ON LOVE; PART MCCCXXV
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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 intended to show the parallel between the words of the Master from His Sermon on the Mount and the words from the Apostle Paul that we have been discussing. In the end there IS little or NO difference between keeping His words on adultery, fornication, divorce and killing plus the equivalent ideas that Jesus supplies for the ‘modern’ man of His era and the apostle’s acknowledgement that “if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13). Jesus equates adultery with the thoughts of desire and lust that might accompany the action while saying that both ARE equally offensive and we should remember here that these words can and DO refer to a much broader scope of human thought than the sexual cubby into which the ideas ARE placed by the doctrines of men. From the spiritual perspective adultery IS to offer one’s attention to those things of the self rather than to focus upon the things of the Lord as the Lord instructs us in the Great Commandments. From this perspective ALL ARE adulterers , most ALL ARE focused upon their little lives here in this world and this despite one’s religious bent which IS for most centered in a doctrinal approach to the Lord. The Apostle James accuses his readers saying “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4) and while we have discussed these words in past essays we have done so from a carnal perspective and to show how that there IS a most basic incompatibility between the things of the self and the things of the Lord….between things carnal and things spiritual. From a spiritual perspective James’ point IS much easier to realize as he relates this state of mind to the things of the world.
Fornication, from the Greek word porneia, IS similar in intent to adultery on ALL levels. Carnally acts of fornication ARE acts of adultery whensoever one of the subjects IS married to another; fornication IS based in the same sense of desire and lust. Spiritually they ARE much more aligned as both ARE offers of one’s attention to carnal interests, to those idols that everyman has constructed in his own mind. We should understand that the spiritual view IS the primary idea behind the Master’s words as He plants the seed that our thoughts which come “out of the abundance of the heart” ARE what draws us away from the things of God and He DOES so by showing the carnal realities with which men can identify. And we should note here that such acts and thoughts afflict both male and female, while his examples ARE according to the times and the cultural view of the sexes. We noted in the last post that divorce IS related to adultery and fornication in our spiritual view; divorce shows us a relative permanency to our placing our focus upon the world and the things of the world while adultery and fornication ARE more of a temporary nature. ALL ARE contrary to the Great Commandments which clearly show us where our attention should be focused and, could we see the deeper meaning of the idea of sin, we could then understand how that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) by placing their focus onto the mundane and the carnal things of the self. Again we should understand here that Paul’s words, while seemingly against “the works of the law” (Romans 9:32, Galatians 2:16) ARE NOT against one’s following in the law but rather they ARE against the Jews’ version of the law and their traditions which fail to meet the Truth of the Ten Commandments and the other ancillary parts of the law that enhance these….the commandments that cover Right Human Relations. We should try to understand that ALL of the parts of the mitzvah practiced by the Jews that ARE NOT concerned with Right Human Relations ARE intended to keep the Jews on a fixed Path and provide a source of relief for their inevitable excursions into ‘sin’. Doctrinal Christianity has however interpreted Paul’s words to be against the law itself and this despite the Master’s words saying that “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). Most justify this doctrinal view with the idea that Jesus IS the fulfillment of the law but, if this IS True, why DOES He spend so many words instructing us on the deeper realities of the law while railing against the Jews’ religious leaders for their carnal and mundane interpretations of the law. Jesus’ words on adultery ARE an example as He shows us that adulterous thoughts ARE NO different from the act and here we should see the same spiritual view as we see in His teachings on agape. Similarly we should see His words on anger in regard to killing according to the same spiritual view which IS made clear for us in His words on Love that clearly show us the very nature of agape. The Master tells us “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, 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; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:43-45).
