ON LOVE; PART MXXVII
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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 words on Wisdom and the duality of this idea as it IS presented in the New Testament. According to the Apostle James there IS “the wisdom that is from above” and there IS wisdom which “descendeth not from above” and each of these has its own set of defining qualities. It IS “the wisdom that is from above” which we can liken to the Apostle Paul’s ideas on “the fruit of the Spirit” and in this we should be able to see how that Wisdom IS the reality of faith. One can only understand this idea as he looks past doctrines and understands faith as the Master presents it: as that KNOWING that IS without doubt, that KNOWING as the mustard seed which ever KNOWS its outcome.
It IS this KNOWING that comes to a man according to Jesus words which we present in our trifecta, a KNOWING that IS the reward if you will and the grace that comes to ALL who will strive to keep His words. This Jesus frames for us as “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” and it IS unfortunate that so many avail themselves to His words on KNOWING and being free without understanding the cost which IS ever so clearly stated. It IS this KNOWING which IS realized by the man who will keep His words and by measure to the man who will strive to DO so. In this we should see the ultimate Truth of salvation which IS that deliverance “from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).
We have spoken on this idea of deliverance and on being made free in previous posts and here we should remember that these ARE rendered from the same Greek word, eleuthroo. It IS this freedom that IS the essence of salvation and it IS this freedom that will release men from their bondage to such things as ARE listed by Paul in his list of “the works of the flesh” and other like lists; it IS this freedom that takes a man from his expression of Life as being “earthly, sensual, devilish” to his expression of that True Wisdom which IS “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17, 15). This freedom IS here and now for the man who will keep His words and with this comes the KNOWING, the reality of faith; and, if we could but see that these ARE the same thing, we could understand so much more of the Master’s words.
When we can see that faith IS KNOWING and that KNOWING IS freedom and understand how that these ARE the result of being that “good ground“, we can then also understand Jesus parable that tells us that it IS these things that come to the man who keeps His words as that “fruit of the Spirit“. We can also see the reality of measure and in this idea of measure we can see the Truth of striving; it IS by the measure of one’s striving that he will “bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred” (Mark 4:20). While ALL of these ideas ARE brought to us separately, it IS in logic that we can assemble them together and this logic that sees spiritual things as its object IS the reality of that “wisdom that is from above”.
It IS “the wisdom that is from above” that sees the Truth in the words of the Master and His apostles and while many think that they have that Truth according to the teaching of their doctrines which discount the Master’s words in favor of their own clever interpretations that ARE based in the words of Paul, the reality, and the logic, tell us the greater Truth. This greater Truth IS easily found in Jesus’ own words and in the understanding that the words of the apostles ARE intended to amplify and to clarify His words rather that becoming, as they have, the central point of a new doctrine. It IS in the illusion and the glamour of Life that men have created their doctrines that show a sense of salvation and a reward of a mystical heaven; in these doctrinal ideas we should try to see how that most ALL ARE “earthly, sensual, devilish“.
Earthly in the sense of the very vision that men have of themselves; that he IS this ‘person’ that dies and goes to heaven if he will do such and such according to his own doctrinal view, a view that IS created by and followed by men as men which IS the sense of sensual that we get from Vincent 4. In the idea that it IS this natural Life, this Life in this world, that IS of importance IS the reality of James idea in using the Greek word psuchikos and, as men follow this way of Life and of living, they seldom find the Truth which abounds in the Master’s words but IS obnubilated by earthly doctrines. In the idea of devilish there should be NO view of the devil or of Satan but a view of the ways of men who live according to their carnal thoughts and attitudes; these need NOT be evil but rather just contrary to the Master’s Truths. In these three words we should be able to see men as men living according to their own carnal thoughts and attitudes whilst believing that this IS their Life and that it IS their doctrines that will deliver them. When we can contrast these ideas against “the wisdom that is from above“, it IS easy to see the difference and understand that there ARE few who DO possess that spiritual Wisdom, and its logic, which comes by measure to the man who will keep His words as we read again in our trifecta:
- “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).
When we can understand that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” and can see how that most ALL men ARE natural, we can then understand the deception that comes in the illusion and the glamour that afflict us. James shows us this reality which IS the reality of the trifecta as he tells us to “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). In this we should see how that ALL ARE deceived who think and believe that they have such spiritual discernment in the absence of keeping His words. This belief IS founded in that vanity, in that illusion that IS Life in this world, and here we should try to see how that this illusion IS gripping and deep and IS staunchly protected by men and their doctrines as their glamour provides both their sense of denial and their sense that their view IS right….and this despite the multiplicity of competing doctrinal views.
And this deception defies even the words of the Master who clearly speaks on many things that ARE NOT DONE by those who yet claim their allegiance to Him and their Love for Him and who put the burden upon the ideas that they mistakenly glean from the writings of Paul. In the words that accompany the second point of our trifecta we have the Truth of one’s allegiance to Jesus which He binds to DOING “the will of my Father” and in third part of our trifecta we have the Truth of Love for the Master as He says, or better repeats, the idea that “If a man love me, he will keep my words“; these Truths should be unmistakable to ALL who can view them apart from their doctrinal sense and with their own willingness to see themselves in Truth. And we should NOT forget here the first part of our trifecta where we find the reality of faith which comes to men in their ability to “know the truth“; this KNOWING IS the epitome of faith and this KNOWING is the very source of that “wisdom that is from above”, a Wisdom that Paul elucidates for us saying:
“my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:4-14).
In these words we have Paul’s view of the this duality of wisdom and Wisdom, the one that “descendeth not from above” and the “wisdom that is from above” and there should be NO confusion in the apostle’s message. There IS however confusion in the doctrines of men that allow them to proclaim to have such wisdom, “even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world“; there IS confusion in the ways of men who DO NOT recognize the they ARE “the natural man” whose sense of wisdom IS “earthly, sensual, devilish” as James shows us. If we can understand that it IS the “Holy Ghost” in one’s Life that IS his realization of the Presence of God, then we can understand as well how that this works in accord with Jesus’ words from our trifecta and we can understand as well the illusion that IS the deception that James shows us saying that “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves“.
Here we should try to see that so long as men’s doctrines teach them that they ARE among those who have the Presence of God in Life without any sense of DOING, without being “doers of the word“, they live in the reality of James’ idea of deception and miss their opportunity to find the greater Truth of faith and freedom. Much of the doctrinal view IS tied to the misinterpreted words of the Apostle Paul and to the grossly carnal ideas that men apply to the Truth of sin, a Truth that shows how that sin IS ALL things that ARE contrary to Jesus’ words….and this begins in the heart of the Great Commandments. We should try to understand how that this admonition to keep His words, to keep the commandments of the Lord, IS the steady theme throughout the history of the Jews as we read it in the Old Testament; the admonition IS ever that “Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 18:4).
There IS much doctrinal talk about the idea of the covenant between God and man but the terms of that covenant have been skewed so that the favor to man, the grace if you will, IS NO longer dependent upon his own action but ONLY upon the doctrinal views of salvation. The writer of the Book of Hebrews speaks of a “new covenant” and a “better covenant” (Hebrews 8: 8, 6) and so there IS one in the words of the Master. In theology the terms of this “new covenant” ARE garnered from the various books of the bible and form a foundation of sorts for much of doctrine. There ARE however many interpretations of this idea and much of it IS of a quarrelsome nature with some calling others heretical based upon their doctrinal views. Most ALL however miss the point of Jesus’ own words and His own statements of covenant which we can most clearly read in our trifecta.
It IS when we can understand that a covenant relationship IS a two way idea, that there ARE two parties to such an agreement, that we can also understand the underlying quid pro quo that saturates ALL scripture. We must come to see and to understand that if one wants to have “the wisdom of God“, if one desires KNOW those things which “are spiritually discerned“, then he must DO his part to receive these things which ARE part and parcel of the Presence of God in one’s Life, a Presence that comes with the KNOWING, with the faith, by keeping His words which idea IS the part of man. And this IS of course Paul’s message to the Galatians through our selection which we repeat again; we read:
“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).
Here we have the reality of the covenant given to us in clear terms but terms which ARE NOT so clear as the Master’s own words in the trifecta above. This lack of clarity IS because Paul’s words ARE directed at the man who has already accepted the Master’s words, men who ARE striving toward the high ideal of keeping His words. Paul’s words express his caution to the man who has overcome the gross behaviors of men in this world and they concentrate upon those things that have befallen so much of the church over the centuries. Things that ARE contrary to the heart and the Spirit of the Great Commandments but which men, in their own minds, have made allowances for in their own sense of Truth which IS gleaned in their convenient interpretations of the words of the apostles and in defiance of Jesus’ own spoken Truths.
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
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
