ON LOVE; PART MCCXXXIV
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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).
As we ended the last essay we returned to the words of the Apostle Paul which show us the importance of Love in spiritual terms as he plots the expression of agape against the presumed ‘gifts‘ of the Spirit which ARE held dear by many parts of the church. We discussed the idea of speaking in tongues which IS a phenomenon about which the church IS divided and we tried to introduce a different approach to understanding just what it IS to “speak with the tongues of men and of angels“. Most DO relate this to the Book of Acts where the Apostle Luke tells us about Pentecost and here we should understand that there need NOT be any direct relationship between men hearing the words of others in their own native tongue and the doctrinal idea of tongues as an unintelligible language that NONE Truly understand.
We noted also that should we look at Luke’s words saying “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4) from the perspective of the hearer rather than the speaker we could perhaps better understand what IS happening. If we can see that while those who ARE “filled with the Holy Ghost” ARE speaking in their own language “the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:4, 11), words of Truth to be sure, the hearer IS understanding their words as though they ARE spoken in the hearer’s language. We added the point that there IS a lesson here for ALL men: that in speaking the Truth there IS NO language barrier; that everyman who IS seeking the Truth will hear it from his own Soul which ever KNOWS that Truth.
Paul’s words on speaking “with the tongues of men and of angels” need NOT be according to the happenings at Pentecost but this speaking IS yet related in that the idea IS that it IS the Truth that IS spoken by the man whose expression IS agape….for the man who lacks such expression his words ARE but noise to the man whose focus IS Truly upon the things of God. Again, taking this to the more personal we should see that the man who has some measure of Truth and thinks apart from the doctrinal approach to God will NOT see any sense in the words of the doctrinal thinker….they ARE but noise. And similarly the man who has some measure of the Truth, the man who expression IS increasingly agape, will speak in such terms and it IS then his words that ARE but noise to the hearer whose focus IS grounded in the doctrines of men.
Jesus shows us much the same situation as He debates with the Jews regarding the Truth of God and His relationship to Him; the Master says “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word….And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God” (John 8:43, 45-47). We leave out here the accusative words of the missing verse as these would NOT serve to show the Master’s intent nor our point which IS that the Jew believed that he had the Truth and that he KNOWS God while the Truth IS that he ONLY KNOWS his own doctrinal view of that Truth. Can we see that Paul IS showing us this same thing by highlighting the religious noise of his day?
And can we see that the way that this IS framed against agape IS a picture painted for the Christian? A picture that shows that without Love, without the expression of agape in the heart of the speaker, that whatsoever IS said IS but noise and NOT spoken Truth….NOT spoken “with the tongues of men and of angels“. We must remember here that while the doctrinal thinker will proclaim that his expression IS Love, most ALL confuse their sense of Love with the carnal ideas of Love and NOT according to the True defining ideas of agape which, again, ARE also the defining ideas of God of whom the Apostle John tells us “God is agape” (1 John 4:8, 16). Repeating our selection from Paul’s Epistle we read:
“covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way“. 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 12:31, 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 Paul continues past the idea of ALL that IS NOT Truth, ALL that IS NOT the product of agape which Jesus shows us in our trifecta saying that the man who will “continue in my word” IS both the True disciple and “shall know the truth“, IS but noise should show us some of the pitfalls of religion. The early church should have seen Paul’s words as a warning and a caution but they DID NOT because, like the Jews, they believed that they had discerned the Truth and that they DID KNOW the “weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith” (Matthew 23:23). As history shows us however the True message of the Master, the message of Love, was NOT a True part of their doctrines as it IS still NOT yet today. Doctrines courted any and ALL ideas that DO NOT infringe on the ability of a man to be a man in this world even to the point of encouraging purely carnal behavior and defining their sense of Truth using ONLY a small part of the Truth of the law.
