ON LOVE; PART CMLXII

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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).

We begin today with that word which the Apostle Paul uses that IS rendered as strife in the King James Bible and which IS said to refer to political contentions likely because this IS the way that the word IS used in Classical Greek. Other translations render this as factions, competitive opposition and like ideas and we should remember here that much of this list of words IS muddled and confused among the many bible translations in our library with some rendering the idea of factions from the Greek word hairesis which IS rendered in the King James as heresies.  Our point here IS that this idea of factions IS an important part of the apostle’s words and, for us, a Key to understanding this entire segment which we see as being in opposition to the second part of the Great Commandments which we have again at the top of our essay.

It IS the factions formed by men that ARE the divisions that men create among themselves and while these can be political, they ARE so much more that that as they reach into every part of the human experience and ARE the source of most ALL of the hatreds, the wrath, the variance and the emulations that Paul cautions us against. And we should see that it IS in these factions, in this sense of division among men, that the idea of glamour becomes a great part of the affliction that must be escaped in order for a man to be “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). It IS these factions and the glamour which  accompanies this idea that IS a great part of the bondage of men as it IS in these divisions that the strength of the divisiveness IS promulgated.

It IS these separatist thoughts and attitudes and the that ARE a part of the illusions, the vanity, of men and it IS in men’s factious ideas that the strength of glamour can be seen as each division and subdivision sees themselves AS the Truth; and it IS in this that so many come to deride others. This IS of course True in politics and political ideology, as many have come to see this idea, but this IS also True in religion and race and nationality and culture and in most every idea that can separate one man from another. It IS factions and the glamour that accompanies them that IS the root cause for most ALL of the other ideas that Paul enumerates in the second segment of his list and when we can see how that several of his words can be rendered as such, we can then come to better understand the fullness of the point that he IS making to the disciples at Galatia. Vincent tells us that eritheia should be rendered as factions ⁴ while the lexicon shows us that dichostasia, which IS rendered as seditions, can be rendered as division ², which IS synonymous with factions and the result thereof, and that hairesis, which is rendered as heresy, IS also rendered as sect in the King James Bible, another word that IS synonymous with faction and IS the result thereof. Similarly John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, tells us that dichostasia should be seen as: “divisions”: schisms and factions, dissensions in things domestic, civil, and religious ⁸. Repeating the apostle’s words again:

“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).

We should try to see here how that Paul goes to great lengths, that he uses a number of Greek words, to get this idea of factions across as a thought and and attitude, and an activity that will cause a man to “not inherit the kingdom of God“. And here we must understand how that it IS this sense of division that IS the cause for the hatred, variance, emulations, wrath and the deeper ideas of murders which encumber men and that this sense of division IS a rather normal human tendency and one that IS contrary to the Truths expressed in the Great Commandments. In this we should be able to see and to understand how that most ALL men ARE entrenched in this vanity, this illusion, as they form divisions that ARE contrary to Love and which fail to show that “respect to persons” that IS the Way of God and the greater reality of Love as men must come to understand the Truth of agape.

We should try to see here as well how that it IS desire, it IS lust, that enables these divisions in the hearts of men; it IS this sense of desire and lust that IS the idea that the Apostle Peter shows us as he 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). The corruption IS the same here as we read above in Paul’s words to the Romans and we should try to understand how that the common understanding of this word rendered as lust DOES NOT serve to clarify the Master’s nor His apostles’ words. We should try to see how that this Greek word epithumia, which IS rendered as lust and as concupiscence and desire by the lexicon , IS so much more than the common view that tends toward sexual matters. When we can understand that lust and desire ARE the motivators of men in ALL aspects of carnal living, we can then see how that, above ALL, these ARE the causes of the factions and divisions which ARE in turn the causes for the failure of Love in this world yet today.

If we can see how that lust and desire work in this world, how that they ARE the motivators of most ALL carnal endeavor, we can then come to see how that it IS these thoughts and attitudes that must fall away as men strive toward the Kingdom of God. Here we can try to see how that this lust and desire must be turned away from ALL carnal and worldly thoughts and attitudes and actions and turned onto the reality of and the things of God. If we can see this we can perhaps understand that when one’s focus IS turned in the direction of striving toward spiritual reality, that these motivators ARE NO longer lust and desire but rather they ARE agape….they ARE Love.  It IS Love that IS the motivator of the man who Truly seeks God and it IS Love that IS the center-point of keeping His words and the KEY to our trifecta of spiritual reality which we repeat again:

• “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).

