ON LOVE; PART MCDXLII
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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 our trifecta as our primary example of the Master’s injunctions that we should keep His words. This we started with Jesus’ words on the importance of keeping His words and that this has become a non-starter in today’s Christianity where the nebulous ideas of faith and believing have become the norm IS Truly unfortunate. Jesus message could NOT be any clearer despite the way that His speech IS formed a parabolic tone; the clarity of His words ARE still ignored however by most ALL that claim the Christ as their Savior and their Lord. The simplicity of His admonitions has been traded for the ease of men’s doctrinal perspectives that ARE practiced and taught generation after generation and to NOT see how that this falls into His words saying “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:22, 19) IS even more unfortunate. While it may be difficult to cast oneself, individually or corporately, as one that DOES “break one of these least commandments“, this IS a necessary step towards the Truth of what Christianity IS intended to be. Even more acute IS the idea that few if any understand the implications of His words saying “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9). Again, the Master’s words ARE clear but they ARE NOT understood against the reality of the ending to His Sermon on the Mount and while the order of His words may be misplaced in time, the gist of them IS still the same; they ARE ALL His words and ALL qualify as His commandments and as His sayings. Jesus ends His sermon saying:
“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)
It IS NOT difficult to understand why men have chosen to interpret such words as these in terms of others without looking at oneself and again here the idea should be seen both individually and corporately. The objective IS clearly that the man who hears His words and “doeth them” IS the Wise man while the man that hears His words and “doeth them not” IS a foolish man and, from our perspective, one that IS squandering his opportunities in this world. It IS this message that Jesus Himself amplifies in our trifecta and throughout the gospels. The parable IS simple and NOT hard to put into perspective yet for centuries the ideas have been ignored as men build their lives upon the sand, lives that in the end ARE destined to fall or, better, fail to accomplish the True Goal of one’s Life. An example of the failure of the church to properly understand the gist of this message can be seen in John Gill’s commentary where we read that of those that ARE the foolish ARE they: who pretend to make their peace with God by their own works; who hope for pardon on the foot of the mercy of God, and their own repentance; seek for justification by their own, and not the righteousness of Christ; look for acceptance with God, for the sake of their own worthiness; and who expect salvation in any other way than by Christ8. Such ideas ARE far afield from the simplicity of keeping His words that the Master IS admonishing us to DO and we should note here that the Apostle James’ saying that men should be “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22) IS a most direct clarification and amplification of the Master’s admonishment. We should not equate the idea of hearing in neither Jesus’ nor James’ sayings as requiring that one actual hear the saying and His words audibly. Matthew uses the word akouo, a verb, while James uses the derivative akroates which IS a noun and while both ARE defined in terms of audible hearing Thayer’s offers us the idea of: to perceive in the soul the inward communication of God and to be taught by God’s inward communication based on akroates’ usage in James Epistile. Our point here IS that it matters NOT how one comes to ‘hear‘ the words of the Master, one could read them, be told them by another or perceive them through the prompting of one’s own Soul; it matters NOT. In the end we should try to see that in the Christian religion, through most ALL of the denominations and sects, the words of the Lord, the gospels if you will, ARE heard by the masses and likely read as well so that Jesus’ words ARE NOT hidden but ARE proclaimed to the minds of most ALL. This IS hearing His words in much the same way as the disciples who heard them directly from the Master. And Jesus shows us that the lineage of His words through generation after generation brings the same message as He tells us in His ‘prayer’ saying “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word“. The church however has muddied this sense of hearing by reading and proclaiming His words while teaching men that they should heed their doctrines instead, further fueling the dilemma cited by the Master who tells us “in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7).
