Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
ON LOVE; PART LXXXIX
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
GoodWill IS Love in Action
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live , ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:13-26).
We have been discussing the meanings of our titles and subtitles as we approach our 500th edition of posts on this blog and, as we can see from the writing, there is a rather endless supply of ideas attached to each of these and the meanings can be rather far reaching. We will stop here however and continue with the names and the persons that we have used to describe that which we speak of and the persons whom we rely upon for spiritual guidance or for pertinent literary facts. These include words like Master, accounted worthy, illusion, glamour, vanity, focus, Love, Truth and Wisdom plus others that we will come upon in our discussion. We will also address the people, aside from the writers of the gospels and the epistles, that we use and speak of in our writing and these include Vincent, the Tibetan, Emmet Fox, John Gill, and Alice Bailey; while there are others, these are those that supply for us the most of our personalized information and we do supplement these with Webster’s Dictionaries (1828 and 1913), the lexicon from BibleStudyTools.com and the more modern dictionaries from Dictionary.com. We should not forget that we rely also on other scripture as we find them in the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita, the Dammapada and other writings on the Buddha. All of these plus others work together with our own writing to produce these many essays which are intended to close the gap of separatism that exists today between the various groups in religion, philosophy, politics….most ALL areas of human endeavor.
Before we begin this however we want to take a brief excursion into the realm of doctrine to show its effect upon the psyche and the lives of many millions around the world. We have often implied that doctrine is a universal result of trying to understand the incomprehensible and taking it only in human terms especially when the doctrine is concerning religion and on this the Master speaks clearly but we do not listen to Him. After several verses of teaching by the Master telling us of the ways of the Pharisee as a blind guide because of the nature of their teaching regarding swearing, a thing that He earlier speaks against we should be able to see some of the contrary nature in the way that even the purportedly religious obey the law.
- Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that: “ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself , but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:33:37).
- Later as the Master recites his list of woes to the Pharisees and the rulers, He says “Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon” (Matthew 23:16-22)
Can we see here that in the first point that the Master is admonishing them NOT to swear as it is of no use to do so to prove one’s intent in any matter and that the straightforward Truth should suffice for ALL and, that the ideas of lying and of disbelief are solely of the world, evil. The Master also points out the Old Testament laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy that we have been discussing recently where we find: “And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:12) and “When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee” (Deuteronomy 23:21). It is within these laws on swearing that the Pharisees and the rulers made doctrine and rules that are contrary to the word of God as presented by Moses and it is on this doctrine that the Master is speaking in the second point where He is essentially telling them that they don’t KNOW what they are talking about in their doctrines from the spiritual perspective, that they are misinterpreting and misunderstanding and yet they pronounce their doctrines as the Truth. He tells them here that they are blind guides and in another place expands upon this idea saying “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14).
We KNOW that the Master is speaking to the Pharisees and the rulers of the Jews and that He takes them to task for their hypocrisy and, even more so, for their declarations of doctrines that are not grounded in the Truth. This is the True message and the hypocrisy the other faults of the Pharisees are but the sidebar and this is seen in the reality of the doctrines that they create for followers that they do not follow themselves. The Master’s position on this can be summed up in this saying as He repeats the words of the prophet: “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:7-9). For our purposes today we center in on the ideas gained from the Master’s comments on the “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” and the allied idea that this leads to which is that they who do this also are the “blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch“. This may seem harsh and indeed it is but there is a reality here that not only afflicts the Pharisee, the Jewish preacher of that day, but this must also be extended to ALL such persons throughout the history of the church up to and including the religious authority of today.
These ideas afflict ALL religions from the seemingly inconsequential pronouncements of the Hindu holy man who preaches the transmigration of Souls from human back to animal form based upon what they may eat and how they may act, to the harshness of the current day Muslim in this reported scene which we read about in the newspaper today: We want to kill in the name of God,” chanted mourners as angry gunmen fired automatic weapons into the air. Hundreds of people raised their index fingers in the air, chanting, “God is great.” These are both non-Christian examples of the results of doctrines that are not based in the Truth of their particular scriptures but the same has afflicted the Christian world as well. While today there is not the harshness of the idea of to kill in the name of God, there are many other positions that the Christian denominations take that are not supported by scripture and, in some cases, are in opposition to the words of the Master. These are, all of them, positions that will not pass the scrutiny of the Wisdom from above as the Apostle James tells us nor do they conform to the fruits of the Spirit that we read of from the Apostle Paul. At the same time these ideas are preached by those who claim to have the authority of God to proclaim them when in reality the have only the authority of the men who taught them. Simply put, the Master taught us Love and ANY doctrine that does not have a universal Love at its core is likely a doctrine of men regardless of whether it functions on the premise of Love toward any part. Love is universal and True doctrine is as well; there are no hard fought points of contention based on the illusion of moral rectitude on either side of the issue.
