IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 1640

ON LOVE; PART MCCLXXIX

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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 one word from our list of Greek words that ARE misunderstood, misused and misrepresented as they ARE translated into religious texts….christos. Our point IS to show how that the thoughts of men have preconditioned the ideas that doctrines present as they take christos and ALWAYS render it as Christ despite that the defining idea behind this word IS anointed. This IS the same definition that should be applied to the Hebrew idea of mashiyach which IS most often rendered as anointed but as Messiah in the Book of Daniel. There IS a Christian aversion to calling Jesus the anointed and this IS most likely found in the doctrinal insistence that Jesus IS NOT like other men but He IS the Son of God; much of this IS bound to the lack of their understanding of what anointed Truly means.

The Apostle John gives us the greater idea as he tells us that the anointing IS the Spirit that IS the Inner Man and here, between the presented ideas, we should be able to see that the anointed IS the man who realizes and expresses his anointing….he IS the anointed. John tells us that “ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” and we should see here that this idea of unction, from the Greek word chrisma, IS rendered as anointing as the apostle continues to say that “the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:20, 27).

Vincent tells us that throughout the gospels the definite article IS used making the idea consistently the Christ or more literally the anointed; we read of christos that this IS: Properly an adjective, not a noun, and meaning anointed ( Χρίω , to anoint). It is a translation of the Hebrew Messiah, the king and spiritual ruler from David’s race, promised under that name in the Old Testament (Psalm 2:2; Daniel 9:25, Daniel 9:26). Hence Andrew says to Simon, “We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, Christ (John 1:41; compare Acts 4:27; Acts 10:38; Acts 19:28). To us “Christ “has become a proper name, and is therefore written without the definite article; but, in the body of the gospel narratives, since the identity of Jesus with the promised Messiah is still in question with the people, the article is habitually used, and the name should therefore be translated “the Christ.” 4.

Vincent’s idea that since the identity of Jesus with the promised Messiah is still in question with the people IS the reason for the inclusion of the article IS just that, his doctrinal idea, which follows the form of most ALL doctrinal approaches to the very identity of Jesus. We should understand here that this approach, calling christos as part of Jesus name, begins with the epistles and here perhaps with the idea that He would be better understood in the presented role of the Son of God. And surely He IS the Son of God and here we should try to see that while this IS a unique reality in Jesus, it IS an open possibility for everyman. The church has ever taken a different view in making the Master into God from the perspective of the One God; Jesus DOES tell us that “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) and here we should see that the personal idea of my IS added by the King James translators; most ALL others render in terms of the Father.

It IS in the churches insistence that Jesus be God and NOT the Christ ONLY that has led to much confusion and this again IS based in the way that men view Life….as the Life of the man in the world. When we can see Life as the Soul and the Spirit, as the True man living through this body of flesh with its attendant mind and emotions, we can then glimpse the deeper Truths of the Christ, the anointing if you will, as that Life which IS ever present in the body nature but realized ONLY by the few who have come to KNOW the Truth. It IS as men in this world that we should understand the idea that “ye have an unction from the Holy One” as well as John’s continuing idea that speaks of “the anointing which ye have received“. Both of these renderings of chrisma reference the same idea of christos and could otherwise be understood as “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

As Christ IS in us, so was Christ in Jesus. The difference IS simply that Jesus KNOWS His Truth while the man in this world, regardless of how close to God he thinks himself to be, DOES NOT KNOW Christ nor the God with whom He IS One. The Apostle Paul shows us that the idea of “Christ in you” IS a part of a great mysterywhich hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints” (Colossians 1:26) but we should understand that this idea of hidden IS NOT from our ability to KNOW as such saints, it IS ONLY hidden from the carnal view of men. This Truth IS furnished to the heart of a man who will DO as the Master instructs 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). It IS this KNOWING that IS the reality of pistis and pisteuo and it IS this KNOWING that makes of one a saint according to the defining idea for the Greek word hagios, that this IS a: most holy thing 2.

While doctrinal thinkers may think themselves as saints based in their doctrinal view of salvation, the reality IS the to be a most holy thing IS indeed a rarity and in this reality there ARE few who can Truly KNOW, the same few that Truly keep His words; the same few that Truly DO heed Jesus’ words saying “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). We should try to see the deeper Truth of being “born again” through John’s words about KNOWING God which we should understand as the state of the man who broken through the mysteries; the apostle tells us “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God” and the converse which we read as “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).

