ON LOVE; PART MII
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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 discussed our thoughts on the idea of GoodWill as this relates to our selection from the Apostle Paul, his list of “the fruit of the Spirit“, and specifically the words that ARE rendered as gentleness or kindness and goodness. Regardless of how we view the ideas behind agathosune and chrestotes, we should try to see and to understand the dynamic of the idea of goodness as it relates to both. In the idea that these ARE “fruit of the Spirit” IS the need, from Paul’s perspective, that these be spiritual….that IS that the source of and the working of this goodness IS from the Soul or the spiritual man and NOT from the carnal man which includes ALL aspects of the flesh in the mind and the emotions. If we can see and understand that the flesh must become the vehicle of the Light, the Love and the Power which IS the Soul, the God and the Christ Within, then we can understand how that the totality of the expression of a man MUST become a reflection of his spiritual self.
In the very ideas that Paul shows us in our selection we should be able to see and to understand this idea as the body itself DOES NOT “lusteth against the Spirit” but it IS the emotional and the mental component of the sarx which IS rendered as flesh that DOES. These components ARE the basis for the makeup of the personality which incorporates the nurturing and the experience along with the particular mental and emotional proclivities with which one IS born; in this we should see a distinct separation between the personality and the Soul; we should see that the Soul MUST perforce use the personality to express itself or allow the personality to express such proclivities, nurturing and experience. The carnal way IS the latter while the spiritual Way is the control of the personality by the Soul which IS the Life of the disciple and, by measure, the aspirant.
And it IS this control of the personality by the Soul that should be seen in such sayings as “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts“; it IS in this crucifying that control IS taken. It IS in this idea that we find the reality of the verse that precedes our selection where we read the apostle’s admonition that we “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Here we should understand the deeper aspects of the dichotomy between flesh and Spirit and understand that it IS in Repentance, which IS that change of the focus of one’s Life away from the things of the self and the self in the world and onto the things of God, that allows one to Truly “Walk in the Spirit“. It IS in this focus upon the things of God that we can strive to keep His words.
Paul shows us this same idea of the Way of the Spirit versus the way of the flesh in his Epistle to the Romans where we read “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). What IS this Transformation but the completion of the control of the flesh by the Soul and, in this, the renewing of the mind so that it sees NOT the former focus upon the self but the new focus of the things of God. The lexicon tells us that the Greek word anakainosis which IS rendered here as renewing mean also a: complete change for the better 2, and in this idea we should see the same basic idea as Repentance.
That there IS a difference between this idea of renewing and the idea of Repentance can perhaps be seen in the only other use of anakainosis by the apostle; Paul writes to Titus that “after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:4-5). Here we should see that chrestotes IS rendered as kindness and as a quality of God that IS affiliated with His expressed Love as philanthropia, which IS: kindness and love toward man 2 according to the lexicon. While this adds to our idea about the way that agathosune and chrestotes are used interchangeably by the apostle, it DOES at the same time give us additional meaning in the idea of GoodWill as this IS expressed from the Godhead. Here, without getting bogged down by the doctrinal assertions applied to the next idea we should try to see the Way of renewing, that it IS “of the Holy Ghost” which IS the expression of the God and the Christ Within.
Here again IS the reality of Paul’s ideas about works and grace; here we should see that it IS through “the washing of regeneration” that a man IS sozo which IS rendered here as saved but which IS alternately rendered as made whole and healed 2; these ARE the spiritual ideas behind the idea of saved. This washing IS seen as baptism by most but if we can see this as the result of that immersion which baptism represents, immersion into the Ways of God through Repentance and that renewing that comes from the Godhead, from the Soul, as one changes the focus of his Life, we can better understand Paul’s point in “the renewing of your mind“. It IS this renewing that leads to the Transformation that IS begun in Repentance and which IS carried forward in the Life of the man who IS immersed in the things of God.
While ALL this may seem to be off of our point of “the fruit of the Spirit” and the working of agathosune and chrestotes in the Life of the man in this world as GoodWill, we should try to see how that this fruit comes to the man whose focus IS upon the things of God. This IS the man who has Repented, this IS the man who IS renewing his mind by the “washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” and this IS the man whose very Life IS focused upon that Transformation that comes in keeping His words which IS, by and by, the ONLY Way that the Spirit can take control of the flesh. This IS the ONLY way that one can Truly be “led of the Spirit“; this IS the ONLY way that one can Truly “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” which IS to “have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” as we read again in Paul’s words 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).
We should try to see how that it IS in being “led of the Spirit” that one has access to “the fruit of the Spirit” and that in its fullness this IS that Transformation that leads us to the endpoint of our journey here in this Earth, an endpoint that shows our Redemption and our Transfiguration. If we can see that the idea of Transformation rests largely upon the spiritual thoughts and attitudes that develop in a man as “the fruit of the Spirit“, we can understand yet more about the final phases of Redemption and Transfiguration. It IS in the expression by the aspirant and the disciple of this fruit as his Way of Life that causes the flesh to become superfluous, that causes the personality of the man to become merely the vehicle for his expression of the Truth and the Presence of God and it IS these things that come to the man who will keep His words as we read again in our trifecta of spiritual reality:
- “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).
While doctrines have hijacked this idea of Redemption and have assigned it to the atoning quality of Jesus’ death on the cross, the whole of this idea IS a mystery for which we can find clues throughout the New Testament. Paul uses Redemption to define adoption and in these ideas which we have discussed in previous essays we should try to see how that these ideas ARE related….NOT in the doctrinal view but in the reality that we have expressed before as: we find our goal of discipleship, our deliverance, and then our adoption which IS our union with our God and the Redemption of the body which we paint as the fullness of the Light, Love and Power of the Soul as the expression of the man in the world. We take these ideas from Paul’s words to the Romans saying that “the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romas 8:21-23).
