Among the works that comprise the Spiritist Codification, The Genesis It occupies a unique role. Published in 1868, the book not only expands on concepts previously presented by Allan Kardec, but also serves as a synthesis of the principles developed throughout the doctrine.
In the first chapter of the work, especially between items 30 and 38, Kardec presents a systematized view of divine justice, revisiting concepts discussed in greater depth in... Heaven and hell. The analysis of these passages reveals a logical construction that seeks to explain the destiny of the Spirit based on principles such as individual responsibility, continuous progress, reparation, and moral transformation.
The concepts presented in this excerpt represent a reformulation of ideas traditionally associated with Christianity, offering an interpretation based on natural laws and spiritual evolution.
There are no privileged beings in creation.
One of the first principles presented in The Genesis It is the unity of creation.
In item 30 of chapter I, "Nature of Revelation," Kardec states that there are no privileged beings. This idea is developed in Heaven and hell, in the chapters dedicated to angels and demons, as below:
(…)You know that there are no disinherited creatures nor are some more favored than others; that God created none that is privileged and exempt from work imposed on others to progress; that there are no beings perpetually devoted to evil and suffering; that those designated by the name of demons are imperfect Spirits, still backward, who do evil in their condition as Spirits, as they did while they were men, but who will advance and perfect themselves; that angels are not beings apart from creation, but are pure Spirits, who have reached the goal after having traveled the path of progress; that in this way there are no multiple creations of different categories among intelligent beings, but all creation results from the great law of unity that governs the Universe, and that all beings gravitate towards a common goal, which is perfection, without some being favored to the detriment of others, for all are children of their own works.(…)
page 54 – Kardec, The Genesis – 6th edition – Mundo Maior Publishing House (Item 30 of the complete first chapter: 30. SPIRITISM, whose starting point is in the very words of Christ, as Christ started from those of Moses, is a direct consequence of his doctrine. To the vague idea of future life, it adds the revelation of the existence of the invisible world that surrounds us and populates space, and thus gives precise form to belief; it gives it body, consistency, reality to the way of thinking. It defines the bonds that unite the soul and the body, removing the veil that concealed from men the mysteries of birth and death. Through Spiritism, man knows where he comes from, where he is going, why he is on Earth, why he suffers temporarily, and sees the justice of God everywhere. He knows that the soul progresses ceaselessly through a series of successive existences, until it reaches the degree of perfection that allows it to approach God. He knows that all souls, as they possess the same starting point, are created equal, with the same aptitude to progress by virtue of their free will; that all are of the same essence, and that there is The only difference between them is the progress they have made; all share the same destiny and will reach the same goal, more or less quickly according to their work and goodwill. Know that there are no abandoned creatures nor are some more favored than others; that God created none that is privileged and exempt from work imposed on others to progress; that there are no beings perpetually devoted to evil and suffering; that those designated by the name of demons are imperfect Spirits, still backward, who do evil in their condition as Spirits, as they did while they were men, but who will advance and perfect themselves; that angels are not beings apart from creation, but are pure Spirits who have reached their goal after having traveled the path of progress; that in this way there are no multiple creations of different categories among intelligent beings, but all creation results from the great law of unity that governs the Universe, and that all beings gravitate towards a common goal, which is perfection, without some being favored to the detriment of others, for all are children of their own works.
The Spiritist interpretation breaks with the idea that some beings were created for perfection, while others were destined eternally for evil.
According to the doctrine, all Spirits share the same origin. All are created simple and ignorant and receive the same opportunities for development.
In this context, angels are Spirits who have already completed their evolutionary journey and reached high levels of moral perfection. Demons, on the other hand, do not constitute a permanent category of beings condemned to evil. Demons are still imperfect Spirits, who remain in lower stages of evolution, but who will inevitably progress.
This understanding establishes a principle of absolute equality before divine laws and eliminates any possibility of privileges in creation.
Happiness and suffering belong to the Spirit itself.
Another fundamental aspect presented by Kardec is related to the understanding of happiness and suffering.
In item 32 of The Genesis, The author states that the state of the Spirit after death is a direct consequence of its degree of perfection.