We should try to see that the common understanding of the words that ARE rendered from the Greek, and in many cases the renderings themselves, ARE the product of the doctrinal interpretations of the Master’s Truths and that these have been so long established that it may be nearly impossible for the Truth to break through. And in this we should see much of the faction and division that separates Christians from other Christians and, in their glamour of believing that ONLY the Christian IS right, they have further separated themselves from the Truths that ARE found in most ALL religious presentations. That men have taken upon themselves the ‘authority’ to interpret the Master’s words and the words of His apostles IS a part of the tendency of men, their lusts and desires if you will, to formulate doctrinal approaches to God with which they can find comfort. This has ever been the case and IS likely True in most ALL religious approaches to the Godhead; men have ever created doctrines for themselves through which they can believe that they ARE in accord with God.

This IS True in the Way of the Jews in Jesus’ day as their doctrines were but a shadow of the Truth and contained ideas by which they could believe that they ARE in accord with the Truth. The Master reveals their self deception several times and especially in His list of woes and, while much of this IS directed toward their leaders, the scribes and the Pharisees among others, the deeper ideas ARE found in that this deception IS taught as Truth. This same sense of deception afflicts Christianity and most ALL world religions as doctrines ARE formulated in such a way that men can believe that they ARE in accord when in reality they ARE NOT. This sense of deception IS highlighted for us by the Apostle James as he shows us that we must keep His words which we read as “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Here we clearly see how that in the absence of keeping His words there IS naught but deception.

The Master and the Apostle Paul speaks much on this idea of deception and if we can separate ourselves from our own doctrinal views and see their words as they ARE intended, we can then better understand the very nature of it and see how that this too IS a part of the factions and the accompanying glamour of men. Of course this view of one’s own deception IS a difficult pill as it strikes to the very core of one’s beliefs but if we can see the True intent of  Jesus’ words, we can then understand our own deception from His own point of view; we read:

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot  bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:13-20).

If we can see that “the strait gate” IS the Way of Love and of keeping His words, we can then understand that ALL deception that comes from the teaching of  “false prophets” IS but the teaching of men who have taken authority in His words and who, at the same time, DO NOT see nor teach the Truth. It IS this that strikes across most ALL religious lines and afflicts so many well meaning teachers who themselves were NOT given the reality of the One Truth but who were nurtured in the doctrinal assertions of men who, as they cling to their beliefs in their own glamour, can be seen in Jesus’ terms as “ravening wolves“. It IS doctrine that gives us the idea that “ravening wolves” ARE some sort of evil but the reality of this idea IS more simply seen as those wolves “in sheep’s clothing“, those men who appear sincere and who claim to be right, ARE holding men back from the Truth by their teaching.

Again we should understand the normalcy of these ideas in human terms….that this IS the way of men who ARE encumbered by the corruption that IS Life in this world. We should try to see that this IS the commonplace working of factions and glamour as men teach with vigor that which they themselves have come to believe. Here, if we can relate Peter’s words, we can see that from which one must escape and the reality that Jesus shows us IS that the Truth of one’s presentation can be found in “their fruits“, not the doctrinal version but the version that we find in the Truth of Love and in Paul’s list  of “the fruit of the Spirit ” that we will cover shortly. It IS for us the Truth of Love that must be discovered and it IS this Truth that, while difficult to discern, IS shown us in the idea of “respect to persons” which we touched upon here and in previous essays. We close today with James’ words on this respect along with the saying from the Bhagavad Gîtâ that we did NOT get back to today; we read:

“If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill , thou art become a transgressor of the law” (James 2:8-11).

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

Anyone who sees that all activities certainly in all respects are the result of material conditioning and that one as the soul is not the doer, sees perfectly. When one following that tries to see that the diversity of the living beings is resting in oneness and that it expanded to that reality, at that time one attains the Absolute of the Spirit.

Bhagavad Gîtâ 13:30-31

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

• ² New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
• ⁸ Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com