This idea of KNOWING God should be seen in the same way that we should see the idea of Loving God and while the doctrinal approach minimizes both of these realities, the words of both Jesus and John ARE rather clear. We should see here that the doctrinal confusion IS NOT limited to just the Master’s words that most clearly show us how that one DOES Love God but here spreads out to His apostles’ words which ARE generally held in greater regard in men’s doctrinal approach. Can we see the selectivity here? Can we see the way that these words from John on Love, while held highly by most doctrinal approaches, ARE NOT seen with the necessary force. In our trifecta we read Jesus similar words saying He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me” and then the converse which says “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings“.

Perhaps here we can see a picture of the deception that IS faced by those who “keepeth not my sayings“, a deception that the Apostle James, another whose words ARE NOT seen with the necessary force, shows us saying “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Can we see that in such state of self deception a man can believe that he Loves God and that he KNOWS God based in his doctrinal approach while in reality his Love is but carnal and NOT universal….and his KNOWING IS merely KNOWING the God of his doctrines and NOT KNOWING “Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Doctrines DO NOT understand that it IS Jesus words that Truly matter and that while the doctrinal authorities have worked to promote encouraging ideas from Paul’s writings and the writings of the other apostles, these writings were ONLY intended to clarify and amplify the Master’s words which have been largely set aside. Jesus words ARE Truth as He shows us saying of the Father “thy word is truth” (John 17:17), an idea which He Himself clarifies saying “the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me“. Repeating our trifecta we read:

  • 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).

The idea here should be clear: that Jesus’ words ARE “the Father’s which sent me“. Just as the Jews decided to live by their doctrines, the Christians have decided to live by theirs; both forget the True covenant that Moses shows the Jews in regard to keeping His words and the amplification of this covenant that Jesus’ presents in more spiritual terms. The trifecta, along with many other sayings from the Master, ARE the new covenant, the new quid pro quo that contains the new age promises of the Truth that will make one free, one’s ‘entry’ into Kingdom of God and the Presence of God in one’s Life….ALL of this here and now. Christian doctrinal ‘authorities’ however have sought out their own version of the covenant much as the Jews did from the time from Moses to Christ; the Jews did it through their mitzvah, their 613 ‘commandments’, which largely ignores those that ARE concerned with the True relationship between God and man and, most importantly, between man and man.

In most ALL parts of the Christian religion the same idea has taken hold of the Truth, here it IS the idea that the ONLY way to salvation to IS conform one’s Life to the human edicts which ARE derived from misunderstood, misused and misrepresented ideas from the words of the apostles rather that the True commandments which ARE concerned with the True relationship between God and man and, most importantly, between man and man. We should try to see here that while the Jews did have an actual 613 commandments through the words of Moses, commandments which include the many offered by Moses in his effort to control a barbarous and superstitious population and their ability to see relief from their carnal conduct in the rites and the rituals of Judaism, the Christian’s ideas of doctrine ARE largely the product of men seeking the easier way to salvation through such nebulous ideas as faith, believing and grace.

These nebulous ideas, along with many others, ARE great contributors to the way that the words of the apostles ARE misunderstood, misused and misrepresented as well as the Christian failure to grasp the ideas that the Master shows us in regard to agape. Many rely upon what IS understood as the covenant of grace, an idea that IS based upon a few out of context words from the Apostle Paul, rather than on the Truth that IS offered in Jesus words and in the amplifying and clarifying words of His apostles. Most ALL Christians miss the reality of agape as the singular Way to True salvation as they ply their theology that Jesus IS the singular Way; most ALL fail to connect the dots and see that in the very idea of Jesus’ words saying that “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6) contains that connection.

Jesus’ Life example and the full context of His words show us the reality of agape and in His words that show us the Oneness between Jesus the Christ and the Father we should be able to understand the whole idea of His being “the way, the truth, and the life“. Beginning with the idea that “I and my Father are one“, as there IS NO more direct statement that this, and then His words from our trifecta saying “the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me“, we should be able to see this relationship which lies behind these mysteries which ARE NOT revealed to the carnal mind. We should add here the Master’s words telling His apostles that “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” as well as His unspecific pointing to the idea that He and the Holy Spirit ARE One as He says “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14: 9, 16-18).

