ON LOVE; PART MCDXV
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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 Jesus’ words regarding the ability to DO those “greater works“. While it seems that this was an abrupt end to our discussion on the ideas behind pistis and pisteuo, it IS actually but the beginning as these words ARE among the most misunderstood and misused words from the New Testament. We touched upon the nebulous nature of the doctrinal ideas that ARE rendered from these words, faith and believing, as we seek to portray the scriptural Truth that should be applied to them. As we have said, the rendering itself IS NOT in error, faith and believing ARE sound translations of the Greek; the problem IS in the carnal understanding of these ideas, an understanding that lacks the necessary force to create changes in a man as motivated by his own Soul. It IS in his Repentance and Transformation that the reality of pistis and pisteuo become available to a man and this reality IS borne out by the Master’s many words on the subject. The saying that we left off with in the last essay IS our easiest example of the force that pistis and pisteuo should carry as it IS in our believing that we can DO as the Master has done; Jesus tells us “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12). Because the force of this idea of “believeth on me” IS sorely lacking in the church, doctrines have been forced to seek alternate meanings for these clearly stated words. For example John Gill tells us first that: we are not to understand these words of everyone that believes in Christ, of every private believer in him, but only of the apostles, and each of them, that were true believers in him: to whom he says8. Here we have a kind of reversal of common doctrinal understanding that usually applies ALL the promises of the Lord and His apostles to everyman as they apply this particular idea ONLY to the apostles. While recognizing that the apostles were capable of DOING as Jesus had DONE, specifically mentioning: he shall raise the dead, heal all manner of diseases, and cast out devils8, Mr. Gill goes on to say of “greater works” that these ARE: not greater in nature and kind, but more in number; for the apostles, in a long series of time, and course of years, went about preaching the Gospel wherever they went: though perhaps by these greater works may be meant the many instances of conversion, which the apostles were instrumental in, and which were more in number than those which were under our Lord’s personal ministry8. This whole chapter IS the Master speaking to His apostles and while the church DOES give the doctrinal Christian the ability to ‘reside’ in one of the “many mansions” and to have whatsoever “ye shall ask” according to His words saying “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:2, 14), they hold back on the idea that men can DO such “greater works“. Not ALL reserve these “greater works” for the apostles alone and the very idea that “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” effectively destroys the idea as ALL men can “ask any thing” in His name.
Our point here IS that Jesus’ words ARE addressed to everyman through His apostles; they ARE not subject to doctrinal exceptions based in the churches failure to see past the carnal aspects of Life. In a later chapter where John recalls Jesus’ prayer we read of the way that ALL things that He ‘prays’ for His apostles ARE extended to ALL under the simple criteria of “pisteuo eis“; the Master says “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word” (John 17:20). The KEY to our understanding of both of these promises IS NOT found in the ideas that they reveal but in the necessary criteria that allows for their True revelation; that KEY in both sayings IS “pisteuo eis“. Literally the idea of “pisteuo eis” is to “believe into” which IS rendered as “believe in” and “believe on” by most. This idea produces a specific dynamic of pisteuo but one that we see as being shared in most ALL spiritual uses of the word. Vincent tells us that: The present participle, believing, indicates the present and continuous activity of faith4 and in this we should clearly see the relationship of pistis with pisteuo. Mr. Vincent adds that: The word is used by John, sometimes with the dative case simply meaning to believe a person or thing; i.e., to believe that they are true or speak the truth. Thus, to believe the Scripture (Joh 2:22); believe me (Joh 4:21); believe Moses, his writings, my words (Joh 4:46). At other times with a preposition, εἰς, into, which is rendered believe in, or believe on4. Mr. Vincent seems to be purposely showing us distinction between these terms so that his point IS clear which IS that: To believe in, or on, is more than mere acceptance of a statement. It is so to accept a statement or a person as to rest upon them, to trust them practically; to draw upon and avail one’s self of all that is offered to him in them. Hence to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is not merely to believe the facts of His historic life or of His saving energy as facts, but to accept Him as Savior, Teacher, Sympathizer, Judge; to rest the soul upon Him for present and future salvation, and to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life4. This IS the reality of “pisteuo eis” as well as most ALL spiritually oriented uses of the idea of believing. Can we see the force that pisteuo takes on here and can we see that it IS this that unlocks those “greater works“.
