ON LOVE; PART MCDXVII
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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 extended comments on the next word from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, praotes which IS rendered as meekness by the King James translators and in terms of gentleness and humility by many others. We have tried to show that these alternate ideas of being gentle or humble DO NOT reflect the depth that meekness DOES and this based upon the usage of praotes by the Master and the way that the idea IS used to describe the man Moses. We have somewhat explored the Master’s words saying “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29). We tied into the idea of His being meek the other points in this saying; namely His being lowly and the idea of His yoke. In the idea of yoke we have a combination of ideas reflecting our coupling to Jesus as Lord as well as the idea of the yoke being a balance which idea works well with our understanding that this idea of meekness IS effectively equanimity. It IS this equanimity that we should try to see as that “fruit of the Spirit” that brings an effective component of agape into the hearts of men. Jesus uses this idea without reference to praotes as He tells us that “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“, an admonishment that Paul repeats in our selection. We should note that it IS this same idea that shows itself in the Master’s words on agape and how that this Love IS to be expressed by men in this world. Jesus tells us “I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Luke 6:27-28). In these saying we should clearly see that it IS the equanimity of meekness that allows us to NOT see another as an enemy or as one that hates or one that curses or uses and; when we tie this to the former idea that “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“, we should see how that we must see everyman as we see ourselves, as Souls and without any carnal baggage.
For the man in this world that has a measure of “the fruit of the Spirit” this meekness reflects in his ability to understand the meaning of 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. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:8-10) and to act accordingly. It IS in having NO “respect to persons” that we fulfill our expression of that equanimity that IS meekness and it IS here that we should also realize that whatsoever spiritual Power we may have, that we will NOT use that in any way that IS contrary to this most important aspect of agape. It IS NOT then ONLY the idea that such spiritual Power should NOT be used for personal gain or against others but that it IS also ensures that we can Truly “love thy neighbour as thyself“. This IS the goal of ALL spiritual endeavor and although this IS NOT strongly taught in the churches yet today, much of the human family DOES understand that Love IS the Way to that elusive sense of peace. It IS because this IS the human goal that the elements of society steadily lean toward this ideal and we should understand here that it IS this goal that the Master IS enhancing through His words. We have in the past discussed how that in the movement of time certain carnal virtues, or seemingly so, come to bear upon the psyches of men; age by age the motivations of the race sludge forward toward an unseen and undefined goal which IS our expression of Love. It IS in the words of the Master and others who have found the the Way, the Truth and the Life that the whole process can be hastened and we should try to see that those whose motivation IS agape in any of its component processes ARE likely those who have psychically glimpsed some measure of the greater Truth. To be sure these persons ARE to be found in and out of the church and while those in the church may have a greater recognition of the role of the Godhead, they ARE at the same time burdened by their doctrinal allegiances as their doctrinal sense interprets whatsoever Truth they may find. This idea of doctrinal interpretation IS NOT a Christian burden ONLY, it stretches across ALL religions where doctrines have reinterpreted the Truth into a more comforting human experience. It IS in men’s meekness however that they can overcome whatsoever IS their burden; for those in the churches of any religion the foregoing ideas should be clear and for the more secular there IS NO less of a burden albeit a differently functioning one. And we must realize here that there IS much crossover between the doctrinally motivated and those motivated by the things of the self and of the world.
It IS the equanimity of meekness that can overcome the forces of self in this world and this as men come to see past themselves and understand that in the end we ARE ALL the same and, eventually, that we ARE ALL one. The primary moving force IS of course that vanity of which Paul so briefly writes saying that from the beginning “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). ALL men ARE so subjected by their birth into this world and their vanity IS exacerbated by their nurturing and indoctrination into the ways of Life in this world at any point in time. It IS the goal of humanity, along with the goal of our expression of agape, to overcome the vanity and we should note here that the Way to overcome IS found in the Truth, in KNOWING some measure of the One Truth that flows from the Godhead. This KNOWING IS available to ALL who will keep His words. This IS NOT limited to keeping His words as a Christian but rather in keeping the words of ALL Avatars of Light that have come among us and in attaching oneself to the Truth behind their words so that their ideas of True salvation can cross ALL carnal boundaries. That the Christian world believes that it IS unique and the ONLY religion that has True access to the Lord IS but a part of this vanity at work and we should note that most ALL religions have some degree of this same sense of self, both individually and corporately. While the Christian’s belief in this regard IS likely the most obtuse in their approach to the rest of the world, there ARE many others that DO come close; as an example we can look to today’s Judaism which IS still willingly trapped in their interpretation of their more than five thousand year old religious philosophy upon which much of Christianity IS based. In neither of these religions, nor in most ALL of the other doctrinal world religions, DOES the idea of equanimity exist as a principle and this despite the idea that “the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3) nor the most simple words from the Master saying that “I am meek and lowly in heart“. The whole of the idea behind praotes and the Hebrew `anav as the reality of meekness IS lost to doctrinal ideas of men. Most ALL CAN NOT see the sense of agape required for one to live according to that idea of Oneness that requires men to look past themselves and their self interests and to consider the importance and the reality that there should be NO “respect to persons” in our view and our interactions with others.
It IS this idea of having NO “respect to persons” that IS the driving force of meekness through equanimity and in this we should ever see ourselves as one of the persons involved in every interaction. While there may be some exceptions to this way of thought, attitude and action, there would be NONE that places oneself above others except in carnal situations where one has the role of a leader. Even in this role however ones thoughts, attitudes and actions that ARE contrary to having NO “respect to persons” would be limited to the nature of one’s role as a supervisor or any similar role. To Truly have NO “respect to persons” one must never place themselves above others as better or more deserving. Remembering that James shows us that having “respect to persons” IS as great a ‘sin‘ as any other sinful endeavor, we should look at this precept as a guiding Light that reveals the inner most ideas of agape for men in this world. It IS through this lens then that we should see the idea of equanimity and while we can define meekness in these terms we should try to see that the whole of the idea of meekness IS much more complex. We should try to see that in this idea of having NO “respect to persons” there IS a duality of ideas that at times may seem contradictory. We should have NO “respect to persons” from the perspective of holding any one above another including ourselves; we should see ALL men as equal in the eyes of the Lord and thereby through our spiritual eyes as well. We develop this view as we come to KNOW some measure of the Truth and understand that beneath our veneer of flesh IS our Spirit, our spiritual self that IS ever One with ALL Spirit and with the One God that contains ALL. That this reality IS beyond the ken of the finite mind IS the reason that the doctrinal thinker DOES NOT see the Truth behind ALL existence in this world; his doctrinal approach to the Lord sees ONLY carnal interpretations of spiritual Truths. It IS in this Oneness that we must have NO “respect to persons” and it IS this that plays into Jesus’ words on discipleship and on being worthy of Him. The Master tells us that “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26) which Matthew shows us in different terms saying “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). The point here IS that to have NO “respect to persons” extends to ALL including those closest to us. That Jesus’ practices this as IS shown us in the synoptic gospels where we read “And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother” (Mark 3:32-35).
The point here IS that the carnal relationships of mothers and brethren ARE meaningless from a spiritual perspective and while Jesus frames His words in a spiritual tone as He teaches us to be spiritual, teaches us to “do the will of God“, the idea extends to ALL men as IS evidenced by His actions which we read as “he healed them all” (Matthew 12:15); this IS having NO “respect to persons“. On the other side of the dual idea found in this “respect to persons” we should see that we must respect ALL persons and DO so equally. This sense of respect sees ALL men the same and IS the basis for the Great Commandment that we should “love thy neighbour as thyself“; this sense of respect requires that we show regard or consideration for* everyman as the verb form IS defined. That “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11) shows us this same dynamic as a principle of the Godhead, one that requires NO thought as we would understand it, Jesus shows us this in such simple words as which, while attached to His words on agape and its expression, DO show us the necessary interaction between these ideas of Love and respect. The Master says “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). In this we should see the duality of the idea of “respect to persons” as the Lord DOES respect ALL men equally and DOES NOT discriminate against any. This of course goes unseen as a natural property of the Godhead and goes against ALL doctrinal ideas that men can ‘pray’ for whatsoever they want and the Lord will provide carnal gifts to whomsoever He desires. The ultimate reality here IS found in Jesus’ words that close out the chapter in the bible as He tells us that we should be Loving ALL and having NO “respect to persons” as He tells us to “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). That this IS a difficult task IS undeniable but, at the same time, this sense of agape IS what ALL men should strive after and whatever measure of this Love one may be able to attain DOES contribute to the overall sense of agape in this world.
As the Master says that “I am meek and lowly in heart“, He shows us more that just the equanimity of meekness, He shows us its Power as well. In the above words from the Master we see that the rain and the sun ARE offered freely and equally to ALL but, according to the doctrinal image of the Lord, He can withhold His blessings to whomsoever He desires. This renders moot the Great Truth that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34) and places God into a position of general uncertainty, the same uncertainty that must be attached to the nebulous doctrinal ideas on faith. In the end we must come to realize that the Lord DOES NOT see the differences that arise in the human family, the Lord ONLY sees the whole of the family. Ideas of race, color, national origin, religion and whatever other differences there may be between men ARE the creations of that vanity to which ALL are subjected. These differences ARE NOT seen by the Lord who operates in equanimity and meekness and ALL ideas regarding the “wrath of God” and any ideas that the Lord places one group over another that seem to be based in scripture must be put into a proper perspective. In the last essay we briefly discussed the nature of Jesus’ meekness which kept Him from asking that the Father to send “more than twelve legions of angels” (Matthew 26:53). This IS but an example of the idea of meekness where the greater reality IS that Jesus Himself has such Power to dispel any threat; that He DOES NOT IS a point missed by most against the doctrinal ideas attached to His dealing with the “money changers” in the temple (John 2:15). This episode IS NOT DONE in anger, there IS NO wrath; there IS ONLY the point to be made that men have converted a “house of prayer” into a “den of thieves“. Similarly while Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees, Sadducees and others of that ilk seem harshly worded, the reality IS that these ARE but teaching moments that show forth the errors of the Jews’ religious leaders. Perhaps the essence of meekness IS found in Jesus’ teaching that clearly tells us “unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:29-31).
Of course one could fight with the one that “smiteth thee on the one cheek“; one could resist “him that taketh away thy cloke” but this IS NOT what the Master teaches us to DO; His instructions ARE the reality of meekness. This idea of meekness along with Matthew’s version of the Master’s words saying “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:38-42) ARE precepts that lead us to ever greater measure of the “fruit of the Spirit“. We should try to see that ‘turning the other cheek‘ DOES NOT ONLY apply to actually being struck by another but it IS an example of the meekness of a man in every social interaction from striking words and actions to actual physical encounters. And we should remember here that Jesus also teaches us in regard to things being taken from us as He shows us also that whatsoever one asks of us, we should DO. Perhaps most importantly we should understand the selflessness of His words here, an idea that has been missing in the church from the beginning save for giving to the poor and distressed which appears DONE ONLY in specific situations. It IS these ideas of meekness, of equanimity and of selflessness that should be understood from Paul’s use of the Greek word praotes in his list of the “fruit of the Spirit“. Repeating our selection from Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians 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
The last word in Paul list of “the fruit of the Spirit” IS the Greek word egkrateia which IS rendered as temperance. Here again we have a word that IS doctrinally confused with other word ideas from Paul’s list. Egkrateia IS rendered in terms of self-control by many and stated as “control over desires” and chastity by a few which ideas harken back to that doctrinal fixation on sex and sexual deviation. The English word temperance DOES reflect ideas of self-control and in today’s dictionary the idea IS linked to the use of alcoholic liquors*. Both ideas, of sex and of indulgence in alcohol, ARE extremely limiting ideas and to be sure the idea Paul IS expressing IS a larger view that qualifies as a “fruit of the Spirit“. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary gives us a broader view saying that temperance IS: Moderation; particularly, habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence; as temperance in eating and drinking; temperance in the indulgence of joy or mirth. Temperance in eating and drinking is opposed to gluttony and drunkenness, and in other indulgences, to excess as the primary definition and then as Patience; calmness; sedateness; moderation of passion1. In the latter defining ideas the meaning of the word IS extended past ideas of self-control. Thayer’s tells us that egkrateia IS: the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites as they show the direct definition as self-control9. Vine’s gives us a deeper view and one that can be more easily seen in a spiritual context; they say that egkrateia IS: from kratos, “strength,” occurs in Act 24:25; Gal 5:23; 2Pe 1:6 (twice), in all of which it is rendered “temperance;” the RV marg., “self-control” is the preferable rendering, as “temperance” is now limited to one form of self-control; the various powers bestowed by God upon man are capable of abuse; the right use demands the controlling power of the will under the operation of the Spirit of God; in Act 24:25 the word follows “righteousness,” which represents God’s claims, self-control being man’s response thereto; in 2Pe 1:6, it follows “knowledge,” suggesting that what is learned requires to be put into practice9b. It IS easy to see the difference in the ideas relating to egkrateia as Vine’s puts this in alignment with the ideas that we have been applying to the previous word praotes which IS rendered as meekness. We can also trace this back to the cautions that Paul offers in his list of “the works of the flesh” where several words warn us to NOT abuse the various powers bestowed by God upon man. This abuse can be easily understood as using spiritual Power to carnal ends. Add to this the idea that whatsoever a man may realize in Truth IS to be put into practice else it IS a worthless revelation. It IS ONLY Vine’s that shows us the more spiritual ideas of egkrateia and we should try to see that the idea of self-control IS related to a man’s response to the flow of spiritual powers bestowed by God upon man and then the idea that what is learned requires to be put into practice.
We can see the idea behind egkrateia in other sayings from the New Testament; it IS in temperance, in self-control that we can “Walk in the Spirit” as Paul explains saying “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“. In this we should try to understand that it IS temperance that allows us to NOT “do the things that ye would” while the strength to DO so IS because we “Walk in the Spirit” or strive to DO so. It IS in this temperate self-control that we can 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 of temperance? Self-control IS the most general idea to be taken from egkrateia; we should understand here that this temperance IS more than a man’s ability to willfully avoid DOING “the things that ye would“. True temperance as a “fruit of the Spirit” comes from the Lord in a way that IS understood in Vine’s commentary on egkrateia; True temperance comes from the Soul of the man focused upon the Truth of God. True temperance IS, as ARE ALL of the spiritual ideas from Paul’s list of “the fruit of the Spirit“, a component of the Love that flows through a man who strives to keep His words. While we DID discuss the relationship between these last two words, there ARE similar relationships among ALL of the apostle’s list. It IS in temperance that we can realize the equanimity of ALL despite the world pressures that have caused our years of prejudices along so many racial and social lines and it IS in this equanimity that we can express the fullness of agape. It IS also in temperance that we can refrain from the errors which Paul cautions us against in his list of “the works of the flesh” and it IS in this self-control that we can express the “joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith“, ALL of which stream from that Love that enters the carnal Life when a man IS focused upon the things of God. Here we should try to see how that the three parts of our trifecta bring us the reality of “the fruit of the Spirit“, how that in keeping His words we can have realization of the Truth through the Presence of the Lord in our mortal lives as we move our being from this world into the Kingdom of God. 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).
We should understand that ALL things spiritual come back to our ability to keep His words; that this IS the single KEY that unlocks ALL revelations and realizations which ARE in effect the fullness of “the fruit of the Spirit” as well as that “wisdom that is from above” (James 3:17) that the Apostle James shows us. This IS Paul’s lesson for the Galatians who had fallen away into “another gospel” as he tries through his words to refocus them upon the Truth; while we DO NOT KNOW if this was effective in Galatia, we DO KNOW that in doctrinal Christianity over the centuries the role of “another gospel: Which is not another” (Galatians 1:6, 7) still reigns supreme. While it may seem easy to blame Paul for the debacle that IS religion today, we should understand that he DID his best to portray the Truth of Jesus’ words to the various populations that he taught and to whom he wrote. As we have said throughout our blog posts, it IS through the sheer volume of letters that men have been able to distort the One Truth that IS the essence of the New Testament; in Paul’s writings there IS much fodder for men’s desire to dilute the Truth as they found words and sentences that they have easily taken out of context and misconstrued. While this IS True in the writings of others, it IS mostly in the gospels that men have found a similar ability to distort as they used their interpretations of the Master’s words given us by the apostles. Church ‘authorities’ redefined His meanings and perhaps the single most abused idea from Jesus’ words IS the out of context phrase “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). These words have caused the Christian world to see themselves ‘separate’ from the rest and while this phenomenon that sees oneself as the guardian of the One Truth exists in many religions, it IS NO more a separative feature than it IS in Christianity. The doctrinal foundation of the gospels and the epistles has become the separative attitudes that stem from self-serving interpretations of Jesus’ words. This, coupled with the ideas of men whose desire IS to be both spiritual and carnal at the same time has become the normalcy of most ALL Christian denominations and sects. The True foundation IS of course agape and if we look closely at the apostles’ writings we can see a steady stream of instructions on the reality of the Way, the Truth, and the Life that IS the Christ which IS represented to us as the Christ Within, the Holy Spirit and the Presence of the Father in one’s Life. ALL of this IS NOT hidden from view but it IS hidden from the finite minds of men whose foundation IS “another gospel“, and today there ARE many. The Truth of scripture IS hidden from those whose focus IS so encumbered by their carnal existence that they fail to Truly seek after that Truth while believing that they have the Truth in the various doctrinal presentations that have become their own bondage.
Most ALL ignore Jesus’ words from our trifecta while laying claim to the Truth, the Kingdom and His Presence. The idea that we keep His words IS an alien concept for most Christians who see their ‘salvation‘ in their obedience to doctrinal precepts, based mostly in their misinterpreted, misapplied and misrepresented words of Paul. Of course the church DOES NOT see things this way nor DO their followers who have been indoctrinated into their beliefs regarding God and Life by teachings that ARE self-serving and mostly carnally oriented. Few see the reality of sin and how pervasive this resultant separation from God sin IS, especially in those Truths that men DO NOT see as sin despite being told of their nature. Perhaps the principal failure of men, the greatest sin, IS found in their expression of agape or, better, their failure to express that Love of which Paul tells the Galatians “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“. Men fail to realize that Jesus’ message IS that it IS this Love that conquers ALL sin. Men have for 2000 years failed to realize the stated reality that “the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other” draws a stark line between our carnal lives and our spiritual lives. Jesus shows us this in more simple terms saying “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” and His companion saying that men should “Take no thought for your life” which the Master ends by saying “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:24, 25, 33). James also shows us the opposition between God and mammon, between the spiritual and the carnal saying bluntly “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever* therefore will be* a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).
We close today with two additional ideas. First IS Paul’s closing to our selection where we read that “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“. Here we have a rather specific statement from Paul that should convict the Christian world that claims to ‘be Christ’s’ while dearly holding on to their “flesh with the affections and lusts“. Finally we look to Jesus words to the Jews, words that ARE repeated as prophecy from the words of Isaiah, words that prophetically should NOT ONLY concern the Jews in Jesus’ time but ALL men in ALL times. 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).
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
- 1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913 from https://1828.mshaffer.com/
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- 9b Vine’s Expository Dictionary on blueletterbible.org
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
