ON LOVE; PART MCDXLXIX
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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 comments on the church’s aversion to acknowledging the many ideas from the words of the Master and His apostles regarding the way that we can too be as the Master. This aversion IS deep seated in the doctrinal philosophies that see Jesus alone as divine, as the ONLY Son of God, as they view His relationship with the Father as a worldly idea rather than the deeply spiritual one that it IS. While it IS True that Jesus IS “the “the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14), the idea should NOT have created an exclusivity to the status of Sonship as we ARE told several times that we too can be sons of God. The idea IS often rendered as “children of God” (Romans 8:16) from the same Greek word teknon and we should try to understand here that both can be rendered as sons thereby diffusing the doctrinal exclusivity given to the Master. In the last post we cited the Apostle John’s words saying that “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17) which idea shows us how that we ARE equal but we must understand that this equality IS ONLY in potential and NOT in actuality as most ALL men have NOT yet been able to say with Jesus that “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He tells us here that He had overcome the vanity and the corruption that IS part and parcel of being born into this world. Jesus also shows us a sense of this equality saying “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord” (Matthew 10:24-25) and here we should understand that He IS speaking to True disciples. It IS accomplishing this state of discipleship that IS our cross to bear in this world and we should remember that the Master DOES show us the very nature of discipleship saying “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. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple“. After telling us about the cost of discipleship, Jesus goes on to say “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27, 33). This IS the nature of discipleship and it IS in attaining this according to His other words saying “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) that one can “be as his master, and the servant as his lord“. The church’s deep seated aversion to this reality IS a part of a greater failure of the doctrines of men that keeps most ALL blinded to the Truth as the relationship between the church and its followers has become the Christian era epitome of Jesus’ asking “Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?“.
It IS the doctrines of men that have caused the church to fail to see the Truth and Jesus speaks to this in His words to the Jews 2000 years ago, words that were transported from several centuries before as the Prophet Isaiah told those Jews the same thing. Jesus tells us in timeless words that “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). While we often cite these words from Isaiah and Jesus, we have NOT discussed the context of their words which much of the church claim to be spoken ONLY to the Jews with NO effect upon the Christian way and their doctrines. The context here IS based in a question of why Jesus and His disciples, the first True Christians to be sure, DID NOT subscribe to the Jews’ doctrinal ideas and traditions despite the fact that they were Jews. The seemingly hidden answer IS that the disciples and the Master saw past the doctrinal ideas and the traditions of the time and reserved their sense of honor, and worship for the Truth of the commandments of which the honor of a man for his father and mother IS the Jesus’ example. Behind this example IS the reason that the Master calls these Jews hypocrites: that they would follow their doctrines and traditions without following the commandments and this IS much the same as the Christian world has come to DO over the centuries. Again, for the Jews there IS a small excuse for their hypocrisy as much of their traditions and doctrines ARE based in the ancillary laws that Moses constructed for the benefit of the Jews’ society. The Jews failed to separate the Ten Commandments and those other words from Moses that supported them from the ancillary ideas for governing a superstitious and barbarous generation and perhaps this combination of laws was a necessary ploy designed to allow the Jews to find what was important on their own. Undoubtedly some DID understand the deeper Truths and these likely suffered the disdain of the more popular doctrinal movements of the day; here those that practiced the Kabbalah, the Jews ‘mystical’ interpretation of the Truth, were likely seen as the heretics of the day. This IS of course a much more complex idea than we can treat here but perhaps the point to be taken IS that even this ‘mystical’ approach to the Lord created its own sense of doctrines that eventually led to the demise of its more spiritual aspects.
