ON LOVE; PART MCCCXCIV
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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 began the last essay with some thoughts on the Epistle of James before beginning our discussion of our new selection from the First Epistle of John and we ended with the Parable of the Prodigal Son. We ARE relating the Master’s words of this parable to the idea that the Christian world believes themselves to be that Prodigal Son who IS redeemed by his doctrinal approach to the Lord. Too many believe that they ARE free from the wantonness of Life through their idea of being “born again” (John 3:3) while the reality IS that they ARE yet caught in their bondage and ARE living like the brother. The brother believes that he IS entitled to the benefits afforded by the Father while DOING naught but that which IS his own accepted responsibility. It IS this that we should see in Jesus’ words to His apostles saying “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17-10). We should note here that while the Master’s words ARE much deeper than necessary for the attitude of the brother, they ARE intended for disciples and apostles; the main point IS appropriate to our discussion. The brother DID ONLY those things which were his duty, content to live his Life in that role, until he sees the reward for his brother the Prodigal Son, a reward that lavishes the benefits of the Father for the seemingly simple act of approaching in humbleness with realization that he had erred through his wanton carnal behavior. The Prodigal Son IS welcomed home by the Father and His benefits ARE awarded based simply upon the fact that he DID come home with a new attitude and it IS this that we should see in the idea of Repentance and in Transformation. While many will focus upon the idea that the brother IS adamantly opposed to the acceptance of the Prodigal Son, this IS but a sideshow to the lesson offered by Jesus in this parable, a lesson that should clearly show us that it IS in our Repentance that we ARE accepted into the ranks of those whose focus IS upon the things of God, and this regardless of the road travelled to get there. How DOES this relate to the church? Simply in the reality of the situation, in the reality of Repentance which IS our decision to follow the Path to Truth, a decision NOT made by the brother up to this time. A decision also NOT made by the common man who continues in his Life either in the wantonness of the Prodigal or the laissez-faire attitude of the brother who fills out the defining idea this phrase which IS: a philosophy or practice characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from direction or interference especially with individual freedom of choice and action* according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
The point in using this phrase here IS in the doctrinal idea of DOING naught to progress spiritually in any way that detracts from an man’s freedom of choice and action as regards his carnal Life; a deliberate abstention from the supposed rigors of True Repentance and Transformation which too much of the church somehow sees as an unnecessary task according to their doctrinal ideas of ‘salvation‘. While the phrase IS generally defined in terms of government or economic actions, the defining idea above shows us the the way that such deliberate abstention from direction can allow us to see the doctrinal motivation, or lack thereof, that would place the direction of a Christian’s Life into the singular idea of keeping His words. While the Prodigal Son’s attitude becomes Repentant, his brother fails to see this or to appreciate the idea. Instead the brother leans upon those things that he does which Jesus calls the attitude of “unprofitable servants” and here we must understand the spiritual nature of both the parable and the Master’s words to His apostles regarding such. We should also note that the Prodigal IS showing us the wantonness of the Truly secular man who IS seeking after personal pleasures while believing that it IS such pleasures that will satisfy him. They DO NOT which leaves the Prodigal in the same position as so many men who have traversed this Earth. It IS this idea of general dissatisfaction that drives some to the church and others to the more esoteric ideas that ARE presented in other religions; some ARE also driven in the other direction, toward Satanism, other cult like organizations or even deeper into that same world which has failed to satisfy them. This idea of seeking better to ease or eliminate one’s dissatisfaction with whatsoever has taken over one’s focus IS the great motivator to Truth and it IS in this state of dissatisfaction that many ARE able to faintly hear the prompting of his own Soul. In the end this IS a way of escape from the vanity, from the illusions and glamour of Life in this world; a way of escape from “the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4), from men’s desires for that personal pleasure. We must understand here that such personal pleasures DO not revolve ONLY around sexual ideas but run the entire gamut of men’s Life choices and here we should note that the Master’s view of this reflects the idea of treasure, an idea that IS grossly misunderstood. The treasure that men desire and chase IS these personal pleasures which range from one’s career to one’s perceived status among men; ALL ARE treasure and ALL ARE those pleasures which men seek. The whole of this can be understood in Jesus’ words saying “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:.34) and the same idea which He frames as “of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).
