ON LOVE; PART MCCLXXI
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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 the Apostle Paul’s words which ARE used against ‘non-believers’ but which can easily be seen as spoken by the apostle against the thoughts and attitudes of any man who DOES NOT have a Truly spiritual view of the words of the Master with an understanding that to keep His words IS the True Way to salvation. As with much of the Master’s own words, the doctrinal thinker seldom puts himself in the position of the target of Jesus’ words; be they words of caution as we see in Matthew’s version of His words where he calls out the religious who DO NOT keep His words, or be they His straightforward words to the scribes and the Pharisees regarding their reliance on their doctrines. Few see that the Master’s words ARE universally against ALL pretense in religion as most ALL compartmentalize Jesus’ sayings and see them as speaking about others.
Similarly much of the words of Paul ARE seen this same way; ALL negative ideas ARE seen as directed at others while ALL positive ideas ARE seen as directed at the doctrinal Christian regardless of his thoughts and attitudes….so long as he IS ‘saved‘ according to his doctrinal precepts he includes himself in the positive ideas of scripture. And fewer still see, or even recognize the possibility, that they ARE deceived as they dismiss the words of the Apostle James that clearly show that deception; there should NO question as to what the apostle’s words mean as he says “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Most ALL believe that the words of the Lord and the commandments of God are secondary to the ‘sinners’ prayer by which one IS ‘saved‘ according to some denominations or secondary to the religious rites and rituals by which one IS ‘saved‘ according to others.
The reality however IS that it IS the Master’s words that ARE of importance for everyman who has come to seek the Truth and, as He Himself tells us, it IS only through keeping His words that one can have that Truth. Again we must understand the idea of measure, an idea that IS frequently shown us by Jesus, and in this we should try to understand that to strive toward the goal of keeping His words IS to ever gain a greater measure of that Truth. Among the many failures of organized religion IS the failure to understand that the Way to the Truth IS in keeping His words and we should try to see here how that this failure has created that place where deception abounds. This brings us back to Paul’s words from his Epistle to the Romans where we read:
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen“
As Paul’s words continue there IS the reality that much of what he says IS directed against homosexual relationships but we should understand here that this IS but an observation that should be seen in conjunction with ALL such ideas of sex; ALL ARE among the strong indicators that a man’s focus IS upon the self and the pleasures that one believes he has in his sexual conduct. If we could take his words before his journey into the sexual conduct of men, we could then see the thoughts and the attitudes of most everyman and here, especially those whose doctrines deceive them into believing that they KNOW God. We should understand here that it IS NOT the sexual deviants that ARE “Professing themselves to be wise“, it IS everyman who sees the Lord according to the ideas that Paul offers in saying that “they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man“.
In this idea we have perhaps the most common error of religion, an error by which a personality IS attributed to God and into which IS placed the idea that God has the appearance and the qualities of a man. The reality of God IS summed up for us in Paul’s words to the Greeks saying “in him we live, and move, and have our being“; in this we have the greater reality of the Godhead with the understanding that we and ALL things DO exist within Him. Paul tells us that it IS “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth” (Acts 17:28, 24) yet in their professed wisdom men still show Him as a man and a personality. The doctrinal thinker fails to understand that in the idea that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16) and that God IS Truth as we read of the Holy Spirit (John 14:17, 16:13) which, despite doctrinal ideas to the contrary, CAN NOT be separated from God.
God IS a spiritual reality and NOT a physical manifestation and here we should try to see that humanity IS the physical manifestation of God; whensoever a man can DO as DID the Master, the personality of God IS revealed. There have been many who have revealed some measure of God in this world and we should try to see that such revelation IS NOT limited to religious ideas but can be the revelation of Truth in any social or scientific field; the steady presentation of ideas IS based in the coming into world of Souls whose purpose, if we can use that idea here, IS to bring some revelation of Truth. In this phenomenon we should see the idea of spiritual collateral and understand that as Souls, as that unction, “ye know all things” (1 John 2:20). It is in one’s own spiritual collateral that one IS able to bring forth such KNOWING through a personality that IS yet in this world.