32. Through the study of the state of Spirits, man knows that happiness and unhappiness in spiritual life are inherent to the degree of perfection and imperfection; that each one suffers the direct and natural consequences of his faults, in other words, that he is punished where he sinned; that these consequences last as long as the cause that produced them; and, therefore, the guilty one will suffer eternally if he always persists in evil, but the suffering ends with repentance and reparation; now, since it depends on each one to perfect himself, all can, by virtue of free will, prolong or shorten their suffering, just as the sick person suffers because of his excesses until he puts an end to them.
page 55 – Kardec, The Genesis – 6th edition – Mundo Maior Publishing House
This idea is explored in greater depth in Heaven and hell, which defines happiness and unhappiness as intimate states of the Spirit, as expressed in Chapter VIII of Part One, items 1, 2, and 3:
1) In spiritual life, the soul or spirit is subject to the consequences of all the imperfections it did not shed during its physical life. Its happy or unhappy state is inherent to the degree of its purification or imperfections. 2) Since all spirits are perfectible, by virtue of the law of progress, they carry within themselves the elements of their future happiness or unhappiness and the means to acquire one and avoid the other by working on their own advancement. 3) Perfect happiness is linked to perfection, that is, to the complete purification of the spirit. Every imperfection is a cause of suffering, just as every acquired quality is a cause of satisfaction and attenuation of suffering; whence it follows that the sum of happiness and unhappiness is in proportion to the sum of the good or bad qualities that the spirit possesses.
page 132 – Kardec, Heaven and Hell – 2021 – Mundo Maior Publishing House((Some parts of this item are only in the original 1865 edition, presented here))
This interpretation departs from the traditional conception that associates happiness with a specific place and suffering with a space destined for punishment.
In Spiritist understanding, the Spirit carries within itself the elements responsible for its own condition.
Happiness is the result of developing virtues and achieving moral progress. Suffering, on the other hand, is related to acquired imperfections that have not yet been overcome.
That way, The state of the spirit does not depend on an external judgment, but on the individual's own moral condition.
Punishment as a natural consequence of the offense committed.
One of the most important concepts presented by Kardec is the mechanism by which divine justice manifests itself. Observe the items below:
Punishment is always the natural consequence of the fault committed. The spirit suffers for the evil it has done, so that, as its attention is incessantly focused on the consequences of this evil, it better understands its inconveniences and is motivated to correct itself.
(idem)
Kardec establishes an important principle that "punishment is always the natural consequence of the wrong committed," serving as a means for the Spirit to understand the inconveniences of the error and to motivate itself to correct it.
In The Genesis, The author states that each individual is punished precisely "where he sinned," Genesis (Chapter I, item 32).: “(…)that each one suffers the direct and natural consequences of his faults, in other words, that he is punished where he sinned; (…)
In Heaven and hell, This principle is developed from the idea that suffering is not arbitrarily imposed by God. Punishment arises as a natural consequence of wrong choices.
This interpretation completely transforms the understanding of punishment. Instead of punishment based on revenge, divine justice takes on an educational character. Suffering allows the Spirit to understand the effects of its own actions and recognize the harm caused by error. By becoming aware of the consequences of their actions, individuals find the necessary motivation to modify their own behavior. Thus, suffering ceases to be a condemnation and becomes an opportunity for learning.
Repentance and the rejection of eternal punishment.
The rejection of eternal punishment represents one of the most revolutionary aspects of the Spiritist interpretation of divine justice.
In items 32 and 33 of The Genesis, Kardec states that suffering ends when the Spirit repents and dedicates itself to repairing the errors committed.
In Heaven and hell, The author argues that the idea of eternal punishment is incompatible with God's goodness and mercy. Heaven and Hell: Chapter VII (“Doctrine of Eternal Punishment”)
For the guilty to reconcile with God – repenting and asking to repair the evil they have done – constitutes a return to good, to good feelings. If the punishment is irrevocable, this return to good will be worthless; if good is not taken into account, there will be no justice. Among men, the condemned who corrects themselves sees their punishment mitigated and sometimes even forgiven; thus, there would be more equity in human justice than in divine justice! If the condemnation is irrevocable, repentance is useless – the guilty, having nothing to hope for from their return to good, will persist in evil, in such a way that God not only condemns them to suffer perpetually, but also condemns them to remain in evil for all eternity. This would constitute neither justice nor goodness.
page 120 Kardec, Heaven and Hell – 2021 – Mundo Maior Publishing House
The item mentioned in Chapter VII of the first part of Heaven and Hell and items 8 and 9 of Chapter VIII (8) The duration of punishment is subordinate to the perfection of the guilty spirit. No condemnation for a fixed time is pronounced against it. What God requires to put an end to suffering is repentance, expiation, and reparation – in short: a serious, effective improvement, as well as a sincere return to good.99 The spirit is, therefore, always the arbiter of its own destiny; it can prolong its suffering by its hardening in evil, alleviate it, or shorten it by its efforts to do good. A condemnation for any fixed time would have the double disadvantage of either continuing to affect the spirit that had perfected itself or ceasing when it was still in evil. God, who is just, punishes evil while it exists; and ends the punishment when evil no longer exists. Thus is confirmed this expression: I do not want the death of the sinner, but that he live, and I will accuse him until he is no longer guilty. repent.1009o) Since the duration of punishment is subordinate to repentance, it follows that the guilty spirit who does not repent and never improves himself would always suffer, and that, for him, the punishment would be eternal. The eternity of punishments must therefore be understood in a relative sense and not in an absolute sense. p. 133))
Thus, Kardec demonstrates that the duration of the punishment is strictly subordinate to improvement of the guilty party and that the "eternity" of punishments is only relative to the persistence in evil.
According to this perspective, the duration of suffering is directly related to the process of transformation of the Spirit. There is no condemnation established for a specific period nor an irreversible sentence.
The so-called eternity of suffering is associated only with persistence in error. As long as the spirit remains voluntarily bound to its own imperfections, suffering continues to exist. However, the moment sincere repentance arises, the process of change begins. Hope replaces despair, and reparation becomes the path to moral reconstruction.
Reincarnation as an instrument of reparation and progress.
In items 34 and 35 of The Genesis, Kardec presents the plurality of existences as an essential element for understanding divine justice. Read on:
34. The plurality of existences, whose principle Christ established in the Gospel, but without defining it, as he did with many others, is one of the most important laws revealed by Spiritism, because it demonstrates its reality and its necessity for progress. With this law, man explains to himself all the apparent anomalies of human life; its differences regarding social position; premature deaths which, without reincarnation, would render short lives useless for the soul; it explains the inequality of intellectual and moral aptitudes, which are due to the antiquity of the Spirit that has lived more or less time, having learned and progressed to a greater or lesser degree, bringing to rebirth what it has conquered in previous existences.
35. With the doctrine of the creation of the soul at each birth, we fall into the system of privileged creations; men are strangers to one another, nothing binds them; family ties are purely carnal. They are in no way connected to a past in which they did not exist. With the doctrine of nothingness after death, all relationships cease with life, and thus men are not connected in the future. Through the reality of reincarnation, however, they are connected in the past and in the future. As their relationships perpetuate themselves, both in the spiritual and physical worlds, fraternity is based on the very laws of nature. Good has an objective; and evil, inevitable consequences.
page 56 – Kardec, The Genesis – 6th edition – Mundo Maior Publishing House
Reincarnation explains social inequalities, individual differences, and the circumstances that characterize the human experience.
In Heaven and hell, Chapter VIII, Items 21, 23 and 25. Kardec presents reincarnation as a mechanism for reparation and progress, as per the text:
21) The state of the spirit, from its entry into spiritual life, is that which it prepared for itself during its life in the body. Later, another incarnation is given to it, and sometimes imposed, for expiation and reparation through new trials, but it takes advantage of it to a greater or lesser extent by virtue of its free will. If it does not take advantage of it, it will be a task to begin again each time under increasingly painful conditions, so that it can be said that he who suffers much on Earth had much to expiate. Those who enjoy apparent happiness, despite their vices and uselessness, will certainly pay dearly in a future existence. It is in this sense that Jesus said: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (The Gospel According to Spiritism, Chapter V).
23) Since punishments are temporary and subject to repentance, which is the act of free will on the part of man, they are at the same time the punishments and the remedies that should help to heal the wounds of evil. The spirits undergoing punishment are therefore not like those perpetually condemned, but like patients in a hospital, suffering from an illness that is almost always their own fault and from the painful curative means it requires, but which are the hope of a cure, and who heal all the faster the more exactly they follow the prescriptions of the doctor who watches over them with solicitude. If they prolong their suffering through their own fault, the doctor has nothing to do with it.