While the Jews had some apparent cover for their hypocrisy in the way that the law was given to them by Moses, in the way that the Truth and the ancillary ideas were combined, the Christian world has NO such cover. The Christian had NO ancillary ideas from Jesus save His words of commentary regarding the Jews failure to see the Truth. These commentaries should have allowed the Christian world to see the failure of the Jews and to NOT follow in the same path. But follow they DID as they constructed elaborate and extravagant structures with physical buildings and edicts that created a division between the ecclesiastic and the masses. While with Moses most of the Jews mitzvah, their 613 commandments, ARE based in the words of the Pentateuch, the Christian world allowed Jesus words to wither as they adopted ever more edicts that ARE the products of the minds of men. And, much as the Jews had some who developed the more mystical ideas such as the Kabbalah, the Christian too had a more ‘mystical’ bent which was derided and seemingly crushed by those who had assumed authority over the spiritual lives of men. Today there ARE countless denominations and sects that profess some form of religion based in that original assumed authority from the beginning and while they seem to have a common tie to Jesus, their doctrines put forth very different realities. This we have spoken about frequently as we discuss the failure of the church to live by the words of the Master or, at a minimum, strive to DO so. It IS Truly unfortunate that the church has chosen to live by their own rules and edicts which ARE carnally based as they created doctrines from out of context ideas taken from the words of Jesus and His apostles and here mostly from His apostles. Many ARE the excuses, the reasons in their minds, for their failure to teach men the Way from the words of the Master. Perhaps the two most egregious reasons ARE in the doctrinal idea that the Master’s words were intended for the Jews in those days and that the Christians live under a different covenant which IS based in out of context and separate ideas from the writings of the apostles, especially the writings of Paul. The second IS the view that it IS NOT possible to live according to the commandments and that the commandments exist ONLY to show men that such a way of living IS NOT possible in this world whereby one must rely on their ‘faith‘.
The latter idea IS gleaned from Paul’s writings where his words against works and for faith and believing have been misconstrued to show men that, in their words, ‘you cannot save yourself’. This idea IS based mostly on Paul’s words saying “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). But this saying IS used out of the context in which it IS written and with little understanding of the reality of grace as ALL that comes from the Godhead. It IS also without the deeper ideas that should be attached to pistis which IS rendered as faith and should be understood in terms of KNOWING. This idea that faith and KNOWING ARE the True relationship IS founded in Jesus’ words regarding “faith as a grain of mustard seed” where the nebulous type of faith attached to Christianity surely will not allow one to “say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:8). Moreover, the doctrinal ideas of men fail to see the importance of the very next verse from Paul which promotes those works that ARE based in one’s KNOWING the Truth; Paul says “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). We have long held the idea that Paul’s references to works as opposed to faith ARE NOT the same as these works that he promotes here in Ephesians; these “good works” ARE the greater reality of our expression of agape while the works that Paul argues against ARE the carnal ways of men seeking to be seen as DOING such works. Today we can add to our ideas on works that it IS faith, defined as KNOWING some measure of the Truth, that results in “good works” so that men ARE NOT DOING works for the purpose of being seen, they ARE DOING works because they have found the Truth where “good works” becomes the Way of the man. Can we see the point here? And can we see the relationship of this idea to Jesus’ words from the Sermon saying “do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven….But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth” (Matthew 6:1, 3) as well as His words on prayer and fasting. On Prayer Jesus tells us “when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:5-6). This IS the point that Paul IS making: He IS NOT railing against “good works” but rather men’s motivation for those works as he amplifies and clarifies the Master’s words that caution against the works of men being DONE to “sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men” (Matthew 6:2). This Paul frames in the idea that such men’s works DO “sound a trumpet” which IS their error and is contrary to Jesus’ words; the apostle cautions men to resist the trumpet so that their works ARE “Not of works, lest any man should boast“. Jesus adds to this theme in His words on fasting where He tells us “when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:16-18). If we can see Paul’s words on works through Jesus words on the motivation and comportment of men, we can then better understand the Truths that both ARE offering us.
Addressing this idea that ‘you cannot save yourself’ IS a difficult task in the church as men ARE told rather consistently that it IS ONLY through faith that they can come to the Lord. Here the mantra IS become that ‘you cannot save yourself’ but there IS little in scripture to form any basis for this. Often the idea from the Book of Hebrews IS used to justify this doctrinal position; there we read that “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). If however we see this idea of pistis, of faith, in terms of KNOWING God, the result IS the same and while the idea that “he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” seems to imply a reward for faith, the reality that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11) still must be considered. The reward one may receive IS NOT something bestowed on a man from God as He IS generally understood, the reward IS the revelation and the realizations that come to those “that diligently seek him“. This we should try to see in Jesus’ terms saying “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24). The whole of the idea of how to “diligently seek him“, to “Strive to enter in at the strait gate” IS embedded for us in our trifecta where the second part IS Matthew’s version of our striving to “enter in at the strait gate“; 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).
