When we approach 1 Peter 1 (ESV) through the method taught by Neville Goddard, we step away from literal interpretation. Instead, we see it as a profound symbolic description of the inner journey — the awakening of imagination, the evolution of states of consciousness, and the refinement of faith.
Neville taught that the Bible is psychological drama, not secular history. Every chapter is about you, and your imagination — which he declared to be God.
Let’s explore 1 Peter 1 in that light:
Born Again to a Living Hope (v. 3)
The chapter opens with the idea of being "born again to a living hope."
Neville would say this describes the moment you awaken to the truth that Imagination is God.
Being "born again" isn’t about moral reform or joining a religion; it’s a shift of identity. You no longer see yourself as a limited human battling circumstances — you realise yourself to be the operant power, creating reality through assumption.
(This is probably where many traditional Christian ideas about being "born again" are drawn from. However, Neville would argue that the original meaning points inward: to a personal awakening of consciousness, not outward religious conversion.)
An Inheritance Incorruptible (v. 4)
Peter speaks of an "inheritance incorruptible and undefiled."
Neville would say this inheritance is the eternal, unchanging creative power of imagination. It cannot decay because it is not of the material world. It is the inner life, the wellspring from which all visible things are born.
Trials That Refine (v. 6)
"Though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials."
Neville often taught that awakening to the power of imagination doesn’t mean avoiding hardship.
Instead, trials arise to refine faith. Doubts, fears, and contrary appearances test your loyalty to your unseen assumption.
The furnace of affliction strengthens imagination's creative resolve.
The Trial of Your Faith (v. 7)
Peter calls the trial of faith "much more precious than gold."
Neville echoes this — faith is everything.
Faith is loyalty to the unseen reality. Like gold tested by fire, your assumptions must be held firm through testing. Every trial endured deepens your certainty in imagination’s creative power.
Receiving the End of Faith (v. 9)
Peter says you receive "the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls."
For Neville, salvation isn’t about entering heaven after death.
It’s the realisation, here and now, that your imagination creates reality. To redeem the soul is to redeem the imagination: to free it from bondage to appearances and awaken it to its rightful dominion.
The Prophets Spoke of This (v. 10)
"The prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you" —
Neville would interpret these prophets as former glimpses of the truth. They saw it dimly. But now, the veil lifts fully in the individual awakening.
You are the one to whom the mystery is revealed.
Gird Up the Loins of Your Mind (v. 13)
This vivid phrase means: strengthen your creative power.
Neville would say, "Discipline your imagination."
Hope fully, imagine boldly, live mentally in the end you desire — not half-heartedly, but with complete expectation.
Be Holy (v. 15)
"As He who called you is holy, you also be holy."
Neville’s interpretation: to be "holy" is to be set apart.
Set yourself apart from the mass belief in limitation. Live inwardly from a higher premise — that imagination creates reality — regardless of appearances.
Ransomed by the Precious Blood of Christ (v. 18–19)
"You were ransomed... with the precious blood of Christ."
Neville taught that Christ is your own wonderful human imagination.
The "blood" represents life itself — imagination is the lifeblood of creation.
The "vain conversation received by tradition" symbolises inherited beliefs in outer causation and limitation.
You are redeemed when you abandon those old ideas and trust wholly in the unseen creative power within.
In Short
Neville would say that 1 Peter 1 describes the awakening soul’s journey:
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Realising imagination is God.
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Being reborn, not by deeds, but by an inner shift of identity.
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Enduring trials that refine and strengthen the creative spirit.
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Finding salvation not in a distant heaven, but in the present moment — by awakening to the truth that all is imagination.
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