ON LOVE; PART DCCCXXXIV
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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. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God
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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)
Much Truth IS lost in the commonly held doctrinal ideas of salvation and, as we have been discussing, in the view a man has little or NO responsibility for this salvation save that he believe according to some doctrinal precept, many ARE made to rely upon such sense of salvation as it overrides even the prompting of their own Souls. This IS, in our view, a part of that vanity to which the whole of this creation is subjected and we should remember here that we ARE speaking about Souls who have come into this world under the influence of this vanity, this illusion and glamour, that afflicts the consciousness of ALL men as Souls in this world. While this concept may be difficult to comprehend in the face of the doctrinal pronouncements to the contrary, the reality IS here with us in the inarguable fact of the nurturing of men who come into this world as infants and in a state where one’s only sense of Truth may be to learn and excel at Life in form according to the ways of the world. This IS the greater meaning of Paul’s words saying “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him” (Romans 8:20)
We CAN NOT say how it IS that the consciousness of the Soul, the True man, works out in the Life of the infant nor DO we KNOW at what point the consciousness in the form becomes the predominant part of his Life unaware of the continuing Truth of his own spiritual reality. We can say however that through his years of nurturing, his years of infancy, childhood and adolescence, where one IS nurtured only in the ways of the world, the focus comes to be upon those things and we can say that while the Soul may be prompting the consciousness in the form to submit to the higher purposes with which he had come into incarnation, purposes that ARE found in his own intended spiritual advancement, many never seem to find this True point of focus for his Lifetime.
In our view, it IS to bring about a man’s realization of the Truth, to offer him glimpses of his own spiritual reality, that the Master came among us 2000 years ago to show the way and to set the example for dispelling the illusion and the glamour, thereby setting the man who can see upon the Path to the Truth which IS the reality of the Kingdom of God. In this world men ARE lost in the illusions of Life which come to him as the ways of the world and of men, ways in which he has been nurtured; and it matters NOT that this nurturing has been in religious or in secular Life….both ARE the ways of the world and if we can but see behind the Master’s own words, we can likely see that it IS easier to dispel the secular than the religious. In this we ARE NOT advocating secular Life but merely observing that those who DO NOT believe that they KNOW God will find less of a conscious barrier to the Truths that may be revealed in the prompting of their own Soul than the man who has hard and fast beliefs. On the other side of this however we must try to see how that there IS NO guarantee that one will come to see the Truth with either way of nurturing and there IS a plus in the idea that the religious upbringing can keep one closer to God in his own thoughts and attitudes. And we must remember that ALL things work out by degree; here men’s varying degrees of religiosity or of secularism should quickly take away any ideas of this as a black and white issue.
Although Jesus DID NOT see this reality in black and white, we DO see Him addressing the Pharisees and scribes as a group of men caught in their own doctrines and traditions. This IS however countered by what we read in regard to certain individuals from these groups who ARE NOT depicted with the staunch doctrinal attitudes of the many; we see this in Nicodemus, Jairus, Joseph of Arimathaea, and Simon the Pharisee of whom we read in the Apostle Luke’s Gospel. It IS unfortunate that those in the doctrinal church, and this likely from the beginning, DO NOT see themselves in the place of the scribes and the Pharisees, that they DO NOT see themselves as prisoners of their own doctrines and traditions, as they DO see and denounce those before them. Most ALL DO NOT see how they too can fit into the Master’s words of woe and how that they can be among those who put doctrines and traditions before the Truth. Jesus tells us:
“Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:6-9).
Can we see the point here? Can we understand how that while the Master IS speaking to the scribes and Pharisees about their sense of doctrine and how that this overwhelms the Truth, that the modern day religious man has the same burden to bear? While the examples in that time may be found in the ideas that Jesus presents on “the washing of pots and cups” and in their manipulation of the commandment that one should DO as “Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death” (Mark 7:10), there ARE many such ideas that can be found today in the doctrinal precepts of the many denominations and sects that call themselves as Christian. The greater point in the Master’s words should be found in men’s elevation of the doctrinal above the Truth; the greater point here IS found in the way that the doctrinal ideas have usurped the basic Truths of keeping His words and the deeper ideas that ARE found in Love which, as the Apostle Paul shows us, accomplishes ALL; we read: “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 514). And he doctrines of men have overwhelmed this reality of Love as the Truth of keeping His words as we can see in this from John Gill:
the measure or rule of love is, “as thyself”; and designs not an equality of affection, but a likeness of effects; that is, to do the same kind acts of love to others, one would choose to have done to ourselves: and this is the fulfilling of the law; that is, so far as a man loves aright, so far he fulfils the law; not that he does it perfectly, for man in his fallen state is unable to do that, for the law is exceeding broad, and reaches to thoughts, desires, and inclinations, as well as to words and deeds; and besides, love said to be the fulfilling of it, is imperfect; hence then there can be no justification by works of charity, nor by any services of men, which at best are imperfect; nor are they done in their own strength, and without the grace of God; nor is there any that can be said to have fulfilled the law perfectly but Christ, and to him must we look for a justifying righteousness. These words contain a reason engaging to love one another, and to do all kind of offices of love to each other; since it is a main and principal thing contained in the law, and to which that may be reduced 8.