We must remember here that Jesus IS speaking to men who DO NOT yet understand the reality of His words against their own inherent way of thinking; that they DO NOT understand can be seen in their interactions with the Master throughout the gospels and especially here in this fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel where their questions and His answers play a large part in the revelation of mysteries to them. Much of the church looks past ALL of this as their focus IS upon His words saying “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me“, words that have been used for centuries to exemplify the religious glamour of the church which has led to much division, much hatred and has played a large part in the overall disharmony that exists yet today.

In the relationship between Jesus and the Father, their Oneness if you will, we can easily find the most basic Truth to these words which have been allowed to create a Christians against the world attitude that seems ever more alive today. This Truth IS of course agape and here we should see that in the relationship of the Father and the Son, the idea that they ARE ONE, the whole idea that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16) can reveal to the open minded Christian that it IS agape the Truly IS “the way, the truth, and the life” We should remember here however that this idea of agape IS NOT at ALL similar to the common understanding of the rendered word Love; this idea of agape IS NOT that mental and emotional attraction and attachment that one has for others nor any feeling whatsoever of compassion or mercy; True agape IS a purely spiritual enterprise.

We should see here that compassion and mercy can be components of True agape which flows through one’s Life in his realization of Truth and we should understand that the evidence that ones sense of mercy and compassion IS spiritual IS that it IS universal in scope….it IS applied to ALL men equally thereby fulfilling the idea presented by the Apostle James which shows us that the True expression of agape IS with NO “respect to persons” (James 2:9). This brings us back to the ideas of respect that we discussed briefly in the last essay saying that True agape IS a spiritual enterprise and one that has Respect and at the same time NO respect. On the one side True agape shows Respect as a positive note that sees ALL men with the same inalienable rights as oneself; this sense of Respect sees ALL men as spiritual beings working out a Life in this world of vanity and KNOWING that ALL ARE destined to eventually “be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). This IS of course contrary to the doctrinal ideas that Jesus IS “the way, the truth, and the life” according to their theologies.

While the positive side of Respect sees ALL men in the same way, as a Universal family that IS bound together by the Truth that ALL ARE spiritual beings living for a time through a body of flesh in a Life that IS “made subject to vanity” (Romans 8:20), there IS the negative side that IS shown us by James’ words as well as by the Truth of the Master’s words which James IS clarifying and amplifying. This negative side IS shown us by example in James words that say “have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?….But ye have despised the poor” (James 1-4, 6).

The example here IS in regard to rich and poor or those “with a gold ring, in goodly apparel” against those “in vile raiment” and the way that these ‘opposites’ ARE treated by men in the general course of Life. While many limit James words to this type of ‘respect’ the reality IS that this IS but an example that IS clarified for us as the apostle continues saying that “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. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:8-10). Can we see the point here, can we see that such sense of respect for one man over another IS contrary to the Truth of agape and IS as much a sin as any other offence of which James shows us adultery and killing which idea IS rendered as murder in most other translations of the bible.

This IS the negative aspect of respect and this IS purely a carnal enterprise that sees the differences in men; differences in appearance and differences in culture. Such differences include the ideas of rich and poor and stretch out into men’s color, national origin, religion, education, politics and whatsoever other idea IS capable of dividing. Seeing such differences and acting in accord with them IS the great sin against agape and here, if we can Truly understand John’s concept that “God is love“, we can see that this IS also a sin against God. Doctrines however DO NOT show us this save from a carnal perspective that IS limited to a specific idea as most ALL doctrinal thinkers yet see agape in terms of Love and the common understanding of Love as this has been portrayed over the centuries.

And it IS on the idea of having NO “respect to persons” that much of the Master’s teaching revolves. From His words about the nature of God saying that “he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” where we should see NO “respect to persons” in the broadest terms to His examples to men which reflect upon the idea that they should mimic the Lord as He says: “if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?” (Matthew 5:45, 46-47). And we should not forget here that the this reward IS called charis in Luke’s Gospel and while it IS there rendered as thank, the reality of charis should always be understood as grace; not the grace of doctrines but the grace that IS ALL things that come from the Godhead.

