ON LOVE; PART DCXCII
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
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WHAT THEN IS LOVE? In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men.
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PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
As we ended the last essay we posted our next selection of verses which includes again our final verse from the last selection which IS the Master’s words on our own ability to DO those “greater works“. We posted as well two other translations of the first two of these verses, both from the Catholic tradition, and we should note here that the idea of Jesus’ reason that we can DO these “because I go unto my Father” IS removed from the saying as we read it below in the King James’ version; these words ARE added to the next verse where the Master speaks on His own DOING in regard to the requests of the apostles and us through them. In our view the causative reason for our ability to DO these “greater works” has already be specified by the Master as He tells us that this IS the purview of the man “that believeth on me” which we understand as the reality of keeping His words. In this understanding of keeping His words, having a second causative idea as His leaving them becomes superfluous. Doctrine however DOES NOT see the connection between the Apostle John’s use of the phrase “believeth on” and the Truth of keeping His words as we do nor do they see this phrase as Vincent DOES; they generally relegate this to the most common understanding of believing: as emotional and mental assent. It IS in the misunderstanding of this phrase as well as the misinterpreted understanding of some of the writings of the Apostle Paul that have greatly contributed to the doctrinal idea that it IS only faith and believing that ARE necessary for Christian salvation. And this would be True if it were not for the way that this has been interpreted over the centuries.
In the reality of faith and believing we should be able to see the idea of KNOWING and understand that by degree a man can come to a realization of what these ideas Truly mean in the Life of the aspirant and the disciple. This IS a reality that IS affirmed for us by the Master as He tells us the Truth of seeing Him as Lord and yet NOT DOING as He instructs us to DO. And the disconnect here IS strange to us as these words seem ever so clear and the reality of the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders that follows IS built upon the acts of DOING. Similarly with the ideas of faith and works where the ideas that are gleaned from Paul’s writings are misapplied and ARE NOT reconciled to the Truths on this same idea that we find in the Epistle of James. In merely seeing the Master as Lord. in believing that He IS the Son of God and in having faith in the presumption of the atoning quality of His death, much of Christian doctrine has been based. It has been our contention here in this blog that it IS the doctrines of men that dilute and change the Truth of His words for the purpose of creating for the originators of these doctrines and the followers a safe haven, albeit one that IS built is the deception that James warns us of saying: “be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Using nebulous ideas attached to scriptural words, the doctrines of the many denominations have created a rather authoritarian dominion based in the illusion and the glamour of the world of men that fails to see past its own traditions and edicts; and this IS much the same as the Master warned against regarding the Pharisee and the scribe, not individually but in conjunction with their own views of their own doctrines and traditions.
We must again say that while these ideas do sound harsh and critical of the doctrinal church, they ARE NOT intended to be so. Our intent IS merely to show forth the difference between our sense of Truth which IS based in the words of the Master with a view toward the words of the apostles as that they ARE clarification and amplification of Jesus words ONLY and are not ideas that can be separated away from His words. The need for the doctrinal church IS apparent as we see its ability to attract men to some view of God that they may not otherwise have and our own writing IS intended to show those who have outgrown the doctrinal view of God and religion a clearer way that IS based in Love and in keeping His words. The simplicity of our view can be found in that rhetorical question that we have been citing much over the last several essays, a question that the Master asks for the specific purpose of eliciting a response from the individual man who sees Him as Lord; Jesus asks: “why call you me, Lord, Lord; and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).
