ON LOVE; PART MCCCXIII
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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).
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We ended the last essay with some thoughts on the way that the Apostle Paul’s words that begin his Epistle to the Romans have been taken to singularly mean his, and thereby the Lord’s, objection to ideas of homosexuality. When however we can look at his words as a whole, we can then see that the central idea IS about them “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” (Romans 1:25). We should try to see that these words describe everyman who IS yet caught in the vanity that IS Life in this world, a vanity that Vincent describes for us as: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. It IS this separation from the Truth of the Godhead, through the self-centered views inherent in that vanity to which ALL ARE subjected, plus the effective working of the nurturing and indoctrination that ALL endure which result in a man’s changing of “the truth of God into a lie“. This lie IS the illusions and the glamour of Life in form, illusions that cause us to believe and glamour that keeps men bound to whatsoever the may believe. We should be able to see this in Paul’s words saying “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). Paul’s words here show us the both the human problem and the eventual solution to that problem, a solution that IS founded in the destiny of humanity but with the inherent idea that one can take on the matter and free himself. It IS in this sense of vanity, that men have “worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” and this IS True of most ALL men including the Christian who believes that such ideas ARE directed ONLY at the Jew and the ‘heathen’. In the fullness of the apostle’s words we should see the plight of humanity, the spiritual plight if you will, as the Soul that KNOWS God IS trapped in a form that IS focused upon the self and the things of the self and NOT upon the Truth that IS the spiritual man, that IS his relationship to God. The apostle tells us that:
“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; 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: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 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. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Romans 1:18-28).
As we discussed in the last post, the doctrinal focus on Paul’s words here IS generally upon what the church has interpreted as his railing against such ideas as homosexuality but when we read his words in their entirety we can then see that his implied reference to homosexuality IS showing us ONLY a result of men’s focus upon the self and the doings of the self in this world. While these words ARE a picture of something that the apostle thinks distasteful, we should see that they ARE but a part of “those things which are not convenient” which Paul goes on to itemize as “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful” (Romans 1:29-31). Two things here; first that we should see ALL of this along with the previous ideas upon which the church has focused its attention and second that the rendering of the Greek words IS ever slanted toward the doctrinal preconceptions of the apostle’s ideas. We should try to see that the apostle IS showing us the extent of that vanity into which ALL men ARE born, a vanity by which we ARE separated from our True Inner man, the Soul, and nurtured and indoctrinated into the ways of the world. It IS first the fact that men ARE born into a state where there IS NO ability to recognize nor realize one’s True nature; as an infant and then a child we ARE shown ONLY those things that parents or other caretakers KNOW and when this includes religion one’s indoctrination can be ever more severe. This idea of severity IS NOT intended to show something wrong but rather the effect of such indoctrination upon the lives of children, then teenagers and then young adults as these ARE shown ONLY a specific doctrinal view of Life. We have often said that the ability of one indoctrinated into doctrines to break free and see the Truth IS greatly hindered by their indoctrination; here we should see that the child raised in a mildly religious atmosphere or one raised into a largely secular Life IS more free to seek, ask and knock (Matthew 7:7) and this despite the fact that they DO NOT KNOW for what they should seek. The whole of the nurturing and indoctrination experience IS a difficult mold to break as it IS this that places men into forms of Life that mimic those things, those thoughts and those attitude that they have been shown; hence that old adage: ‘The apple does not fall far from the tree’. It IS generally without any direction that the few will seek to move away from their preconceived ideas of Life and for some of these their journey will be toward a spiritual Truth as they perhaps hear in the promptings of their own Souls to the Good, the Beautiful and the True. Where to find that Truth however IS a real world mystery as there ARE so many doctrinal religions and doctrinal ideas that see themselves as providing that Truth that the result for many IS ONLY confusion. The apostles broke away from their Jewish doctrinal ideas through their time with the Master while many others were separated from their former ideas by hearing Jesus words and seeing the Power behind those words. The apostle Paul’s track was different as were those of the men that the apostles were able to influence directly. These men KNOW some measure of the Truth and we should try to see that it IS in the further breaking down of the message and the Truth that the world has become lost.
