ON LOVE; PART MCLVI
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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 thoughts on the way that doctrinal men have accepted the stories that were intended for the barbarous and superstitious men of yesteryear, stories that were written for those whose level of understanding was limited to their emotional response with little real thought. This idea of emotional response should NOT be seen as that these acted solely upon feelings but rather that the mind was led by desire with little thought given to the reality of Life. We should understand here that in men’s ever progressing measure of understanding over thousands of years, the emotional driving force has been supplanted by an ever increasing reliance of the mind and while many ARE yet driven by emotion, these also have the presence of mind to decide and override desire.
However, even with this ability, this presence of mind, many still default to the ideas of scripture that were NOT intended for them but for those barbarous and superstitious men whose level of understanding was so much more limited. There should be NO doubt that most ALL of mankind have evolved past their limitations and if we could see that this steady evolution of mind IS the reality of the Plan of God and that it IS accomplished by the birth of Souls that ARE evermore capable of using the mind, we can then see the basis upon which modern civilization exists.
Despite this evolution and the progression of mankind into the current age, men must perforce still overcome the nurturing and the indoctrination to which they ARE subjected and here we should understand that these have also evolved. The nurturing and indoctrination experienced in today’s world IS far different than even fifty years ago….except for one’s indoctrination into the various religions, denominations and sects which have scarcely progressed over the centuries. In fact, some denominations and sects show an increased reliance upon the old ideas that were never intended for more modern men to take literally. The man to whom Moses writes could NOT understand the words of Jesus.
Men’s reliance upon scripture should grow with the progression of mind; they should be taking the words out of the literal and into the deeper meanings that ARE behind them but this IS NOT the case with so much of today’s doctrines where show an even greater reliance upon the old ideas of the Old Testament. This IS a great part of the failures of doctrines but the greater part IS yet the level of mind applied to the words of the Master and His apostles and to the nebulous ideas that have been formed for such words as 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.
As we have said in recent posts, the Master speaks against the ways and the interpretations of the Jews regarding the law and He speaks also against His perception of the human trend to append His teachings to those of old. He speaks against the admixture of the new and the old which has existed from the beginning and if we can see this admixture in Paul’s terms as “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6) we can likely understand that his point IS NOT unlike Jesus’ warnings. The Apostle Paul’s point IS that he IS teaching Jesus’ Truth and that ALL else that may come to their attention, ALL that IS contrary, IS but “another gospel“. Paul goes to great lengths to show how that the New DOES NOT include the Old and it IS unfortunate that so many of his ideas ARE taken out of context and used to feed what IS become “another gospel“.
The reality IS that ALL that IS offered to men as Truth which IS NOT in full accord with the words of the Master and His surrogate Paul ARE “another gospel” and this idea should NOT be seen to diminish the role of the other apostles. ALL ARE teaching the same Truths that the Master brought to the world and while their perspective may be different, the intent IS the same; the difference of perspective IS based solely in the equipment, the mental and emotional equipment, through which each repeats these Truths.
We pick Paul here because so much of the doctrines of men IS based in their interpretation of his words….so much so that the words of the Master have become moot. Words such as our trifecta of Jesus teachings on the rewards of keeping His words ARE supplanted by the ideas erroneously gleaned from Paul’s words; ideas that rely upon what IS convenient for men. The doctrines of men have placed their hope of salvation upon the idea that what Jesus said IS for the Jews and for the time before His crucifixion rather than the Truth that His ARE eternal ideas that have been since before the time of Moses. These ideas ARE Love and the need for men to “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). And this IS the Apostle James way of putting into direct and blunt terms the full idea of what IS our trifecta which we repeat again; Jesus says:
- “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).
Men then search the scriptures, perhaps without intent to deceive, to find ideas that further distance their own Truth from the Truth of Jesus’ words which tell us clearly to keep His words and to Love. Furthermore, in their desire to see God as did the Jews and Jesus as His Son, they focus their attention upon the Transcendent nature of the Lord despite the many words from Jesus and His apostles that point to God’s Immanent nature. And most ALL of these doctrinal ideas have been worked into the translations and interpretations of their words. We discussed a bit of this two posts back where we focused upon the commentary by the Apostle John in regard to the Holy Spirit. which brought us again to our discussion on the mistaken and nebulous ideas regarding pistis and pisteuo.