And the same dynamic works out in purely spiritual enterprise; the apostles of the Lord ARE NOT men of happenstance, nor ARE they men that ARE specially gifted by God above other men; if this were so the whole idea that “there is no respect of persons with God” becomes a lie. It IS one’s own spiritual collateral that puts such men in a place of importance from which they can fulfill a pre-designed work based in their individual ability to bring forth such KNOWING through a personality attuned to that work in this world. While the whole of this ability may NOT be seen nor understood by the man in this world as this IS happening, there IS a time of dawning, a time where one DOES realize the greater Truth working out in his own Life. It IS this idea of spiritual collateral, we can think of NO better name for this, that allows one to overcome some measure of the vanity into which ALL men ARE born and to see past the illusion and the glamour which allows for their deception.
We should understand that ALL men ARE in some way deceived and that such deception IS always underscored by one’s vision of Life itself, that Life IS this existence in this world complete with “uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts” as this IS rendered from Paul’s words above. This idea of uncleanness IS seen in regard to the sexual ideas that presumably follow but if we take this idea to Paul’s previous words, perhaps we can see that this IS a more general malaise that strikes a man in ungodliness and unrighteousness. The apostle tells us “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them;f for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).
Such uncleanness or impurity IS the result of men’s view of Life a view in which they see themselves apart from the Oneness that IS God, a view where they see themselves at the center of their own little Life. It IS in the opposites that the Truth lies; it IS in purity, in cleanness from a spiritual perspective; it IS in godliness and righteousness which ARE ONLY Truly possible when one’s focus turns to the Truth and the Love that IS God. Paul IS showing us the nature of men and how that their vision of Life IS contrary to the apparent Truths of which he says “God hath shewed it unto them“; Paul IS showing us that as men in this world the Truth IS missed and despite the magnitude of the creation, the man in this world has ever “changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator“. While the religious may deny their place in this phenomenon, the reality IS that this denial IS but a part of their own deception.
We will NOT get into the next words that DO change a part of this phenomenon into ideas of a sexual nature save to repeat that such human ideas ARE among the strong indicators that a man’s focus IS upon the self and the pleasures that one believes he has in his sexual conduct. We should remember here Paul’s teaching on such ideas of sex beyond these words IS NOT any more condemning of the homosexual than of the heterosexual and that even the Master calls out ALL sexual deviation, that IS sexual relationships outside of a marriage, under the same idea of fornication and that this idea IS NOT so much to identify one’s conduct as it IS to identify one’s focus.
We should add here that the very idea of marriage IS ill defined in Judaeo Christian scripture save for the idea that “they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). There IS NO reference however to just how they ARE joined by God and the assumption that by this IS meant that they ARE married through a church service IS but the invention of men and their traditions. Jesus’ quotation IS from the joining of Adam and Eve and here we should see that they joined themselves together likely under the same sexual drive that encumbers men and women yet today. Our point here IS that the whole idea of marriage that has been created in the minds of men IS tied to the idea of sex; even Paul tells us such ideas as he says “know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh” (1 Corinthians 6:16).
We should try to see how that there IS a difference between the perspective of marriage that IS interpreted from scripture and the reality of marriage as a spiritual enterprise; and if we could read between the lines, discern the deeper meanings that IS, we could better understand the reality that in the carnal world marriage and children ARE a way of Life and conduct which should be ‘forsaken‘ by the man who Truly seeks the Lord and True discipleship. The apostles, especially Peter, had forsaken ALL and while we DO NOT KNOW of the marital status of any but Peter, we DO KNOW that he DID forsake ALL; NOT for the reward but against the reward that Jesus tells us of in this exchange:
“Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first” (Matthew 19:27)
The point here IS that the singular focus of a man taken off of those relationships and things that he may have and put onto the things of God IS an essential part of discipleship and one’s striving toward the Truth and we should remember here that such forsaking IS NOT from a sense of disowning but ONLY from the sense of focus; one still has those brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, and children. We DO NOT KNOW the meaning of the regeneration nor of the “twelve thrones” and these ideas ARE NOT found in the other synoptic gospels and here we should try to see our point from above regarding the personality filter through which ALL these apostles write. The important point here IS focus and it IS this that the Apostle Paul shows us in his words to the Corinthians.
Paul espouses the idea of the focus of one’s Life as he writes such things in reply to questions that he has been asked regarding the relationship between a man and a woman and we can see here that the question IS in regard to the marital relationship to which the apostle responds in a long and sprawling answer. He first touches upon the idea of the sexual attraction which IS a hallmark of being a man or a woman saying that “It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless*, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband“; here we should see the apostle’s desire to curb the idea of sexual wanderlust if we can use that idea here. We DO KNOW however that ofttimes the idea of marriage DOES NOT continue to contain which IS apparent in the bible stories of the Old Testament. Paul goes on to tell us that what he says IS His earnest opinion of the matter saying that “I speak this by permission, and not of commandment” (1 Corinthians 7:1:2, 6).
The apostle goes on to say that “I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn” (1 Corinthians 7:7-9). The idea of burn here IS in singular reference to the continued longing and desires that ARE the natural conduct of men and women both then and now; Vincent tells us that this Greek word puroo means: to burn on: continuance in unsatisfied desire 4 and we should understand here that for many this desire IS forever unsatisfied. While this is an over simplified reason to marry, it IS one that shows the that through the nature of men and their focus upon carnal endeavor, there ARE those that would need marriage to forestall a Life so focused.
In the idea that comes through in Paul’s words saying “I would that all men were even as I myself” we should see the lead in to his own analysis of marriage which IS also a matter of focus. The Apostle tells us “He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:32-34). We should understand here that Paul IS speaking of those who would focus upon the Lord if they were not ‘encumbered’ by wives and husbands and there IS much Truth here that goes unrealized in the church.
In this idea of marriage there IS a division in the church and one that IS NOT remedied by forced celibacy as the whole idea here in Paul’s words IS that choice that IS made between one’s focus upon the self versus focus upon the Lord; here we should remember the primary idea which IS the first of the Great Commandments where it IS “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength“….this leave NO room for any distraction. And into this we should read Jesus own words on discipleship from Luke’s Gospel “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple….So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27, 33) in order to compile the more complete picture.
This IS NOT to say that the married CAN NOT pursue the fullness of revelation and realization of the Truth that comes in keeping His words but by the very definition of DOING so, one must perforce retreat from worldly concerns which IS perhaps the greater reality of such forsaking. There IS some conflict in the idea taken from Paul’s later words that seem to claim that the Apostle Peter, and other apostles, brought their wives with them on their journeys and while we DO NOT KNOW the Truth of this matter, it has been used by parts if the church to allow marriage for their pastors and priests. In the end, this DOES NOT matter as the idea that Paul puts forth must be voluntary and there IS enough weight given to this idea from the Great Commandment and Jesus words on discipleship to make this case. If one can have a wife and at the same time forsake her for the sake of True discipleship, then ALL IS good. IS this what Peter did?
Paul’s own words above should clarify the idea of marriage and leave the idea that some of the apostles brought wives on their journeys moot. We should remember however that the apostle IS speaking about those who ARE inclined to be focused upon the things of God and NOT the ordinary man who DOES NOT “careth for the things that belong to the Lord” whether married or unmarried. It IS to those that ARE so inclined that the apostle’s words have meaning and it IS to this end that Paul writes that “I would that all men were even as I myself” which IS unmarried.
In looking at the lives of both Peter and Paul we should be able to see and to understand the fullness of discipleship and here in this we should be able to understand that there ARE NO carnal distractions in the lives of either; both ARE fully devoted to the things of the Lord. Can we see the point here? Can we understand that the whole idea of forsaking, of being able to “forsaketh….all that he hath” IS the Way to the elimination of ALL distraction and that in this IS the fulfillment of the first of the Great Commandments. This IS the essence of Paul’s comments and another view of the Master’s own words saying that “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).
It IS distractions that ARE the focus of the lives of most ALL people and here we should see that such distractions ARE NOT viewed as such; we should see as well that from the perspective of the Life of a man in this world it IS religious pursuits that ARE considered a distraction. Here again we should consider the Master’s words saying “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). In this we should try to see that when the distractions, the True distractions of carnal living, take one’s attention and become one’s focus that it IS these that become one’s treasure.
We can say then that it IS the distractions of carnal living that ARE the vanity of men’s lives; it IS the distractions that keep men in: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4 as Vincent helps us understand this idea. It IS our illusion and our glamour that show us that it IS the distractions that ARE real rather than the spiritual Light that ever flows from one’s own Soul; it IS the distractions that blot out the Light and keep us in that “bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:21) that IS carnal living. We should understand here that this bondage binds both the religious and the irreligious and while one’s sense of illusion may be different from the other, the result of such bondage IS the same.
The religious sees himself as being freed from his bondage by his doctrinal ideas which ignore such ideas as keeping His words and Love as the KEY to True freedom. In this we should note that the sense of glamour that encumbers the religious IS much more pervasive than the glamour that will afflict the irreligious. The latter will suffer from social forms of glamour while the religious must add that religious insistence that his view IS right to whatsoever social views he may hold. It IS glamour that causes men to hold fast to their perspectives which ARE the product of their own illusions which ARE, from a spiritual view, that idea of “deceiving your own selves” which the Apostle James shows us. In this IS the reality of keeping His words in Truth rather than in some theological way; in Truth comes the reward while in theology comes ONLY the deception. It IS the rewards that eliminate the deception; rewards as we read in our trifecta which we repeat here 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).
These rewards include the realization of Truth which we should see as the realization of what IS KNOWN by the Soul. From the perspective of the man in this world, the man “made subject to vanity” (Romans 8:20) which separates him from the Truth of God, there IS the reality of the Soul as that “unction from the Holy One” by which one DOES “know all things” (1 John 2:20). In this we have the reality of the spiritual man, the Christ Within, the True man who IS ever prompting the personality to the Good, the Beautiful and the True which ARE the things of God. While this prompting goes largely ignored by most ALL men, it IS awakened by one’s striving to keep His words, a striving that prompted through glimpses and revelations that can encourage one’s continued striving and eventual realization of the first part of the trifecta above.
This IS the essence of our journey from bondage to freedom: the carnal man IS awakened by some glimpse of Truth and, intrigued, he fights off the tendency to ignore what he sees producing some measure of revelation and realization in the heart, the consciousness, which IS then transferred to the personality for action or inaction. ALL too often the result IS inaction but the process continues ad infinitum. The personality of a man, his mind and his emotional response, ARE captive to the vanity, the illusion and the glamour, which can quickly overwhelm thoughts entering in which ARE contrary to one’s own indoctrinated ideas. If however a man can fight off that tendency to ignore such alien thoughts and ponder them rather than the indoctrinated ideas, he can then put himself on the Path to the Truth and, with arduous effort, strive toward a greater Truth.
We should be able to see this in the Parable of the Sower where different levels of acceptance of Truth ARE shown us in the types of ground that the Truth IS sown in. Jesus begins His explanation of the parable in Luke’s Gospel saying “The seed is the word of God” and we should try to understand here that this word IS the fullness of the content of the Soul who KNOWS nothing else but that Truth. If we can see that the man in this world IS the ground into which the word IS sown, we can then perhaps see deeper into the Master’s idea and understand that to be the “good ground” who with “an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:11, 15) IS to be the man who has overcome his indoctrinated tendency to ignore. It IS when the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12) that IS the prompting of the Soul can touch the heart and displace the din of daily living which overwhelms the personality, that such ideas as keeping His words, agape, forsaking and the rest of the realities of spiritual Life can begin to resound and reflect in the Life of a man.
We close today with an observation. Over the last months I have listened to a radio preacher with a peculiar approach to God and one that seems ultra ingrained in his psyche. I had always thought it odd but in a recent broadcast he dwelled upon this single idea and brought it from the Old Testament to the New….to the words of Christ and their purpose. This teacher had spoken of the law in the past to show that it was NOT to be followed and that it was impossible to follow; his point was that the law was set up purposely by God to show men that on their own they would ever fail and be doomed. In this most recent teaching he carried this thought to the words of the Master with an insistence that Jesus DID NOT intend that we would follow them but that we would learn from them the futility of trying to DO so and then rely upon the mercy of God for salvation.
This IS NOT unlike the tenor of much of Christian philosophy except for the idea of the purposefulness of the plan to show men the futility; it merges with the other doctrinal approaches in saying that it IS salvation through grace ONLY that men ARE saved as this idea IS interpreted from the writings of the apostles and here especially Paul; this and the idea that ALL men need to DO IS to believe what the Lord Jesus DID for us. Our point here IS ONLY to show that the entirety of the words of the Master have become moot in the doctrinal ideas of many parts of the church that bears His name and in this IS the height of that same deception that we write about above and which James states for us as “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves“.
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
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
