ON LOVE; PART MIII
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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 ended the last essay with some ideas on the use, rendering and the interpretation of New Testament words and how that it IS the doctrinal view that has prevailed over the understanding of even the most straightforward and easily understood ideas from the Master and His apostles. While doctrines DO interpret so many of the biblical ideas according to their own carnal view of Life, a view that poses as spiritual to most ALL who are under a particular doctrine, so many yet miss the Truths that ARE plainly presented and there IS NO clearer view of this than we find in Jesus’ own words that we call the trifecta. In these three statements of Truth we have the reality of discipleship as that KNOWING the Truth and the freedom that it brings, the reality of entering into the Kingdom of God, and the Way to have the Presence of God in one’s Life….and ALL of this is bound to the singular idea of keeping His words. We repeat the trifecta here 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 highlighted the idea of adoption in the last post to show how that this idea has been used by doctrines against the Truer understanding of the Greek word idea which points to the reality of union with God and, if we look as the various places that huiothesia IS used, we can easily see how that this interpretation of union works. We started with this idea based in the Apostle Paul’s words that define adoption as Redemption and if we can see how that adoption IS union according to the idea that: the adopted son of God becomes, in a peculiar and intimate sense, one with the heavenly Father 4, we can then gain some insight into the very idea of Redemption as this regards the body of man, his flesh if you will. We came to these ideas based upon the apostle’s words in our selection where we should try to see and to understand how that one’s expression of “the fruit of the Spirit” according to the words that we have been covering in Love as agape, chara which IS rendered as joy, Peace, longsuffering and the two words that can be rendered as goodness but which we see in the reality of GoodWill, IS the True sign that one IS “led of the Spirit“.
In the reality of being “led of the Spirit” we have the additional idea that to be so one will “have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” and it IS in this that we should see the idea of renewing which Paul speaks of saying “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind“. For us these words from the apostle ARE interned to say that it IS the Spirt, the Soul, that should control the mind in this Transformation. Being “not conformed to this world” IS the same as to “have crucified the flesh” and this IS made more clear when we can understand conformed as Vincent shows us saying that: For conformed to, Rev., correctly, fashioned according to 4; here then the idea IS to NOT live in the fashion of the world which IS the way of the flesh. There IS NO True evil nor sin here in this mode of living even as there IS not specific evil nor sin in Paul’s list of “the works of the flesh“; the greater reality IS that these ARE but the way of the flesh in the world, a way that IS contrary to the Way of God which IS the model into which men ARE to be Transformed.
When we can see this Transformation as the leading edge of our True adoption, our True union with the Father, we can then perhaps see that in this IS the elimination of the worldly instincts which have heretofore governed our lives. It IS in this that we can see ourselves in Paul’s words saying that “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts“. It IS in this that we can see the reality of Redemption as the fullness of the grace received according to the trifecta, grace which renders the body, the flesh, into its True intent as the vehicle for the expression of Truth….for the expression of the Soul which IS the holder of “the fruit of the Spirit“. In this we can perhaps then see the True import of the apostle’s words from the last essay where, speaking of the God Within, he says “we have this treasure in earthen vessels“. In the fullness of Paul’s words saying that “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7) we should be able to see and to understand that this IS the reality of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) working through the heart of man which IS his own conscious awareness in this world.
It IS, in the end, the state of this conscious awareness, this sense of the heart of man, that it IS either focused upon the things of the world according to the flesh or IS focused upon the things of God according to the flow of “the fruit of the Spirit” from the Soul….from the Christ Within. Here, if we can understand that the consciousness, the heart, IS NOT the personality, that it IS NOT the mind and the emotions, but IS the director of the personality according to one’s focus of Life, we can then better understand the whole idea of “the renewing of your mind” and of the Transformation that this causes in the Life of the aspirant and the disciple. The mind IS changed as the focus of one’s Life IS changed and in this we should see that it IS what the mind IS fed that matters and what DOES feed the mind IS whatsoever one IS focused upon in his heart. In this we should see the greater reality of Jesus’ words saying “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34) and this IS the reality that one’s treasure IS whatsoever IS the focus of his Life.
