Lesson 170: “There is no cruelty in God and none in me.”

I. The Core Teaching

This lesson goes straight to the heart of the ego’s thought system. It exposes a hidden belief that most of us don’t realize we hold:

We secretly believe that God is capable of cruelty.

Not always consciously, of course. But somewhere in the mind, the ego whispers:

“God punishes. God judges. God takes away. God can hurt you if you disobey.”

From this hidden belief flows a second one:

If God is cruel, then I must be cruel too, because I was created by Him.

This is the ego’s logic: like begets like. If our Source is capable of attack, then attack is real, justified, and sometimes even “holy.” This is the foundation of all fear, guilt, and conflict in the world.

Lesson 170 gently but firmly undoes this lie:

“There is no cruelty in God and none in me.”

This is not a statement about your personality, your behavior, or your past. It is about your true nature as God created you. The lesson is saying:

• God is pure Love, without a trace of attack, punishment, or condemnation.
• Since you were created by this Love, you *are* this Love.
• Anything in you that seems cruel, judgmental, or attacking is *not* your real self. It is a mistaken identity: the ego.

What is the ego trying to hide?

The ego’s survival depends on one central idea: separation from God is real and you are guilty for it.

To keep this guilt in place, the ego must make God seem dangerous. Otherwise, you would gladly return to Him. So the ego invents a “god” who:

• punishes sin
• demands sacrifice
• withholds love when you “fail”
• sends suffering as “lessons” or “tests”

Then, having projected cruelty onto God, the ego says:

“See? You’re safer staying separate. You can’t trust Him.”

The ego is trying to hide the innocence of God and your own innocence. It wants you to believe that fear is realistic, that guilt is justified, and that you must defend yourself—even from God.

What is the Holy Spirit revealing?

The Holy Spirit gently undoes this entire structure by revealing:

1. *God is only Love.*

No exceptions. No hidden anger. No “tough love.” Just Love.

2. *You are like your Creator.*

What is true of God must be true of His creation. If He is not cruel, neither are you in truth.

3. *Cruelty is a dream.*

Attack, punishment, sacrifice—these are illusions born of the belief in separation. They are not God’s Will, and therefore they are not real in the ultimate sense.

4. *You are safe.*

You are not being stalked by a cosmic judge. You are being held by a loving Father Who has never condemned you.

This lesson is an invitation to let the Holy Spirit rewrite your picture of God and, with it, your picture of yourself.

II. Applied to Daily Life

Let’s bring this into the situations where it actually matters: relationships, work, illness, anxiety, and daily stress.

1. Relationships

Suppose someone close to you says something hurtful. The ego reacts:

• “They’re attacking me.”
• “I need to defend myself.”
• “I’ll show them they can’t treat me like this.”

Underneath is the belief: attack is real and justified. But this rests on the deeper belief that cruelty is part of reality itself.

Practicing this lesson, you pause and remember:

• “There is no cruelty in God and none in me.”
• “If cruelty is not in me, it is not in them either, in truth.”
• “What I’m seeing is a call for love, not a real attack.”

You might still set boundaries or speak honestly, but the inner posture shifts from defense and counterattack to understanding and compassion. You begin to see that both of you are afraid, both of you are listening to the ego’s voice, and both of you are innocent in truth.

2. Work and Conflict

At work, maybe you feel criticized, overlooked, or threatened. The ego says:

• “They’re out to get me.”
• “I have to fight for my place.”
• “If I don’t attack, I’ll be attacked.”

This is the belief in cruelty as a law of survival.

With Lesson 170, you begin to question this:

• “If there is no cruelty in God and none in me, then attack is not my true protection.”
• “My safety lies in remembering who I am, not in hurting or outmaneuvering others.”

You may still take clear, appropriate action—speak up, change jobs, set boundaries—but you do it without the inner poison of hatred or revenge. You let the Holy Spirit guide your words and choices, rather than the ego’s fear.

3. Illness

When the body is sick, the ego quickly turns it into a story of punishment:

• “I must have done something wrong.”
• “God is teaching me a hard lesson.”
• “This is payback.”

Lesson 170 says:

No. God does not use pain to teach. Love does not hurt to heal.

Instead, you can say:

• “This illness is not a punishment from God.”
• “There is no cruelty in God and none in me. So this suffering cannot come from my true Self or from Him.”
• “Holy Spirit, show me how to see this differently. Let this be used only for healing of mind.”

The body may still need treatment, rest, and care. But the mind is freed from the heavy burden of guilt and fear of divine retribution.

4. Anxiety and Daily Stress

Many forms of anxiety are rooted in the feeling that something terrible is going to happen and that you somehow deserve it. A vague sense of impending punishment.