It IS through these precepts and others like them that we can Truly “please him” and this IS shown us in Paul’s statement from Romans that shows us that in our striving we must ever choose the spiritual over the carnal; Paul says “they that are in the flesh cannot please God“. What IS it to be in the flesh? It IS to live according to the motivations of men rather than the promptings to the Good, the Beautiful and the True that flow from one’s own Soul, one’s own Christ Within. But we ARE NOT left to figure this out for ourselves; Paul IS specific about the how to accomplish this saying “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. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:5-8). Paul goes on to explain the Way of the Spirit as he cites the action of the Christ Within without explaining the mystery of this realization for the carnally oriented man. Paul tells us “if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For 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 8:10-13). Paul’s instructions ARE in accord with the Master’s words and his saying that one must “mortify the deeds of the body” IS NOT merely in regard to men’s animal appetites and sexual ideas. His words ARE in regard to the fullness of the Master’s admonitions and we should try to see in his words that the test of “if Christ be in you” IS answered in one’s ability to “mortify the deeds of the body“. While this may be an uncomfortable position for the doctrinal thinker and presumably untenable for most, it IS nonetheless the reality of scripture, a reality that has been obnubilated by the doctrinal wrangling of men over the last 2000 years. It IS through the doctrinal response to such ideas that men must “mortify the deeds of the body” to Truly live, that the philosophy was developed to say that IS NOT possible to live according to the commandments and that the commandments exist ONLY to show men that such a way of living IS NOT possible in this world. This philosophy, this doctrinal idea, IS but the “the commandments of men” This IS the second of the doctrinal ideas, the egregious church reasons, and the second excuse for why they teach that ‘you cannot save yourself’ while finding out of context sayings from the bible to support their conclusion.
The first reason we cited above IS quite different but IS again from the minds of men who were seeking cover for their doctrinal ideas that DO NOT agree with the words of Jesus whom they DO proclaim as the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). We should try to see how that such doctrines were created and, while there IS ample evidence for the way, it IS difficult to ascertain what IS the Truth from the doctrinal portrayals of that Truth. ALL of the doctrinal deviations from the Truth of the Master’s words begin perhaps with what Paul calls “another gospel: Which is not another” and while the church believes this “another gospel(s)” IS what IS contrary to their doctrines, the Truth IS that it IS the various doctrines of me alone that first qualify. Paul shows us the ease with which men can and will believe alternate but related ideas saying “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7). It IS NOT difficult for the masses to believe those that “would pervert the gospel of Christ” when the ideas come from those that appear to have such authority and ARE ideas that allow men to live as men in this Earth. It IS through these early perversions of the Truth compounded by the various synods and councils of groups of such authorities that much of the doctrinal cannon was formed through a process that continues in some parts of the church yet today. While this process has given us the doctrinal approaches of men that exist yet today, it IS the splintering of the One Truth into many presumed Truths that IS the cause of todays many denominations and sects and their varied doctrinal views. Some believe according to the second of our points, that ‘you cannot save yourself’, and have built what we would see as houses like those that Jesus tells us of saying “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” (Matthew 7:26). This philosophy IS so embedded in these doctrinal approaches that it has become the Truth for those that so believe. Others believe that the first point holds True, that the words of His commandments and those of Moses ARE intended for the Jews and the covenant of the Lord with them and have naught to DO with Christianity. This however IS but a half-truth for those that believe this way as they DO accept whatsoever the Master says whenever it meets with their doctrinal ideas; for example many pay close attention to the presumed eschatological ideas from Jesus and His apostles. Another rather clear example would be in the way that most ALL of the church has adopted such ideas as “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20) according to their interpretations while they ignore the tenets of the Sermon on the Mount which we have been discussing.
