ON LOVE; PART CMLXXVIII

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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).

In the last essay we strayed a bit from our central subject of the words of the Apostle Paul that list for us “the works of the flesh” as we discussed the words of Jesus that ARE commonly called the Great Commission. That there IS a commission IS True as we see in the Master’s words to His assembled disciples and we should understand that this given to men who ARE keeping His words, men who DO have the Presence of God in their lives….men who DO KNOW the Truth. In the lives of ALL of these men we should try to see their own sense of compliance to the Master’s words on discipleship, words that DO confirm the Truth and the reality of the Great Commandments which we have again at the top of our essay. Performing the ideas of the Great Commission IS perhaps the epitome of Christian discipleship and in this performance we should see the basic  required Truth: that it IS men who DO keep His words teaching others to DO the same. This IS the reality also that flows from what we call the trifecta where we should come to see and to understand that it IS ONLY the man who DOES keep His words that has these things: the Truth, the Presence of God and the realization of His Kingdom within. We read Jesus words again saying:

• “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).

That these words from Jesus ARE NOT seen as the KEY to ALL ideas of salvation IS Truly unfortunate and, as we have previously discussed, this failure IS based in men’s ideas of the impossibility of keeping His words. It IS based upon this sense of impossibility that men have devised doctrines that DO NOT require such action on the part of men and it IS these doctrines that ARE the teaching of men who believe that they ARE performing the ideas of the Great Commission while teaching their several doctrines in place of the divine Truth that the Master teaches. It IS in this that we should see how that the Master’s words to the Jews 2000 years ago and the Prophet Isaiah’s words to the Jews nearly 3000 years ago ARE the same as we should understand today regarding the behavior of men and their sense of doctrine. Jesus says “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 15:7-9) repeating the prophet’s charge and in this we should see that yet today it IS doctrines that ARE taught in place of the basic required Truth which we have in the trifecta.

And it IS in this doctrinal view of Life that we should see the idea of factions as Paul presented this saying “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). This IS perhaps the first faction in the newborn era of Christ and it IS here that we should see how that Paul’s words, while they ARE NOT accepted as a current criticism, ARE strongly against such thoughts and attitudes; we read the apostle’s words saying: “ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I  am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” (1 Corinthians 3:3-4). As men have drawn other  words of the Master and His apostles out to cover the current time over the last 2000 years so we should draw out these ideas as well.

As we have been discussing over our many posts on Paul’s words that ARE “the works of the flesh“, the KEY idea of the second segment IS this idea of factions which the apostle argues against in his words to disciples above. And while those factions ARE ‘religious’ in nature, the factions that we should see in his words to the Galatians ARE that and more as here he speaks of ALL of the factious behavior of men, ALL of their sense of division, that result in the hatred, and the wrath, and the emulations. These ARE the greater reality of the idea of the strife which the many translations give us from two different Greek words from Paul’s list. This IS also so with the words that ARE rendered as factions by the various translators and our point here IS that these ideas ARE a part of the fabric of the Truth that Paul IS presenting….that it IS factions and divisions that cause the strife which results in the hatreds and the wrath. 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).

It IS then factions and strife that ARE at the heart of this second segment of “the works of the flesh“; it IS these that show the opposite of that sense of Love, of agape, that men must express in this world according to Jesus teachings. Over the last several posts it IS these ideas through which we have painted the relationship between this segment of the apostle’s list and the precepts of the second part of the Great Commandment and while this relationship IS NOT seen by those whose hearts ARE filled with doctrines and the factions which these cause, the greater reality IS found in the totality of the New Testament teaching on Love which IS clearly summarized by the Apostle James who tells us “if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin” (James 2:9) and this sin IS NO different than killing or adultery.

We should understand here how that ALL factions, ALL divisions of men along any lines, ARE contrary to Love and ARE an expression of one’s having “respect to persons“. In ALL divisions; in race, in nationality, in custom, in color, in sex or sexual orientation, and in religious matters, there IS the reality of preference which IS the reality of holding one’s own division above another. This IS Paul’s caution to the man who would follow God and the teachings of the Master: that he refrain from the factious and divisive thoughts and attitudes that have ever plagued men and that this sense of division, which IS abundantly clear in the worldly Life of men in the Old Testament, it IS NOT the Way of the man who Truly seeks the Kingdom of God. And this IS the deeper point: carnal men will divide and establish factions that pit one against another but the man who IS Truly “led of the Spirit” will NOT.

