ON LOVE; PART MCL
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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 additional thoughts on Love and how that agape IS the essential Truth that IS missing in most ALL doctrinal formulations of salvation. As we have been discussing, most of the doctrinal problems ARE founded in three basic mistakes; first IS the attempt to mix the teachings of the Master with the Old Testament teachings while NOT heeding the Truth of Love that pervades both nor the constant warnings that the covenant must perforce go both ways. Second IS the arbitrary and out of context use of certain sayings from the apostles that ARE made to become rallying mantras for the doctrinal thinker; such mantras deny the Truth of the teachings of Jesus as well as the amplifying and clarifying teachings of His apostles; and this in favor of such arbitrary ideas that ease the way to men’s perceived salvation….ideas that ARE ofttimes disputed between the may denominations and sects that call themselves Christian.
And third, and perhaps most important, IS the nebulous understanding of some of the most critical ideas that ARE offered to men through Greek words that ARE NOT suitably translated into other languages, Greek words which have an idea behind the them that IS so much more complex than can be found in a single translated word that DOES NOT carry the same intent. There ARE many such Greek words that fall into this third point and some of the most misunderstood ARE agape, pistis, pisteuo, charis and its kindred words, soter and its kindred words, christos and its kindred words, and most ALL Greek ideas that pertain to Life and death.
Examples abound; while christos has the meaning of the anointed, it IS always rendered as Christ, as a proper name, and this despite the way that this IS read in the Greek text of the gospels as “the Christ“. Vincent explain this for us saying: Christ (Χριστός); Properly an adjective, not a noun, and meaning anointed ( Χρίω , to anoint). It is a translation of the Hebrew Messiah….To us “Christ“ has become a proper name, and is therefore written without the definite article; but, in the body of the gospel narratives, since the identity of Jesus with the promised Messiah is still in question with the people, the article is habitually used, and the name should therefore be translated “the Christ” 4.
While this may seem to be an insignificant thing, the difference between Christos and “the Christos” carries much meaning especially when this IS viewed with the ideas offered by the Apostle John’s use of the noun form chrisma. The apostle tells us that “ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” and then that “the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:20, 27). We should remember here the unction and the anointing ARE rendered from the same word chrisma.
In this we should see what the Apostle Paul calls “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and understand that while ALL men have the divine idea behind chrisma and “christos in you“, it IS ONLY those who strive to keep His words that have True realization of this, and this realization IS charis which IS grace. Keeping this in mind we look next at the words of the Master saying that “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12). Here we should understand that to believeth on Him IS, as Vincent shows us: “to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life“4 which idea IS tantamount to keeping His words.
We should see here as well that to believeth on Him, as keeping His words, produces the result that we see in the first part of our trifecta…..that “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free“. Can we see here that it IS in keeping His words that we come to KNOW Him and, in turn, that we come to KNOW our own divine nature which IS the unction and the “christos in you“. It IS by becoming “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4) that we ARE then able DO such “greater works” as Jesus tells us we can DO.
In these ideas we have reframed the idea of believing into KNOWING through keeping His words and here even common sense would dictate that one CAN NOT do such “greater works” based in the simple and nebulous idea of believing according to one’s doctrinal thinking. We have also reframed the idea of charis, of grace, as ALL that comes from God with the understanding that ALL that DOES Truly come from the Godhead comes from the unction, the Christ Within, as the realizations of the man in this world. And, when we can better understand the idea of pistis and pisteuo and the source of such KNOWING, then the ideas of this primary Christian mantra will make much more sense; we read Paul’s words again saying:
“The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world” (Romans 10:13-18).
In these words we have the idea of salvation and Paul’s saying that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” and when we can understand soter as one’s self motivated salvation, we can then better understand the apostle’s intent. Such salvation requires the direct operation and involvement of the man and this according to Jesus words saying “whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35). This again IS keeping His words for it IS in so DOING that one intentionally “shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s“; this IS forsaking the way of the flesh, the way of the man in this world, and focusing one’s attention upon the things of God. And what IS saving one’s Life but the rewards received, the grace if you will, according to the trifecta which we repeat 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).