While the word from our selection, from Paul’s list of “the works of the flesh” IS pistis and NOT pisteuo, the reality IS that these words have the same meanings with the only difference being that former IS a noun and the latter IS the verb form. As we have said, the differences in understanding these ideas IS largely an English problem that likely spreads to other languages where the ideas of faith and believing ARE somewhat different. In our example of the Master’s words above we should be able to understand that while the ability to DO “greater works” IS available to ALL, the church has greatly downplayed this idea, largely because they seek to protect the ‘divinity’ of Jesus against the spiritual possibilities of mere men. In the reality of scripture however the Truth IS found to be that ALL can “be partakers of the divine nature” through the reality of our trifecta which emphasizes keeping His words; it IS this same dynamic that Peter shows us in telling us the full story saying: “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). It IS in “having escaped the corruption that is in the world” that we can be in position to DO such “greater works” as our focus IS placed upon the things of God which causes us to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life which idea IS tantamount to keeping His words. Peter starts here by telling us that it IS through “knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” that we can realize the “exceeding great and precious promises” which should ever be understood in terms of being “partakers of the divine nature“. It IS in this sense of being that we can have realization that “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17) and it IS this realization that IS the foundation of pistis and pisteuo which ARE in turn that sense of KNOWING that IS True faith and True believing. We should understand here that this sense of KNOWING is our realization of the Truths that come to us as men here and now and which show us how that we Truly ARE “as he is….in this world“. It IS this Truth of pistis and pisteuo that the doctrinal church has failed to teach as they concentrate their teachings on the nebulous ideas of faith and believing and their nearly universal belief that to be “partakers of the divine nature” IS to be our state of being in a mythical heaven which IS of course NO longer “in this world” and IS contrary to so much of what the Master and His apostles teach us. This reality of KNOWING comes to us in seeking the Truth which IS according to our trifecta a goal that IS achieved in the our keeping His words; repeating our trifecta, the Master’s words that show us these things, 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).
In these words IS the KEY to spiritual Truth and the rewards thereof; in these words IS the Path to True discipleship, the Kingdom and the Presence of the Lord. We should understand that these things ARE claimed by many who DO NOT DO what IS required as the KEY which IS to keep His words of which the Master also tells us that “the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me“. In this we should be able to see the sense of unanimity that Jesus applies to His teaching and the True teachings of those who preceded Him on the world stage. The words ARE the same or, better, they have the same meaning and motivation and while much was added by Moses which was wrongly interpreted by the Old Testament writers, the central point of agape and NOT those interpretations IS what Jesus carried forward. We need NOT have the word agape attached to each of the Master’s precepts, nor those of the Old Testament, as the most basic intent of the True precepts of both teach the concept of GoodWill which IS for us Love in action. To this idea we have attached the idea of mercy as the practical application of GoodWill and, as we often discuss, this IS NOT to be understood in the way that mercy IS understood today. How then IS this ALL related to pistis? When we can understand pistis and pisteuo in terms of KNOWING and KNOWING in Jesus’ terms that tell us clearly that this comes as the Truth to those who will “continue in my word“, we can then more properly understand Paul’s words that lead up to his lists that we ARE discussing. Paul tells us that “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” and here we should try to see that the apostle’s citing of the law IS much more inclusive than doctrinally understood. The idea of the law here IS ALL of the words of the Lord, including those of the Master, ALL of which constitute the essence of the Truth; the idea IS NOT the Jew’s interpretations and traditions and while there seems NO separation point between these ideas of Truth and interpretation, the line IS drawn for us by Jesus’ treatment of the Jews’ interpretations and traditions. It IS the interpretations and traditions of men that ARE that “another gospel” that we have spent much time discussing and these interpretations have extended from the Advent of the Christ until to today; we should try to see that it IS the interpretations and traditions that have become doctrinal Christianity which ARE the Christian extension of “another gospel” for the last 2000 years.
