a fervent mood, but now they have cooled and withered fast — because they believed in themselves more than what God was doing in them.
This is a call to wisdom and understanding. Some are still growing in grace, and the role of the Church, the Body of Christ, is to be patient, guide, and teach. 🙏
Scougal diagnoses the withering. Le prescribes the remedy — not judgment but patience. The soul that sprang up in fervor and then cooled is not a lost soul. She is a growing soul. And the Church's role is not to declare the withering permanent but to water the roots that are still forming.
Some are still growing in grace. That single sentence holds more pastoral wisdom than many sermons. The Church is not called to harvest the unripe. The Church is called to tend the vine until the fruit comes in season.
The root must be Christ and not the world. 🙏
These sudden bursts may be compared to the violent convulsive movements of a body newly separated from its head — movements which, however violent and forceful, cannot last long.
But the movements of holy souls are constant and steady, proceeding from a permanent and living principle.
It is true that this divine life does not always continue at the same strength and vigor, but many times suffers sad decline; and holy men find greater difficulty in resisting temptations, and less eagerness in carrying out their duties.
Yet the life is not completely extinguished, nor are they given over to the power of those corrupt desires which rule the rest of the world.
That is the true power of redemption. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) 🙏
Scougal paints the most honest portrait of the divine life. It is not always at the same strength. It suffers sad decline. The holy soul finds greater difficulty, less eagerness. But the line that matters: the life is not completely extinguished. The root holds. The permanent and living principle persists.
Le connects this to John 3:16 — whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The power of redemption is not the power to prevent all struggle. It is the power to prevent all death. The life that has Christ as its root may decline — but it does not die. That is the true power of redemption.
"The root must be Christ and not the world."
Le · Caldas da Rainha · June 19, 2026 · Scougal's divine life — permanent, honest, rootedA Divine Life
Union with God. Participation in the divine nature. Christ formed within. Not a doctrine, not a duty, not a feeling. A life. The real thing after all counterfeits are stripped away.
The Root Must Be Christ
The fervor that withers had no root. The divine life that endures proceeds from a permanent and living principle. The root is Christ — not the world, not the self, not the feeling.
The Church's Role
Some are still growing in grace. The Body of Christ is called to be patient, guide, and teach. Not to harvest the unripe. To tend the vine until fruit comes in season.
Everlasting Life
The divine life suffers sad decline but is never completely extinguished. The power of redemption is not the power to prevent struggle. It is the power to prevent death. John 3:16.