Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
ON LOVE; PART CCCXVI
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•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•ΑΩ•Α
“And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:17-20).
“And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:46-51)
“Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God” (Mark 16:14-19).
“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” (John 21:25).
Above we have the ending words of the Master according to the to the three synoptic gospels and John’s words at the end from his own gospel. Before we proceed to discuss the first two from the Apostles Matthew and Luke above in greater detail than we have over the last several posts, we will look briefly at the words of the Apostles Mark and John. We should note here that this is our understanding which is based upon our reading and our words are likely at odds with the writings of the doctrines and the commentaries that guide much of the church.
John’s Gospel: The easier of the two for us to discern is the ending of the Gospel of John and these words above follow upon his sayings that reflect his own thoughts regarding that conversation between the Master and the Apostle Peter where Peter is apparently concerned about John’s role; we begin here with the Master’s final words to Peter: “Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true” (John 21;22-24). The apostle ends with the words at the top of our essay which say only that what the apostle has reported is a mere fraction of the total of what could be said but our point here is more to the preceding verses in which we can see the continuation of that ‘sense of self’ that we should remember that both John and his brother, the Apostle James, had earlier and for which he was corrected by the Master. This gospel is likely written first, before his epistles and the Book of Revelation, yet it reveals to us the apostles depth of vision and realization as well as the degree of his own revelation of Truth while at the same time that he retains this ‘sense of self‘ that is seen more than once in his writings. For us today we should see here the strength of the personality and the vision of one’s self that must eventually be overcome and John is not alone on this count. We read much of Peter, who we see as our ready example of the Life of the disciple, and his own particular trials and tribulations and we could say here that Peter suffered from fear and from seeing first the thoughts of the personality in the world while John suffers from a ‘sense of self‘ and a belief that he should be above the others which we read as: “And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory” (Mark 10:35-37). Here we see that ‘sense of self‘ which in Matthew’s Gospel is told similar except that it is their mother who tries to intercede with the Master on their behalf, and we see it again as John speaks of himself saying “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23), and again as he writes about himself going the the Master’s tomb: “Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved” (Jojn 20:2). There are other instances of this but these should suffice to note our point that even in his discipleship, he had not yet overcome ALL and we should try to see this as a lesson to us who read his words: that the way IS difficult and few find it, not physically, but few can shed ALL and be able to stand with the Master and say as John also tells us: “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Mark’s Gospel: There is significant controversy regarding the ending of Mark’s words as many believe that his gospel actually ends with the eighth verse and that the balance is added later by another. Vincent tells us that: A manuscript of the eighth or ninth century, known as L, has, at the close of Mark 16:8, these words: “In some instances there is added as follows.” Then we read: “But all the things enjoined they announced without delay to those who were around Peter (i.e., to Peter and those who were with him). And afterward Jesus himself, from the east unto the west, sent forth through them the sacred and incorruptible message of eternal salvation”4. We take no position on this controversial matter as we DO NOT KNOW that it is Mark’s writing or not and from one perspective we can add here that perhaps this IS Mark’s words but later written as there IS a part here that can be seen as specific to the Apostle Paul’s actual experience while travelling to Rome where the apostle asks that Mark join him. Paul’s actual experience, as we read it in Luke’s Book of Acts, is on the isle of Melita where, upon arriving Luke tells us that: “And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god” (Acts 28:3-6). In this story is but a part of course of Mark’s telling us of the Master’s words in the disputed verses where He says: “signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover“. Now we should see here that Paul accomplishes this part of taking up serpents and poisoning and, although in a single act, we should see the reality of drinking poison here as well. We also KNOW that Paul had accomplished ALL of these other ‘fetes’ as well and that he is of such Power that he could heal remotely. We could see that Paul IS the example of the disciple of which Mark tells us that the Master speaks of. We should KNOW as well that this does not come to any man who can say that he believes; it takes believing as we understand it which, as we take from Vincent, is: to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4 which we KNOW IS to keep His words completely and in so doing, without exception and without regard to the world, we find the Perfect and True disciple who IS Paul and any other who can so achieve. Imagine the level of believing necessary to drink poison thinking that “it shall not hurt them“; imagine this and think on how many well meaning Christians have met their end in trying this without thinking that this believing IS as we cite here, that we keep His words. Any who can come to the reality of True discipleship as do Paul and Peter can and will be immune to ALL things Earthly as they can say with the Master that “I have overcome the world“. There is no True record of the deaths of Peter and Paul, only scant writings by some of the early Church Fathers who tell of the martyrdom of both and we would say here that if this IS the way that they died, that they were willing participants as was the Master in His own crucifixion. On the point of the Master’s words saying that “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” we MUST believe the same ideas as above regarding this believing as keeping His words and not merely attesting to such in thought and emotion as IT IS ONLY in so doing, in keeping His words, that one can be Truly ‘saved’ and in so doing we can see as well that these are baptized, immersed as we see it, in the Truth of the Master’s teachings. So it matters not to us that these words are genuine as in proper reading they DO reflect the same Truths that we would expect in the words of the Master. Of course this word rendered as damned is not a Christ like expression as regards people of any sort and here Vincent tells us that it is better rendered as condemned 4. However we CAN NOT see this either in its common understanding but we can understand it in the terms of Webster’s 1828 version where we read that condemned means: Pronounced to be wrong, guilty, worthless, or forfeited 1.and even here it IS only in Pronounced to be wrong that we can see any link to the Master’s words.
Matthew’s Gospel: A couple of posts of posts back we looked at this from our own unique perspective and, using the King James Version as our guide, we came with these ideas: “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of (not teach according to Vincent and an accepted rendering by many bible translations) ALL men, (the whole human race according to Vincent), immersing them, (an accepted understanding of the doctrinal term baptize), into the Truth of, (as name implies the expression of the sum total of the divine Being), the Trinity of God: Teaching them, (a different Greek word than teach in the previous verse), to keep, (as in to keep His words), ALL things that I have commanded you: (we add here as disciples), and behold, I am with you ALL the days, (the literal translation of alway according to Vincent and Young’s Literal Translation says “full end“), even unto the consummation of the age (again the literal translation according to Vincent which Young’s as “full end“)”.4 Now we did not change anything in our rendering of these verses that IS not given us by the various allowances in the translations as offered in the lexicon, by Vincent and in the Literal Translation of Young plus some of our own conventions such as:
- Immersing in place of baptizing which idea we have used throughout our posts and which we take from various sources, most notable from the lexicon where we read: Not to be confused with 911, bapto. The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be ‘dipped'(bapto) into boiling water and then ‘baptised’ (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change. When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. e.g.Mark 16:16. ‘He that believes and is baptised shall be saved’.Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle! Bible Study Magazine, James Montgomery Boice, May 1989 2. Now while baptizing IS a valid translation of the Greek word baptizo, it fails us because of the common meaning attached to it as the ritual
- the Truth of in place of “in the name of” where Vincent tells us that: When one is baptized into the name of the Trinity, he professes to acknowledge and appropriate God in all that he is and in all that he does for man 4. and although our overall meaning appears to be different, it DOES agree with the general tenor of the teachings of the Master.
- Trinity of God in place of “the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” as these are synonymous terms. For us the idea of the Trinity takes away the doctrinal separation of the Three Aspects of God which are generally misunderstood as separate and manifest. We understand them according to their potencies as noted in our chart below and we see our ONE God in His relationship to man as the macrocosm to the microcosm and as no more separate than IS man as Spirit, Soul and the activity of these in Life.
- As disciples is a clarifying addition to the text which IS implied in the way the the Master gives this instruction to His disciples, that they should teach others as they have been taught which includes ALL of His words on Love and on the Way of the Disciple.
Without the parenthetical interruptions the Master says to us: “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of ALL men, immersing them into the Truth of the Trinity of God: Teaching them to keep ALL things that I have commanded you as disciples: and, behold, I am with you ALL the days, even unto the consummation of the age“.
Luke’s Gospel: We discussed these words several posts back as part of our discussion of the importance of Repentance but not as a version of the Great Commission as these ideas ARE called in doctrine. While the language is rather choppy here as the Master appears to be speaking of Himself, it IS the message that IS of importance and there is little difference between these words that the Master uses here and those above from Matthew’s Gospel. Whether the message IS that they “make disciples of ALL men, immersing them into the Truth of the Trinity of God: Teaching them to keep ALL things” to use our own verbiage, or whether that message IS that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations” it will have the same effect of making disciples providing there IS a True understanding of these words as well. When we see Repentance as that decision to change one’s focus to the things of God and to honor the Master’s admonition to “Strive to enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24) and when we see remission the reward of discipleship and as that release from the bondage of sin and our imprisonment in the world of illusion and glamour which IS, according to the Apostle Paul, to be “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21), we will see the same ideas in both of these gospels. This remission IS only available to those who keep His words and by degree perhaps to those who honor the Master’s admonition to Strive as aspirants such as we. And, we are not taking liberties here with this word but using it according to those same type allowances as we cite above. The lexicon tells us that this idea of remission, as rendered from the Greek word aphesis, can be seen as: release from bondage or imprisonment; forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty 2 and when we can see sin as one’s focus upon the self and the self in the world, we can see this reality of remission more clearly. Webster’s tells us that remission IS: The act of remitting, surrendering, resigning, or giving up 1 and Vincent treats both remission and forgiveness as kindred verbs 4 as we have previously discussed along with Vine’s comments in the last essay. Our point here IS that there is no difference in the effect of these words from Luke and from Matthew, there IS only a difference in perspective and perhaps we can even link the words from Mark’s Gospel to these even though he puts ALL under the single idea of “preach the gospel” which, when properly understood NOT to be the New Testament, makes much sense as these are the same words that are used of the Master as we read:
- “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
- “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).
- “And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders” (Luke 20:1).
And there are many other such references to this Greek word euaggelion which is commonly understood as the GOOD NEWS and indeed it is but it IS so much more as well.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect of God |
Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In Relation to the Great Invocation |
In relation to the Christ |
|
GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN |
Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Heart of God |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Mind of God |
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.
May the Power of the One True God flow through His group of all true servers;
May the Love of the Christ characterize the lives of all who seek to aid in His work;
May I fulfill my part in the one work through self-forgetfulness, harmlessness and right speech
(Evening Reflection)
Today’s Quote of the Day is a repeat of a previous quote and is also featured in our Prayers and Meditations section with some additional comments regarding it. It appears today again because is sets in order our understanding that it is the Power of God that flows through those that serve Him and in this Power is the Love that can heal. When the Love of the Christ can become the character of one’s Life then this Power can be made available in a predictable way and the precepts of the last line will become our mode of conduct.
This is a prayer for the Power of God to be made available to all who seek to serve Him; in this Power is the Wisdom, the Understanding and the personal strength that we need to properly serve the Lord. It is a prayer also that asks that all who serve the Lord be imbued with His Love, Christ’ Love, which defines the truth of our service to Him. And it is a prayer that, on a personal level, reminds us of our responsibilities in service which are summarized in the three words: self-forgetfulness, harmlessness and right speech.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913
- 2 New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
- 6 Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1996