Using Jesus’ words on “greater works“, we have tried to show the depth of pistis and pisteuo by asserting that the nebulous ideas of faith and believing will NOT result in a man’s ability to DO such “greater works” and that, because this IS True, the church has redefined what the Master intended for us to understand. Jesus’ idea of “greater works” ARE ALL that he had DONE; this He tells us clearly saying that it IS “the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” and His works ARE clearly defined for us in the gospels. And we should understand that this IS NOT the privilege ONLY of apostles as John Gill suggests but that the promise IS extended to ALL “that believeth on me“. It IS this idea of believing that the church stumbles upon as they have NEVER understood the relationship between “pisteuo eis” and the reality that to Truly believe IS to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life which IS simply that we keep His words. And the Master Himself shows us the inadequacy of simple and nebulous believing as He asks “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). And there IS more that the Master tells us to reinforce the ideas behind His use of pistis and pisteuo. In regard to such sayings as “whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23) the church has completely downplayed the Master’s intent. Modern language places the idea of moving mountains into two rather carnal meanings; one IS to do or achieve something that is incredibly difficult and the other IS to make any effort to achieve your aim. While carnal ideas, these have been picked up by the doctrinal churches to semi-explain the Master’s point which IS that if one should believe and “not doubt in his heart” ‘anything’ can be accomplished. This idea IS used by some in the church to enable the acquiring of things as it IS matched with the next saying that “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). As in our view of the churches use of ideas of faith, this idea that “ye shall have them” because one may “believe that ye receive them” IS subject to the same nebulous reality. Those that receive can be seen as those that Truly believe while those that DO NOT must have something lacking in their belief or ARE perhaps disingenuous and we should understand that these ideas ARE NOT hidden but rather openly discussed. Add to this our statement from the last essay saying that there ARE reasons of time used for one’s NOT realizing what they ‘pray’ for under the idea that God DOES things in His own time not the time of the supplicant; we should also add the doctrinal idea that whatsoever one desires must be in the ‘will of God’. Finally we must understand that most ALL of what IS ‘prayed’ for, most ALL of what men desire, IS carnal and the reality that “there is no respect of persons with God” IS rendered moot by the ‘faith‘ applied in one’s prayer for such things of the self.
If we should look at the above sayings from Mark’s Gospel and others from Matthew and Luke without reinterpreting Jesus intent or using the common ideas that ARE taken from His words, we will find a much more defined meaning for the ideas of pistis and pisteuo. And without downplaying Jesus words regarding moving the mountain and planting the “sycamine tree” in the sea we can better understand His intent in showing us such presumably impossible tasks. The Master’s intent IS to show men, to show True disciples, that “nothing shall be impossible” which He clearly tells us in Matthew’s version of His words saying “Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20). While the church has downplayed His words regarding the mountain IS clearly a function of their own overall unbelief that such things ARE possible, the doctrinal ideas ARE compounded by their wrong focus on the idea of the “mustard seed“. Here in these words from the various gospels the idea of the seed has become one of its size based in other parables where Jesus says of the “mustard seed” that it “indeed is the least of all seeds” (Matthew 13:32). It IS in speaking of the Kingdom that Jesus says “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth” (Mark 4:31). But this IS NOT the reality that Jesus IS trying to show us; the size of the seed ONLY works when one sees faith in that nebulous manner that doctrines show. The greater Truth IS that there IS NO doubt in the “mustard seed” as it ever KNOWS that it will become the tree and to have “faith as a grain of mustard seed” a man must have that same ability of KNOWING without doubt. For sure it IS a major accomplishment to have such faith, such KNOWING, and in this we should be able to see why the presumably impossible ideas of moving the mountain and planting the “sycamine tree” in the sea should be understood as they ARE presented. It IS in the plain reality of Jesus’ words that we should be able to understand the depth of the ideas of pistis and pisteuo as He defines that “faith as a grain of mustard seed” saying that “If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done” (Matthew 21:21). These words coupled with those from Mark above where Jesus says such things ARE possible to those who “shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe” should convince us that pistis and pisteuo CAN NOT be such nebulous ideas as ARE applied to these words yet today. This then IS “faith as a grain of mustard seed“: to KNOW without any doubt. Again, this IS major accomplishment which likely seems out of the reach of men but we should note that the sense of impossibility IS a part of our vanity which keeps us from realizations of Truth. Jesus shows us the Way to the Truth, the Way to KNOWING, in simple words that ARE the first part of our trifecta saying that “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). These words tell us the same thing as Jesus saying regarding “greater works” which He frames differently saying that such ARE within men’s Power who “believeth on me” and it IS ONLY in equating this believing with KNOWING that we can better understand Vincent’s point saying that to so believe IS to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life. This IS keeping His words and this brings us back to our discussion on our selection from Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians where the apostle shows us the Way to keep His words saying that “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“. Repeating our selection we read:
“for, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit“.