While doctrines ARE presented as though they were what the apostles preached and taught, the reality IS that this IS NOT so. The doctrines of men are but interpretations, self-serving to a large degree, of the the writings of the apostles and NOT the thoughts and the ideas that preceded their writings. DO we think that Peter and Paul and John DID NOT speak to Jesus’ words and mimic the way that the Master presented the Truth, presented the True gospel? The gospel presented by the Master IS clearly written as it informs men of the Way to the Kingdom and as it shows us the fallacy of the hypocritical doctrinal approach of the Jews. The gospel presented by Jesus IS ONLY obscure in relation to the mysteries of Life as He ‘hints’ at the Way of Love that IS the Key to True salvation. And much of the obscurity IS founded in the way that His subject matter IS alien to men in those days, so obscure that even His disciples DO NOT understand the deeper aspects of His teaching. We read this in many places in the gospels; while some of the ideas seeming rather clear to us such as this from Mark’s Gospel where we read that “he taught his disciples, and said unto them*,The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him” (Mark 9:31-32), it IS apparent that His words were NOT so clear to His disciples at the time. Similarly we have the dialogue from John’s Gospel from which comes the third part of our trifecta; in this fourteenth chapter there ARE several questions asked by His disciple who DO NOT understand what He IS saying. We understand the former example because of the historic presentation which those in that day could NOT see but in the latter examples men, doctrinal men to be sure, still struggle to understand the deeper meanings of His words. Of course this IS a struggle that most ALL DO NOT see as they believe that they understand. If they DID however would there NOT be a greater reliance upon such words as “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” which includes His most basic commandment as well as the True source of His Presence in one’s Life? Jesus tells us that it IS the disciple that can Truly understand the mysteries and despite what the doctrinal thinker may believe, this reality DOES NOT end with His death and resurrection. The Master tells His disciples that “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” (Matthew 13:11-13). There IS a complexity here that should be understood; while He says that “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven“, it IS NOT a given that they DO KNOW as IS evidenced by our examples above, examples that ARE part and parcel of the mysteries of Life. As disciples they have the ability to KNOW, an ability that IS furnished by their focus upon the Truth. However, while they ARE still burdened by their own nurturing and indoctrination plus the newness of Jesus’ teaching, they ARE NOT yet able to Truly see past what they had believed as Truth according to their doctrines and their culture.
But ALL of this has been traded for the doctrinal assumptions of men who believe that their Truth IS founded in the words of the apostles and here of course predominately the words of Paul. Again we should try to see that the causal factor here IS that men DO NOT see themselves as able to DO as the Master instructs; it IS based in this human failure that the doctrines and the theologies that men create allow them some freedom from what they DO NOT see themselves as able to DO. Of course this sense of freedom IS but an illusion that IS founded in that vanity that Vincent defines for us above. It IS this vanity that IS enhanced by the nurturing and indoctrination that men endure and we should try to see here that as the apostles had to overcome the carnal view provided by that vanity as well as their own nurturing and indoctrination into religion and the ways of the world, so must everyman who seeks the Truth of God. Whether one sees this vanity as the ‘fall of man’ or as the natural effect of birth into this world, the apostle’s words DO show us the universal nature of it which we read again saying that “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). Again we should understand that it IS the spiritual man that IS so subjected, it IS the Soul that IS made separate from God, and pursuing false ends as the Soul has NOT yet taken control of the carnal nature which has been nurtured and indoctrinated ONLY into the ways of the world. The Way out IS shown us in general terms here but in most specific terms as the apostle continues his epistle; in general terms as the expectation that one can be made free, delivered, from his bondage to the carnal ideas of Life. In specific terms we need ONLY look at Paul’s opening to the twelfth chapter of this epistle where we read that “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). Can we see here our Way of escape?
We should try to view Paul’s words regarding vanity and bondage as predictive from the perspective of the Soul. Again it IS the Soul that IS subjected to vanity and it IS the Life if this world that keeps the Soul from his escape which occurs when the Soul has the focus of the mind rather that the mind being bound by the Life that it KNOWS. We should see here that escape IS the right way to position this and the the idea of escape IS fundamental in the Master’s words on Repentance. The Apostle Peter shows us this saying that “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 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 1:3-4). As a Soul everyman has “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” and this should be seen according to the Apostle John’s words that tell us of the unction by which “ye know all things“. Conflating this with Peter’s continuation that tells us that we have “all things….through the knowledge of him“, a KNOWING that IS inherent in the Soul but lost to the carnal Life by the vanity into which a man IS born, we should be able to see just what it IS that ARE those “exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature“. We should remember that the apostles ARE writing to men and DOING so in terms that they can understand, terms that ARE carnally based but which represent spiritual ideas. It IS the KNOWING of the Soul that IS the “exceeding great and precious promises” and it IS by one’s escape from “the corruption that is in the world through lust” that a man has realization of them. We should try to understand that the ‘call’ of the Lord IS perpetual; it IS the prompting of one’s own Soul to escape the vanity and to DO so in the simplest of ways….that we should keep His words. This IS the essential gospel message which we should try to see as both the cause and the result of one’s expression of agape; it IS this message that IS the central idea of our trifecta which we repeat here 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).