Paul goes on to speak of the way that one IS able to “call upon the name of the Lord” but doctrines DO NOT see that the reality of this idea IS so much more that merely appealing to God or to Christ. This idea must be seen together with Paul’s earlier words that also end in the same result….that such a man “shall be saved“. Here then we have a triple idea of what men should DO to be saved but we should NOT look at this in the way of doctrines, in the way that in confession and affirmation, now coupled with an appeal of some sort, Jesus will come into one’s Life. We should remember here Jesus own words that define how that He will come to a man: that He will come to the man “that hath my commandments, and keepeth them“.
So what IS the reality then of this triple idea of salvation according to Paul’s teaching? We should KNOW that the apostle’s meaning CAN NOT be different from the Master’s and if we pursue his words from this perspective, we can see the Truth of Paul’s intent. The whole of this idea IS that one will KNOW Jesus as Lord, KNOW of His Life and His death and His resurrection and this NOT as historical facts, but as the Truth that comes in revelation; one must KNOW who He IS and the Truth of His relationship to the Godhead in order to see and to understand His death and His resurrection. In KNOWING such things we come to understand His teaching and His example and it IS this that one must profess; this IS NOT a confession of words but rather a expression of Life.
We should understand this expression IS “to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life“4; which IS, again, to keep His words. This IS the way to True salvation. Finally we have the idea of calling “upon the name of the Lord” which we should try to see in this same way; here we should try to see that to DO so IS to “call upon” that unction, that anointing, which IS our own possession of Truth from which comes the revelations and the realizations of Truth. This Greek word epidaleo IS a difficult one that IS NOT well represented by the rendering of “call upon” and although this idea fits into the doctrinal view of Truth, there IS a much deeper meaning which IS required because this action results in the same salvation as comes in one’s expression of Truth.
The better idea of this Greek word epidaleo can be found in other places where it IS used. This word IS used by the Apostle James in an idea that IS rendered as “Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?” and here the reference IS to the “name by the which ye are called” which, for the man whose focus IS upon the Lord, the man who keeps His words, can be seen as “the anointed“. Can we understand that in this context one DOES NOT “call upon the name of the Lord” in and appeal but one calls upon the revealed Truth and in this he IS saved. And what IS this Truth but one’s realization of his own divine nature and how that he IS among the “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).
Paul tells Timothy to “follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (1 Timothy 2:22) and if we can see the use of epidaleo here in accord with its primary defining ideas which Thayer’s shows us as: to put a name upon, to surname 9, 2 , we can then see how that this idea can be easily understood as “follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that put a name upon themselves….the name of the Lord….out of a pure heart“? Can we see how that James words can be seen in much the same way, that James’ IS saying that “they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye have taken as your surname“?.
To many Christians these ideas can themselves be blasphemous but these ARE in accord with the Master’s words which show us that the Presence of God IS the grace of God received by them who ARE “of a pure heart“. The reality of them who ARE “of a pure heart” IS that they ARE those to whom Jesus refers saying they “that hath my commandments, and keepeth them” but this idea goes wasted on the doctrinal thinker who believes that in the simplicity of calling, of appealing, of invoking or simply using His name that one IS saved.
While it IS easier for men to believe that they can have His grace, that they have ALL that comes from the Godhead, merely by speaking some words, there IS NO True benefit to this and while many of those who subscribe to these ideas DO Truly pursue the Lord, they would be better served in hearing and understanding the deeper ideas of the apostles’ words. While men glean what IS appealing to them from the words of scripture, there IS yet a great flow of ideas that push men to focus upon the Truth of God and the words of the Master and so long as doctrines DO NOT have this same push toward the Truth the reality of agape will NOT be realized but by the few whose Inner man can convey the Truth to the carnal mind.
And while it IS convenient for the doctrinal thinker to believe that he IS Transformed according to Paul’s words saying “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind“, the reality IS that the mind IS NOT renewed except that it IS expressing the Truth that IS agape. There IS a test here in Paul’s words; if a man IS Truly “not conformed to this world“, if a man IS Truly “transformed by the renewing of your mind“, and these ideas ARE equivalent, then he will be able to “prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). If this idea IS that one prove, as this word IS understood, these ideas, then one must express them but this idea seems deficient.