While we do not come down on either side of the issues involved in abortion and birth control we will here make them our example. Church doctrine comes down on the side of anti-abortion which they call pro-life yet at the same time there is no True scriptural reference to abortion and most are in favor of execution even when considering that a fair amount of innocent people have been wrongly put to death. These are, both of them, hard positions and the activists and the supporters of these ideas based on doctrine seemingly would rather continue the fight than seek a greater Truth based upon the ideas of James and of Paul and the reality that these things are not covered in scripture and we leave out here the Master’s reality saying “That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39) as this seems to us a much more personal treatment. The same is true of birth control; there is no scriptural reference on this save an obscure reference in the Book of Genesis which is not a part of the law but the story of a man who refused to have children with his brother’s widow which is apparently a custom in those days. Here again we have doctrine based on the illusion of morality while the True morality that is enunciated in the law is taken lightly or is ignored. There is much to be learned about the reality of sex and conception which we will some day get to in our essays.
Our point here is simple and our examples pertinent; there is much in the doctrines of ALL religions and denominations and sects which are the commandments of men and points of contention even within the religion and it is these contentions that likely cause the gaps of separatism between them and much confusion among the people. Some of these, like the distinguishing of the types of baptism, do no real harm except to confuse while others, like the ideas surrounding the reality of being born again, delude people and can cause them to believe that they have done their part. Both of these areas concern differing doctrines and the schools that teach each in different ways are teaching the doctrines of men and teaching them as the commandments of God; of course both sides are seldom right with opposing points of view and yet each will insist on its own authority, never giving in the the ideas of James and of Paul which we will post again at the end of our essay today.
The most egregious doctrinal examples today are those that cause hatreds, armed conflict and carry the threat of war based on racial, political and cultural differences and the idea that any of these can find its place within the walls of any world religion is purely sacrilegious and there IS NO WAY to paint such doctrinal teaching otherwise. And this is True of ALL True religions; there is nothing of hatred in the Judaeo-Christian Bible or in the Koran or any of the world scriptures and anything that may be seemingly founded in hatred is either historical as in the wars of the past as presented in some scripture or it is situational or parabolic. There is a interreligious movement in the world today that is partly centered in the United Nations and is also becoming a part of the fabric of Christianity through organizations like the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue which lists as its responsibilities
- to promote mutual understanding, respect and collaboration between Catholics and the followers of others religious traditions;
- to encourage the study of religions;
- to promote the formation of persons dedicated to dialogue.
These are high ideals and as such the reality of these type efforts should be taught among the peoples of the world in place of the separatism that is still taught today. The days of the hard and fast ideas of being right as held by ALL sides must end; ALL opposing views cannot be right and the realization of the forgoing, that it is the doctrines of men that are at fault, can help lead the world to a new era of reconciliation. To do this there must be a degree of understanding in the fact that these held beliefs that one’s own view is the right and the only right view is fed by the illusion and the glamour of the world and in this case, it is mostly the glamour of being among those that are right; can we see how the idea of vanity can fit here?
The words of James and Paul which, if we were to heed them, could lead us ALL to Peace.
- James tells us: “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” (James 3:14-17). For a greater understanding of these verses see In the Words of Jesus parts 323-332.
- Paul tells us: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:19-26).
Against each of these we should try to measure even our doctrines and if we do so in Truth and in honesty, we can achieve much.
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Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In relation to the Christ |
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GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Life |
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Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Truth |
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Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Way |
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.:
Today we post a World Prayer that is also included in the Prayers and Meditation section with some explanation of its source and its use. We are entering a time of the year which we can consider more sacred by way of the newness of Spring which should reflect in our newness of Life. This is the Festival of Easter and a time of rejoicing; not only for the Resurrection of the Lord from the Christian perspective but also for the teaching that is incorporated in the Master’s sacrifice 2000 years ago and in His continued sacrifice. We should remember His parting words: “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20)
From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men–
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