The most basic point of the trifecta IS found in the way that the Master frames His words in each of these sayings. Jesus IS telling us how to Truly gain those things that the doctrinal thinker believes that he has based in his conformance to his doctrinal approach to the Lord. The doctrinal thinker believes that he has the Truth and and many believe that this Truth IS limited to the particular atonement theology by which he IS ‘saved‘. The Master however shows us the greater Truth in our trifecta; He shows us that to have that Truth one must “continue in my word“, NOT so that some outside or inside force will give us that Truth but rather that by one’s focus upon His words and striving to keep them a man has revelation and realization flowing from his Soul, his unction by which “ye know all things“; it IS this realization that IS Truly effecting the “the renewing of your mind“. We should again note that in our ability to “know all things” we have what Paul shows us above saying that “that which may be known of God is manifest in them“. The apostle IS speaking NOT ONLY of the ‘saved’ but of men in general. He IS telling us in his own way that “ye know all things” because this IS manifest in everyman. We can ONLY understand this by understanding that the True man IS the Soul, the unction from which such KNOWING flows into the heart of the man whose focus IS upon God. While the text shows us the relationship between those who “hold the truth in unrighteousness” and the possession of “that which may be known of God“, most ALL doctrines will NOT allow for this idea. They reinterpret the apostle’s words to say such things as: that which is knowable was not revealed to the heathen. If it was, what need of a revelation? Better, that which is known, the universal sense in the New Testament, signifying the universal objective knowledge of God as the Creator, which is, more or less, in all men 4. If we can see that the apostle IS showing us ALL men while at the same time showing us a mystery, we can then perhaps better understand the greater idea of the True man, the Soul, as that aspect of Life that does “know all things” and IS able to reveal such to the willing mind of the man who Truly seeks to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind“. Here we should also see that the doctrinal thinker has failed to seek the Truth outside of his own doctrinal ideas, ideas into which he IS continually nurtured and indoctrinated; he has failed to allow the prompting of his own Soul to accomplish his own Transformation into the One Truth. While it IS True that it IS the vanity that keeps men bound to whatsoever IS their place in this world, the opportunity to break free, to escape, IS ever present; the Soul IS ever prompting a man to True righteousness. It IS the mind, the carnal mind to be sure, that prevents such progress as the din of Life in this world seems ALL consuming and, for many and even most, it Truly IS. And while the doctrinal churches may pull a man out of a totally secular view of Life it leaves him in a place that IS an equally burdensome carnal view.
The carnal view of Life IS a view that sees the Life of a man in this world as of paramount importance and, upon one’s personality structure, one’s nurturing and indoctrination, and one’s Life changing experiences that effect the personality, depends one’s ability to have such desire to break free. This desire IS NOT purely carnal but IS aided by carnal dissatisfaction with Life or, better, one’s lack of meaningful accomplishments, NOT necessarily accomplishments that feed the ego but rather accomplishments that feed the psyche. It IS in one’s sensing that something IS missing in Life that causes change and it IS here that some come to a religious experience that was NOT heretofore a part of one’s Life. It IS also the man who IS dissatisfied with ideas of religion as he sees them that pursues a deeper relationship with his own self and perhaps begins to hear the prompting of the Soul evermore clearly. But there ARE yet still obstacles to one’s reaching out and seeking the Truth: there IS NO singular source of Truth save for that prompting from within, that prompting through which a man can “know all things” if he will put his focus upon such Truth. It IS this change of focus that sets up a yet greater internal conflict as one must weigh what he has KNOWN against what IS coming into his realization as a man. It IS here perhaps that the Master’s words can ring evermore True as He says “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 this saying IS applicable to most every Life, it rings ever Truer as a man actually approaches “the strait gate” with a glimpse of just what it IS. Of course this glimpse may come in many ways but in every way it IS a realization of some measure of Truth that IS NOT related to any view of heaven as this IS defined by the doctrines of men. We should remember here that NO man in this world, none that will speak of it, has ever Truly been to a place called heaven and ALL of the disparate visions of those who claim that they have ARE but dream like states of a consciousness that ARE NOT focused upon the Truth of God but upon either doctrinal ideas or secular ones. The Truth of the Kingdom toward which ALL men should strive IS NOT a place but a state of being in realization of one’s True nature as a Soul, a Soul that ever remains in those heavenly realms which never Truly touch the physical, including the emotional and the mental, save through the realizations of men in this world. While this IS a difficult idea to expound upon, it IS naturally so based in the way that “the creature was made subject to vanity“, the clarity found by those who have had a glimpse of the Truth IS ever his proof, albeit a proof that is unshareable, save for in difficult to expound ideas. It is this same difficulty that the gospel writers and other apostles encountered as they try to show the mysteries of Life to men who have little or NO capacity to understand what it IS that they ARE saying. In so doing the Master and His apostles DO tell us of the parabolic nature of His words as well as the nature of the mysteries that men whose focus IS yet carnal CAN NOT comprehend. This however has never stopped the church from declaring that they KNOW the Truth, that they have understood the parables and that they have unlocked the mysteries.