It IS in the fullness of this union with God that our body, our flesh, IS redeemed and in this we should see the idea of the first intent of the incarnation of men into this world: that they should see past the illusion and the glamour and KNOW the Truth of their own being; and that they should understand that they ARE, as the Soul, that “treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7) and NOT the vessel itself. It IS in the misconception of just what man IS that so much of the confusion abounds and while this IS ALL intentionally wrapped in mystery, the Truth can be discovered in the revelations and the realizations that come to a man in the Light of the Soul which IS his awareness of the Presence of God. This ALL comes down to focus upon the things of God over the things of the self in this world and it IS in this True view of Life that the words that the Master and His apostle’s use can be understood as they ARE intended and NOT as they have been interpreted by doctrines.
There ARE many places where the idea of parables IS shown us as Jesus offers the Truth behind stories or in language that IS unclear to those whose focus IS yet carnal and we should see here that most ALL men’s focus IS such. And while doctrines may hold and teach that they have broken the code and that they understand the deeper aspects of the Master’s words, the reality IS that they ARE interpreting spiritual ideas in carnal terms. Additionally, the reality of the illusion and the glamour in which men live causes most ALL to NOT see the Truths that ARE clearly presented but to interpret them too according to their own carnal sense. And while so much time and effort IS given to trying to interpret such things as the Book of Revelation, the prophecies of the Old Testament, Jesus presumed words on the end times and other rather non-spiritual ideas, the simple Truths of His words go unrealized and untaught by the doctrines of men.
We have ofttimes offered our view on why this IS so and while there IS the effect of the illusion and the glamour, the vanity that Paul shows us, there IS also the effect of men’s being frozen by the very doctrines that they have so cleverly constructed from the beginning. This dilemma afflicts most ALL men and ALL of their doctrines to some degree as they interpret words according to their own beliefs even when there ARE those among them that show them a glimmer of the Truth. Here, in our essays we frequently look at the ideas of men like Marvin Vincent whose interpretation of the Greek DOES NOT fit into the basic doctrinal beliefs and, while his sense of doctrine IS essentially according to the view of the church fathers and the reformers, his view of some words gives us the needed insight which, if it were pursued, would enlighten many to the Truths that lie behind the outer view of such words.
One such word is adoption, which IS rendered from the Greek word huiothesia, and which has taken on some strict doctrinal ideas that ARE NOT in accord with the reality of its meaning. While the gist of this word should be that of union with God which comes in His Presence according to the ideas in our trifecta above, the doctrinal view IS seen in terms of being a believer in Christ in a doctrinal sense. We can see this in this from Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology where we read on adoption that: In the Bible, adoption is one of several family-related terms used to describe the process of salvation and its subsequent benefits. God is a father who graciously adopts believers in Christ into his spiritual family and grants them all the privileges of heirship. Salvation is much more than forgiveness of sins and deliverance from condemnation; it is also a position of great blessing. Believers are children of God 8.
There ARE many views on this idea of adoption and there IS a Doctrine of Adoption; ALL that we have read however miss the point that we get from Vincent as regards his view of the Greek word huiothesia. It IS from Vincent that we see the idea of union and understand that to apply carnal ideas to the spiritual use of this word IS misleading and DOES NOT show the apostle’s intent. Vincent tells us in Paul’s use of this word in his phrase Spirit of adoption (πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας) that:
The Spirit of God, producing the condition of adoption. Ὑιοθεσία adoption is from υἱός son, and θέσις a setting or placing: the placing one in the position of a son. Mr. Merivale, illustrating Paul’s acquaintance with Roman law, says: “The process of legal adoption by which the chosen heir became entitled not only to the reversion of the property but to the civil status, to the burdens as well as the rights of the adopter – became, as it were, his other self, one with him … this too is a Roman principle, peculiar at this time to the Romans, unknown, I believe, to the Greeks, unknown, to all appearance, to the Jews, as it certainly is not found in the legislation of Moses, nor mentioned anywhere as a usage among the children of the covenant. We have but a faint conception of the force with which such an illustration would speak to one familiar with the Roman practice; how it would serve to impress upon him the assurance that the adopted son of God becomes, in a peculiar and intimate sense, one with the heavenly Father” (“Conversion of the Roman Empire”) 4.
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.
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.
We repeat here a Quote of the Day that we spent much time with over the course of our essays. In this affirmation we find the Truth of discipleship as we have been ever been expressing and here we can relate our themes of the last few days; “take no thought” for the things of the world and that we approach the Kingdom and discipleship in the nature of the little child, in humbleness, meekness, unashamed in any way and unassuming. The message that this imparts for us today IS that it IS the Soul that is at work in the world of men as it expresses to some degree the purpose, power and the will through Life in this world. These words are from a meditation offered to his students by our Tibetan brother and in which we find greater understanding of the message of the Master. This IS Truly the way of the disciple.
My Soul has purpose, power and will; these three are needed on the Way of Liberation.
My Soul must foster love among the sons of men; this is its major purpose.
I, therefore, will to love and tread the Way of Love. All that hinders and obstructs the showing of the Light must disappear before the purposes of the Soul.
My will is one with the great Will of God;. that Holy Will requires that all men serve. And unto the purposes of the Plan I lend my little will.
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