As we come back around to our current topic, “the fruit of the Spirit“, we should be able to see how that the ideas in our selection have been misunderstood and misappropriated to carnal concerns while they ARE the apostle’s teaching on spiritual matters. From men’s misunderstanding of the dichotomy between things spiritual and things carnal despite the many words on this from Jesus and His apostles, to the reality that being “led of the Spirit” IS NOT the religious idea that it IS painted as by doctrines but IS the result of the Presence of God according to our trifecta, the New Testament words and ideas ARE seldom seen as they ARE intended. This IS the case with the many words as those we have discussed in these last essays and this IS the case as well with the ideas that ARE behind the apostle’s list of “the works of the flesh” where the doctrinal ideas of sex and other carnal affairs has supplanted the True spiritual value and warnings that Paul offers to men whose focus IS tending toward the Lord.
What we see as the apostles cautions against those things that ARE contrary to the Great Commandments, doctrines see as idea that ARE the purely carnal and gross offenses of men. And should we agree with the carnal interpretation, we should then see also that these ARE but the ordinary affairs of men in this world and ARE offenses in the objects of their focus which IS upon the things of the world. And we should NOT forget how that the ideas of methe and komos ARE treated as carnal things, as drunkenness and rioting, rather that in the reality of men’s own spiritual attitudes toward their own accomplishments and perceived place in doctrinal and religious terms. And this same misunderstanding prevails in Paul’s list of “the fruit of the Spirit” where the doctrinal ideas of this fruit ARE NOT spiritual but ARE seen as carnal virtues of sorts. The very idea of Love as agape IS misplaced and seen in terms of the emotional and mental attraction and attachments of men rather than in terms of the True value of agape that IS painted for us by the Master and which ARE amplified and clarified by His apostles. To this we add the idea of joy which IS seen as such, as happiness and gladness which IS hardly a “fruit of the Spirit” as this IS defined by Jesus. Here, in this word chara, there IS some difficulty in understanding just what the apostle’s intent Truly IS save that this word is akin to charis which IS grace; and if we can see chara in this Light we can then more easily find the idea that this IS a fruit.
Similarly we have the ideas of Peace and longsuffering or patience as most see this. In Peace we have the idea of: the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ or the blessed state of devout and upright men after death 2 as the lexicon tells us rather that that sense of Peace that Jesus offers us; a Peace that can be expressed in the serenity of the Way of the disciple as a True “fruit of the Spirit“. Can we see in this Jesus words saying “whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39) and other like sayings? And while most ALL types of patience can be seen in terms of fruit, the greater reality of this IS longsuffering which IS NOT that one IS patient with another but that one understands that the human condition makes men to be men and that behind this beats the True Life of another Soul who IS on our very same journey. Can we see in this Jesus words saying “whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain” (Matthew 5:39)?
This brings us back to our current words, agathosune which IS rendered as goodness and chrestotes which IS rendered as gentleness or kindness and which also has the meaning of goodness. In chrestotes we find that this IS most often rendered as gentleness and kindness and here, like in the case with chara, we can perhaps get a sense of fruit when these ARE an expression toward others. We should understand however that this word IS also rendered as goodness in other places in the New Testament and that its rendering as kindness or gentleness here IS likely to avoid duplication of translation with the next word agathosune which IS always rendered as goodness. We should also note that the word that IS rendered as meekness in our text below IS rendered as gentleness by several translations; this further adds to the confusion. Through this we have taken to the idea of GoodWill as regards both of these words and, in the reality of GoodWill as Love in Action, we can see the way that this acts as a “fruit of the Spirit“.
As we have previously discussed, the way that this idea of GoodWill IS repeated leads us to see how that it has a twofold nature: there IS the Will to Good which comes in the realizations and the revelations of Truth and Love from the Soul and IS expressed then as the single pointed will of the man in the world; and there IS the very idea of Goodwill as Love in Action which becomes the Way of the man in the world and which governs his every thought, attitude and action. While we CAN NOT say as a certainty why this idea IS repeated, we can lean on the very importance of GoodWill as the expression of the aspirant and the disciple just as we DID lean on the importance of factions which idea IS seen in several words that Paul lists as “the works of the flesh“. In the end ALL of these words that ARE listed by the apostle as “the fruit of the Spirit” MUST perforce be fruit as this IS defined by Jesus and, in this, they MUST perforce be expressions of Love, of agape, to others. We repeat Paul’s sayings 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).
The next word in Paul’s list of “the fruit of the Spirit” IS pistis which IS rendered as faith. While we have discussed the ideas behind this word many times over the course of our posts, we have NOT done so with the view of pistis being a fruit, and expression by a man to others and it IS this that we will try to DO as we proceed with Paul’s list. We will begin as we always DO; with Jesus words that show us the True reality of faith as He tells us: “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20).
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