What exactly IS John saying in regard to the Master’s words that “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water“? His words ARE translated parenthetically as “this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:38-39) and while doctrines see this literally, they miss the whole idea of our Immanent God, even attributing this Spirit ONLY to those who believe according each of the several doctrines.
When we remember that to believe on and to believe in the Lord IS to KNOW him, and that this KNOWING comes according to our trifecta, we can see the logic in Vincent’s words explaining the idea of “pisteuo eis“; we can see how that to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4 IS the same as keeping His words. It IS for those who DO keep His words that Jesus says that “from within him shall flow rivers of living water” which IS everyman’s expression of Love and Truth in this world. What then IS John’s True commentary?
We discussed one word, lambano which IS rendered here as receive, and we noted that both Strong’s and Thayer’s writings give us definitions in terms of taking; Strong’s shows us that lambano IS: to take (in very many applications, literally and figuratively 9a; while Thayer expands this to say that lambano IS: to take what is one’s own, to take to one’s self, to make one’s own 9. Can we see the point here? Can we see that John IS showing us that the “rivers of living water” ARE the Spirit which comes or IS taken into one’s Life by “they that believe on him” which IS they that DO accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4.
What then of the rest of John’s saying here? Doctrines have taken the apostle’s words into their own invention which Vincent explains to us saying, of the idea that “the Holy Ghost was not yet given“, two things. First that: The best texts omit ἅγιον, holy, and the definite article is not in the text, so that the strict rendering is simply spirit; and second that this whole idea IS: Literally, spirit was not yet. Given, in A.V. and Rev., is added to guard against a possible misconception, which, as Alford observes, “no intelligent reader could fall into” 4. From our view Alford IS referring to the doctrinally intelligent and NOT the seeker of Truth. Can we see here how that the very idea of the Holy Spirit as the unction and the anointing of men IS lost in this type of doctrinal assertion.
The next idea presented by the apostle IS rendered into a reason why “the Holy Ghost was not yet given“. Doctrines see the relationship between the idea of receiving the Holy Spirit as a gift and then the idea that it must be given as such from above. Vincent however shows us that the text says “spirit was not yet” and from here the apostle’s True words become ever more muddied. If we take the idea of lambano as to take what is one’s own, to take to one’s self, to make one’s own 9 and merge this with the idea that “spirit was not yet“, we can gain a completely different understanding of John’s words as “this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him KNOW Him and keep His words should receive take to one’s self, to make one’s own: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given spirit was not yet“.
The next Greek word IS hoti which, as a causative conjunction according to the lexicon 2, IS generally rendered as that, because, since 2. Thayer’s tells us that this word IS in regard to: the substance or content (of a statement), that 9 and in this we should see that the greater idea IS NOT necessarily as this IS rendered. If we can see this as since, which IS a part of Thayer’s next defining idea of: the reason why anything is said to be or to be done , because, since, for that, for 9 , we can better understand the whole idea that the apostle IS imparting.
John’s idea IS seen by doctrines as that men in that day DID NOT have access to the Holy Spirit and that they would NOT until Jesus’ IS glorified….another nebulous doctrinal word that IS, in this instance, understood as that He IS NOT yet crucified. This IS a doctrinal assertion that carries through into many other areas of the New Testament and one which IS NOT John’s intent as the whole idea of the Greek word doxazo which IS rendered as glorified has a much different meaning and tone. Strong’s defines doxazo as: to render (or esteem) glorious (in a wide application)9a and if we can see this in terms of the one who KNOWS the Truth rather than the Master we can likely see deeper into the apostle’s intent.
The whole of the apostle’s commentary here on the “rivers of living water” IS to show that Jesus’ reference IS to the Spirit which they that KNOW Him and keep His words can take to themselves and here John adds another qualifier. John tells us that to KNOW Him and to keep His words one must have a glorious opinion of the Master and understand His purpose. While this seems to be a bit over the top in explaining John’s words, we should understand here that the way that the idea of doxazo has been taken by doctrines can mislead us into the nebulous ideas that they have created.
