Monthly Archives: November 2014

ON LOVE; PART DCCLXXII

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

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).

ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ

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.

ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ

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 continued our discussion on the Love and grace which ARE found in our revelation and realization of the Presence of God in our lives in this world over the last few essays, we applied the ideas of Repentance and Transformation as the Truth of how this comes about by measure in one’s Life. In this we should try to see how that the carnal man can and DOES change the focus of his Life away from the thoughts, attitudes and actions in which he has been nurtured and which have been his experience, and onto the Truth of the things of God; things that begin and end in the reality of Love as the Master and His apostles teach us. We noted how that although the Truth of this Love is clearly depicted for us by Jesus and His apostles, their Truths are diluted and changed under the guise of religion to fit the carnal understanding of men who ARE “made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same“. It IS this state of Life in this world of illusion and glamour that has been called the ‘fall of man’ and here we should try to understand the deeper aspects of Paul’s words….that this IS the Plan of God and not some foible committed by a single man that doomed the world of men by the billions. The common view of this fall IS wrapped in superstition and tradition and a failure to see the reality of our God, our God who, as we read in the Apostle John’s words below, IS Love. It IS in this vanity that men see Life as that it IS of this world and this although the very idea behind the Greek word shows us our separation from the Truth of God; Vincent shows us that this Greek word mataiotes IS in reference: to a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends ⁴. While we DO NOT and likely CAN NOT KNOW the reasons for this Earth existance, the reality that there IS a Plan and not some foible as the cause CAN make the reality of our lives easier to see and to understand. We again rely on the Aposlte Paul’s complete idea, as we understand it, to see, in short form, the devolvement of the Soul into Life in form and the eventual evolution of the Soul to full realization of his own Truth. We read: “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). 

It IS this journey from that: perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends ⁴ to realization of one’s own divine nature that IS the Truth that IS shown us in most ALL world scriptures and most clearly in the New Testament’ words of the Master and His apostles. And while much of this IS offered to us in parabolic terms and in phrases that are more suitable for the man of 2000 years ago, there IS even more that IS offered in clear and easily discernible ideas; discernible to the man who DOES NOT seek carnal benefit in spiritual revelation. With a clearer understanding of this journey, the ideas of sin and evil can become more of a reality in the understanding of men and the Truth that to remain in sin IS to remain in that: perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends ⁴. The dichotomy here IS between one’s focus upon the things of the world which are founded in the reality of sin and evil and one’s focus upon the things of God; this separation of realities IS NOT founded in the actual place that one IS but in the psychic realities of realization. The way into this state of being in this world IS founded in the Plan of God and the way out IS founded in the Master’s injunction that we Repent. Repentance IS that great door way that opens onto the Path which leads to that strait gate, the gate which opens into the Kingdom of God. And here we must understand that this IS a psychic journey, a journey of consciousness and the focus of that consciousness in one’s Life. When we can understand that Repentance as the Master teaches us IS that change in focus based in the prompting of the Soul to the Good, the Beautiful and the True, we can then see that it IS as well based in the global grace of God which IS, from the perspective of the man in the world, his impetus to action.

This sense of grace IS the Christ and the God Within which IS the Presence of God globally and IS the reality of man, the True man who IS the Soul. While this IS perhaps a difficult idea to grasp, it IS at the same time offered to us in the Master’s parabolic words and in the teachings of His apostles; it IS this reality that IS the essence of ideas like “we have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7) and “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4), and in the Master’s words saying “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). While the words of Paul and the Apostle Peter are directed at the man who sees some measure of these Truths, the words of the Master are directed more globally….to ALL men. And we should remember here Paul’s words to the Colossians which show us “this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). This IS globally free grace; this IS among “the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Corinthians 2:12) as we have been discussing and to this idea of global grace we should add the Advent of the Master and His teachings that show us the way of Repentance and of Love. And there IS likely NO clearer message on this Love and the Repentance that can lead us to it than these words from the Apostle John which show us the Power of Love as it relates to the Presence of God and the completion of the journey that IS found in our ultimate ability to be Truly “born again” and to “overcometh the world“.

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect , that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we now that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 4:7-5:5).

Our journey IS NOT however black and white; we DO NOT go from one pole to the other in this dichotomy of focus and in this we should see the Master’s idea of Repentance as the beginning of the journey on the Path to the fullness of our realization of the Presence of God. This Presence IS the individual sense of grace that each man incurs by measure as he begins and continues his own Transformation away from the ways of the world and onto the ways of God; this we read in the apostle’s words saying: “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). We should try to see here that the apostle’s words are addressed to men who presumably have already Repented; he addresses his words “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” and he comments on them saying: “that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world” (Romans 1:7-8). In this light we should see that the apostle IS offering added teachings to spark added revelation and realization in the hearts of his readers and in this we should see the intent of ALL scripture. Here then, in the reality of the Transformation of the Life in the world from its focus upon the carnal to a renewed focus upon the things of God, we have the gradual act of overcoming the world which, in its fullness, IS the reality of being “born again” and the truth of the man in the world who has “overcometh the world“. This IS the reality of the man who IS “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. And we should understand this Transformation in yet another way: that this IS the steadily increasing expression of Love in the world of men and the steadily increasing reality of keeping His words; and both of these ARE the cost so to speak for the increasing measure of grace, for the increasing measure of realization of the Presence of God in one’s Life. And this IS the reality of the Master’s words from the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John which we read again:

“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” (John 14:21-24).

While the fullness of this Presence of God, which the Master frames as that He “will manifest myself to him” who “hath my commandments, and keepeth them“, and as that both He and the Father as this Presence will “make our abode with him” who “will keep my words“, IS easily seen in these ideas, we should try to see the increasing measure of this in the Life of the man who strives. It IS this reality of measure that is accommodated by the idea of Transformation and, as we discussed in the last few essays, this idea of keeping His words as the cost of this discipleship IS likely better seen as through the idea of focus; that it IS our focus upon the things of God over the things of the world that IS the True cost and this begins in Repentance or that decision to change. It IS in Repentance that we choose God or mammon and it IS in Repentance that we choose the “treasures in heaven” over the “treasures upon earth” (Matthew 6:20, 19). While we can say that Repentance will lead to the fullness of the right choices, we should understand that this choice it self IS Repentance as one recognizes the True futility of carnal living, a futility that is shown to us by the Master and His apostles. It this dichotomy of focus we have the separation of the Truth of Life, the separation between the things of God and the things of the world and this IS a separation that IS presented to us rather clearly as we should see in the Master’s words saying: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also…..No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life…..” (Matthew 6:19-21, 24-25); and in the words of His apostles saying:

• The Apostle John tells us: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:5).
• The Apostle James tells us: “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).
• The Apostle Paul tells us: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).
• The Apostle Paul also tells us: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness” (1 Corinthians 3:19).
• The Apostle Peter tells us: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).

In these sayings which we use frequently for this purpose of seeing the opposition of the things of the world with the things of God and for other purposes as we see above in the idea of Transformation and the fact of the grace of God in the promises that show us the Truth of our divine nature, we have a picture of the disciples’ view of the world. We see that he should NOT Love the world nor be in friendship with the world, which we should see in the idea that one: associates familiarly² with the world as the definition of the kindred Greek word philos which is rendered above as friend. We see also that he should NOT be conformed and that whatsoever one sees as Wisdom, if it IS of the world IS but foolishness; and we see the idea that the Master shows us, the idea of corruption, which He shows us is the state of the “treasures upon earth“. Most men DO NOT see these ideas in the way that they ARE presented because of the vanity, this illusion and this glamour which IS the source of the corruption that ALL men face. In the world we have this sense of corruption, this sense of worthlessness from the True spiritual perspective and ALL attempts to merge these idea of spiritual and carnal are fruitless. In the Kingdom of God, that realization of the Presence of God, we are free from this corruption and we have overcome the world and in this IS the reality of our journey, a journey on that Path that IS paved with His words and with His Love. We close today with these other ideas from the Apostle John that merge this idea of overcoming with the reality of Love; we read:

“Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes…..Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:7-11, 15-17).

We will continue with our thoughts 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 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

• ² New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888