The Prodigal Son goes off on his own in search of his personal pleasures, his treasure if you will, and when this fails to satisfy him as he “had spent all” in their pursuit, reality sets in and he IS left wanting. In the idea that he “joined himself to a citizen of that country” we should see his new search for satisfaction of which we read that this too DID NOT work out. Now the Prodigal begins to see the reality of returning to his father which should be understood and returning to the Father; we should remember that the story IS a parable. The point IS that “he came to himself“, he came to see past some of his illusion and make that great decision which IS to Repent and the parable story IS found here in this complete change of heart which IS the reality of Repentance. With humbleness he returns to his father who NOT ONLY welcomes him home but he “ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” and here we should see another of the Master’s teachings as he says “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10), words which He utters just before telling them the Parable of the Prodigal Son and just after other parables that show similar ideas. We see the major point of the parable as the idea of Repentance which will overcome both human tendencies; the seeking after personal pleasures and the Life which the Master shows us as being the “unprofitable servants” who ONLY “have done that which was our duty to do“. Remember that this IS a parable which the reader must take from the carnal to the spiritual in order to Truly discern the meanings involved. Having said this we look again at the brother who in his laissez-faire attitude DOES his duty and boasts of this to his father on a carnal level; from a spiritual perspective this points us to men in this world just as the Prodigal DOES. We should try to see Jesus’ view here which IS of the Jews in His day. Can we see how that the brother can represent the Jews’ attitude in their deliberate abstention from direction or interference especially with individual freedom of choice and action*? Jesus’ tells the Jews bluntly and clearly that they have erred in their interpretations of the law as they substituted their doctrines for the Truth which is that men keep the commandments, primary of which IS that we should KNOW God through agape….through Love. And, in the combination of both the Prodigal and his brother we should see another of the Master’s sayings which He gives us after another similar parable, the Parable of the Two Sons as told by Matthew. Jesus says to the Jews to whom He tells this parable: “Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31). Can we see the underlying point here?
The Master’s point here IS one that we have cited several times over the course of these blogposts. Jesus IS clear in telling the Jews that their religious attitudes which ARE governed by their mitzvah, their doctrinal approach to the DO’s and DONT’s expounded by the law IS their error. They failed to see the Truth of the law versus the ancillary ideas injected into the law by Moses, ideas designed to serve the carnal behaviors of men and while they had such laws to keep themselves as an orderly society, they lost sight of the deeper ideas from the Ten Commandments. These deeper ideas ARE in regard to the relationships of men to men and of men to God; these deeper ideas ARE in regard to Love which we should understand ONLY as agape. 3500 years later it IS easy for the non-Jew, and perhaps the Jew, to see how that the role of sacrifice was a detriment to the spiritual advancement of the race as it served to inflict monetary punishments for the purposes of absolution. The reality of this ALL is shown to us by Jesus who, as a Jew, mostly ignored Moses ancillary ideas save for their role in the Jew’s traditional religious rites and rituals; Jesus abhorred the role of sacrifice and railed against many of the other religious positions taken by the Jew. It IS through Jesus’ words that we see that the way of the Jewish religious leaders and their followers was both indefensible and untenable. While both these words DO have similar meanings we should try to see that the idea if indefensible IS founded in their sense of glamour and how that their position was that their view was not only right but the ONLY right. In the idea of untenable we should try to see the Master’s unspoken point that their way of religion was incapable of being maintained as a Truly spiritual enterprise and, while there ARE yet millions of practicing Jews in the world, they ARE NO closer to the Truth than they were in Jesus’ time; they are yet under the same illusions. Much of this same diatribe can be applied to the Christian world from the beginning as they, KNOWING the Master’s words to the Jews, embarked upon a religious philosophy that was and IS as blindly oriented as Jesus showed us that the Jews’ was. Neither the Christian nor the Jew would en masse apply the Truth of scripture to their lives as they yet apply the defining ideas of laissez-faire. They continue with their deliberate abstention from direction or interference especially with individual freedom of choice and action*. They DO so without understanding that the direction and interference in carnal living ARE intended for the spiritual advancement of men who will otherwise maintain their carnal views while believing that they ARE ‘saved‘. In the end we should try to see how that the Prodigal Son IS the rarity while his brother IS a picture of the common man in this world, a man who sees himself as living right but who at the same time fails to see the need for Repentance. This common man IS fixated upon his Life in this world and we should try to see how that this IS typical of both the religious and the secular. And, while most have NOT had that encounter with reality through following their own wantonness as DOES the Prodigal, they also have NOT ‘seen’ the opportunity to return to the Father and to Repent.