This lesson invites you to question that background dread:

• “If God is not cruel, there is no cosmic punishment waiting for me.”
• “If I am not cruel in truth, I do not deserve suffering.”
• “The fear I feel is coming from a mistaken belief, not from reality.”

Each time anxiety rises, you can quietly affirm:

“There is no cruelty in God and none in me.

I am not being hunted by a hostile universe.

I am held in Love.”

III. Overcoming Resistance

This lesson can feel threatening to the ego for several reasons.

1. Letting go of a punishing God

For many, the idea of a punishing God is deeply ingrained. It can feel like:

• “If God doesn’t punish, how will people learn?”
• “If there’s no threat, won’t I just do whatever I want?”

The ego believes fear is necessary to control behavior. But the Course teaches that only love truly inspires change. Fear may restrain actions for a while, but it does not heal the mind. It buries guilt; it does not release it.

2. Fear of your own innocence

Strangely, we can be afraid of being innocent. If you are truly innocent, then:

• You are not the guilty, separate self you thought you were.
• You are not what your past says you are.
• You are something much larger, more radiant, and more loving than you imagined.

The ego fears this because it means its identity is not real. So it clings to guilt and self-attack as if they were “honest” and “realistic.”

Lesson 170 invites you to gently question this attachment to guilt. You are not asked to force belief, only to be willing to consider:

“Maybe I have been wrong about God.

Maybe I have been wrong about myself.”

3. Fear of giving up attack

The ego believes attack is power. To give up cruelty—outer or inner—can feel like becoming weak or vulnerable. But in truth, attack weakens you because it reinforces the belief in separation and guilt.

To accept “There is no cruelty in God and none in me” is to accept that your real strength lies in gentleness, forgiveness, and trust. This is a different kind of power, one the ego does not understand.

IV. Today’s Practice

Here is a simple way to practice Lesson 170 throughout the day.

1. Morning quiet time (10–15 minutes if possible)

• Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
• Take a few slow, gentle breaths.
• Say slowly, with as much willingness as you can:

“There is no cruelty in God and none in me.”

• Let the words sink in. You don’t have to *force* belief. Just let them be spoken in your mind.
• Then say:

“Holy Spirit, show me what this means.

Help me see today without the belief in cruelty.”

• Sit in quiet openness. If fearful thoughts arise—about God, about yourself, about others—gently answer them:

“This cannot be true, because there is no cruelty in God and none in me.”

You are not arguing with the ego; you are simply choosing a different Voice.

2. During the day: using triggers as practice

Whenever you feel:

• anger
• defensiveness
• guilt
• desire to punish or withdraw
• fear of being punished

Pause, even for a few seconds, and say inwardly:

“I am believing in cruelty again.

But there is no cruelty in God and none in me.”

Then ask:

“Holy Spirit, how would You have me see this person (or situation)?

What is the call for love here?”

You may be guided to speak, to be silent, to walk away, to apologize, or simply to change your inner attitude. The form is less important than the content: you are choosing to see without cruelty.

3. Evening reflection

Before sleep, take a few minutes to look gently over your day:

• Where did you feel attacked?
• Where did you attack—outwardly or in your thoughts?
• Where did you feel guilty or afraid?

For each instance, say:

“I was mistaken. I believed in cruelty.

But there is no cruelty in God and none in me.

I offer this to the Holy Spirit for healing.”

Let the day be washed clean. You are not judged. You are learning to remember who you are.

V. Comparable ACIM Lessons

Several lessons are closely related to Lesson 170:

• **Lesson 46: “God is the Love in which I forgive.”**

Shows that forgiveness comes from recognizing God as only Love, not a punisher.

• **Lesson 67: “Love created me like itself.”**

Directly supports the idea that if God is not cruel, neither are you in truth.

• **Lesson 93: “Light and joy and peace abide in me.”**

Undoes the belief that darkness and cruelty are part of your real nature.

• **Lesson 99: “Salvation is my only function here.”**

Salvation is the release from guilt and fear of God’s cruelty.

• **Lesson 101: “God’s Will for me is perfect happiness.”**

Directly contradicts the idea that God wills suffering or uses it as a teaching tool.

• **Lesson 189: “I feel the Love of God within me now.”**

An experiential taste of what it means that there is no cruelty in God.

All of these lessons work together to dismantle the image of a fearful, punishing deity and reveal the God of pure Love the Course is pointing to.

VI. Closing Thought

You do not have to make yourself loving. You were created loving. You are only asked to stop believing that cruelty—yours or God’s—is real.

Today, let this simple thought rest gently in your mind:

“There is no cruelty in God and none in me.”

Let it soften your judgments, ease your fears, and open a small space where Love can enter and show you who you truly are.