The progenitors of the various doctrines that call themselves Christianity DID NOT properly consider the ideas that Jesus highlights in His teaching, they DID NOT see the reality of His words that ARE His Sermon on the Mount as the central part of their doctrines and this because they DO infringe on the ability of a man to be a man in this world. Most ALL DID NOT see that ALL comes down to agape and this despite the way that Jesus elevates the Great Commandments to a status above ALL others. And we should remember here that while some DO claim that Love IS an essential part of the Christian experience, that one should ‘walk in Love’ as this IS framed by many, the very definition of the idea IS sorely lacking. Men continue to see agape in carnal terms of Love; this despite the idea of many doctrinal thinkers that agape IS the ‘God kind of Love’. Most DO NOT see that agape, the ‘God kind of Love’, IS a far cry from the most common ideas of Love as the mental and emotional attraction and attachment for others and for the thing of this world.
This brings us back again to our main topic of the last many essays: the defining terms used by the Master and His apostles regarding agape. In our selection above the Apostle Paul shows us the importance of agape which we have been discussing in relation to the idea of speaking in tongues. Leaving this we should try to see that the word glossa which IS rendered as tongue IS more than the physical organ and that it DOES more than signify language ONLY; the Greek word glossa should also be see to include what IS said as Paul shows us in saying such things as “with their tongues they have used deceit” and “every tongue shall confess to God” (Romans 3:13, 14:1). These ideas reflect neither the organ nor a language but refer specifically to what IS said with the tongue. If we can see that this IS the point that the apostle IS making here in our selection, that speaking “with the tongues of men and of angels” IS reference to what IS said, we can then better understand the point which we make above.
Regardless however of the one’s perspective on “the tongues of men and of angels“, we should get the clear message that without the expression of agape by the speaker whatsoever IS said IS but noise, it IS “as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal“. We should see the next section in a similar manner and understand that “the gift of prophecy“, KNOWING the KEY to the mysteries, having True KNOWLEDGE of God and KNOWING also as the Master shows us in having “faith as a grain of mustard seed“, IS for naught without agape and here we should see that there IS NO Truth. Here we should understand prophecy NOT as telling the future but as Thayer’s shows us saying that propheteia IS: discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God 9. This of course would be discourse of the Truth, the same Truth that comes as the Master shows us 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).
Interwoven with this idea IS the next part of KNOWING which IS the better rendering for the Greek word eido. Strong’s shows us that eido IS: a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses 9a and in this we can perhaps see the idea of having such KNOWING. John uses a different Greek word in saying “ye shall know the truth“, ginosko which intended in the stated future way. Paul then IS saying that to KNOW the mysteries and to have True KNOWLEDGE of God, as he says that he has, IS for naught without agape ; in this we should try to for any to claim these ‘gifts‘ without True agape as their focus, that these would be but figments of the imagination which, holding NO Power, would be for naught. Looking at this same idea for prophecy and for that “faith as a grain of mustard seed” we can then see deeper into the apostle’s idea. Again, regardless of one’s perspective in these things, we should get the clear message that without one’s expression of agape the man who believes that he has such ‘gifts‘ has nothing and IS nothing spiritually.
Finally the apostle shows us this same nothingness in his own giving as he tells us that to “bestow all my goods to feed the poor” which IS to forsake ALL, and which IS a prerequisite for True discipleship, has NO benefit. The application of this idea to ALL who give, both large and small, IS that except such giving be done in a spirit of agape there IS NO spiritual ‘reward‘ but, at the same time, there would be carnal appreciation and perhaps a reward to the ego which DOES NOT translate spiritually. The final idea regarding giving his “body to be burned” IS a more mysterious one of which Vincent tells us that: The latest critical text reads καυχήσωμαι in order that I may glory, after the three oldest MSS. The change to burned might have been suggested by the copyist’s familiarity with christian martyrdoms 4. We should see both of these in more carnal terms which ARE likely intended to show men that even carnal acts require that they be DONE in Love, DONE as expressions of agape, else they have NO spiritual value.
If we can see that Paul IS showing us these things while using himself as an example, perhaps we can see the way that such ideas can affect everyman who may believe that he has such ‘gifts‘. As Paul’s words ARE noise without agape, so ARE the words of everyman; as Paul’s ideas of prophecy and of KNOWING leave him as nothing without agape, so too ARE these ideas in the lives of men who should realize that without agape such ‘gifts‘ ARE impossible….that it IS agape that brings such to Life. And finally the giving; here the apostle IS showing us that this carnal endeavor has NO spiritual value unless it IS DONE in agape and here we should try to see that the carnal benefits of such philanthropy, despite being altruistic, can hinder one’s spiritual progress except they be DONE in the Truth that IS agape.