In the whole of the apostle’s words we should see how that to hold factious thoughts and attitudes and to act upon them IS a part of those things that ARE ever incorporated into “the flesh with the affections and lusts“. We should try to see as well how that the Old Testament teaching was to pit the law and the Love that IS in the law against the carnal instincts. While the carnal understanding of the journey of the Jews under the guidance of Jehovah seems as one of conflict and war, we should try to see how that these ideas ARE given to us in words that reflect the level of understanding of the man in those days; a level that was fraught with superstition and fear of the unknown. These were barbarous and superstitious times then and in Jesus’ day, although perhaps to a lesser degree, and it IS through the evolution of mind over this long span of time that the narrative of the Old Testament must be understood.

While so much of doctrine insists upon a literal interpretation of the Old Testament, it IS nearly impossible to see so much of what IS written in Christian terms. In the simple Christian idea that “God is love” (1 John 4:8) as the Apostle John tells us we have quite the opposite view of what the Old Testament tells us about a vengeful God, a jealous God and a God whose very nature IS interpreted as partial to any group of men. And this attitude of men continues till today where so many believe the doctrinal assertions regarding hell and believe that it IS the Christian alone that IS free from that peril. If it IS True that “God is love” and that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11), then ALL of the fables and the dictates of doctrine regarding such a place as hell MUST be false. And we should see here how that the more modern ideas of God according to the New Testament ARE often in greater error than the Old; in the Old Testament there is the effect of His vengeance and His wrath upon the carnal lives of men while in the New Testament these ARE turned as punishment for the spiritual nature of man; NO thing could be further from the Truth.

As there IS a greater and a deeper Truth to the words of the New Testament so there IS a greater Truth to the words of the Old Testament where the Truth IS hidden in allegorical stories that ARE written for the man in those days to understand. Alexander Maclaren, a 19th century expositor, tells us this Truth but his words ARE NOT generally accepted against the doctrinal push to see ALL of the bible in strictly literal terms. On the story of the seven says of creation from Genesis we read:

We are not to look to Genesis for a scientific cosmogony, and are not to be disturbed by physicists’ criticisms on it as such. Its purpose is quite another, and far more important; namely, to imprint deep and ineffaceable the conviction that the one God created all things. Nor must it be forgotten that this vision of creation was given to people ignorant of natural science, and prone to fall back into surrounding idolatry. The comparison of the creation narratives in Genesis with the cuneiform tablets, with which they evidently are most closely connected, has for its most important result the demonstration of the infinite elevation above their monstrosities and puerilities, of this solemn, steadfast attribution of the creative act to the one God ¹².

More of Mr. Maclaren’s words on Genesis can be found in In the Words of Jesus part 171 and the point of this IS that it IS this idea of One God and His relationship with the minds of the men of that era that ARE the Old Testament and when one can look away from doctrine, one can surely find much Truth as did Maclaren. But this Truth of the Old Testament should NOT have any lasting effect upon the teachings of the Master, teachings which may build upon the precepts of the law but which, at the same time, ARE intended to stand alone. And it IS NOT ONLY the idea of literal interpretation of scripture that IS become a failure of doctrine, it IS also the way that this literal interpretation IS selective; it IS the way that the literal interpretation IS ignored when the subject is contrary to established doctrinal belief. This selective view of the Truth pervades most ALL doctrinal approaches to God and this IS especially True as in regard to the New Testament teachings of the Master.

We speak above about the first faction that springs up in Paul’s writings and how that it IS among his own ‘disciples’ that the divisions occur. If we could see this phenomenon in relation to a literal interpretation of the Master’s words rather that men’s interpreted literal interpretation of the words of His apostles, we could come ever closer to seeing the Truth. Again, it IS over the course of time, over the last 2000 years. that the sense of factions has spread from the few that ARE mentioned by Paul to the many thousands of denominations and sects that divide the One Truth….that one must keep His words.

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 n

o 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

• ⁴  Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
• ¹² Expositions of Holy Scripture–Project Gutenberg’s Expositions of Holy Scripture, by Alexander Maclaren–(1826-1910)