Perhaps the right frame of reference for this can be found in the Master’s exchange with the rich young man who comes to Jesus saying: “Good Master, what good thing shall I do , that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16); here we should see that this man KNOWS something of the Master, he KNOWS Him to be of God and he KNOWS that He IS the One to ask; and in this we should see the ideas of faith and believing that surround doctrines yet today. The Master’s response IS that this man, seeing that he DOES already keep the law and IS apparently an upright and even religious citizen in that light, should forsake ALL else and follow Him, that He should DO what the Master instructs and follow the Master as the Way, the Truth and the Life for which he is seeking. This IS clear and if we can understand the deeper idea of things spiritual coming to us by degree, this story can make pertinent sense to ALL men; this man IS a DOER but IS NOT complete…his completion IS in this forsaking. For others that ARE NOT yet DOERS the idea of DOING begins at a much simpler degree but it DOES begin and this should be seen as the context of the Master’s rhetorical question “why call you me, Lord, Lord; and do not the things which I say?“. Can we see the point here? Can we see that for the rich young man the idea of forsaking ALL as his DOING IS his next step on the Path and that for everyman there IS a next step which may for some even be a first step onto the Path to the Kingdom. The further point IS of course that if one DOES call Him Lord and Truly means this, the act of DOING IS the expected outcome; the ideas of faith and believing ARE incorporated into the idea of Lord and the idea of DOING IS, in the Master’s words, the expected result but one that most apparently DO NOT see.
Millions go about Life attesting to their faith and believing, millions go about Life calling Him Lord and asking Him for special favor as a part of the practice of their faith, millions believe that they have special favor because of this sense of believing and faith as they take roles in churches and in their presumptive use of the “spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:1); but it IS ONLY those who ARE DOERS of the word and who strive to keep His words that are clearly among those who the Master calls the “wise man, which built his house upon a rock“. The others may have some success but this IS NOT predictive and this success DOES NOT occur uniformly among believers; it may even be as prominent among those who DO NOT Truly believe and the Master makes this point for us in the kindred saying to this one from Luke’s Gospel above. In Matthew we read the more specific ideas of the Master as: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-24). Here we have the direct relationship of DOING and of being accounted worthy of the Kingdom of God hidden in this parabolic saying but clearly uncovered in the similar words from Luke and the Truth of the Will of the Father.
It IS in this same reality of keeping His words, a reality that runs as a string through ALL of the New Testament, that we should see the ideas below; here we must understand the depth of believing on or believing in, and recognize that aside from one place in the synoptic gospels this phrase IS used exclusively by John. It IS here that we should rely upon Vincent’s expertise and knowledge of biblical Greek and try to understand his points on the use of this phrase which we posted two essays back; points that end with his analysis that this Greek phrase means: to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4 which we see clearly as keeping His words. And in IS for us a matter of common sense as well as we also see clearly that the mental and the emotional assent of ordinary believing and of faith CAN NOT rise above the Master’s own words regarding discipleship and being accounted worthy of the Kingdom of God. And it IS in this idea of keeping His words as the Truth of “believeth on me” that we must read our subject saying below; that it IS by this higher sense of believing, belief to such a degree that one KNOWS some part of the Truth of Life and of Love. And it IS in this KNOWING that the man becomes the DOER which IS the expression of the Love and the Power of the Christ Within in the world of men. We read again:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 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” (John 14:12-20).
In this sense this becomes a very understandable and attainable thing for a man in the world as in this men are separated from that doctrinal notion that we read in John Gill’s commentary; that: for we are not to understand these words of everyone that believes in Christ, of every private believer in him, but only of the apostles, and each of them, that were true believers in him 8. Mr. Gill’s IS a very limiting idea but one that goes to our point that mere believing will NOT bring this Power into the Life of a man. However, when this idea of “believeth on me” IS seen as keeping His words, the whole of this idea of “greater works” can open up in the view of men…perhaps even in the view of the doctrinal church. If we can see that it IS in keeping His words that one IS a disciple of the Lord, we can see the KEY to the reality of salvation and of being “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). And the Master shows us this relationship between keeping His words and discipleship, and between keeping His words and being accounted worthy of the Kingdom of of God, throughout the Gospels. His words on these things come in many forms including His words on Repentance and on Love and in His words on DOING “the will of my Father which is in heaven” that we show above. Perhaps the clearest idea however IS found here in John’s Gospel where we read: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free“. These words ARE NOT reserved for the Twelve nor are they for any KNOWN disciples but rather “to those Jews which believed on him” (John 8:31), to those who were striving to keep His words.
We should remember here that it IS the disciple that can be “as his master” and while these ideas are parabolic, it should be rather easy to connect them to the reality of discipleship and the Truth of the Master and His disciple….for what other purpose would Jesus have given us these ideas? In the most simple saying that “The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master“, there IS a clear parabolic meaning that IS missed and, as we saw in John Gill’s commentary (In the Words of Jesus part 1098) this saying IS attributed to the previous saying which asks “Can the blind lead the blind” (Luke 6:40, 39) where he finds the relationship of the leader and the follower with the disciple and the master. And this may be the outer reality of the story, of the parable, but the hidden meaning is more elusive and this IS the very nature of the parable and the parabolic saying. For us we see these ideas as corroborating each other; the idea that “the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” and the idea of the disciple, the completed disciple, being “as his master” both show us the same reality. And this reality IS the ability to express the fullness of the Love and the Power of the Soul, the Christ Within, through one’s Life in the world. Jesus IS this expression of “all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9) and He IS telling us in these words on “greater works” and on being “as his master” that we can be that expression as well.
We must remember here that these things, ALL things spiritual, work out in the Life of the man in the world by degree. We should see that these end points of the disciple being “as his master” and the ability to DO as He does, “the works that I do” as He tells us, and even the “greater works“, are the culmination of the work of the disciple in the world…these are the end points in his own Transformation from the fledgling aspirant to the Highest Calling of True discipleship. That doctrine DOES NOT see this as the Truth and the reality of His words is unfortunate and that Mr. Gill, and likely many others, believe that these things are for the apostles ONLY should not deter the earnest seeker as he strives toward the Truth. The Master sets these ideas for us and NOT the doctrines of men and it IS in stringing together ALL of His words on Repentance and Love, on keeping His words and on the focus of the Life of the man who seeks Him, that we can see that ALL serve to show us the Way, the True Way to His Presence which He prepares us for through the prompting of our own Souls, the Christ Within each man, as we come to abide in His Love, the Love of God as KNOWN and expressed by our own Christ and God Within. And the Master tells us that these things ARE for us in parables and implied language like the completion of our idea above where we read: “whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24). We ARE whosoever here yet today and we ARE also those of whom the Master speaks saying: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word” (John 17:20).
There are NO restrictions in His words except those that are applied by name to His apostles or others and even much of this can be seen as that it can effect us as men in the world. We should remember here our own premise, that the Life of the Apostle Peter IS carefully laid out for us so that we can see the journey and can see the ultimate Truth of the perfect disciple of the Lord.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect |
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.
We repeat here again a saying that is from the Bhagavad Gita, which goes well with our theme of the God Within, the Soul, which we see as the Christ Within and while this is good in the Christian world and is True based upon our understanding of the Christ as the manifestation of God, we should also see in these words below that it does not matter what these divine ideas are called; that it matters not what we call this Inner Man, that he is the same in ALL, he is the Soul.
Thou carriest within thee a sublime Friend whom thou knowest not. For God dwells in the inner part of every man, but few know how to find Him. The man who sacrifices his desires and his works to the Beings from whom the principles of everything stem, and by whom the Universe was formed, through this sacrifice attains perfection. For one who finds his happiness and joy within himself, and also his wisdom within himself is one with God. And, mark well, the soul which has found God is freed from rebirth and death, from old age and pain, and drinks the water of Immortality.—Bhagavad-Gita
It is difficult to tell just what verses of the Bhagavad Gita the above is from; whether it is a paraphrase or a combination. It is from the book “The Great Initiates” by Édouard Schuré which was originally published in French in 1889 and perhaps it is in the translation of the verses that they become hard to recognize. However, the sheer beauty of the presentation caught my attention and so I share it with you. The Path to the Kingdom is the same no matter what religion one professes.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