These mysteries ARE further mystified by the doctrines of men which make many claims to KNOWING the Truth while they rely almost solely upon their disparate views and ideas of atonement and the ways that men can receive that atonement through such doctrines. And while the whole idea presented IS based in the nebulous doctrinal ideas of faith and believing, these ideas have become a Christian ‘crutch’ upon which to both stand and fall. Men stand on these ideas as good things may happen to individuals or groups but they fall from their own failure which IS presented to them as that they DID NOT have sufficient faith to make such and such happen in their lives. There ARE two fallacies to the way that much of today’s church uses faith and believing as a crutch; first is found in the way that a man’s level of faith IS ONLY KNOWN by him and this despite the good and the bad in his Life. The second IS found in the way that the spiritual and the carnal DO NOT touch; their interaction IS ONLY through the psyche of men and here we should try to see that if the spiritual Light IS Truly shining through the Life of a man in this world, that man will KNOW and express much more than that nebulous faith….he will express both Love and Truth. We should also note here that the doctrinal ideas on praying for this or that, ARE subjected to the same principal which IS shown us by the Apostle James who says “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God“. Here we should see the inherent disharmony between the the world and God; we should clearly see the incompatibility that IS also seen in the Master’s words on treasure, mammon, the single eye and “take no thought” (Matthew 6) which we discussed in some depth in recent essays. This idea of incompatibility IS NOT based solely upon the idea of God and the world being opposed to each other but also upon the ideas, the thoughts and attitudes, of men who live in the vanity to which this Life in form subjects them. It is this vanity that supplies the ‘lust‘, the desire for the things of the world, that Peter shows us saying that men must escape from “the corruption that is in the world through lust“. It IS the vanity that supplies the ‘lust‘ and it IS the vanity that IS the corruption, the “bondage of corruption“, which Paul tells us that we must be delivered from. Again, this idea of deliverance IS from the same Greek word, eleutheroo, that is rendered as “make you free” in our trifecta where ALL comes back to keeping His words as it IS in so doing that we ARE freed to have revelation and realization of those “exceeding great and precious promises” by which “ye might be partakers of the divine nature“. While the doctrinal idea of this IS the same salvation that their nebulous faith and believing provide, the ideas here ARE evermore concrete and the instruction IS evermore sure. To be made free and to escape should be understood as synonymous ideas which Jesus and Peter show us to be the result of an action by man. Jesus tells us that it IS the Truth that will “make you free” and that the way to that Truth IS to “continue in my word“; Peter tells us that we must escape which IS rendered from the Greek word apopheugō that IS ONLY used by this apostle in this epistle. Vincent tells us that this word means: To escape by flight 4 which idea portrays a man’s action and DOES set one free from the vanity, from”the corruption that is in the world through lust“. This IS the True sense of salvation, a sense by which we live in this world. We should try to see here that the division between the world and God, between worlds spiritual and carnal, IS a complete division as we can see in the fullness of James’ words saying:
“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:1-4).
We should note that while the opening idea here may imply wars between nations as some commentators see this, there IS another reality to these ideas which follows upon James’ words that end his dissertation on Wisdom and his defining ideas on what IS “the wisdom that is from above” and what IS NOT. James ends this saying “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace“. We should try to see here that “the fruit of righteousness” IS NOT a standalone idea but that it represents the ideas which define what IS that “wisdom that is from above“. In this we should see that this fruit IS “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17, 18) while we remember that the ideas rendered from the Greek here DO NOT accurately describe the apostle’s intent in using the Greek words. This we have discussed several times over the course of this blog and references can be found by searching for the Greek words through the blog’s front page. Our point here IS that the ideas above from the fourth chapter ARE a continuation of these ideas and that the separation IS arbitrary. If we can see that “the fruit of righteousness” here IS the possession of the man who has “the wisdom that is from above“, we can then also see the purpose of James’ question on “wars and fightings among you” and his answer that such ARE NOT of that fruit but ARE “of your lusts that war in your members“. These lusts ARE contrary to “the wisdom that is from above” and ARE aligned with that wisdom that “descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish” (James 3:15); wisdom that IS to be overcome and escaped; wisdom that IS inherent in the vanity and leads men into “the corruption that is in the world through lust“.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
- 1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913 from https://1828.mshaffer.com/
- 2 New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
