ON LOVE; PART MCCVI
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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).
In the last essay we continued our discussion of the Apostle Paul’s words on Love from his First Epistle to the Corinthians. We again reviewed the deeper ideas that should be seen behind the Greek words makrothumia and chresteuomai which ARE so much more that the common idea that these mean “Love is patient, love is kind” as these ARE rendered and understood by most ALL people. While these carnal applications of agape may suffice to have a basic idea of the carnal view of agape, we should ever remember that in defining Love we ARE at the same time defining God. We should try to understand that such simple carnal ideas CAN NOT be applied to the Lord whosr Providence exhibits neither patience nor kindness as His uniform application of that Love.
The ideas behind these words then must be expanded to meet the reality that exists and while the doctrinal thinker may call our ideas heresy, they ARE founded in the reality that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34) and it IS this Universal view of ALL men that helps us define agape as His expression as well as ours. This idea of having NO “respect to persons” IS alluded to throughout the gospels but it IS NOT put into so many words until the Book of Acts, in regard to the Lord, and in James’ writings in regard to men; it IS there that we read the deeper reality of agape as a man’s expression as the apostle says “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 2:8-9).
Mankind IS essentially on its own in this world where free will reigns and here we must realize that this free will IS eternally tied to the vanity of Life in form, the illusion and the glamour, of which Paul tells us that “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same” (Romans 8:20). Regardless of how this idea IS viewed—as the fall of man according to the doctrinal reading of Genesis or the reality that this IS the Plan of God—the Truth remains that men ARE so subjected to that vanity which Vincent defines for us as: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. (Romans 8:20).
This vanity, this illusion and glamour, ARE our “bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:21) and while the Christian may seek to be delivered from this by the hand of God, the Truth IS that men must be freed from this by the Truth which Jesus shows us using the same Greek word, eleutheroo. The Master 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) and here we must ever remember that the expression of agape IS the essence of and the most direct Way to “continue in my word” which the Apostle Paul shows us in his words to the Romans saying:
“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).
When we can see that the Way to our salvation IS the Way of agape which IS the way of Truth, we can then understand how that this IS the personal quest of everyman, that this IS NOT reserved by a God who IS patient and kind for ALL to become Christians as doctrines define that term. The reality IS that the expression of agape crosses ALL religions and ALL cultures as an essential virtue that IS set aside as men seek ONLY to fulfill their own desires; and it IS against this human proclivity that the Apostle Peter writes: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).
The point here IS that men must escape; they must free themselves from their own “bondage of corruption“, their own human proclivity to fulfill their own desires to progress in Life as men in this world, rather than as Souls seeking to achieve that “adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). The original direction of Life in form IS lost in the vanity, a loss that IS greatly aided by men’s nurturing and indoctrination in to the ways of Life in this world with little of NO regard to the original Truth which has been further obnubilated by the doctrines of men in every religion. This IS the vanity, this IS the illusion and the glamour, and this IS the “bondage of corruption” to which ALL ARE subjected.
And while these doctrines of men have always devised clever ways to supposedly circumvent the Truth and to approach God, the reality IS that ALL are but the “doctrines of men“….”Which all are to perish with the using” (Colossians 2:22). Even the words of the apostle have been turned and twisted to whatsoever meaning fits these doctrines of which the Master, repeating the words of the prophet, tells us “in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7). These same “doctrines of men” DO NOT see the timelessness of these words, they apply them ONLY to the Pharisees and their ilk in those days before Christ but the greater reality IS that these ARE yet the ways of men who have always devised clever ways to supposedly circumvent the Truth and to approach God.
While this may again seem to be a harsh assessment of religion, this IS but a report on the vanity, on the illusion and the glamour, to which ALL ARE subjected by the Plan of God. This IS but a report on the “bondage of corruption” from which ALL must escape and here we should see the reality of the Master’s saying that “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14) and His caution that men should “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24). While the “doctrines of men” ARE believed to point men to their salvation, they ARE NOT pointing to the “strait gate“….they ARE instead pointing men toward the wide gate of which Jesus says “wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matthew 7:13).
There IS a strong correlation between these two saying from the Master and while the idea of “many are called, but few are chosen” IS NOT seen in this context, the reality that it points to the few CAN NOT be dismissed. In one instance this saying follows upon the Parable of The Great Banquet of which the meaning should be clear and perhaps yet clearer using the idea that many ARE invited, ALL men in reality, to Truly seek the Lord, but few choose to DO so. This IS the message of the parable where the examples ARE among the many who ARE invited and of whom NONE choose to attend. While we can look at this in regard to the Jews as the many who ARE invited but DON’T choose to attend thereby allowing the gentiles to take their place, the broader view of the invitation IS to everyman more accurately depicts the spiritual reality that the Master IS exposing.
In the other instance, also in the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel, the same idea IS attached to the Parable of The Workers in the Vineyard. Here we have men coming to work at different times during the day and working for the remainder of the day….ALL for the same wages. The man who worked one hour receives the same as the man who had worked twelve hours. The meaning here IS clear and without any Jewish vs gentile reference; it shows us that at it DOES NOT matter at what point in Life one comes to Truly seek the Lord, ALL that matters is that one DOES and in so DONG the reward IS the same. This idea is then stated for us in Jesus words saying “the last shall be first, and the first last” and in this we should be able to see that same equality.
Matthew then adds on to this with the saying above so that he frames the Master’s words as “the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen” (Matthew 20:16). This addition seems to have nothing to DO with the parable but if we look at those who ARE murmuring against the householder we can perhaps understand that while these were invited to work that day, they DID NOT choose to accept their uniform reward. In this those who DO accept their wages as well as those who DID choose to attend the wedding ARE those who also choose “to enter in at the strait gate” while those who murmur and those who choose NOT to attend ARE those who choose the path of men where “wide is the gate, and broad is the way“.
Applying these ideas to our topic we should be able to see that men must choose to escape as they must choose the open invitation to Truly seek the Lord and both of these ideas ARE the same. While some doctrines allude to the idea that men ARE chosen by God and while others make this idea a part of their creed, the greater reality IS found in the idea that men ARE choosing God. And what goes unheeded and ofttimes unseen IS the necessary strength of that choosing. This idea of strength IS found in Jesus words that tell us that there ARE but few which we read as “few are chosen” and “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14).
While most every ‘practicing’ Christian may believe that he IS among the few, the greater Truth IS found in the rest of the Master’s words which show us that there ARE criteria for that choosing….that choosing God IS more than doctrines. As He continues his discourse He warns men of the perils of hearing and believing others who He shows us as that “they are ravening wolves” and here we should remember that ALL wolves ARE ravenous by their very nature. We should try to see here that Jesus’ reference IS more to the very nature of men in this world, men yet caught in the vanity into which ALL as Souls ARE born. This IS a lesson about fruit, a lesson that it IS “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:15, 20). This then IS followed by the words that ARE part of our trifecta which we repeat again saying:
- “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).
This fruit of which the Master speaks, this fruit by which we can tell the carnal from the spiritual in the words of men, IS intimately tied to Love, to agape, and in Truth this fruit IS agape. Here we should remember and try to understand what Paul shows us in our selection from Corinthians….that that without Love, without his expression of agape, “I am nothing“. The apostle also tells us that without agape he IS but noise and that without his expression of Love “it profiteth me nothing“; in this we should see the worthlessness of any and ALL religious endeavor that IS NOT a True expression of Love.
The point here should be clear; if Paul words become as noise; and if he proclaims that he is nothing despite whatsoever psychic ability; and if he can say that ALL that he does is of no use to him or others without Love; how can the doctrinal Christian, whose sense of agape is at best a shadow of the Truth, claim to be something? It IS ONLY in KNOWING the Truth of agape, the Truth that IS revealed by Paul’s defining ideas about agape, that one can Truly express this most important spiritual ideal through the carnal mind; an expression that can ONLY begin when a man can see himself in ALL others and begin to see past the outer appearance of men. When he can come to see ALL as Souls struggling to overcome the same vanity, the same illusion and glamour, as he himself must overcome. Repeating Paul’s words again we read:
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not agape, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not agape, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not agape, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
“Agape suffereth long, and is kind; agape envieth not; agape vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Agape never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
As we return to our discussion of the words that Paul uses to define agape we should be able to see that the common ideas that ARE presented by doctrines ARE ONLY addressing the common ideas of Love and NOT the deep spiritual meaning that allows one to accomplish what IS presented by the Master and His apostles….to understand and express the great Truths of the Great Commandment and the Golden Rule. We should try to see that it IS agape that IS the great Truth of which the apostle speaks as he tells us “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach” (Romans 10:8).
This agape IS the singular communication that the Soul reveals to the consciousness of a man, to his heart as this IS framed by the Master. This agape IS the reality of ALL the law and the essence of the teaching of the prophets as Jesus shows us. In His remarks about the Great commandments He says “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40) and as He presents the Golden Rule He tells us “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” (Matthew 7:12).
But these things ARE NOT recognized in the doctrines of men which have appointed the more simple ideas of confessing and believing to be “the word of faith” rather than agape. This “word of faith” IS NO different in Paul’s reality than it was in Moses’; it was always the essence of the law which IS agape. Moses framed this idea in terms of the law saying “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” (Deuteronomy 30:14) and in this he reduced the law into the singular idea of “the word” just as the apostle DOES. The ONLY difference here IS in the approach to the singular Truth of Love; Paul goes straight at agape as the Way while Moses, in those darker days, gave the outline of the law, the DO’s and the DON’Ts of right living. Paul reconciles these approaches for us in his words on Love above and in His more simple saying that “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14).
When we can import the Truth of agape into the doctrinal ideas on this “word of faith“, we can then see the reality that Paul IS offering in his words that have been hijacked by many doctrinal approaches to the Lord and made by many to be the singular way to salvation. Paul says “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” (Romans 10:9) and here we should see that this confession or profession IS NOT ONLY that Jesus IS Lord but that this IS also one’s commitment to His precepts of which the foremost IS Love. This IS followed by believing which idea should ever be seen in terms of KNOWING and here a KNOWING that comes from the Soul and NOT from the words of men.
Can we see the point here? Can we see that to “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus” IS to affirmatively answer the Master’s rhetorical question that asks “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)? And can we see how that we KNOW “that God hath raised him from the dead” by revelation and realization much as the Apostle Peter as he DOES “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus” saying that “thou art the Christ” to which Jesus replies “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:15, 16). Peter’s expression IS based in his KNOWING the Truth and here again we should see that the source of that Truth IS found in the Master’s words saying ““If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth“.
Again, if Paul’s words ARE but noise and his worth, his spiritual worth, IS nothing without Love, how can the doctrinal Christian claim anything more in the absence of True agape….Love as this IS defined by the Master and His apostles. While Jesus puts the Truth of agape into the Great Commandment and the Golden Rule, He also explains the Way that these ARE accomplished in such ideas as we find in His Sermon on the Mount. To Love one’s enemies, to give to ALL that ask and to lend without expectation of return ARE the expression of agape as ARE such ideas as to turn the other cheek, to NOT get angry at another and to NOT judge. ALL this IS the reality of agape seen through the reality of DOING.
It IS this DOING that Paul IS showing us in his words that define Love, words which explain the concepts that result in such DOING, and here again we must understand that the common understanding of his ideas IS ONLY a carnal approach. To be patient and to be kind DO NOT show us how that agape understands one’s brothers and sees ALL as the neighbor….how that agape KNOWs his brother’s plight and in this KNOWING and understanding expresses Love to ALL equally and with NO “respect to persons“. This IS the Truth of makrothumia and chresteuomai which ARE so much more than patience and kindness.
Paul goes on to tell us that there IS NO emulation in Love; neither as one’s desire for superiority nor as one’s desire to be as another. There IS ONLY Paul’s attitude which he shows us saying “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11). He shows us as well that there IS NO boasting, NO bragging, either outwardly or inwardly, regarding one’s accomplishments and this in both the spiritual and the carnal….True agape always presents itself as humble and understands the apostle’s admonition that one IS “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3).
And agape DOES NOT act in any carnal fashion which idea is the better understanding of unseemly which includes the ideas that follow, ALL of which ARE contrary to Love. Agape IS NOT selfishly oriented, it IS free from the desires for carnal things and carnal living; agape IS NOT given to carnal passions of any sort, passions that move one’s focus off of the Truth and back into one’s carnal view of Life, the view that he IS attempting to overcome. The final idea attached to unseemly IS “thinketh no evil” and here IS perhaps the summation of what IS unseemly….it IS ALL that IS contrary to God.
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
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