The word doxazo DOES NOT have a translatable English counterpart but rather an idea behind it that we can glimpse in Strong’s definition above. Thayer defines doxazo as: to think, suppose, be of opinion as its primary definition and then adds to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate 9; this however IS NOT the doctrinal view. John Gill shows us the doctrinal view saying: because that Jesus was not yet glorified; he had not as yet gone through his state of humiliation; he had not yet suffered, and died, and rose again, and ascended, and sat down at the right hand of God 8.
The Commentary Critical and Explanatory of the Whole Bible tells us that: Jesus not yet glorified–The word “glorified” is here used advisedly, to teach the reader not only that the departure of Christ to the Father was indispensable to the giving of the Spirit, but that this illustrious Gift 8. In neither of these commentaries DO we find the defining ideas behind doxazo although the latter DOES show us that the word DOES NOT fit the interpreted idea. Our point here IS that the whole of the doctrinal idea attached to this comment from the Apostle John DOES NOT match with the words used when the doctrinal ideas ARE NOT made part of one’s view; John IS telling us something very different than what IS generally understood.
We should approach this from two perspectives; first IS the erroneous idea that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that IS God, was NOT available to men according to the doctrinal reading of John’s words. This IS the same Spirit of which we read in the Old Testament, in such ideas as the Lord Himself saying of “Bezaleel the son of Uri” that “I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” (Exodus 31:2, 3). There ARE likely doctrinal assertions that take such ideas and diminish them and this largely based in the doctrinal reading of these words from John. We should remember here that the view of God in the days of Exodus IS purely Transcendent and that the idea of our Immanent God, which Jesus teaches us, IS NOT a part of the vernacular in those days.
The second perspective to be seen here IS the very idea that John IS trying to show us in his commentary on Jesus words. While the Christian tries to take this idea of Spirit as a part of the benefit of their own religion, this IS but glamour, this IS but building and illusion and making it one’s own….making their religion of more import that another’s. Jesus IS speaking to the Jews and His saying that “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38) and we should see this as an enduring spiritual idea which, while parabolic, IS easy to see in human terms. And John’s point IS NOT that these words ARE moot, it IS NOT that those who thirst and who come to Him and drink CAN NOT have the Spirit, but rather that they CAN.
We can read John’s words then in a very different tone which IS explaining how that men can receive, or, better, take to themselves, the realization of the Spirit of the Lord, His Presence, of which we read in our trifecta. If we can understand that to believe on and to believe in Jesus IS to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4, we can then decipher the ideas that the apostle IS presenting according to Jesus’ own words. We should remember here that Jesus IS speaking to the Jews who ARE yet with Him and who ARE still intrigued by His words; it is just prior to this that “many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (John 6:66).
That was in Capernaum and NOW Jesus IS at the feast teaching in the temple and when John’s text says that “the Jews sought him at the feast“, it IS impossible to tell just what Jews these were. As the text proceeds there IS debate regarding Jesus and the question arises whether He IS the Christ and it IS just before the Pharisees “sent officers to take him” that John tells us that “many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?” (John 7:11, 32, 31). This IS the scene that leads to John’s concluding remarks saying “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38).
It IS in the confliction of the people that John offers his commentary which, when properly read, DOES address the “division among the people because of him“. And this leads us to our conclusion of just what the apostle means in his words regarding the Spirit in this place and in this time and here we should see that the far reaching effects of what he says remain a part of True Christianity yet today. If we can see John’s words as telling us the same thing that Jesus DOES, that the “rivers of living water” IS for those that “believe on” Him, those that DO accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4, we can then understand the whole of what the apostle IS saying.
In his commentary we read “this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him KNOW Him and keep His words should receive take to one’s self, to make one’s own: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given spirit was not yet; because that since Jesus was not yet glorified rendered glorious“. If we can see the ending idea here in regard to the confliction of the people, we can then understand how that John’s comment on the “rivers of living water” requires first that one DOES keep His words and second that to DO so one must acknowledge Him as Lord and be convinced that He IS.
After his parenthetical comments John continues to say “Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, his is the Christ. But some said*, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, here David was? So there was a division among the people because of him” (John 7:40-43). It IS in the combination of these ideas and the time and place of them that we can come to see how that the doctrinal approach of men has created a singularly wrong approach that denies the Spirit to the billions of men around the world who DO NOT KNOW Christ. This doctrines DO by misinterpreting the ideas of the apostles while ignoring those clearly stated ideas like this with which we close our essay:
“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
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