Galatians 5:13-25
ALL of our comments above ARE in regard to the seventh word in Paul’s list of “the fruit of the Spirit“, faith, which IS rendered from pistis. It IS though the Master’s words on this above that we should be able to better understand the Power that pistis has when it IS understood as KNOWING and not as the nebulous doctrinal idea of faith. We CAN NOT say much more about pistis and its companion word pisteuo than we have said above and we should try to see that this idea of KNOWING without doubt IS Paul’s intent in using this word as a fruit which streams from Love, from agape, as ALL Truly spiritual fruit DOES. We should try to see as well that it IS in our KNOWING the Truth that we come to KNOW that we have “given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” as this KNOWING IS “the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue“. This pistis and pisteuo IS, in its fullness, KNOWING God. It IS in the reality of our Repentance, our Transformation and our Redemption that we can approach the fullness of the idea that “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). It IS through these stages of Life in this world that we can fully KNOW and be among that “few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14); that few that can “enter in at the strait gate“. And this IS the point of scripture: that in every generation there can be that few who sincerely follow His commandments which tell us to “Strive to enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24) and to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). It IS through our Repentance and our Transformation that we ARE among those that ARE “waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). We should try to see that it IS this idea of Redemption that puts ALL things carnal into our purview; into our control, so that we can accomplish those “greater works” that the Master promises to ALL that Truly “believeth on me“; to ALL that can Truly accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life4. It IS men that eschew these Truths because they interfere with their daily lives as men in this world; their mostly self-centered lives that seek ONLY carnal benefits and, for the ‘religious’, that promise of heaven when we die. And while it IS the “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9) that keeps men from even seeing the True goal of scripture and of Life in this world, it IS at the same time those same doctrines that keep men aware of some idea of God albeit a wrongly understood idea for most. As the Apostle John tells us it IS impossible to KNOW God in the absence of our expression of agape saying such things as “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” (1 John 4:7-8).
