ON LOVE; PART CMXCI

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. 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

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).

In the last essay we discussed our ideas on that “fruit of the Spirit” that the Apostle Paul calls chara and which IS rendered in most ALL translation as joy. Our view of chara IS contrary to the common understanding of joy; we see chara as we see its sister word charis and if we can understand charis as grace and chara as the expression by a man of that grace, we ARE likely closer to the Truth that the apostle intends for us to see. There IS a reality to spiritual fruit which IS missed; as the apple IS the expression of the apple tree, that fruit which it gives to the world, so spiritual fruit must be an expression of the man, an expression that begins in the Spirit and flows through the Life in the world. It IS only in this type of thinking that we can equate Paul’s use of this word idea with that of the Master who tells us that such fruit IS the expression of the man who keeps His words. And it IS this fruit that IS the subject of the Parable of the Sower.

We should remember how that each of the three gospel writers leaves us with a different thought concerning the man who IS “the good ground“; in ALL, this man hears the word of Truth and he then “understandeth it” as Matthew tells us; he  DOES “receive it” according to Mark and he DOES “keep it” as Luke tells us. If we look at these variations apart from their differences, we can come to see how that they ARE the same. If a man DOES “understandeth it“, if he comes to KNOW its Truth, then he will likely DO it. If a man DOES “receive it“, that is, if he accepts it and takes it upon himself as the lexicon ² shows us in defining paradechomai which IS rendered here as receive, then we should see that he too will likely DO it. Luke gives us the more direct approach which needs no interpretation; the apostle tells us that the man DOES “keep it” and in this his being a DOER IS rather sure. We repeat the Parable of the Sower again today from the Apostle Matthew; we read:

“Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 134:18-23).

As we have discussed in previous essays, both Matthew and Mark offer us a sense of measure in the ability of a man to “beareth fruit” and to “bringeth forth” that fruit into his Life in this world. For us this dynamic IS found in the reality of striving, in the reality of DOING ever more to be in accord with the precepts and commandments of the Master and the essential edicts of the Law which Jesus shows us in the Great Commandments that we have again at the top of our essay. To be in accord with the precepts and the commandments which Jesus offers us IS the same as being the man who IS “the good ground“. This IS the man who sees the Truth of the trifecta, who understands its reality as the Way to the Kingdom, the Truth and the Presence of God in one’s Life and who receives His words apart from the illusory ideas of doctrines. We read the trifecta 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).

Perhaps the KEY idea in the words of Matthew above IS that of understanding the “word of the kingdom“. If we can look at this idea as one where the spiritual reality which IS the Soul, which IS the True man, can impress upon his carnal mind and emotions some glimmer of the inner Truth, we can likely see the beginning of that man’s journey. But here IS the rub which IS timeless and continues in the Life of a man until he either confirms himself as “the way side“, as “stony places” or as one who IS among “the thorns“: while the Soul IS ever trying to impress the Truth upon the Life of his carnal self in the world, the carnal self IS resisting as the Apostle Paul shows us in our selection below. It IS the carnal Life that IS “the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches” as Matthew tells us above; it IS the carnal self that IS afflicted by “the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in” as Mark tells us; it IS these things that “choke the word” and remain as the focus of Life.

We should understand here that we DO NOT KNOW how that the sense of measure Truly works out in the Life of a man or how that this effects the Life of the man who IS among “the thorns“. Likely this IS also the affliction of the man who IS “the way side“, or IS the “stony places” albeit to a greater than realized degree. We should understand that the Soul of everyman IS ever prompting him to the Good, the Beautiful and the True and that it IS by degree that a man resists….some likely to the point where the prompting IS blocked out completely. And we should understand that this IS the normal everyday Life of men who live in this world of illusion and glamour, this world where vanity abounds as Paul also tells us and which Vincent explains for us as that: the reference is to a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends ⁴.

And this understanding that we should have according to Matthew IS an aspect of Love, a part of the essence of agape, as we realize that ALL men ARE on the same journey. In this understanding we see that although few may realize the Truth, ALL men ARE struggling toward the goal of having the Presence of God in their lives and that it IS the diversion of worldly focus that keeps them from their own degree, their own measure, of Light. We should try to see and to understand that the churches suffer from this same affliction of worldly focus, that while they should be pointing men toward the One Truth and the One God, that they instead point men toward their several doctrines where they compete for the hearts and minds of the masses. ALL of this, individually and corporately, IS the result of that great hindrance that we call nurturing; it IS in men’s nurturing and in their experience and in their own individual proclivities that we find ALL that prevents them from seeing the Truth.

If we could see this sense of Love that IS our understanding heart as “the fruit of the Spirit ” that Paul calls chara and which IS rendered in our selection as joy, we can likely come to understand a part of the role of the disciple of the Lord and the aspirant who desires to reach that state of His Presence. To understand the reality of one’s own Life IS an aspect of the grace that comes to each man who has His Presence and His Truth; this IS, as we say in the opening paragraph, charis and our expression of this understanding IS chara. While these ideas ARE NOT a part of Christian thinking, and this word chara IS NOT seen by any in the idea of grace, we should try to understand that the rendering as joy as this IS doctrinally accepted DOES NOT work in this context of “the fruit of the Spirit” and this IS especially True when we view the way that this idea of joy IS defined.

There IS NO sense of fruit in the ideas that ARE given by the lexicon saying that chara IS:  joy, gladness; the joy received from you….the cause or occasion of joy….of persons who are one’s joy ²; and this IS especially True when we can understand the Master’s use of this idea of fruit, as that spiritual essence that the man who has His Presence brings to the world as his expression of Life. Again, if we can understand grace as ALL things that come from God and understand that it IS ONLY spiritual things that Truly DO, then it IS easy to see how that one’s realization of the Truth and His Presence IS the reality of grace and the height of one’s spiritual reality. We should understand as well that to have such charis in one’s Life here in this Earth essentially requires that one will express it as it IS the expression of one’s measure of grace that IS the reality of bearing fruit….which IS the result of keeping His words as we read in Jesus saying that “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8).

It IS based in this reality of grace, of charis, that we should try to see it’s sister word chara if we ARE to understand this as a “fruit of the Spirit” and an expression of some aspect of Love to the world of men. While this idea of chara DOES NOT work in every instance of the use of a Greek word, we should remember that this IS True for many words where there IS a carnal and a spiritual meaning, including those that ARE a part of the apostle’s list of “the works of the flesh“. Howsoever we view this idea of chara, we should try to see that as a “fruit of the Spirit” chara must perforce be a spiritual component first and then an expression to the world by the man. We should note also that this idea of chara follows upon the fruit which the apostle calls agape in his list and, as Paul’s other writings show and Vincent reminds us, Love, in this passage, is that fruit of the Spirit which dominates all the others ⁴. For us, we should see how that Love IS inclusive of ALL of the others. We repeat the apostle’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).

And we should also contrast this idea of joy against the apostle’s caution in his list of “the works of the flesh” regarding what IS rendered as drunkenness and revelling. If we can understand how that methe and komos ARE NOT in regard to being drunk on wine or strong drink as IS commonly understood nor the idea of the riotous behavior which IS depicted from the activities of some Greeks in those days, we can then see the spiritual effect of these ideas as we have discussed. In this we can try to see how that joy as this IS commonly understood, as joy in one’s own salvation if you will, IS effectively methe and komos as we understand these terms on a spiritual level.

This idea of being ‘drunk’ on one’s own spiritual place can be seen as the cause of joy in a religious sense which can lead then to komos, as one’s revelling in that sense of joy. It IS this construct that can be seen in this from John Gill who tells us of joy: This joy, likewise, which is the produce of the Spirit, lies in spiritual things, and arises from an apprehension or good hope of interest in them, as justification, pardon, peace, adoption, and eternal glory; and is peculiar to such who have the Spirit . Here we can see how that this idea of joy IS found in one’s own self, in one’s own justification, pardon, peace, adoption, and eternal glory ⁸. Can we see or view of methe and komos in this?

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.

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