We have discussed these ideas in several previous series of essays from different perspectives. The main idea in ALL IS that the doctrinal thinker, the brother in the parable who IS ONLY DOING what “was our duty to do” while believing that he IS DOING what must be DONE for his own salvation, has NOT Repented. While this doctrinal thinker may seem to have less carnal thoughts, attitudes and actions to Repent for, we should ever apply James’ words that tell us 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) to the equation. It IS in applying this Truth that we can see that the brother, the doctrinal thinker, has NO True advantage over the wantonness of the Prodigal….both ARE in spiritual reality “guilty of all“. It IS to those that ARE the brother, those that DO what “was our duty to do” without looking deeper for the greater Truth and without Truly keeping His words that the Master says “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). Here we must understand the timelessness of Jesus’ words and try to see that these apply to ALL men regardless of religion; ALL men, the Christian, the Jew, the Hindu, the Muslim or any other affiliation ARE bound by the same standard of Life here in this Earth. ALL men will either be as the brother, enthralled in their own “bondage of corruption, or as the Prodigal who through his Repentance begins his journey toward “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). It IS both that need to Repent. This brings us back to our selection from John’s First Epistle where we ARE discussing the results of that Repentance and ensuing Transformation; it IS in these results that men have the ability to discern the Truth from the illusion and to Truly understand the meaning of the apostle’s words saying “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world“. We should understand that the whole idea of “he that is in you“, our realization of this if you will, IS bound to the reality of Repentance; it IS ONLY in this state that we can apply to ourselves the reality of Jesus words that ARE the third part of our trifecta. 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).
Can we see the point here? Can we see that to have realization of “he that is in you” requires that one “hath my commandments, and keepeth them” and that this in turn IS the product of True Repentance? We should remember here that ALL men DO have this Presence in the form of one’s own Soul; however for most ALL men this Presence IS unrealized despite the contrary claims of the doctrinal Christian world. Everyman can believe that he has this Presence but few Truly DO; few can even comprehend the fullness of the meaning shown us by the Master as He says “my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him“. Jesus’ words that ARE our trifecta ARE readily dismissed by the doctrinal churches despite the clarity of His sayings and it IS this clarity that we must apply to our selection from John’s Epistle. To DO this we must dismiss the doctrinal ideas of the antichrist, ideas that ARE the creations of men and NOT those that one can readily take from scripture; it IS when we can understand that ALL teaching that IS contrary to the clearly enunciated message of the Master IS essentially the teaching of antichrist. While this paints much of humanity and the church in a seemingly bad light, the idea of antichrist should NOT be aligned with the doctrinal Christian ideas but rather simply as those that teach contrary to the Truth of His words. And while the church holds onto their interpretation of Paul’s words saying “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), they fail to see how that their own doctrines ARE NOT scripture because they ARE the creations of men which have but little doctrinal Truth in them. Do we Truly think that Paul believed that he was writing scripture as he wrote his epistles? If we DO we ARE likely wrong as the apostle himself makes NO such claim; Paul’s writings are become scripture because men have declared them so and this much in the same way that the Catholic churches declare men as saints based on a man made set of rules. At the same time, the church has denied the efficacy of the Master’s words and have supplanted His words with what they have self-identified as scripture from the writings of the apostles. We ARE NOT saying here that Paul’s words should NOT be seen as scripture but rather that the doctrinal interpretations of his words should NOT be accorded that title. At their heart the writings of the apostles clarify and amplify the Master’s words and in these writings, much as in the words of the Master, their clearly elucidated ideas ARE NOT taken to heart. Instead the church has chosen out snippets of Paul’s words and the words of the other apostles and have used these as the foundation of their doctrines while ignoring those words that show us the same ideas as DOES Jesus. It IS because of this that we write this blog and dedicate it to declaring the Truth of the words of the Master and His apostles, a Truth that IS plainly shown us but one that IS NOT accepted because of the seemingly arduous nature of keeping His words. Continuing our discussion of our selection from John’s Epistle we repeat the apostle’s words saying:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby* know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4).
We begin today with John’s words saying “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world“. These words ARE taken by many doctrinal thinkers as a certification of their Christianity, that because they ARE ‘believers‘ that they ARE “of God“. While the Truth IS that everyman IS “of God” this IS NOT the apostle’s intent as he IS speaking more specifically to those that “have overcome them“, those that have overcome the antichrists, those that have overcome the teachers of thoughts and attitudes that ARE contrary to the Truth of God’s Word. There IS NO fine line here, the whole of this idea IS painted for us in black and white if we can use that idea here. We should understand that it IS those that have been able to see the deeper Truths through the fog of doctrinal illusion that ARE counted among those that ARE “of God” much in the same way that it IS those that “through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body” that ARE Truly “led by the Spirit of God” (Romans 8:13, 14). While the contexts of these sayings from John and Paul ARE NOT the same in appearance, they ARE the same in effect; to “mortify the deeds of the body” IS part and parcel of John’s charge that the Truly spiritual man has “overcome them“, has overcome the antichrists. We should be careful to understand the depth of spirituality, that this DOES NOT concern ONLY the “deeds of the body” that men have defined as offensive to the Lord but that to “mortify the deeds of the body” IS to take control of ALL our thoughts, attitudes and actions as men in this world. It IS in this frame of reference that we should see Paul’s words to the Corinthians which tell us that we should ever be “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Can we see the relationship of these apostolic ideas? Can we understand that to “overcome them” IS to overcome NOT ONLY the teacher but also the things taught which ARE ideas that “exalteth itself against the knowledge of God“. And what IS “the obedience of Christ” other than the simple command that we should “keep my words” as Jesus shows us in our trifecta. In the end we must realize that to be “of God” IS to be “led by the Spirit of God” and that both of these require that we keep His words of which the starting point IS Repentance. That religion IS NOT taught in this manner IS unfortunate as this IS the steady thread of the bible from the beginning to the end; a thread that mankind has cut and to which IS spliced in their various religions and doctrines. It IS in response to this human effect that the Master repeats the words of the prophet which were True in Isaiah’s time, True in Jesus’ time and True yet today although there ARE few that will admit their error. Jesus tells us “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:6-7).