In the last post we began with the Way to “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21) which we have shown to be the same as Peter’s becoming “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Both of these ‘rewards‘ ARE available to men here and now and DO carry over into whatsoever IS the reality of our afterlife. This we have discussed in recent essays but we should understand that there IS a vagueness to such ideas as we DO NOT KNOW what happens when people die; we KNOW ONLY that they DO. While so much of Christianity relies upon their belief in heaven and hell, they miss the ALL important ideas of here and now and this IS what the Master IS trying to show us through His words which begin for us with His Sermon on the Mount. In the last essay we tried to take ourselves from the idea of Repentance to the realities of His words with the understanding that in our Repentance and our subsequent Transformation we DO live according to the ideas put forth; we have NO choice if our Repentance IS True and our Transformation IS that which we strive toward. We should try to understand that in our Repentance we have changed our focus from ourselves and the things of the self to the things of God and in our Transformation we move ourselves toward the realities of the Beatitudes which we briefly discussed. We should remember that the idea of blessed IS much more that the idea of happiness as this idea IS presented; it IS rather the reality that of becoming blessed as we begin Transforming ourselves into, the “poor in spirit“, “the meek“, “the peacemakers“, etc.. While some of these ideas ARE rather obscure, most ARE NOT and ARE further emphasized in the remainder of Jesus’ words. We should understand here that some of the ideas that Jesus uses ARE NOT held in the same regard as He intended. Meek IS a prime example; it IS a word that has come to show weakness while the reality of the word defines True Christian strength. Jesus shows us meekness in His everyday actions and up to the point where He IS put to death by the Romans and the Jews of the day and He shows us this as a strength through His own words saying “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). What we should see here IS the Power of the Lord to release himself from the grasp of the Romans and Jews and the strength to NOT DO as He had the Power to DO. And the Master tries to teach us this same meekness as He admits His own 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). Further this idea of meekness IS hidden in His words, in such sayings as “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” (Matthew 5:38-41). Here we should see that although one may have the means, the power if you will, to resist or the power to revenge, that the righteous thing IS to ‘turn the other cheek‘; this IS the reality of meekness and as the Master tells us that “they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
We must be careful here however as we try to understand the gist of such ideas as “they shall inherit the earth” and we should try to see that this IS NOT a reference to the physical world. First we should see the meek as those that understand and express agape an idea that IS attached to most ALL of the Beatitudes. It IS agape that will overwhelm the selfish attitudes of men and the signs of this ARE more apparent in this New Age than at any time before. Granted the recent history and politics of the world DO NOT show these signs but they ARE there and much can be seen in what conservative society has branded and derided as wokeness. That there IS a basic dichotomy between things spiritual and things carnal IS made clear to us throughout the gospels and in the epistles but the idea IS NOT clearly understood. Perhaps the most direct saying can be found in James Epistle where we read “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). Paul also shows us a similar idea saying that “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). We repeat this sayings often because they have a fundamental relationship to our Repentance and Transformation as it IS against the vanity that IS Life in this world that we work against. These words from the apostles DO show us the dichotomy and should be clearly understood but the doctrines of men have turned these ideas away from the originating words of the Master. This IS because the masses ARE taught and believe that through their doctrines that they ARE NO longer “after the flesh” despite little or NO change in their lives, a change that demands the higher ideals of Repentance which should ever be understood as “Such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice”4. Similarly, through their doctrines, men ARE taught to believe that one IS NOT “a friend of the world” despite little or NO change from their pre-doctrinal lives. In these ideas we should see that most doctrinal Christians see themselves as “spiritually minded” and speak of the world with disdain despite their continued reliance upon their carnal lives. Repentance changes carnal lives into spiritual lives by way of one’s decision to change and begin that virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose which IS one’s Transformation that leads to a like virtuous change in the life and practice.