It IS words such as these that ARE the True New Covenant of which we read the Lord’s word saying “I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” (Hebrews 10:16) which ARE a reflection by the writer of the words of the Prophet Jeremiah. The True New Covenant IS in the understanding that men’s rote attempts to use the role of sacrifice to assuage carnal offenses ends with the Master’s revelations on the Power of agape. It IS this that IS echoed by His apostles albeit in words and ideas that ARE missed by the doctrinal thinker. Paul tells us “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14); the apostle repeats this charge in his Epistle to the Romans saying that “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:9-10). If we can see here that it IS Love that fulfills the law as Paul tells us, we can then perhaps better understand the Master’s words on the law saying that “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” and perhaps stop twisting His words saying “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy , but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17-18) into doctrinal visions that His Presence ended the role of the law. It IS Love that IS the “fulfilling of the law” and in this we should see that it IS the spread of the sense of agape throughout the human family that creates such a situation where men, through Love, ARE NO longer motivated by such things that ARE contrary to the law. James shows us the role of agape in terms that expand our understanding of the most basic idea of Love: that there be NO “respect to persons“. This Truth IS according to the ways of the Lord Himself of whom Paul tells us that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11). While Paul shows us the positive effect of Love, that it DOES fulfill the law, James shows us the opposite side along with his defining for us the nature of agape; James says: “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:8-10). Not ONLY DO James’ words show us the nature of Love and the effect of failing to express agape with NO “respect to persons“, he shows us as well that this failure IS as spiritually significant as ARE the killing and the adultery of which the Master speaks. While James DOES NOT show us the expansion of these ideas, expressions of anger in relation to killing and thoughts of desire and lust in relation to adultery, we should understand that these ARE included in his own thoughts on these offenses as much of his epistle seems directly related to the Master’s words from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus expresses these new Truths. We should understand here that while we ARE calling these new Truths, they ARE NOT actually new; they ARE ONLY unrealized by the masses of men over the centuries, since the most basic parts of the law were given us by Moses. And for the most part these Truths ARE unrealized yet today; few understand the True significance of Paul’s words saying “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“. Paul tells us that men should “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:2, 1) and we should understand that this presentation IS the very same idea that we find in his words from our selection saying that men should “mortify the deeds of the body“. It IS in becoming that “living sacrifice” through the our mortifying “the deeds of the body” that we “may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” and here we should understand the idea of proving as a personal event as we come to be Transformed.
In previous essays we cited this idea of proving as discerning which IS a part of the defining ideas presented by Strong’s, however, their lead defining idea IS to test (literally or figuratively) 9a, and here we should try to see the thoughts, attitudes and actions of the man who has first discerned what IS “that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” and then acted upon that KNOWING. This IS the reality of that Life that IS expressed by the man who has Truly “mortified “the deeds of the body“. While the doctrinal thinker believes that he has such Life based in his doctrinal approach to the Lord, the reality IS that his Life IS yet carnal as the reality of mortifying “the deeds of the body” which IS to Truly escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4), the corruption of men’s focus upon the self and the things of the self. This IS the same sense of corruption of which we read in our selection from the eighth chapter of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans where it IS shown as our bondage to the vanity into which ALL men ARE born. Repeating our selection we read:
“they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in
hope, Becauseexpectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:5:23).
In these words we should see that ALL ARE “made subject to vanity” which we understand according to Vincent’s defining idea that this vanity IS: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. We often repeat Vincent’s words here as they define for us the state of men in this world and while the doctrines of men teach that Paul’s meaning IS to reflect upon the ‘fall of man‘, the result IS ever the same illusion and glamour by which men ARE found separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. We should understand here that for the irreligious and the religious this effect IS the same; for the irreligious and the marginally religious who DO NOT understand the reality of the Great Commandments their focus IS stuck upon the self and the things of the self which IS for most in disregard of the True precepts of Christianity. For the religious, who suffer from the same lack of understanding, we DO have much the same focus which IS intermingled with the doctrinal views that DO NOT show the most basic Truth of agape but rather fold a carnal interpretation of agape into a Lifestyle that ‘pretends’ to be according to “that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God“. Jesus defines for us this reality saying “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) as He separates the ‘pretenders‘ from those that actually DO which, in the final analysis, should be seen in the idea of proving from the Greek word dokimazō. Can we see the parallels here; can we see those who merely call Him Lord as ‘pretenders’ against those who ARE become “doers of the word” (James 1:22)? We should understand the idea here of ‘pretending’ in a way that DOES NOT require premeditation but rather in a way that shows a pretense based in one’s doctrinal beliefs. Jesus IS speaking to those who believe that by their belief in Him as Lord that they ARE entitled to “enter into the kingdom of heaven” but He rebuffs this idea and claim by saying clearly that ONLY the DOER has such an entitlement. And this IS the most basic fault of the doctrines of men by which most ALL DO NOT see themselves in Jesus’ words on how that one can have His Kingdom, His Presence and His Truth; they instead have constructed a doctrinal approach that replaces DOING in thought, attitude and action, with their devised ideas that revolve around grace, faith and believing, ALL of which ARE at best nebulous ideas that allow for their pretense. Most ALL doctrinal thinkers lay claim to His Kingdom, His Presence and His Truth without ever reflecting upon His words from our trifecta that show us the True Way to these spiritual ideals; 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).
