ON LOVE; PART MLXII
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 continued our look at the Master’s words that close out the Sermon on the Mount. We began then as we DO now by showing the relationship of His words to the Truth of Love. Jesus begins our selection with the Golden Rule which IS a glorious picture of agape as this IS intended to be expressed in this world. In these words we should see the reality of the equality of men and the high ideal that the Apostle James shows us saying “if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 2:9). It IS this idea of seeing ALL men as one DOES see himself that IS the deeper Truth of agape and it IS in having NO “respect to persons” that IS one’s ultimate expression of Love.
Jesus goes on to teach us that a man must enter “in at the strait gate” and, when we follow the context set up for us by the Apostle Matthew, we should see that this narrow and difficult Way IS the Way of Love, the Way of agape. We should remember that the rendered words here can be misleading; we should remember that the word rendered as strait has the meaning of narrow and the word rendered as narrow has the meaning of difficult. Hence this sense of Love, this expression of Life that features NO “respect to persons” and which sees ALL men the same IS the narrow and difficult Way that IS accessible ONLY to the man who can look past his own nurturing in the ways of the world and his own indoctrination into whatsoever he has come to believe. We should remember here that it IS one’s expression of Love, of agape, that IS the fullness of His words which the Apostle Paul shows us in our selection from Galatians below and in his saying that “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10).
The Master then goes on to tell us to “Beware of false prophets” which we should understand to be teachers who have been using the wide gate and the broad way of worldly thoughts and attitudes; teachers who ARE NOT “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20) but ARE rather “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). This IS a bitter pill for most ALL men to swallow and it IS in this bitterness that they refuse to take it. This phenomenon IS the way of the “the natural man” the man who “receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him” (Colossians 2:14). Can we see the point here, the Master’s point that the man who Truly seeks the Lord must ever beware and be aware; that he must always discern the Truth of the Master’s words against the words of men and their doctrines.
In a series of seemingly unrelated sayings in his version of the Sermon on the Mount the Apostle Luke gives us Jesus’ question on this manner of teaching that has besieged the world; Luke says of the Master: “he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?” (Luke 6:39). While we DO NOT see the parabolic value here, perhaps the man who believes that he can see but IS really blind might as he casts his view of this saying upon others. We should try to see the value of Jesus’ words on the “false prophets” in these words from Luke’s version of Jesus’ sayings and we should understand that while these words can be understood as being against the Pharisees and the scribe of that day, they ARE also against the blind leader of the blind and the false teacher of today. Repeating a section of Jesus’ words we read:
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them“ (Matthew 7:12-20).
It IS ever True that “by their fruits ye shall know them” and it IS equally True that this very idea of being able to “bringeth forth good fruit” IS tied to Jesus own words on fruit. In the Parable of the Sower we KNOW that it IS “they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15) and in Jesus’ words on discipleship we find His saying that “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). The link between “good fruit” and keeping His words IS indelible yet in the illusion and the glamour of Life these Truths go unseen. The Master’s next words ARE yet more pointed but these too ARE missed as a man tends always to “think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3). In these next words we find the whole of the argument regarding keeping His words solved plus the Master’s caution to those who may believe that they ARE ‘saved‘ by their doctrinal view. We read:
“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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23).
We must understand that these words belong to ALL generations of men since the time of Christ. Men have continually taken authority and have devised doctrines based in their own view of the Truth rather that in the narrow and difficult Truth itself. This same was True of the Jews and the Master DOES show them their error in the gospels as He talks against NOT ONLY their doctrines but their application of them. And it IS in this sense that He tells us “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14). We should understand that these words ARE spoken against NOT ONLY the teachers but those who believe the teaching and we should try to see that these same realities have ever existed. We should see that the words above ARE NOT spoken to the doctrinally religious Jew; these words ARE spoken to us; to men who call Him “Lord, Lord” yet DO NOT keep His words. We should try to see the future in His words more than that current time when those who prophesied, “cast out devils” and DID “wonderful works” were close by Him and learning the Way of the Lord.
Over the centuries many millions have prophesied, “cast out devils” and DONE “wonderful works” and there ARE many yet today who believe that this IS their sign, that this IS their own proof of divinity. They DID NOT and DO NOT understand that in the absence of DOING “the will of my Father which is in heaven“, in the absence of keeping His words, these abilities ARE but the psychic abilities of men….spiritually they ARE naught. Luke offers us these same ideas in the form of Jesus’ rhetorical question that asks “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46) and he saves Jesus’ words on who IS Truly ‘saved’ for another place in his gospel and presents them as a statement and a parable; we read:
“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity” (Luke 13:24-27).