In the words of the Master, which repeat the words of the Lord as given by Moses, IS the commandment and it IS this same commandment that IS elevated by Jesus to be among the Great Commandments that we find repeated at the top of our essay. It IS this that doctrines have minimized, in Jesus time and still now, as they DO NOT teach nor show this sense of Love to ALL men. That there ARE some who may and that there are those who strive toward this goal IS the fact prevents which this from being a black and white issue and we should understand here that this basic teaching IS and has ever been supplanted by doctrines in a wide variety of ways. That this failure is couched behind a belief that men ARE at best are imperfect as Mr. Gill writes IS not sufficient reason any more than the convenient ideas of the Jews regarding father and mother as we read above. ALL manner of creative interpretation DOES NOT eradicate the basic precepts of this honor nor of the reality of Love in our time and DOES NOT relieve men of their responsibility regardless on their view of salvation.
The Jews, and especially their religious rulers, believed that they were acting in accord with the precepts of God but the Master shows them that they ARE NOT. In fact, their conviction in this matter of religion was so strong that they could NOT accept the logic that Jesus presented them, that this itself was Godly. In the glamour of their own minds they made themselves above the Master’s most logical teachings because they were contrary to their traditions and their doctrines. And this sense of glamour still afflicts the Jews today as well as most every other doctrine based religion in the world. In the Christian world this IS abundantly True as the many different doctrines ARE NOT ONLY contrary to the Truths that Jesus teaches but they ARE contrary to one another much as the doctrines of the Pharisees and the Sadducees conflicted in Jesus’ day. The Jews then and the Jews NOW claim that they Love God yet they DO not yet see the reality that Christ brought, a reality that while NOT clearly seen by them, IS seen as the greater Truth by much of the world….nor do they clearly see the basic precepts as we find in the Great Commandments above.
And the same IS True in the Christian world today. Millions of men claim their Love for God and for Jesus while at the same time minimizing the words of the Master Himself. These words which we have been studying for many essays ARE the reality of Love for God and the reality of Love for the Christ; and this reality need NOT be seen as we see this: that this IS the way to have the Presence of God in one’s Life. Aside from this great Truth there IS the most basic reality offered by the Master, a reality that equates one’s Love for God with his ability to keep His words and we should see NO separation here between the words of God as they existed before the Advent of the Christ and those which Jesus gave us. We read again His words on keeping His words as our way of showing that we Love Him:
“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:a 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” (John 14:15-24).
In this more complete view we have the reality of His Presence as the quid pro quo for this Love, this keeping His words, but the latter part of men’s DOING DOES stand out and DOES stand on its own as well. And the question must then be asked: can a man Truly Love God if he DOES NOT keep His words? Again, there IS NO black and white here as there are men who have varying measure of His Presence based upon their several ability to keep His words and in this we should get the notion of striving and that in such striving there IS the active and fundamental act of shifting one’s focus from the self and the self in the world to the things of God. This striving IS our reality and this striving IS the intent upon which we should function in our lives as we seek God. This striving IS the outward sign of Repentance and the outward measure by which one achieves the reality of the Presence of God in his Life.
While some may come to this sense of striving to Love and to keep His words despite the ideas conveyed by his own doctrines IS a testimony to the Power of the Soul in the Life of that man; a testimony to the reality that he IS hearing and heeding the call of his own Soul. It IS this sense of striving that IS necessary in the Life of every man and it IS this that we see as being the more difficult for the religious man of doctrine as we say above. It IS in this light that we should try to see the Master’s words to the religious Jews as He tells offers them this example:
“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said , Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him” (Matthew 21:28-32).
We should try to see here how that even in this example, and in this most straightforward condemnation of their ways, that the Jews were still consumed by their own glamour and illusion which IS based in the vanity of Life in this world. And so it IS yet today, so it IS that men of doctrine will fail to see the greater reality found in the Truth of His words; and the irony of this IS found in the way that these same men use the Truth of His words, however diluted and changed in meaning, to formulate such doctrines. We did NOT get to our sayings from John’s Gospel on discipleship again today and we repeat them here with the intent of discussing these in the next essay. Today however we should add that in this idea of discipleship there IS the same criteria of Love and of keeping His words and that there ARE many who claim themselves to be His disciples who DO NOT, who ARE NOT “doers of the word” (James 1:22).
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, 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. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:31-34).
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.
Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate.
Live in joy, in health, even among the afflicted.
Live in joy, in peace, even among the troubled.
Live in joy, without possessions.
Like the shining ones.
The winner sows hatred because the loser suffers.
Let go of winning and losing and find joy.
There is no fire like passion, no crime like hatred,
No sorrow like separation, no sickness like hunger,
And no joy like the joy of freedom.
Today’s Quote of the Day is from the Dhammapada (on JOY)5; a collection of the sayings of the Buddha. These words and ideas ARE much the same as those we discuss in our In the Words of Jesus essays. And what is this freedom but the release of our hearts and minds from loving this life in this world and attaining the Presence of God. This word Joy has many meanings as DOES the idea of Love, but in the context that it IS used here we should see the idea that Joy IS Love, Joy IS health, Joy IS peace and that Joy IS without the burdens placed on a man by the illusion and the glamour of the ways of the world. We should try to see that it IS the antithesis of these ideas in hate, in affliction and in troubles that ARE among the possessions of the carnal man, that ARE among the “evil treasure of his heart” (Luke 6:45) according to the Master.
And it IS in the second stanza above that we see the basic psychic ideas that can eliminate the harm caused by such “evil treasure” as a man looks past himself and at the welfare of others which IS the greater reality of Love as the Master teaches us. It IS in losing such possessions, losing such carnal thoughts and attitudes, that one can truly find the “joy of freedom“….this IS the Truth of deliverance.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts
- 5 The Dhammapada Translated by Thomas Byrom
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