Nor DO doctrinal thinkers realize the impact of the Master’s words. While they call Him Lord, Lord, they DO NOT see themselves entwined in the same reality that Jesus posed to the Jews as He asked “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). This IS but a shortened version of the expanded idea that the Apostle Matthew gives us from which we take a part for our trifecta; Matthew shows us the fullness of the idea of pretense while Luke merely shows us the reality and the hypocrisy involved. Jesus tells us that “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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23) and, despite the clarity, the doctrinal thinker DOES NOT see himself in these words. A KEY to understanding this IS found in the Greek word anomia which IS rendered here as iniquity, a word that IS generally understood as referring to the grosser human behaviors. Today’s dictionary defines iniquity as gross injustice or wickedness* and it IS this idea that IS worked into most every bible translation where such words as evil, lawlessness, wickedness and other ideas that reflect the doctrinal view of sin are used. Thayer’s tells us that anomia IS: properly, the condition of one without law — either because ignorant of it, or because violating it 9. In its usage here anomia should be seen in both senses; for those who KNOW or should KNOW the Truth of sin we have violation while for most ALL who follow a doctrinal approach we have ignorance; ignorance of the idea of sin and ignorance in the most basic ideas of what IS “the will of my Father which is in heaven“. Conflating Luke’s and Matthew’s versions we should be able to see the idea of iniquity in the ways of men that “do not the things which I say” which, in the final analysis, IS at the heart of the Truth of sin, a Truth that we see in Paul’s words on the equivalence of Love and the law and James’ most revealing words on the prevalence of that sin in the lives of ALL who DO NOT understand the very nature of agape.
The heart of the Truth of sin IS ALL encompassing and this because of the nurturing and indoctrination of ALL men into the ways of the world where the Truth of agape IS NOT taught. It IS NOT taught because it IS NOT understood and this despite the Master’s revelations of that Truth. In such ideas as we have in Jesus’ continuation of His Sermon we should be able to see the most basic ideas that ARE NOT seen or, better, NOT understood because they ARE contrary to the doctrinal views of the church. Jesus tells us “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, 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; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye ? do not even the publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:42-46). The force of these words IS clearly stated; from His instruction that men “Give to him that asketh thee“, an idea that IS leaps and bounds beyond the teachings of the church, to Loving ALL men rather than ONLY “them which love you“, an instruction that IS NOT possible under the common understanding of Love, we have the both the heart of the Truth of Love and of sin. The Truth of Love reflects these instructions and those others that ARE spread throughout the Master’s words while the Truth of sin reflects men’s thoughts, attitudes and actions that ARE contrary to the True sense of agape, a sense that includes the most pertinent defining idea that Love IS with NO “respect to persons”. James tells us clearly that “if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin” and goes on to show us that such sin IS NO different that those of murder or adultery….that ALL sin IS equal. It IS from these scriptural ideas that we find the most basic reality of sin which afflicts ALL men who ARE yet trapped in that vanity, that illusion and glamour, of Life here in this world. It IS this vanity from which we must escape if we ARE to Truly realize those “exceeding great and precious promises” by which “ye might be partakers of the divine nature“. Can we see the point here? Can we see how that the doctrinal view of Christianity IS but a pale shadow of the clearly stated words of the Master and His apostles, how that the doctrinal view discounts ALL ideas that DO NOT correspond with the doctrinal view of atonement and ‘salvation‘ through those nebulous ideas of grace and faith. And can we see the reality of the hypocrisy embedded in the doctrinal teachings that fail to understand the most basic of instructions on agape and its singular force for True salvation.
We should understand here that hypocrisy need NOT be an intentional act and that ofttimes one can be hypocritical without realizing it. In the doctrinal world, the hypocrisy IS built into the doctrinal approach and reasoned to be Truth by men who failed to see the direct Truths of the Master’s words which ARE the True Gospel ordered by Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). It IS this True Gospel of Jesus the Christ that should be seen in the Apostle Paul’s words saying: “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach , except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith , Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Romans 10:13-16). Most ALL Christians however apply these words and ideas to their own sense of doctrine and NOT to the words of the Lord and while it IS presumed that those shown having “not all obeyed the gospel” ARE those that have heard the gospel, there IS another story to tell when we can see that it IS “them that preach the gospel of peace” that “have not all obeyed“. This story will NOT be told by the doctrinal thinker however because in this there may be an indictment of himself as he goes about “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7). Paul’s words here reflect upon the Jews in Isaiah’s time and their own doctrinal view of the law and their application of it, a view and an application that IS opposed by the prophets who were sent to correct their errors. Prophets of which Jesus tells them such things as “Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets” (Matthew 23:31). The Jews’ religious leaders never heeded the words of the prophets for the same reason that the Christians today will NOT heed the words of Truth spoken by the Greatest of ALL Prophets, the Master Jesus. As the Jews heeded their own self-centered version of the law and called themselves righteous, so the Christians have duplicated their error and created doctrines that DO NOT reflect “that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God“….”the will of my Father which is in heaven“. In their view of religious Truth the doctrinal Christian sees himself in Paul’s words saying “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” and they DO so without understanding the Master’s words against the literal idea framed by the apostle, an idea that IS NOT meant to be taken literally but as a reflection of Jesus’ words asking “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?“. Again, the doctrinal thinker has convinced himself, by way of his indoctrination into “the commandments of men“, that such words were meant ONLY for the Jew in Jesus’ time but we should remember here the predictive nature of this same idea in Matthew’s Gospel where He speaks of those who have “prophesied in thy name….and in thy name have cast out devils….and in thy name done many wonderful works?“. Were these things DONE by the Jews? There IS NO mention of this in the gospels and while there ARE instances shown us by Paul where men tried to replicate such things as the Master and His apostles had DONE, these ARE NO different than what happens today in the religious practice of those who “do not the things which I say“; and here we should again see the Truth of agape as the central point of ALL of the Master’s words.