The seeds to these ideas on the separation between the things of the world and the things of God ARE also found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as He speaks of treasure, of mammon and of men’s thoughts of Life in this world and we will get to these ideas as we move past the beatitudes and the explanatory ideas that follow. In such ideas as these from the apostles and the Master we should be able to understand that to “inherit the earth” IS NOT what it IS presumed to be. Other translations render this idea as to “obtain possession of the earth“, to “inherit the land“, “the earth will belong to them” and “they will receive what God has promised” and save for the last entry NONE show us a spiritual idea which perforce must be the real intent. John Gill in his Exposition of the Bible tells us that to “inherit the earth” refers to: the “new earth”, which will be after this is burnt up; in which only such persons as are here described shall dwell; and who shall inherit it, by virtue of their being heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; whose is the earth, and the fulness thereof8. Technically the Greek word ge which IS rendered as Earth has a meaning closer to land; Strong’s tells us that ge IS contracted from a primary word; soil and offers meanings derived by extension including: a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application):—country, earth(-ly), ground, land, world9a. Thayer’s largely agrees with these ideas that DO NOT help us to understand the intended idea. However, in their defining ideas for the Greek word kleronomeo which IS rendered as inherited Thayer’s offers us this after their normal discourse on the idea: pertaining to this specific reference in Jesus’ Sermon they say that based in the Jew’s struggle to possess the ‘promised land’ that: it came to pass that the phrase was transferred to denote the tranquil and stable possession of the holy land crowned with all divine blessings, an experience which pious Israelites were to expect under the Messiah; hence, it became a formula denoting to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom9. If we can see in this idea that this formula was KNOWN and understood in Jesus’ day, we can then see that His use of the idea that the meek “shall inherit the earth” IS a parabolic reference to a spiritual inheritance and can better understand the force of this idea of meekness.
The phrase “poor in spirit” IS also one that IS difficult to understand as it IS these that ARE blessed and who will have “the kingdom of heaven“. There ARE many theories regarding these words; Vincent tells us that: it is very graphic and appropriate here, as denoting the utter spiritual destitution, the consciousness of which precedes the entrance into the kingdom of God, and which cannot be relieved by one’s own efforts, but only by the free mercy of God4 but outside of one’s doctrinal convictions this makes little sense. From the perspective of man and God there can be NO spiritual destitution as the Spirit IS the Truth of man whose ONLY destitution IS found in his inability to express the Truth and Love through his flesh in this world. While Vincent’s words may be an answer to the intent of this phrase, there ARE yet other views that require similar understanding. Should we however look at these words from a different perspective perhaps we can see that those that DO live “in the Spirit” (Romans 8:9) ARE poor in this world and this according to the Master’s words on treasure and on mammon and His defining idea of the disciple which we read as “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Can we see that in the disciple there IS one that has obtained the Kingdom though being in this world as ‘poor‘ because he has forsaken “all that he hath“. Our point here IS that the idea of being “poor in spirit” IS understandable in terms of the disciple and the saint; it IS this person that IS “in the Spirit” while yet in this world and it IS this person that IS poor because he has forsaken “all that he hath” although this variation of poor IS NOT in distress but in the joy of choosing “treasures in heaven” over the self-serving “treasures upon earth” (Matthew 6:20, 19). Can we see the point here? While we DO NOT KNOW the intent of the Master in speaking these words on meekness and on being “poor in spirit” nor Matthew’s intent in revealing them the way that he DID, we DO KNOW that the objective of ALL the Beatitudes IS spiritual and therefore the Truths that ARE revealed in them must be spiritual as well. The last idea that we will explore today IS the peacemakers; this Beatitude, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God“, IS the last one we listed in our comments on the obscurity of some of these as they were offered by Jesus who then continues into the crux of His instructions to men. The Greek word eirenopoios IS rendered as peacemakers and this IS the tone of most ALL translations with some rendering as “those who make peace“. Strong’s defines the word as pacificatory9a while Thayer’s tells us that eirenopoios IS a peace-maker then adding the ideas of pacific, loving peace while telling us that others dispute this secondary meaning9. Spiritually there must be a broader understanding of this idea and the defining ideas of being pacific can surely help us. Today’s dictionary defines pacific as: tending to make or preserve peace; not warlike, at peace and calm* and while these ARE virtuous qualities, they DO NOT present a higher spiritual value. Webster’s 1828 dictionary offers us the defining ideas for pacific as: Peace-making; conciliatory; suited to make or restore peace; adapted to reconcile differences; mild; appeasing; as, to offer pacific propositions to a belligerent power1 and these DO flow along the lines of our more modern ideas. We should note here however that the idea, when offered as pacification, takes on a different tone which IS seen by many in terms of weakness. Here we can likely relate such ideas to the common understanding of meekness. If we can see eirenopoios as an idea that presents a calm meekness, we can likely see the Master’s point in using this idea over the doctrinal attachment of this to the virtuous activities of men.
The whole idea of spiritual peace should be framed according to the words of the Master who tells His disciples “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27) and His frequent refrain using such ideas as “Peace be unto you” (Luke 24:36). We should also see that Paul uses this idea of peace in the introduction to many of of His epistles offering “peace, from God our Father” (1 Corinthians 1:3) to his readers. In these contexts we should see that this idea of peace IS NOT restricted to the virtuousness of men here in this world but rather applied to that Power from the Christ Within that brings His peace into one’s Life as that calm meekness that IS the effect of our expression of agape and IS tied to the deeper idea of mercy as that expression. We should note here also that Paul offers us peace as a quality of the Godhead as he tells us of “the God of peace” (Romans 15:33) and surely we should see this quality of the Godhead in the Master’s Life, in His teaching and in His example. Combining His ideas IS rather simple when we look past the carnal implications of this idea of peace and see it as a state of tranquility that overwhelms the minds and emotions of men who have the wherewithal to Truly express some measure of agape. In these ideas we should also see the opposite of anger according to the Master’s admonition regarding this. Jesus tells us in words that have been manipulated by men that “whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22). While the whole of this statement IS rather obscure, we point ONLY to the idea of being “ angry with his brother without a cause” and specifically to the idea that to be angry with “a cause” IS OK. We should see that the Master IS equating the idea of anger, a precursor to many killings, making anger rather equal to killing. Should we apply the logic that Jesus uses regarding adultery to killing we can likely see how that anger takes on much the same tone. Jesus tells us “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). Can we see the point here? Can we see how that anger can be seen in the same way as ‘lusting‘? More importantly can we see how that James shows us that this equivalency of sin runs throughout the whole idea of sin as He tells us “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law” (James 2:10-11). In the end we should try to see that sin IS NOT the act of DOING some thing but the thoughts that lead to that thing as well. Moreover, we should try to understand that sin IS ALL that a man may DO in this world in vanity; ALL that a man may DO that IS caused by his focus on the self; ALL that IS part of the way that men, in their vanity, continually choose mammon over God and “treasures upon earth” over “treasures in heaven“. It IS to this end, that we Repent and change our focus, that Jesus offers us the idea that we should “Take no thought for your life” (Matthew 6:25).
The three theme words that we selected earlier: “poor in spirit“, “the meek“, “the peacemakers“, ARE NOT the carnal ideas that they have become in most ALL of the church. The ideas behind these themes ARE spiritual and ARE intended to show the ‘blessings‘ of those who have been able to enact these spiritual virtues in their lives. While we CAN NOT say for certain that our views of these spiritual virtues IS the one intended by the Master as reported by Matthew, we can say with much certainty that neither the doctrinal ideas nor the more strictly carnal ideas ARE their intent. If we could see that those who live “in the Spirit” ARE poor because they have forsaken ALL according to the Master’s instructions, we can then better understand the fulness of Paul’s words saying “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). There IS NO real difference between forsaking ALL as Jesus tells us IS necessary to be His disciple and to “through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body” and the KEY here, the blessing if you will, IS “ye shall live” as Souls, as the Christ Within, expressing agape and Truth through a heretofore carnal nature. Much the same can be said in regard to meekness; being meek IS NOT being timid save for the carnal interpretations of the idea. Spiritually being meek IS effectively expressing Love and Truth in this world. This idea IS firmly affixed to the Master’s teachings; earlier we focused upon Jesus teaching about killing and anger as part of our discussion of being a peacemaker but this teaching can be equally applied to meekness. In True meekness a man IS NOT angry nor vengeful as the ideas of Raca and “thou fool” may imply. Meekness also applies to most ALL of the Master’s teachings in His Sermon on the Mount and, from our perspective, specifically to the idea that we should “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“. In today’s world, and likely as much in the past without the use of the idea of wokeness, DOING such things as Jesus tells us here would result in the disdain of others and this includes many in the church that rail against the idea that we should “love thy neighbour” (Matthew 5:44, 43) without ridicule and without discrimination against another’s lifestyle. Understanding this IS to understand that we should have NO “respect to persons” (James 2:9) and in understanding this we could also understand the deeper meanings of Jesus’ saying that we should “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). In today’s modern world where wokeness IS embraced by some and rejected by others we should try to see that the pro-woke segment IS largely secular while those that oppose this modern movement ARE largely the religious and this should NOT be. While some aspects of this movement have gone a bit too far, the whole IS a progressive movement and were Jesus here today DOING and saying as He did 2000 years ago, He would surely fall into the woke segment as He Loved and protected ALL men with NO “respect to persons“.
