Spiritism teaches that without charity, there is no salvation, making it necessary, as Barbosa states, "for man to have faith and for his actions to be in agreement with God's laws of fraternity, benevolence, altruism, humility, work, tolerance, and solidarity, in harmony with others, and even with the inferior beings of creation."
Becoming more charitable, acting consistently out of a love that does not discriminate, will save us from our suffering by helping us to stop causing more suffering, to start redeeming ourselves of our past mistakes, and to fill our hearts with the happiness that comes from a love both given and received.
The seeds of enlightenment and the answers to finding true peace and happiness of the spirit have been disseminated by many influential or exemplary figures throughout history. The enlightened spirits have stated, as recorded by Kardec in the "Spirits' Book"¹, that Jesus is the "greatest model of charity and moral perfection that we have to follow," and you will find that the moral lessons highlighted in Spiritism focus on Jesus' teachings.
Spiritism does not teach us, however, that we are "forgiven for our sins" because of Jesus’ death on the cross. When we make mistakes, we are not actually "forgiven", because God does not condemn us in the first place. Instead, according to the natural law of cause and effect, we experience the negative repercussions of our errors. Then, sooner or later, in this incarnation or beyond, we come to understand the poor choice or choices that we made. Instinctually, we desire to make amends, and God, in his infinite mercy, gives us endless chances to do so, through the process of reincarnation. Not only that, but He gives us access to various forms of guidance, including the communication with our spirit friends and mentors, by way of our own intuition, as well as the moral instruction from more advanced beings who incarnate on Earth with the role of collaborating in the progress of mankind.
Jesus came, as Kardec said, "to teach humanity that true life is not the one lived here on Earth but in the Kingdom of heaven, to show us the pathway to this Kingdom, and to teach us that the way to reconcile ourselves with God is by experiencing the events of our lives with an awareness of our purpose as human beings." Following the essence of his lessons and examples are the best way to develop the charitable qualities of our spirit and achieve our “salvation”.