Because this reality IS a bitter pill for the Christian world to take, they DO NOT and herein lies the hypocrisy. While we see Paul’s words as related ONLY to the doctrines of the Master who came among us and then gave up His Life so that we could see the Truth of His words, the doctrinal thinker sees ONLY the idea of His blood sacrifice through the words of the writer’s of epistles that ARE intended to show the Jew that Jesus’ teaching IS NOT afar from the Truth of the law which they had casually ignored through their own self-righteous religious attitudes. The most basic failure of Christianity IS found in the way that most ALL doctrinal thinkers place their sense of Truth into their self-aggrandizing interpretations of Paul’s words while claiming this ability through the fact that two thirds of the New Testament ARE Paul’s words. But Paul DID NOT set out to create a doctrine that was different than the doctrine of the Master, a doctrine of Love through a right understanding of agape that embraces the most basic reality of righteousness. The reality of righteousness IS found in the defining ideas that Thayer’s gives us as: in the broad sense, the state of him who is such as he ought to be, righteousness; the condition acceptable to God 9. In this we should see that ALL self-centered thoughts and attitudes prevent one from being in a condition acceptable to God and this through the fact that such thoughts and attitudes ARE contrary to the reality of agape rightly understood. How then DOES one presume himself righteous while living a self-centered Life that DOES NOT follow in the most basic spiritual Truths given to us in the Great Commandments. Thayer’s goes on to tell us that dikaiosynē, which IS always rendered as righteousness, includes such things as: integrity, virtue, purity of life, uprightness, correctness in thinking, feeling, and acting 9 and here we should try to see how that such a man IS rare in this world especially when we try to see such ‘virtues‘ in the lives of those who presume themselves righteous. If this IS the standard of righteousness, how then can any presume that such IS imputed to them merely because the believe in Jesus and their Lord and Savior. Again we come back here to the total lack of doctrinal understanding of the Greek words pistis and pisteuo which ARE rendered as faith and believing. Here we should try to understand that True believing requires that one would NOT be among those of whom the Lord asks “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?“, that True believing requires that one KNOWS the Truth and lives by that Truth which Jesus tells us comes to those who will “continue in my word“. It IS the nebulous ideas of faith and believing, of grace and of righteousness that have obnubilated the Truth and it IS such nebulous ideas that have allowed the doctrines of men to ordain such ideas as “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). While it IS easy to take these words according to the doctrinal view and believe that one IS ‘saved‘ by these confessions and affirmations, this theology IS based in the same nebulous believing that IS embraced by the church. This sense of being ‘saved‘ IS then translated into such ideas as being “born again” (John 3:3) which idea IS wholly unrelated save for the doctrinal link between being ‘saved‘ and ‘going’ to heaven. This link presumes that this heaven IS a ‘place’ to which the believer will go based upon his affirmations and confessions and usually without regard to the comportment of his Life. This place called heaven remains as yet another nebulous belief that IS unprovable as IS the doctrinal assertion that it IS ONLY the Christian believer that can go there. In the end there IS but one Truth here which IS that NONE KNOWS what happens when people die save for the disintegrating state of the mortal body, a body that should be mortified in Life according to the words of the Master and His apostles.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
- 1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913 from https://1828.mshaffer.com/
- 2a New Testament Hebrew Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 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
- ** A Treatise on Cosmic Fire by Alice A Bailey © 1951 by Lucis Trust
- *** Wikipedia contributors. “Orion (constellation).” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 17 Nov. 2019. Web. 25 Nov. 2019
- *** Wikipedia contributors. “Mazzaroth.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Aug. 2018. Web. 25 Nov. 2019.
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