Bringing this back to our starting point we should see that these idea above ARE His words, these ARE His sayings; they ARE His pronouncement of the blessings that men can have should they Truly choose to focus upon the things of God. It IS the man who changes His focus off of the self and the self in this world, off of the gaining of “treasures upon earth” which IS men’s most basic motivation, and seek for those “treasures in heaven” which ARE NOT intended to serve the self in this world but rather the whole that IS Truly blessed. It IS this man who IS the “wise man” and here we should try to see the import of James’ words saying “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13). James here IS posing a question which could otherwise be asked as ‘Who is a wise man that keeps His words?‘ as this knowledge of which he speaks IS the revelations of Truth and Love that the Lord promises to those that DO keep His words. James goes on to define the idea of “the wisdom that is from above” as he tells us through poorly translated words of the wisdom that “descendeth not from above“, that this IS “earthly, sensual, devilish“, that this IS purely self serving. And it IS in this context that we must try to see the opening words to this chapter cautioning men that they should “be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation” (James 3:17, 15, 1). Here perhaps IS men’s caution against being masters in a religious sense while they ARE yet among those “that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not“, the “foolish man” as Jesus paints him. And it IS also in this context that we should try to understand the Master’s words saying “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7). We should also tie Jesus words that started our discussion on His admonition to keep His words; the Master says t “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:22, 19). We should understand here that ALL this, the blessings, the Kingdom, and “the wisdom that is from above” ARE ALL tied to our ‘desire‘ to keep His words and we DO NOT use the idea of desire here lightly. It IS in our awakening to the idea that there IS more to Life than our own self-serving interests; this ancient idea IS perhaps best expressed by Solomon who tells us “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand” (Ecclesiastes 5:15). While this IS an accepted adage, we should try to see that the idea behind it for Christians IS Jesus’ motivating words on treasure, on mammon and on the time and effort spent on thinking about this Life. We should understand here however that these words ARE but a small part of the whole dialogue that ARE His sayings and about which He offers us the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. The crux of the whole Christian religion IS NOT found in “the commandments of men” as has become the way of the church; the crux of the Christian religion IS found in His words, His instructions and His examples which ARE amplified and somewhat clarified by the words of His apostles. And while His words have been left on the bookshelf as men have appropriated snippets of the ideas presented by His apostles as their commandments with their understanding that even these ARE NOT necessary for one to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21), they have ALL missed the Truth. They have missed the realities of the Master’s words that show us the source of ALL things IS in His words as they take their nebulous faith and believing to their comfort against their fear of the future and purpose of Life. This has ever been our message and while the task IS a difficult one from the perspective of the carnal human mind that IS caught in its vanity, the role of striving, of being aware of the Truth and making some effort toward that Truth IS what can truly save men from taking “nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand“. In keeping His words and striving to DO so we take with us the rewards gained according to His words which ARE summarized in our trifecta, words which we repeat here again as our example of the source of Truth and agape in this world of men. 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 will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913 from https://1828.mshaffer.com/
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
* 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