John’s point in calling the reader as “of God” IS in speaking to those that have overcome the teachings and the teachers that lead men to ‘believe these’ “commandments of men” as their ‘gospel’ based upon the authority of the church and its doctrinal representatives. The apostle continues in his explanation saying that it IS these antichrists that ARE “are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them” and in this we should try to see the state of the church today, over the last 2000 years and in the time from Moses to Jesus. Naught has changed as men continually seek out ways to believe that they ARE ‘saved‘ without Repentance and without keeping His words. This deviation from the Truth has become the norm for today’s church and today’s Christian believer will fight tooth and nail with any who oppose their doctrinal views, even when those ‘heretical’ ideas ARE steeped in the Truth of the Master’s words. This IS the result of 2000 years of living according to doctrines and, much like for the Jews in Jesus’ time, it IS sore difficult to change. Even those common people that followed Jesus to hear His words and experience His miracles could NOT veer too far from their tradition and this reality IS thinly veiled in the writings of the gospels. A clear example of this IS found in the way that the ‘crowd’ of people that cried “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13) as Jesus entered Jerusalem ARE among the ‘crowd’ of people that “cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas” (Luke 23:18) NOT long after. Another IS found in the Apostle John’s comments saying of those ‘disciples’ assembled to hear the Master that “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (John 6:66). Much like in the example of the rich young ruler, the Jews willingly sought out Jesus words of Truth but could NOT accept them as their own Truth, accept them enough to change their own ways and traditions. This failure of men to see and accept the Truth IS also the message of the Parable of the Sower; NOT the singular message but the one that shows us that “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful“. It IS the man who IS the “good ground” (Matthew 13:22, 23) that persists and while there were some that went forward in Truth after the death of the Master, these ARE but among the few of whom Jesus speaks 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). These ideas ARE lost to the doctrinal thinker who IS so overwhelmed by the dictates of his doctrine that he NO longer seeks the greater Truth although he may hear it and read it in the gospels. The Parable of the Sower clearly shows us the reality of the man that IS the “good ground“, a reality that IS shown us in a gospel combined way by Vincent who says: The three evangelists give three characteristics of the good hearer. Matthew, he understandeth the word; Mark, he receiveth it; Luke, he keepeth it4. Herein IS a KEY to Truth; herein in the Way that IS missed by most who fail to understandeth the word against those doctrinal ideas into which he has been nurtured and indoctrinated. Herein IS the Way that IS missed by those who will NOT receiveth it in place of doctrinal assertions which ARE contrary; and herein IS the Way that IS ONLY discovered by those that hear the word and then he keepeth it.
The reality of the “good ground” IS that this man IS “of God” and this because he KNOWS some measure of the Truth and understands it, accepts it and then keeps His words. ALL of the other types of ground in this parable ARE “of the world” and it IS these that the Apostle John IS showing us as antichrist. While this may seem to be an affront to the average Christian, and spiritually it IS, the reality IS that this IS an affront ONLY when one considers the idea of antichrist in doctrinal terms, as an evil-DOER unleashed upon the world of men. But a more careful reading of John’s words DOES NOT reveal this defining idea which IS the creation of men; antichrist has taken on a non-scriptural meaning in much the same way as has the rather opposite idea of being “born again” (John 3:3). Both of these ideas, antichrist and being “born again” have been appropriated by the church and placed into doctrinal ideas that ARE NOT scriptural and, again, the reasoning for such appropriation IS founded in men’s desire for their own sense of ‘salvation‘, their own sense of ease as men in this world. Similar to the ideas propounded in the Parable of the Sower IS the Master’s words shown us at the end of the Sermon on the Mount which should be understood as our instructions into agape and True righteousness. In what IS offered us as the end of the Sermon by Matthew and by Luke we should see the effect of DOING on the “doers of the word” who ARE “not hearers only“, those that ARE NOT deluded by “deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Jesus tells us rather clearly the state of each man, the DOER and the one that ONLY believes that he IS such saying that:
“whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:24-27).
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- * Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laissez-faire
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