The lexicon defines dokimazo as: to test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals 9, 2 and here we have the idea of a test which would say that being so Transformed allows one to test the Truth or examine it but this also seems deficient. The lexicon goes on to a secondary definition of: to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy 9, 2 and here we can get an idea that works across many of the rendered ideas. Jesus uses this idea saying of men “that ye do not discern this time” (Luke 12:56); He uses this same idea in showing the excuse of a man saying “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them” (Luke 14:19). Can we see the point here of the alternate idea of dokimazo?
We can see this same idea in Paul’s words saying of ‘grossly’ carnal men that “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Romans 1:28). Here the word dokimazo IS rendered as “they did” and “like” which ARE NOT near the reality of this word; if however we see this in terms of discernment our alternate idea works to better understand the point that the apostle IS making. These men of whom Paul speaks DID NOT discern the Truth of God….they DID NOT KNOW Him nor His Truth, and it IS in this state that they act and perhaps we can see here the more ‘natural’ way of Life of the Roman, especially those of higher estate.
While in this context the man IS ‘grossly’ carnal, the idea of discernment goes much deeper and this especially we seen in regard to one’s “reasonable service” which idea IS better understood as Vincent presents this saying it IS: rational, as distinguished from merely external or material. Hence nearly equivalent to spiritual 4. Overall then it IS “that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1) and IS as well the way that one can be Transformed and thereby discern some measure of the Truth.
ALL of these ideas work together and this IS our point. If a man IS Truly renewed in His mind and in the process of Transformation then he will be able to discern the Truth upon which his doctrines ARE founded and see the greater reality of that Truth. And, in this, be among the few “that put a name upon themselves….the name of the Lord….out of a pure heart“. It IS these same that have come to KNOW the Lord and His Truth and express His nature and it IS in DOING this that men DO “present your bodies a living sacrifice“. ALL of this should bring us to the reality of agape, of Love, and to the understanding that we CAN NOT separate the ideas that Paul offers but rather strive to understand his True intent which IS ever that we keep His words….which IS NO different that to “present your bodies a living sacrifice” as we focus our lives upon the Lord.
We close today as we opened, with our ideas on the reality of agape as the essential Truth that IS missing in most ALL doctrinal formulations of salvation. In the apostle’s words above there IS the common idea that men should live according to their spiritual nature and NOT according to the carnal which IS ALL things that ARE of the world….the body, the mind and the emotions that keep men bound to the illusion and the glamour of Life. We see this in the idea of sacrifice, in the reality of renewal and Transformation, and in the deeper ideas of those words that have become a doctrinal mantra. We close with Paul’s words on agape that we have been discussing, words that show us the reality of salvation away from the ideas of doctrine; words that show us that when we awake to the reality of agape we can then find the reality of True salvation.
“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:8-11).
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.
We change our Quote of the Day today to the words from Solomon on Wisdom along with our thoughts on them from the original postings of them in In the Words of Jesus parts 46 and 556. These words ARE a testament to those things that we should be asking of the Lord and which are representative of the Holy Ghost. Wisdom, understanding and knowledge which will lead us to understanding the fear (reverence and respect and awe) of the Lord and the knowledge of God so that in this world we can understand righteousness and judgement and equity and be preserved by discretion and understanding. Thus are we in a position to treat everyone as we would want to be treated ourselves.
Since we are centered on the ideas of Wisdom today we offer the following from Proverbs as our Quote of the Day. Solomon, who is KNOWN for his Wisdom, which we read in the story of his Life was His gift from God, a gift that he receives because he does not want for the things of the world. But Solomon gains as well the things of the world in plenty and as his Life story proceeds we can see clearly that it is his Life in the world that is to his detriment. The wisdom however produces for us the writings of the Book of Proverbs and it is this that he is remembered for. His Life is interesting reading and is well documented in the Books of Kings and Chronicles.
….incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee (Proverbs 2:2-11).
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