It IS agape that IS the KEY to ALL Truth in this world of men and, again, it IS agape that has been understood as the common ideas of Love as the depth of agape, although fully revealed by the Master and His apostles, has been missed by the churches for 2000 years. Jesus’ sayings on agape have become but trite sayings which lack meaning even to those who use His ideas and, while the fulness of agape IS afar off for most ALL men, there IS ever two ideas that can bring about the necessary changes in their lives. First IS the idea of measure which tells us that we DO NOT have to be fully engaged in the deeper Truths of agape but can by measure express this Love in this world. It IS by measure that the Truth IS revealed to those who will DO the second idea which IS to strive toward the spiritual Truths and here, NOT for any promised reward but because Jesus shows us that this expression of agape IS the Way. As we contemplate what we ourselves, in our own power, can DO to further this expression of Truth and Love we should try to see that most ALL of the Master’s teachings ARE in the greater arena of agape. The word need NOT be used by Jesus or His apostles so long as the idea itself IS an expression of mercy or of GoodWill as these ARE based in agape; perhaps the best example of this IS in the Golden Rule so called. Jesus tells us “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12) and these words ARE as much an expression of agape as ARE any in the New Testament. While Luke frames this a bit differently saying that Jesus words ARE “as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31) the resultant idea IS the same explanatory message on agape. The simplicity of the idea perhaps makes it so much harder to understand on a practical and carnal level but if we should follow this rule, we ARE then expressing a measure of agape in this world, a measure to which we ARE exposed to through our own pistis, our own faith, as we come to KNOW the value of such expression. There IS NOT on or off switch for our expression of Love as it flows through the lives of ALL who will strive to embrace it, ALL who will take control of their own thoughts, attitudes and actions as they view and interact with others. The sense of agape that IS the Golden Rule sees ALL men the same as we ourselves ARE and whether or NOT we KNOW the depth of this sameness, that as Spirit and Soul we ARE ALL One in and with the Lord, we will perforce embrace that Truth and perhaps ask the question within every social interaction. It IS this that Paul tells us saying such things as 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 point here and can we sense the striving necessary to accomplish this aim of moving every thought into the arena of Love and converting it to be in accord with the Master’s words. Understanding the idea of measure and ever striving to reach a greater measure ARE the hallmarks of an aspirant to discipleship and the Way of Love upon the Path to our fuller understanding of the One Truth.
In our selection from Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians the apostle tells us of the difficulty in “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” as he tells us that “the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would“. This IS essentially the struggle of the spiritually awakening man as the forces of vanity stand opposed to his emerging measure of Truth and Love and here we must understand the personal action required, the striving if you will. The idea of lust here IS from the Greek word epithumeo and it IS generally rendered as desire which has the same meaning but which, at the same time, DOES NOT focus upon ideas of sex as the rendering of lust DOES. While in this saying by Paul the idea of sex should NOT enter in, the common ideas of desire and lust DO NOT work either. Strong’s defines epithumeo saying that the idea IS: to set the heart upon9a and here we should see the idea of motivation. In regard to Paul’s use of epithumeo above then we should see that the flesh IS motivated against the spiritual impulses while those same impulses ARE a man’s motivation to escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust” where we should see lust as that carnal motivation. That these forces, vanity and spiritual impulse, ARE “contrary the one to the other” IS an poorly understood idea for many doctrinal Christians who rely upon God to control their lives because of the doctrinal idea that a man IS a sinner and that he CAN NOT save himself. This doctrinal precept IS based in Paul’s words, also poorly understood, that “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8), a saying through which much of Christian doctrine has been formulated. The idea of man’s sinful nature, while True, ignores the reality of just what sin IS as most often the idea IS seen in the gross carnal errors of men. The idea however IS NOT centered in one’s carnal activity but rather in the whole idea of carnality, the whole idea of seeing oneself as the center of one’s Life and Truth. Sin IS simply living outside of the Path to Truth and Love, it IS living without striving toward the reality of the Great Commandments and it IS this that we should take from James words saying “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“. In these words we should see the depth of sin; a depth that IS unrecognized by most ALL of the church. This sense of sin IS the result of men living as men in this world and while there may be degrees of sin from a carnal perspective, from the spiritual the idea IS summarized in James’ continuing words saying “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:8-9, 10).
To be sure this view of sin IS unpopular and perhaps the reason that James’ words DO NOT carry the same theological weight as Paul’s. Should we understand why this IS so can bring a heightened sense of the objective toward which men should strive. The most basic difference between Paul’s words and James, and this IS True on a variety of subjects, IS that Paul’s words ARE more manipulatable while James blunt style DOES NOT lend itself to much interpretation. While this discussion of measure and striving may appear to be off the topic of our selection and Paul’s lists of “the works of the flesh” and “the fruit of the Spirit“, the reality IS that such ARE an integral part of men’s ability to move from a focus upon “the works of the flesh“, a focus upon the self and religiously one’s self interests, onto a focus on “the fruit of the Spirit” which IS agape and ALL of its attributes.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
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- 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
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher