ON LOVE; PART CMLIV

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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).

Over the last few posts we have been exploring the ideas that we find behind the Apostle Paul’s use of the Greek word that IS rendered as faction and at the end of the last essay we discussed the apparent confusion of the ideas presented for the words involved by the various translations. In the end we should try to see how that this segment of the apostle’s list of the “works of the flesh” represents those things that men DO which will keep them away from God and from the “kingdom of God“. As such, this list IS of those things which violate a man’s relationship with the his fellowman and with the Godhead, those things that cause his focus to remain on the self and the things of the self in this world; this list IS of those things that ARE contrary to the spiritual ideas that ARE listed as the “fruit of the Spirit ” where the first word IS Love which IS rendered from agape and, if we look at the entirety of these fruits, we can see how that the rest ARE ALL resolved in this first word.

We should try to see this idea of faction in this way as we discussed in the last essays. If we can see faction in a broader scope than the political ideas that ARE most often offered, we can then see how that it IS this faction, this eritheia, which IS the root cause for most ALL division which IS the more appropriate rendering for the next word dichostasia that IS rendered here as seditions but as divisions in its other uses by the apostle. It IS factions which cause division just as it IS factions that ARE ofttimes the root cause for the preceding ideas of hatred, or the more appropriate idea of enmity as many bible translations render this; of variance or dissension and controversy which IS based in the disagreements of men that flow freely in their own sense of self; and the idea of emulation which feeds these two ideas and which Vincent defines for us as: a spirit of self-devotion ⁴. We should not forget here the idea of wrath which IS anger and understand how this too is the result of the divisions offered in factions and we should try to see also how that a spirit of self-devotion can be intimately tied to the idea of glamour which we see as yet another aspect of faction as men come to staunchly believe in whatsoever their part of any division may be.

While the common understanding of sedition totally misses the apostle’s point, the idea IS carried forward in the New King James Version and in at least four other bible translations while the majority DO render dichostasia  as divisions and dissension. Here, in Paul’s ideas we see that division IS the better rendering and that while dissension can be a part of division it offers us little in terms of what IS the wrong as DOES the idea of division when it IS not connected to faction and the glamour that factions produce. Again, we ARE taking our view of this from Paul’s own view of the factions and divisions that he speaks against regarding the division of the Truth by the ‘disciples’ at Corinth; and this IS for us the greater point. What IS it in these words that can keep a man from the “kingdom of God” except that they keep men from seeing the Truth as they divide themselves along lines of beliefs that ARE based in whatsoever most benefits them psychically, whatsoever allows them to believe that they ARE among those who can “inherit the kingdom of God“.

And this IS that illusion and glamour that can be seen through Paul’s words on faction and division; that men see what benefits them psychically as the better and the easier way to apply the apostles’ words and the words of the Master to their own lives and the lives of others and then taking a position that his way IS the right way and that it IS the other’s beliefs that ARE wrong. This IS glamour and illusion and this IS that vanity to which men ARE subjected which we read as: “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same” (Romans 8:20); this IS carnal living under the great and awesome Plan of God. We read Paul’s words again saying:

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 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” (Galatians 5:17-24).

This view of illusion and glamour can be easily seen by any who can hold the words of Jesus above the dictates of doctrine and this IS the same dynamic that the prophets and the Master exposed in the ways of the Jews so many centuries ago. That the Jews believed that their doctrines ARE the Truth can be easily seen in the way that they refused to see the divine nature of the words and the works of Jesus and here we have the illusion of the doctrines that pose as the Truth and the glamour with which they are upheld as the Truth. This same dynamic plays out yet today and one must wonder what the reaction of any doctrinally based religion would be if Jesus returned today with His same message of Love and of keeping His words; His same message on the treasure of the heart and the same message of forsaking the carnal for the spiritual. What would the reaction be if He were to say to the self appointed religious leaders those same things that He said to the Jews?

In His discourse with the Jews the Master shows them their error, which IS their failure to follow the Truth and their reliance upon the convenience of their doctrines; we read: “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 157-9). It IS when men can see themselves in these words that they can Truly enter onto the Path and we should understand from the Master’s citing the Prophet Isaiah that this tendency of men has always been the way as they choose to look past the inconvenient Truth and settle upon those ideas by which they can believe that they ARE among those who can “inherit the kingdom of God“. While we should understand that for most there IS NO malice in this way of seeing God through doctrine, at the same time we should try to see the error, the illusion and the glamour in which the world lives. And it IS here again that we cite the Master’s words that form our trifecta of spiritual reality and here we should understand that this IS His word; this IS His commandments and this IS the Way of the man who Truly seeks God. 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“ (John 8:31-32).
• “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” (Matthew 7:21).
• “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).

Much of this IS lost through the doctrines of men that promise salvation and the Kingdom of God by way of the atoning quality of Jesus’ death and while the greater Truth IS offered in clear terms by Jesus and His apostles, the message IS NOT seen past the doctrines of men. In the dilution of His words and the confounding of the essential message of Love as this IS expressed in the Great Commandments that we have again at the top of our essay, many believe that they ARE saved and in their own sense of glamour it IS sore difficult for them to see past what they have come to KNOW. It IS the factions and their sense of division that have led men from the one Truth to the many interpretations of that Truth and it IS these interpretations that pose as that Truth. This leads us to Paul’s next word which IS rendered by the King James Bible as heresies.

We should try to see how that the common idea of heresy IS NOT the apostle’s intent here as he uses the Greek word hairesis which the lexicon tells means: act of taking, capture: e.g. storming a city; choosing, choice; that which is chosen; a body of men following their own tenets (sect or party) i.e. of the Sadducees, of the Pharisees, of the Christians; dissensions arising from diversity of opinions and aims. We should note the confusion here in these varied defining ideas and that the King James Translators render this as both heresy and as sects. This idea of sects can offer us a clearer understanding as this IS another view of the idea of factions and division that precede it in Paul’s list. Vincent tells us that this idea of heresies, as it IS found in 1 Corinthians that,: In Paul only here and Galatians 5:20. Better, parties or factions, as the result of the divisions ⁴, and in this the idea of sects IS clear.

Vincent offers us a clearer understanding in its usage by Peter where the subject IS “false teachers” and their “destructive heresies” (2 Peter 2:1); we read: Lit., heresies of destruction. Rev., destructive heresies. Heresy is a transcript of αἵρεσις , the primary meaning of which is choice; so that a heresy is, strictly, the choice of an opinion contrary to that usually received; thence transferred to the body of those who profess such opinions, and therefore a sect. So Rev., in margin, sects of perdition ⁴. We should try to understand here that heresy as an opinion contrary to that usually received IS NOT in itself a bad thing for it IS in this Light that we must see Jesus own words against the settled doctrines of the Jews.

It IS from this idea that the common notion of heresy comes. We read in the 1913 Webster’s Dictionary that the theological definition of heresy IS: Religious opinion opposed to the authorized doctrinal standards of any particular church, especially when tending to promote schism or separation ¹  and in this we can clearly see the words of the Master. Can we see here His words to the Jews above as well as His saying that “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law” (Luke 12:51-53)?

We should see that heresy as a general idea IS NOT the apostle’s reference but when we apply this idea to opinions that ARE contrary to the Truth, opinions that ARE held as fact by the factions and the divisions of the church, the sects if you will, we can have a clearer understanding of just what Paul IS saying. The reality of the apostle’s words that we have been studying here, his words that ARE rendered as hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies, can ALL be seen as ideas that interfere with right relationships between men and when we can understand how that ALL ideas of division and separation, those things that cause the hatred, the variance, emulations and the wrath, ARE those things that DO prevent the free flow of agape, we can then see a greater measure of the Truth of these most commonplace thoughts, attitudes and actions of men which keep a man from the “kingdom of God“.

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.

This Quote of the Day is the antithesis of glamour and illusion. In this mantram are the thoughts about ourselves and our brothers in the world that can diffuse these forces that hold a man in the world of things and prevent his spiritual progress.

Mantram of Unification

The sons of men are one and I am one with them.
I seek to love, not hate;
I seek to serve and not exact due service;
I seek to heal, not hurt.

Let pain bring due reward of light and love.
Let the Soul control the outer form, and life and all events,
And bring to light the love that underlies the happenings of the time.

Let vision come and insight.
Let the future stand revealed.
Let inner union demonstrate and outer cleavages be gone.
Let love prevail.
Let all men love.

The Mantram of Unification is a meditation and a prayer that at first affirms the unity of all men and the Brotherhood of Man based on the Fatherhood of God. The first stanza sets forth several truly Christian ideals in Unity, Love, Service and Healing. The second stanza is a invocation to the Lord and to our own Souls asking that from the pain (if there can truly be any) incurred in focusing on the Spirit and not the world will come Light and Love into our lives and that we begin to function as Souls through our conscious personalities. We ask that the spiritual control of our lives will bring to light for us the Love that underlies world events; a Love that the world oriented man will not see working out behind the scenes and also that the Love that we bring forth, individually and as a world group, can be seen by all and ultimately in all. Finally, in the last stanza we ask for those things that are needed for Love to abound. Vision and insight so that we can direct our attention properly; revelation of the future in the sense that all can see the Power of Love in the world; inner union so that we do not fall back into the world’s ways, that we faint not; and that a sense of separation, the antithesis of brotherhood, ends as we know it today. Let Love Prevail, Let All Men Love.spiritual control of our lives will bring to light for us the Love that underlies world events; a Love that the world oriented man will not see working out behind the scenes.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts