ON LOVE; PART MCDXXXV
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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 discussing the scriptural idea of the heart of which Jesus tells us that it IS “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). We noted that the idea of speaking here IS NOT in regard ONLY to the words that we speak but rather of the entire deportment of the personality and this same equivalency applies to the Apostle James’ words on the tongue. James tells us that “the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell” (James 3:5-6). Here we should understand the idea of the tongue as a man’s expression and that the tongue CAN NOT act alone but ONLY upon the direction of the mind and the emotions of men….their personality if you will. The relationship between the heart and the tongue IS NO different than the relationship between the heart and our other outward actions which ARE our expressions. While use of the tongue may be an easier expression that other actions, writing IS perhaps even easier; but regardless of our method of expression, and to be sure we use many, it IS the heart that IS in control. Here we return to the more important aspects of our evolution, the evolution of the heart both as the personality grounded in this world and as the personality reacting by measure to the promptings of the soul. The evolution of our bodies was a corporate evolution that involved the refining of vehicles of expression for use by the Soul and we should try to see that this evolution of form continues yet today. It IS not our place to assert that Darwin’s theories ARE correct although many have proven to be; nor IS it our place to offer ideas as the the origin of the human species although it IS logical to presume that our form nature DID begin in the form of the early homo-sapiens. From homo-erectus to homo-neanderthralensis to homo-sapiens and beyond, these body forms ARE essentially human; however, the earlier forms ARE NOT much more than ‘intelligent’ animals and somewhere in this timeline the reality that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7) likely occurs. It IS perhaps this influx of Soul Power that begins the long history of a humanity that begins to produce stone tools, an event that requires that the man IS a thinking being albeit one using but rudimentary thought. Contrary to the story of Adam and Eve, the rudimentary man had NO verbal abilities save for the grunts and groans of his animal self. If we read this story in a certain way, there IS later the idea that “when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them” (Genesis 6:4) that may show us an intermarriage between those that could control their flesh, sons of God, and the more rudimentary females of the species. This IS of course pure speculation on our part and we present it to show that the ideas of Genesis can be manipulated to suit the leanings of the presenter; much that IS attributed to the Genesis story has been manipulated for centuries and here most importantly IS the idea that “God created man in his own image” and that this image IS of a man. Returning to our discussion on the heart we again look at the defining ideas from the lexicon:
- denotes the centre of all physical and spiritual life
- the vigour and sense of physical life
- the centre and seat of spiritual life
- the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavours
- of the understanding, the faculty and seat of the intelligence
- of the will and character
- of the soul so far as it is affected and stirred in a bad way or good, or of the soul as the seat of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions
- of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate2a
In the last essays we discussed the first idea from this list of definitions for the Greek word kardia; through this we tried to establish that the heart IS NOT the center of spiritual Life save in the idea that one’s spiritual Life has become the essence of one’s expression of Truth and agape here in this world. While this idea of the heart as the center may have some meaning to the disciple, it has little or NO effect in the lives of most ALL men whose spiritual center remains in the unrealized and mostly unrevealed Soul. The second defining idea here IS that the heart IS the vigour and sense of physical life; in this we should try to see that it IS the heart that IS the personality through which we express ourselves. As the personality of a man the heart IS truly a reflection of the Master’s words saying “of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” and this should be understood according to the preceding words saying “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil” (Luke 6:45). In this idea of treasure that we should see the idea of ALL that IS important to a man, that such IS either “good treasure” which IS spiritual, or it IS “evil treasure” which IS carnal. While Jesus DOES NOT get into the idea that the heart, the personality of a man, IS a one’s highly changeable psyche that can treasure the spiritual and the carnal, James DOES address this in telling us that “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). Here perhaps we should try to see the alternating reality in the lives of men that DO strive to keep His words and while James calls us here unstable, this should show us as well how that we DO seek after “treasures upon earth” and “treasures in heaven” in a seemingly randomness of alternating motivations. The point here IS simply that the heart IS the expression of the variableness of one’s thoughts and motivations and that the objective IS ever to steady the personality in the spiritual Light of the Soul; a difficult but NOT impossible task which IS possible through our continued striving. What keeps us from this IS a complex array of obstacles which begin in that vanity into which we ARE born plus ALL that we are nurtured and indoctrinated into; this IS the primary burden of men. To this we must add that there IS little or NO instructional information regarding the Way of Truth and Love; men ARE left to discover these Soul promptings for themselves and, unfortunately, in the din of daily Life few DO. The heart then IS Truly the vigour and sense of physical life as one’s personality leads a man into the varying directions that ARE his reactions to his circumstance and the world around him.
The next defining idea from the lexicon IS that the heart IS the centre and seat of spiritual life; this idea IS NOT an accurate depiction of the role of the heart save for its role in the Life of the disciple as we discuss above. The lexicon then cites sub-ideas for us to correlate with this idea that the heart IS the centre and seat of spiritual life. Let us discuss these in their order. As the centre and seat of spiritual life the lexicon tells us that the heart IS the soul or mind and here we should try to see that these ARE NOT the same. The mind IS a part of the physical vehicle and of the personality while the Soul IS the True man that IS spiritual and stands apart from ALL aspects of form Life. It IS the Transformation process that allows the Soul to influence the mind and the personality as a whole as both become expressions of spiritual Truth and Love. The tying together of the Soul and the mind in the doctrinal ideas of men IS based in the belief that this form Life IS that which continues in heaven or hell but this NOT based in any revealed Truth. Tying these together contributes to much of the doctrinal malaise that dominates Christianity; it IS this idea that the man in this world IS the True man who, sans body, lives on in an afterlife with the hope of being reunited with that body in a undefined ‘glorified’ form at some future undefined time that prevents most from even glimpsing the Truth. While we DO NOT KNOW any better than others what actually happens in death and dying, we can say with some certainty that most ALL common doctrinal ideas regarding death ARE based solely in the desire of men to continue in some form. Such ideas contribute to the denial of such ideas as reincarnation or rebirth and while the general understanding across ALL religions IS founded in error, these ideas DO have some merit. In the end it IS the doctrinal tying together of Soul and mind that IS responsible for much of the religious attitude that says that it IS impossible for a man to ‘save’ himself. However, in such attitudes the missing ingredient IS the Soul as the Lord of the Life that everyman has in this world. Many doctrines teach that as one becomes ‘saved’ by whatsoever means they believe IS the key, the Christ, or the Lord or the Holy Spirit comes to live within that person as the omnipresent God that guides one to ‘glory’. The reality however IS much the same as we have been discussing throughout the course of these blogposts; The Christ, or the Lord or the Holy Spirit that IS relied upon IS actually one’s own Soul and the communion that IS desired requires that one Truly strives toward communion through striving to keep His words. Any effect, euphoric or otherwise, that one has regarding this communion IS but a response to one’s own thoughts and the desires that motivate them and have little to DO with the actual realizations of Truth which ARE evidenced by the changed expression of a man; an expression of Truth and agape to be sure. The rest of the lexicon’s statement here IS more in line with reality; the heart IS the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavours. These ideas however must be tempered by an understanding that under the influence of the Soul these thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavours become Truly spiritual and this IS the most basic idea that Paul shows us in saying “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God“. We should remember that to DO so the apostle also tells us that we should “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:2, 1) and in this we should see the forsaking of our carnal thoughts, attitudes and actions.
The next ideas from the lexicon ARE much the same as those above. They tell us that the heart IS the center of the understanding, the faculty and seat of the intelligence and from a carnal perspective these things ARE True. Intelligence and the understanding of things provided however ARE the function of the personality in this world while the True intelligence that John shows us saying that “ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” (1 John 2:20) IS of the Soul. While we DO NOT quite understand the idea of KNOWING ALL things, we should try to see that this KNOWING IS of the things that Truly matter in Life. As an example of such KNOWING we should look to the Life of Albert Einstein who, while NOT a visibly religious man, had access to the stream of Truth that flows from spiritual realms or, Truth that flows though and from one’s own Soul. From a purely carnal perspective we CAN NOT understand ideas of such cosmic importance as those that Einstein was able to translate into ideas which, while obscure to most ALL average persons, established an entire scientific discipline to help guide the race of men. And Einstein IS NOT the ONLY one who has brought Truly deep revelations of Truth into carnal usage in this world and we should note that such contributions ARE NOT limited to the scientific realm. We should try to see here also how that there IS a relationship between the concept of reincarnation and the ability of men to bring such revelation, a relationship which we can apply to many from the apostles of Jesus who brought with them the sum-total of their ability to control form from previous lives to the Truly progressive leaders over the last 2000 years. To be sure there ARE combinations of spiritual and mundane perspectives at play in the personalities of ALL such persons and most likely DO NOT realize the source of their Power as men; this however should NOT deter our understanding of such men’s abilities. This however IS NOT our subject here as we affirm that the personality IS the center of the understanding, the faculty and seat of the intelligence and that the source of ALL that IS NOT mundane IS the Soul. The lexicon goes on to say that the heart IS the center of the will and character and here IS yet another idea that IS multifaceted; through Paul’s words saying “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” we can get a glimpse of this. As the center of of the will and character, we should try to see that the heart IS just as the Master portrays it in such sayings as “of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45); this reveals the idea of both the will and the character which ARE ever on display as one’s expression. We should remember that the expression of a man IS his essential character and that this sense of being IS changeable; whatsoever ARE a man’s experiences, and indoctrination become that which he expresses and when his experiences and indoctrination ARE from God, from one’s own Soul, then “the abundance of the heart” IS spiritual. Conversely when one dwells solely in the carnal realities of this world “the abundance of the heart” remains carnal and oriented toward the things of the self; this IS of course the state of most ALL men, a state that IS ONLY escaped according to Peter’s words saying that “ye might be partakers of the divine nature” after “having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). It IS when our treasure IS spiritual realizations that we can Truly see that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).
The next defining idea from the lexicon IS that the heart IS the center of the soul so far as it is affected and stirred in a bad way or good, or of the soul as the seat of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions and while there ARE points of Truth in this, the idea IS largely in error. Our sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions ARE aspects of the personality and NOT the Soul and while the Soul influences these ideas and this influence can be permanent, it IS important to remember that these sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions change in accord with the direction of the personality at any given time. In this defining idea we should be able to see that the Soul IS little understood in the doctrinal church which often equates the Soul with the mind and with the personality of a man; it IS this association that creates that idea that it IS the personality that IS that eternal part that continues after death. While there may be a sense of peace in this idea, there IS NO reality to it; it IS a misplaced wish Life that perpetuates such ideas. The act of dying IS a complex matter of which there IS little that can be proven regarding the Soul which carries on in some spiritual way, carrying with it the ‘fruits‘ of one’s Life, the treasures if you will. This uncertainty persists for ALL who DO NOT Truly KNOW the Lord and have full realization of the Truth. For most who seek ‘salvation‘ in the doctrines of men the idea of an afterlife in ‘heaven’ has become real and IS generally NOT seen as a wishful outcome for one’s Life here. This sense of comfort IS both misleading and stagnating as men NO longer pursue the Truth save for the few who DO glimpse the greater Truths and act on it through seeking, asking and knocking on the door of Truth. The Master instructs us in this in words that ARE NOT applied outside of the doctrinal constraints of the churches; He tells us to “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened“. Much of this IS related by men to carnal undertakings or ‘church’ business but the reality IS that we ARE to seek after the Truths that ARE hidden behind such things. Jesus goes on to show us by parable the idea that one would “give good gifts” to His children much as the Lord would give good things to those who ARE seeking, asking and knocking on the doors of Truth. The Master tells us “If ye then, being evil carnal, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:7-8, 11). We should understand that it IS these “good things” that come from the Lord ARE NOT carnal but spiritual and that it IS these that change the heart of a man, it IS these that change the source of and the nature of one’s sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, and passions away from the carnal and onto the things of God. So then the Soul IS NOT stirred as this definition ascribes but rather the Soul IS that aspect of a man that will stir the heretofore carnally oriented heart and this IS one of the great objectives of Life in this world.
The final defining idea from the lexicon IS that the heart IS of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate and in this we have a more common understanding of the idea of the heart in common language. However such ideas as this and the lexicon’s first defining idea regarding the physical organ in NO way reflect the biblical usage of the idea of the heart as used by the Master. We should try to see the error of equating the heart with the Soul as we try to understand that the Soul IS that same unction of which the Apostle John tells us “ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things“. The Soul IS the Christ Within from the perspective of the man in this world and to realize that the Soul IS the True man IS NOT an easy task as few who teach us Truly understand the nature of man nor the reality of the Godhead. This sense of separation between the Soul and its vehicle, between the spiritual and the carnal IS an essential part of our spiritual progress as it IS through this that we learn of the True brotherhood of man. When we can see everyman as the Soul that IS working through his vehicle of flesh, we can then perhaps have a Truer understanding of such ideas as “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” and “all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them“. This IS because there ARE NO longer the apparent differences that ARE so visible as men in flesh; there ARE NO colors, no nationalities, no cultural differences and NO cause for competition and, behind this, there IS NO longer the effects of vanity which ARE those carnal human traits that the lexicon shows us as the heart. There ARE NO overriding sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, and passions as we come to understand the Master’s words on such things. It IS here, under the influence of the Soul on the heart, the personality of a man, that we can find that True Peace of which Jesus tells us “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you” (John 14:27). Of course we must try to understand that this giving from the Lord comes through our own Soul which, as the Soul of the Master Himself and ALL the saints, IS our True spiritual link to the Godhead of which we ARE ALL part and parcel. We have used these words, part and parcel, in the past and perhaps explained our use of this idea in older posts but we should address this concept here again for a Truer understanding of our relationship to the Lord as well as the apostle’s reasoning as he says that we should “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). In this we should be able to see the need to, “through the Spirit“, mortify the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13). Spiritually this IS “your reasonable service” but this can ONLY be understood as we come to understand the essential dichotomy between the carnal and the spiritual, a dichotomy that IS NOT recognized by most in and out of the church. To be part and parcel IS NOT as simple as it IS shown in today’s dictionary which defines the phrase as an essential or integral component* and as an essential or basic element*. In both definitions the idea of essential IS perhaps the KEY but the idea goes in two ways when we use the phrase in reference to the Lord. We ARE by nature a part of the Godhead as ALL that exists exists in someway within God. At the same time ALL that IS ‘KNOWN’ by God IS also KNOWN by us as spiritual beings which idea is a reflection of John’s words on the unction. So then to be part and parcel IS to be a part that has the fullness of the whole but this idea must be understood strictly spiritually and upon the levels of existance that reach beyond our understanding of any perceived spiritual realm.
We look to Strong’s for a more technical defining idea for kardia; Strong’s tells us that kardia IS: prolonged from a primary κάρ kár (Latin cor, “heart”); the heart, i.e. (figuratively) the thoughts or feelings (mind); also (by analogy) the middle9a. In these ideas we should try to see the direct relationship to the personality, the mind and emotions of everyman, in a most direct statement regarding the Greek word. In regard to the idea of the middle, there IS much to ponder as the heart IS in the middle between the Soul and the Life of a man in this Earth. The heart IS motivated by both as the personality can sway from pole to pole with relative ease; it IS the heart that can grasp and hold the spiritual impulses, the “good treasure” which IS our “treasures in heaven“, and it IS the heart can keep and seek after “treasures upon earth” which ARE carnal and therefore qualify biblically as our “evil treasure“. We should see here that much of the confusion in the churches IS based in two things; first the presumed relationship between the personality and the Soul, that these ARE the same, and second the misapplication of the reality of the Greek word poneros which IS always rendered in terms of evil and wickedness. Strong’s tells us that poneros IS: hurtful, i.e. evil (properly, in effect or influence, and thus differing from G2556, which refers rather to essential character, as well as from G4550, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue); figuratively, calamitous; also (passively) ill, i.e. diseased; but especially (morally) culpable9a. We should note that there ARE three Greek words that ARE rendered into the same English word evil. Each of these words IS rendered in terms of evil with the common understanding of the English word which IS defined as: morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked; harmful; detrimental*. When we can however see evil as carnal through ALL three Greek words, the idea of what IS “your reasonable service” can become increasingly clear. The point here IS that the understanding of good and evil needs to be seen from the spiritual perspective that IS at the heart of the gospels and epistles of the New Testament and NOT restricted to our carnal lives in this world. As we have discussed in previous essays, the idea of good should be understood according to Jesus words saying “there is none good but one, that is, God” (Mark 10:18) and if we can understand that this includes ALL thoughts and ideas that ARE Truly Godly, we can better understand the reality of this idea. Evil, as used in opposition to God should then be understood as ALL that IS NOT Truly Godly and ALL that IS NOT God which brings us back to the singular defining ideas that evil IS essentially carnal. It IS this sense of opposition between good and evil, between ‘of God’ and ‘of the world’ or carnal, that IS the message from James who tells us “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). This IS the same message that we should take from Paul’s words saying “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:5-7).
Understanding this dichotomy between carnal and spiritual, between the things of God and the things of the self, IS a necessary realization as we attempt to enter the Path that leads us to Truth as we “Strive to enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24). The Apostle Paul tells us at the end of his words on this dichotomy that “they that are in the flesh cannot* please God” (Romans 8:8) and while some of the church may interpret his words to show the impossibility of ‘pleasing God’ as men in this world, the reality IS quite different. The objective here IS to show us that we CAN NOT be among those “that are after the flesh“, those that pursue things carnal, but that we must be among those that ARE Truly “after the Spirit” which idea IS further exemplified later as the apostle tells us “if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13). Can we see the point here? Can we see how that the dichotomy between carnal and spiritual, between the things of God and the things of the self, gives us the same Life choice as DOES the Master as He tells us “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). In the reality of the vanity into which ALL men ARE born, a vanity that IS then compounded by years of nurturing and indoctrination into the ways of this world, the self becomes the central point for most ALL men. This IS True both in and out of the churches as organized religion only enhances one’s vanity as followers and believers ARE further indoctrinated into the various doctrines that pose as the Truth. We should try to see that Jesus perceived this trend in the hearts of men which believe that they have some modicum of the Truth in their doctrines as He tells the assembly that “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23). We should see this as Matthew’s long version of the simple rhetorical question that Luke uses to cover this same idea; in Luke we read the Master’s words as “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). What we should try to see and understand here IS that the Master IS warning ALL that to merely call Him Lord DOES NOT equate to one’s ‘salvation‘ but this IS NOT the Christian view. Doctrines have replaced Jesus’ words with the words of His apostles and here particularly Paul whose many, many words can be manipulated to form a doctrine of ‘comfort’ without the need for our expressions of Truth and Love; expressions that flow from what we can call a renewed heart which we should easily see in Paul’s words “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).
It IS this renewal that effects the entire personality which IS essentially our expression in this world and here we should KNOW that it IS our expression that IS our fruit and it IS our expression that Truly matters. Further we should try to understand that following upon Jesus’ words above that point to the hypocrisy of religious thought over the centuries, a hypocrisy that IS founded in men’s own creation of doctrines that offer comfort, a hypocrisy that ignores the idea of keeping His words, the Master DOES offer us a parabolic view that IS easily relatable to our existence in this world. His words follow the idea of ‘therefore‘ as He closes out His Sermon in Matthew’s Gospel but these words, much like the majority of the Sermon on the Mount, ARE generally ignored in favor of the doctrinal ideas of men who offer us the idea that one’s faith and believing ARE ALL that IS necessary and that keeping His words IS an impossible task despite the volume of the Master’s words about DOING so. Jesus tells us:
“Therefore 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 close again with our trifecta of spiritual reality which ARE a selection of the Masters words that should lead us to understand that it IS in keeping His words that we DO find True ‘salvation‘; 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 will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
- 2a New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.com
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
- ** Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, 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
