Monthly Archives: May 2012

Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

ON GOD; Part CVII

“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace” (James 3: 13-18).

Our next verse in this saying by the Apostle James is one that we have used frequently and to cover many different thoughts regarding those things that we believe come down from above or, as we would say, from within. We have applied this to Wisdom, to righteous judgement, to test the validity of purported spiritual sayings or events, to evaluating what we may believe is True guidance from God or from our own Souls, the testing of things that one may believe are revelation which is similar to the last point on guidance by more profound, and, most importantly, as the best tool that we have as regards the dissipation of illusion and glamour and the end to our deception. This saying is the positive side of what we have been discussing which says “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy“. There is a beauty and a strength in all of James writings but there is little as profound and helpful to the man in form than these words for, if we let them, they can prevent much trouble and much deception. From yesterday’s post we came away with a better reality regarding the negative side of this equation painted for us by the apostle; we found that it is not simply envy and strife as one would ordinarily understand it but it is rather that deep seated selfishness, that self interest and self-devotion and all that would be included by the idea of emulation. It is doing for the carnal self instead of the Christ Within, it is following the ways of the world instead of the ways of God. It does not matter that we have reasoned our our beliefs and our practices, if they are intended for the support and the enrichment of the carnal man, then they are not from above and this is an extremely hard cross to bear.

Let us understand, as we did yesterday, the True meaning of these words that James uses:

• Our first word here is pure and this is, according to Vincent, the key word in the whole of this verse; Vincent tells us that First. Emphasizing its inner quality, pure, as distinguished from its outward expressions. The idea is not first numerically, but first essentially. The other qualities are secondary as outgrowths of this primary quality⁴. As we begin to understand the depth that can be assigned to this word, Vincent’s ideas make much sense. Strong’s tells us of the Greek word hagnos, which translated as pure, that it means pure (in some contexts morally pure), innocent³ and in this we should take hold also of the idea of innocent. The lexicon is a bit more doctrinal and has this to say about hagnos exciting reverence, venerable, sacred; pure, pure from carnality, chaste, modest, pure from every fault, immaculate, clean². This helps us some in trying to understand the way this is meant and we should at least see here the English word pure in this Greek word hagnos and with this in mind we turn to Webster’s for some understanding of the word pure. This says: Pure (?), a. [Compar. Purer (?); superl. Purest.] [OE. pur, F. pur, fr. L. purus; akin to putus pure, clear, putare to clean, trim, prune, set in order, settle, reckon, consider, think, Skr. p to clean, and perh. E. fire. Cf. Putative.] 1.Separate from all heterogeneous or extraneous matter; free from mixture or combination; clean; mere; simple; unmixed;as,pure water;pure clay;pure air;pure compassion. 2. Free from moral defilement or quilt; hence, innocent; guileless; chaste; — applied to persons. Keep thyself pure.” 1 Tim. v. 22. 3. Free from that which harms, vitiates, weakens, or pollutes; genuine; real; perfect; — applied to things and actions. Pure religion and impartial laws.” Tickell. The pure, fine talk of Rome.” Ascham. 4.(Script.)Ritually clean; fitted for holy services¹. Are we seeing this any clearer? Can we see in this single word the similar idea that we have be seeing in the Master’s use of the word perfect which is used here as a defining term by Webster’s. Can we see that to be pure in the context of these definitions one must be single-minded and following the Master; keeping His words? Remembering that Vincent reminds us that pure is first, we must see in this all the contexts that we have listed above; in Wisdom which is the context of the apostle, in discerning of revelation and of guidance, in evaluating all that we as men in form believe. Does every thought comply with these definitions, every action and every motivation? We must understand here that there is no evil at the other side of from above there is only from the Earth, from the personality and hence our ending in the last post of God and mammon.
• The next word is peaceable and in this we should see exactly what it says plus the idea of peace-loving. Strong’s tells us that the Greek word eirenikos means: peace-loving, peaceable, praceful, with a focus of having freedom from emotional worry and frustration. The lexicon tells us that eirenikos means relating to peace: peaceable, pacific, loving peace; bring peace with it, peaceful, salutary. Can we see that all thoughts of aggression, all guidance and revelation that would put on into mode of strive for virtually and motivation is contrary to this saying? Can we also see the entirety of these saying resting within the Master’s use of the word pure.

Much of our writing today is below in the Quote of the Day section and so we will leave off here for today; we will continue our dixcussion in the next post.

Note on the Quote of the Day

This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.

We leave our Quote of the Day from yesterday again today and likely for several days so that we can understand the intent of these affirmations which are intended for use by aspirant and disciples such as we believe that we are. Our opening and general statement on these verses has been moved to the bottom.

And so we have Purpose, Power and Will as the three ingredients for the Way of Liberation. Note that we are not saying for Liberation but that these are needed on the Way, on the Path to the Liberation of one’s Soul from the seemingly endless cycle of birth and death. From a Christian perspective we can look at this as the strait gate that the Master tells us about and which He tells us that we must strive to enter. His words clearly show that this is a beginning and not an end and we should see this Way of Liberation in the same way. Jesus tells us that we should “Strive to enter inat the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24); and with a bit more clarity He says in another place “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Our journey as Spirit and Soul is likely never ending but is a continuous progression of Life in God and this idea of the strait gate that puts us onto the Path which we can see as the Way of Liberation is but a beginning, a beginning of our ability to move beyond this existence that we have here in the Earth. That the Soul possesses these three, Purpose, Power and Will should be seen as a straightforward fact as this is our very Nature as it is the Nature of God in whose image we as Souls are created. That we must manifest and express these three through our phenomenal appearance on Earth is our task, our objective and ever our Goal. For the sake of the clarity of our position on these things we present here again our chart on the Constitution of Man:

Aspect of God	Potency	Expressed as Fire	Aspect of Man
Father	Will or Power	Electric Fire	Spirit or Life
Son, The Christ	Love and Wisdom	Solar Fire	Soul or Christ Within
Holy Spirit	Light or Activity	Fire by Friction	Life Within the Form

Since we have a column here labeled for God ‘Expressed as Fire’ we should take note here that although fire is spoken of rather negatively in the New Testament as it relates to ideas of Hell and of punishment in general, there are two verses that put fire into a different Light. We present here the two verses from the New Testament and another which is a statement on the Nature of God; if any want further understanding of what we are saying in our posts, we speak of this in In the Words of Jesus part 230 where we first introduce this version of the chart.

• Fr0m John the Baptist we read: “John answered , saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh , the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose : he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire” (Luke 3:16).
• From the Master in a very obscure statement we read: “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled ?” (Luke 12:49).
• From the Old Testament regarding the Nature of God and repeated by the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews we read: “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24) and from Hebrews “For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).

Our next task here is to discuss in more detail the ideas that are presented with the statement that My Soul must foster love among the sons of men; this is its major purpose. Over the last few posts we did discuss this idea but we have not really gotten to the core of the understanding that is imparted to us in it. It is telling us in so many ways what the Christ is telling us except again, the perspective is changed. The Master speaking more that 2000 years ago tell us that we should “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). Through our studies of the words of the Master and His apostles we can see that this, if practiced properly and universally, will bring a man into the Kingdom of God because it is the Power of the Soul that will actually accomplish this and, once there we are then bound by the Masters command, the Great Commission as it is called which is properly seen as “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19; American Standard Version). This is the responsibility of each and every one who is or would become a disciple but not in the way that this is interpreted in the missionary world that still persists to today. We know that discipleship is a state of being that is beyond the mere believing and professing, it is an active work of doing the words of the Master and especially those in which He tells us of the requirements of being a True Disciple and attaining the Kingdom. So then to all who feel this Light of the Soul coming through into his consciousness, we know our responsibility which is told us again in more simple language in our the second stanza of our saying below and not only does this say that it is our responsibility, it says that it is our very purpose.

As we approach World GoodWill Day, the Christ Festival, which occurs on the 4th of June we should plan to take this opportunity to pledge ourselves to a greater role in bringing about that sense of GoodWill in the world and, of course, this starts with each and every one of us in our daily lives at home, at work and in our communities.

We will continue with our thoughts on our affirmation and on World GoodWill Day in the next post.

My Soul has Purpose, Power and Will; these three are needed on the Way of Liberation.

My Soul must foster love among the sons of men; this is its major purpose.

I, therefore, will to love and tread the Way of Love. All that hinders and obstructs the showing of the Light must disappear before the purposes of the Soul.

My will is one with the great Will of God;. that Holy Will requires that all men serve. And unto the purposes of the Plan I lend my little will.

As we approached the time of the Wesak Festival we noted that there are Three Spiritual Festivals in three consecutive months each falling on the day of the Full Moon in the respective month. The first is the Festival of Easter, the second is the Wesak, the Festival of the Buddha and the third is the festival of the Christ which is coming next at the Full Moon of Gemini which will occur on June the 5th and which is alternatively called World Invocation Day. There is a little more that three weeks between now and the Christ’s Festival and we will try to use that time to attain a better understanding of what this day should mean to us. We will start here today with this set of affirmative sayings regarding discipleship and its requirements from the perspective of the willing disciple. We will get into the source of this saying as well as our thoughts on its meaning and intent over the next few posts and we will leave it here as the Quote of the Day until we can accomplish this. Spoken as the aspirant or disciple in form who is invoking fullness of the power of the Christ Within, he first acknowledges what he must bring to bear on the personalty, then what he must do with this purpose, power and will……LOVE.

• ¹ Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913
• ² New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
• ³ Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 2001
• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888