While the parameters ARE different here the message IS the same. First IS the reality of the strait gate as the answer to the question posed: “are there few that be saved?” (Luke 13:24). We should understand that these ideas follow upon Jesus’ parables on the nature of the Kingdom of God, and Luke’s versions of the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven; in this we should see the relevance of both the question and the answer that men should strive. Some see our selection above from Luke’s Gospel as a single parable while others DO NOT see that there IS a parable here at ALL; we see Jesus’ statement on the narrow Way to the Kingdom in response to the question asked and we see the parable that follows IS intended to show us the same ideas that we read above from Matthew.
Here, instead of men who claim that they DO such works: that they have prophesied, “cast out devils” and DONE “wonderful works“, we find men whose claim IS that “have eaten and drunk in thy presence” and that “thou hast taught in our streets“. They seem to believe that by their proximity to the Master that they ARE KNOWN to Him as men who DO strive and here the Master shows us that save for striving the door will NOT be opened. The most basic view of Jesus’ words here, the most basic view of His intent, IS found in his rhetorical question which Luke presents for us saying “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?“. This IS the crux of the whole idea of His teachings and and it matters NOT that we see this as Matthew presents it, in telling us that it IS ONLY in DOING “the will of my Father which is in heaven” that one can realize His Kingdom, or we see this in the simplicity of the question presented by Luke, the reality IS ever the same.
And the opposite view IS also the same for those who merely believe that they ARE DOING based in their doctrinal view, for those who feign DOING and for the man who DOES “think of himself more highly than he ought to think“….Jesus words to them ARE the same: “depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity“. We should try to see that this sense of departing IS that these men shall NOT “enter into the kingdom of heaven” according to Matthew’s version and that the door will NOT be opened according to Luke; again, the effect IS the same. In the illusion and the glamour of Life, men DO NOT see the basic reality and in this we should understand religious men and men who DO believe that they have their salvation based in their doctrinal view; few, if any, DO see their own iniquity.
What then IS the iniquity? Luke uses the Greek word adikia which IS rendered as inequity here but IS most often rendered as unrighteousness. Matthew uses the Greek word anomia which IS generally rendered as inequity and IS rendered only once as unrighteousness. In adikia we have the clearer vision of unrighteousness although this IS likely NOT seen nor understood by doctrines. While our view IS that the ONLY True Way to righteousness IS in keeping His words, the doctrinal views of this ARE varied; this IS despite the rather clear scriptural meaning that to be righteous IS to be in right standing with God; that IS, that one’s living condition IS acceptable to God. When we measure this idea against the trifecta and against the Great Commandments which the trifecta reflects, we should be able to understand that to be righteous IS to be DOING “the will of my Father which is in heaven“.
Matthew’s word, anomia, means: the condition of without law, because ignorant of it or because of violating it; contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness 2 according to the lexicon. While we can clearly see how that ALL who DO NOT keep His words or strive to DO so ARE basically unrighteous in relation to the law and thereby to God, most ALL men will refuse to see this in their own lives. Luke’s word, adikia, IS different; the lexicon tells us that adikia means: injustice, of a judge; unrighteousness of heart and life; a deed violating law and justice, act of unrighteousness 2 and here we should try to see the idea that to be so IS to have unrighteousness of heart and life.
With these defining ideas we need to view both Greek words together and see this as having anomia as a way of Life and of the heart. It IS when we can see the reality of unrighteousness that we can better understand that ALL thoughts, ALL attitudes and ALL actions that ARE contrary to His words IS unrighteousness. It IS this idea that IS the root cause of the dilution of Jesus words and the reliance upon the ideas that ARE erroneously gleaned from Paul’s writings; men DO NOT see in themselves the wherewithal to keep His words and have substituted the manifold doctrines that ARE Christianity. ALL comes down to His words, to keeping His words, and it IS in the convenience of doctrines that this IS lost and that the reality of the trifecta IS NOT made a central part of the teachings; it IS this failure that makes most ALL else false. Repeating the trifecta we read:
- 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).
Again, while this may be a harsh indictment of the church over the last 2000 years and yet today, there IS a reality that makes this claim real; a reality that IS founded in His words and in the clarifying and amplifying words of His apostles. We close today with repeating our selection on “the works of the flesh” and his list of “the fruit of the Spirit” from Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians and with these words from James that show us the folly in which men live. The apostle tells us to: “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Repeating our selection:
“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 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 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