If we can take these ideas to Paul’s later words on them where he tells us that “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 13:8), perhaps we can gain a better insight into his intent. First IS the great Truth that “Agape never faileth” which idea IS from the Greek word ekpipto which means to: drop or fall away 9a, 9 and which IS rendered by the Good New’s Translation as “love is eternal“. Here we should see that agape IS as God IS; both “never faileth” and both ARE eternal. The apostle goes on to show us that these other ideas that have become important to men and to the church ARE NOT so long lasting however; prophecies fail, tongues cease and knowledge “shall vanish away” and here we should understand that these ideas ARE tied to the previous so that we can see that it IS without agape that ALL these fail.
To understand this however we should understand that NONE of these ARE as they ARE painted by the doctrines of men; prophecy IS speaking the Truth from that KNOWING that comes in keeping His words and we should try to see that one will have NO prophecy, NO Truthful tongue and NO KNOWING of the Truth without agape; without one’s expression of agape there IS NO Truth to these being a man’s man’s ‘gift’….they ARE already failed, ceased and vanished away. A literal reading of the Greek here will show us that the future ideas affixed to ALL these things IS NOT in the Greek which says ONLY eite propheteia katargeo eite glossa pauo eite gnosis katargeo which IS “whether prophecy useless” 9a, “whether tongue stopped” 9a, “whether KNOWING useless” 9a. Strong’s tells us that eite means: if too 9a, while the dictionary shows us whether as that it IS: used to introduce the first of two or more alternatives, and sometimes repeated before the second or later alternative; combining these ideas with the first, that “agape never faileth“, we should be able to see the greater point here.
These ideas outline the importance of Love and the reality that it IS in agape that such things ARE Truly possible; it IS in agape that one Truly keeps His words and achieves the rewards of the “fruit of the Spirit” which “is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Ephesians 5:9). If we can see that the apostle IS NOT telling us that such ideas as prophecy, tongues and knowledge will vanish at some future time, perhaps we can see how that these DO NOT ever exist in the absence of one’s expression of agape; it IS ONLY the man whose expression IS agape that can wield the True spiritual Powers. The Master tells us the source of KNOWING the Truth and Paul IS NOT disputing this save in the minds of the doctrinal thinker who sees his salvation in the apostles’ words rather than those of Jesus. Jesus tells us clearly how to “know the truth“, He tells us clearly how to “enter into the kingdom of heaven” and He tells us clearly how to have the True Presence of God and Christ in one’s Life; ALL of these ARE the reward for keeping His words according to our 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).
We should be reminded here that it IS in one’s expression of agape that he Truly DOES keep His words and we should try to see here how that it IS the vanity, the illusion and the glamour of Life in this world, that convinces men that it IS by their doctrines that they ARE ‘saved‘. The doctrinal thinker DOES NOT believe that he IS deluded but he DOES think that any who DO NOT see Life as he DOES IS; the doctrinal thinker DOES NOT see that his vanity has caused his deception despite the most clear words of the Apostle James saying “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Still men look past the clearly stated words of the Master and His apostles and the ONLY fathomable reason IS that they DO so because such clearly framed ideas DO infringe on the ability of a man to be a man in this world.
In our modern Christian culture much of the church confidently states that a man CAN NOT keep His words; that this IS an impossibility; many claim that it IS ONLY by the doctrinal ideas of ‘salvation‘….ONLY in the doctrinal idea of ‘asking Jesus to come into one’s Life’ that one can be ‘saved‘. While other parts of the church view this differently, most ALL DO substitute some human idea in place of keeping His words; be it rites and rituals, or sacraments, or affirmations and confessions, ALL seem to serve as the replacement for keeping His words. Here we should try to see and to understand that such ideas work against the Truth and they work against agape and, when we can Truly understand that “God is agape” we can then see that such ideas work also against God.