What IS reflected here IS the same Truth that both Peter and Paul amplify and clarify: Peter tells us, contrary to his own Jewish indoctrination, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34) while Paul offers us several ideas that ALL tell us that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11). There IS NO greater example of this most central idea of True agape than this that we find in the Master’s words saying “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). In this we should see the most positive idea of Respect, a Respect that sees past the carnal attitudes of men and goes on to see that the heart of everyman IS in the same “bondage of corruption“, the same sense of vanity, by which we ARE bound or have been bound ourselves. Agape sees past ALL of the carnal divisions devised by men and sees everyman in himself and himself in everyman which IS the foundation needed to heed His words saying Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).

In this IS the nakedness of Adam and Eve before they are overcome by carnal thoughts founded in the vanity of Life itself. We read that “they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25) and if we could see this idea in the context of their creation as beings upon this Earth before their conscious interaction with the subtil serpent (Genesis 3:1), which IS the very nature of the thinking and feeling man, we could perhaps better understand the idea that “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same” (Romans 8:20). There ARE two levels from which we can see this idea: first that the human animal, “the man and his wife” approach Life as DO ALL who ARE NOT thinking and feeling as this idea applies to mankind, sees NO nakedness, NO comparisons of appearance nor any other critical ideas of self. Secondly, we can see this idea spiritually as the Souls that ARE to express their time in a human form; as spiritual beings they DO NOT see nakedness as shame nor DO they see each other according to their appearance.

Of their own volition they taste the fruit of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17) which IS symbolic of their interaction with the subtil serpent, an interaction on these same two fronts; the Soul in interacting with the human animal, in a way becoming that animal, while the human animal IS reacting to the impulse to think and feel, to develop a personality if you will. It IS in the combination of these two ideas that we should see the subjection to vanity as the self IS formed and they both, Adam and Eve, begin to see Life from that perspective of self; it IS in this that the Soul IS plunged into a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4 while the human animal has lost its innocence.

It IS in this that the divisions begin, divisions that ARE based solely on one’s human perspective as each individual compares himself to others in a Life where these differences ARE ALL that can be readily seen and beneath which IS hidden the singular unity that ALL Truly share. It IS this singular unity that awaits discovery for everyman and the Path to this realization IS founded in the Truth that Jesus promises to the man who will “continue in my word“. At the end of that very strange exchange between Jesus and the Jews, an exchange that includes the idea that “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53), Jesus gives some additional clarity to the ideas behind His words.

In our thoughts above we cited the Master’s words saying of the Father that “thy word is truth” (John 17:17) followed by His saying that His words also ARE this Truth through the idea that “the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me“. In this we should try to see that the words ARE One, that they ARE the same coming from God the Father or through the Master who embodies the Father; in both ideas we should see clearly the “Spirit of truth” and understand that it IS this same Spirit that IS the measure of realization for ALL who strive toward that Truth, ALL who strive to enter at the narrow gate. Jesus tells us that “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63) and in this we should see how that “the body without the spirit is dead” (James 2:26) means much more than the idea that the Spirit gives Life to the body in this world.

While the Spirit, manifest as Soul, gives Life to the body which perforce dies when that Life energy IS taken away IS a foundational Truth for most ALL of creation, the idea that Jesus IS showing us brings much more complexity. Jesus IS showing us that the Spirit gives Life to the body, it makes the flesh live, but there IS NO profit to the flesh whatsoever; there IS NO reward to the flesh. Here we must try to understand that the flesh IS NOT merely the fleshy nature of the physical body but IS rather the whole of the complex human body complete with its personality which IS capable of thinking and feeling and driving that body hither and thither on a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts. Paul shows us the idea of the flesh as he enumerates for us the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19) ALL of which ARE psychic in nature.

Our ending point IS this: the carnal nature of a man IS found in his failure to have any realization of the Truth; he sees himself as the individual who IS basically alone in this world with his own thoughts, emotions and beliefs and NO ONE will ever KNOW what IS Truly in his heart but him. His doubts and his fears, loves and his hates ARE seldom shared and when they ARE they ARE but a pale shadow of hos own True ‘feelings’. The spiritual nature of a man IS a polar opposite to this; the spiritual nature operates in the singular Truth of Love, of agape; the spiritual nature sees ALL men as DOES the Father and the Master; the spiritual nature sees past ALL divisions and into the reality of the Godhead which encompasses ALL.

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

Aspect of  God

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

  • 2 New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
  • 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

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