25) It would be unjust if God had created privileged beings, more favored than others, enjoying without effort the happiness that others only achieve with difficulty or can never achieve. But where His justice shines is in the absolute equality that presides over the creation of all spirits. All have the same starting point. No spirit, in its formation, is better endowed than another. None whose ascensional journey is facilitated by exception. Those who have reached the end have passed, like the others, through the ordeal of trials and inferiority. Admitting this, what is more just than the freedom of action left to each one? The road to happiness is open to all. The end is the same for all. The conditions for reaching it are the same for all. The law engraved in all consciences is taught to all. God made happiness the reward of work, not of favor, so that each person could have the merit of it. Each person is free to work or do nothing for their own advancement. He who works hard and quickly is rewarded sooner. He who strays from the path or wastes time delays his arrival and can only blame himself. Good and evil are voluntary and optional. Man, being free, is not fatally impelled to either one or the other.
page 138 – Kardec, Heaven and Hell – 2021 – Mundo Maior Publishing House
Punishments are not permanent. They function as remedies intended for the improvement of the Spirit.
Each existence offers new learning opportunities, allowing the individual to face challenges compatible with their evolutionary needs.
This interpretation also establishes a profound relationship between the past, the present, and the future.
The choices made in one lifetime produce consequences that can be reflected in future experiences, creating a permanent link between the different stages of the spiritual journey.
At the same time, reincarnation reinforces the principle of human solidarity, eliminating prejudices and demonstrating that all individuals are subject to the same evolutionary process.
A new interpretation of original sin
In item 38 of The Genesis, Kardec presents a new understanding of original sin:
38. Without the pre-existence of the soul, the doctrine of original sin would not only be irreconcilable with the justice of God, which would make all men responsible for the fault of one, but it would also be nonsense, and all the less justifiable since, according to this doctrine, the soul did not exist at the time to which its responsibility is purported to date. With pre-existence, man brings with him, upon rebirth, the germ of his imperfections, of the defects he has not corrected, which are expressed by natural instincts and inclinations towards this or that vice. This is his true original sin, the consequences of which he naturally suffers, but with the crucial difference that he suffers the penalty for his own faults, and not for those of others; And with the other difference, at once consoling, encouraging, and supremely equitable, that each existence offers him the means to redeem himself through reparation and to progress, either by shedding some imperfection or by acquiring new knowledge, and thus, until, sufficiently purified, he no longer needs bodily life and can live exclusively the spiritual, eternal, and blessed life.
page 57 – Kardec, The Genesis – 6th edition – Mundo Maior Publishing House
The Spiritist doctrine abandons the idea of inherited guilt and replaces this concept with individual responsibility.
Man does not suffer as a consequence of the lack of an ancestor.
According to Kardec, the so-called original sin corresponds to the set of imperfections that the Spirit still retains upon rebirth. In Heaven and Hell, Chapter VIII – 15°, he establishes individual responsibility, where man suffers only the penalty for his own faults, having in each existence the means to redeem himself.
15) Each person is responsible only for their own personal faults; no one bears the penalty for the faults of another,106 unless they have given rise to it, either by provoking it through their example, or by not preventing it when they had the power to do so. One is responsible not only for the evil one has done, but also for the good one could have done and did not do.107 Thus, for example, the suicide is always punished; but he who, by his harshness, impels an individual to despair and thence to self-destruction, is subject to an even greater penalty.
pg. 136 – Kardec, Heaven and Hell – 2021 – Mundo Maior Publishing House
Each individual brings with them tendencies, inclinations, and difficulties that represent experiences not yet overcome. However, these limitations do not constitute a definitive condemnation.
Each new existence offers the necessary resources for the Spirit to transform old imperfections into virtues, gradually advancing towards perfection.
Conclusion: A justice system based on progress and responsibility.
By establishing the correspondence between The Genesis and Heaven and hell, Allan Kardec presents a vision of divine justice based on principles completely different from those traditionally associated with punishment.
There are no privileges in creation. There are no eternal damnations. Suffering is not a manifestation of divine wrath, but a natural consequence of imperfection.
At the same time, repentance, reparation, and reincarnation offer permanent opportunities for growth and transformation.
This understanding makes divine justice an educational and progressive process, in which each Spirit is responsible for its own destiny and possesses, within itself, the necessary tools to achieve happiness.
More than a theory about life after death, Kardec presents a proposal based on individual responsibility, equality among beings, and the certainty that progress is a universal law of creation.
Note: This content is based on the works of Allan Kardec (authentic editions from Editora Mundo Maior), focusing on the doctrinal correlation between The Genesis and Heaven and Hell.