This IS the result of men’s vanity by which they remain in bondage to the ways of this world and this IS a vanity that IS self fulfilling in that to see the idea of keeping His words as impossible suggests as well that the expression of Love IS also impossible and this despite the Master’s many words on agape. This perhaps unintended consequence IS made ever more acute in view of Paul’s words on the importance of agape, especially in spiritual matters as we have been discussing, as well as His words that tie agape to keeping His words; in this we should be able to see that to deny one IS to deny both and therefore to deny God. Repeating the apostle’s words in this intimate relationship we read:
“Owe no man any thing, but agapao one another: for he that agapao 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 agape thy neighbour as thyself. Agape worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore agape 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).
The importance of agape having been established in Paul’s words to the Corinthians and shown as the Way to the promises of the trifecta in his words here to the Romans, we go again to Paul defining ideas of agape. We should understand that to see the importance of agape as the Power that releases ALL things spiritual, ALL grace if you will, we must break away from the many doctrinal interpretations of Paul’s words which leave many believing that they DO yet have such ‘gifts‘ as the apostle itemizes without fulfilling the admonishment to Love….to express agape which IS to have agape. Similarly we must look past the many doctrinal ideas on the meaning of agape if we ARE to understand the Truth; a Truth that stretches far beyond the common ideas that “love is patient, love is kind” as “agape makrothumeo chresteuomai” IS commonly understood. We should remember here that as we define agape, as the apostle defines agape, we ARE also defining God.
In these three words “agape makrothumeo chresteuomai” we should be able to see the reality of agape as this IS presented by the Master and His apostles. The reality IS that “agape makrothumeo chresteuomai” shows us the reality of the Great Commandment and the Golden Rule which should leave us understanding that one’s expression of agape IS given to everyman equally as one accords to ALL men whatsoever he would accord to himself. This is the heart of makrothumeo which, while it IS understood as patience and longsuffering, means: to be long-spirited 9a as Strong’s shows us and to be of a long spirit 9 according to Thayer’s. In this idea we should try to see the spiritual idea of agape, of that ‘God kind of Love’ stretching forth into the consciousness of the man whose focus IS upon God and therefore IS upon agape. Can we see the point here?
We should note that in every use of this word in the New Testament we can attach the writer’s idea to agape and understand it as an attribute of agape and NOT merely as patience which, while a carnal virtue, DOES NOT define agape nor God. Not Love in the common sense however but Love in the ‘God’ sense which IS agape makrothumeo; a Love that reaches out from the spiritual to be the expression of both God and man. It IS agape makrothumeo that accomplishes the tenets of the Great Commandments; it IS agape makrothumeo that Loves God “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” and this because this flow of Love from the Spirit of man KNOWS ONLY God and that ALL manifestation IS that Spirit taking form as the Soul and as the physical presence on this Earth.
In this view the Spirit and his manifestation as the Soul, the unction if you will, DOES “know all things” (1 John 2:20) and IS, as God IS, the fullness of the Truth of agape. While the Godhead’s relationship with the creation IS a singular feat if we can use that idea here, the relationship of the Spirit that IS man with this same creation DOES perforce operate through the flesh….the body and the personality of a man. The expression of agape makrothumeo by the Soul through the form IS NOT quite so automatic; it requires the willingness of the of the personality to follow the promptings of his own Soul which IS always present as the prompting to the consciousness, the heart of a man as Jesus paints this, to see past ALL carnal effects….to see ALL men in the same light as one sees himself. This IS the second of the Great Commandments.
These ARE NOT easy things to see and even more difficult to understand whilst one IS yet entombed in the vanity of Life in this world as ARE most ALL men. This IS however the objective of ALL religion: to find ways to show the carnal mind the greater opportunities to Truth that ARE the True innate qualities of everyman, qualities that ARE ofttimes confused with genetics and heredity. These physical effects obnubilate the Truth for the man who sees his existence as limited to his Life here in this world and it IS ONLY in the realization of the Truth that one IS Truly free. It IS in this realization which comes in striving to keep His words and to express agape that the gradual release from this bondage Truly can begin; it IS in this realization that agape makrothumeo can become the Life of a man in which he can then understand the idea behind chresteuomai which IS the expression of agape makrothumeo to the world of men as an aspirant to discipleship for the Lord. Defined as: to show oneself useful 9a by Strong’s, chresteuomai IS the expression of agape by the man through whom the Power of Love flows from the Spirit.
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 |
Quote of the Day:
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