We should try to understand that both of these doctrinal rationales, that ‘you cannot save yourself’ and that the gospels ARE instructions ONLY for the Jews, ARE founded in the vanity of men and that often both ARE combined in certain denominational teachings that have led men astray for centuries. Add to this the philosophy that the commandments from both the Old and the New Testament were ‘designed’ to show men the impossibility of their being able to “please God“. NONE of these Christian ideas IS biblical, NONE ARE founded in the words of the Master or those of His apostles and while many may lean on such saying as “Be not afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36) and “believe only, and she shall be made whole” (Luke 8:50), they misunderstand the reality of such belief. This believing IS KNOWING and NOT the nebulous ideas of the church regarding pistis and pisteuo which ARE rendered as faith and believing. It comes down to that certainty of which the Master speaks saying “verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:13). Surely we can understand that being in the Presence of the Lord who has been healing ALL He encounters would evoke that firm belief that I too can be healed. It IS in substituting the idea of KNOWING in place of the ideas of faith and believing, or, better, enhancing these English ideas to the strength of KNOWING that they require, that we can better understand such ideas as “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). In the gospels we have a roadmap if you will; a roadmap that charts for us the direction we must go and the obstacles that we must both endure and overcome but here we should understand that the primary obstacle IS our vanity by which we see ONLY the ways of men in this world. The church has used this vanity as an integral part of their doctrinal approach to the Lord seeing it as the influence of Satan who, as an entity, causes men to err. The reality of this vanity and of Satan however IS much different; there IS NO entity save for one’s own inherent vanity compounded by one’s nurturing and indoctrination into the ways of men in this world. This nurturing and indoctrination are further exacerbated by the doctrinal approach to the Lord which ‘justifies’ their precepts, precepts that Jesus speaks of 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).
The reality of our vanity has naught to DO with any entity save ourselves, our own mortal and carnal thoughts and emotions which must be overcome for our spiritual success. Here we should try to understand that it IS ONLY us, as men and women in this world, that can overcome and this IS taught to us in Jesus most misunderstood words saying “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). This IS the very first precept of Jesus’ ‘ministry’ and one that IS misunderstood completely in its tone and purpose. Repentance IS the first precept that the Master offers us but we should understand that it IS an idea that represents the cumulative value of ALL His teachings, that ALL of His commandments DO perforce result in Repentance. Through his idea we should be able to understand the very idea of Repentance as a call to keep His words and to change one’s way of living to conform to the Love and Truth that IS God and away from our heretofore way where most ALL ARE “conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). Vincent shows us the reality of Repentance, that it IS NOT merely sorrow for what one may have done as today’s dictionary cites saying that to Repent IS: to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc.*. The lexicon offers us a more spiritual view saying that to metanoeo IS: to change one’s mind, i.e. to repent; to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins2. The secular idea from the dictionary shows us sorrow while the lexicon DOES show us that to Repent IS to change one’s mind and to amend; but these ideas ARE NOT a part of the practical Christian usage which reflects much more on the secular. There IS NO idea of salvation that can be attached to either of these defining ideas and Strong’s, which IS usually more acute, tells us ONLY that metanoeo IS: to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider. It IS because of these diluted ideas concerning Repentance that the whole notion IS so grossly misunderstood and has been rendered quite meaningless. Vincent however shows us the Master’s intent in saying “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand“. He tells us that: Repentance, then, has been rightly defined as “Such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice4. This defining idea for Repentance IS surely what the Master intended in His words where we read such things as He tells us after His Parable of the Lost Sheep as He says “joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” and “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:7, 10). We should see that Repentance IS much more than sorrow and regret but IS that virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice. Vincent offers us this same view saying that: Sorrow is not, as is popularly conceived, the primary nor the prominent notion of the word4.
While much of the church tells us that ‘you cannot save yourself’, Jesus’ words on Repentance show us quite another story. Repentance shows us that it IS we as persons who must initiate our own Life changes and then allow them to Transform our lives away from our vanity and onto the things of God. And it IS this very thing that Paul was telling us in words that ARE ofttimes misused in the doctrinal approach of men; he tells us “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but 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 12:1-2). While men should see these words as the general theme of ALL of the apostle’s writings, they have chosen instead to take out of context ideas from his words to create for themselves a form of Christianity, “another gospel: Which is not another” if you will, that DOES NOT rely on personal responsibility while expecting grace from the Lord nonetheless. This brings us back to where we started this essay, to that point of the deep seated aversion to much of the intent of the New Testament. In our Repentance, our Transformation and our ultimate Redemption we ARE then covered by the Apostle John’s words in their fullest; John tells us that “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). To everyman this IS a promise as ALL ARE potentially as IS the Master; however, it IS ONLY in our Repentance, our Transformation and our ultimate Redemption that this can be our reality as it was the reality for at least some of the apostles. The doctrinal philosophies of most ALL of the church however decry this idea as their limited spiritual vision sees Jesus alone as divine, as the ONLY Son of God, as they view His relationship with the Father as a worldly idea rather than a deeply spiritual one. Jesus Himself tells us that we can be as He IS in such sayings as “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord” (Matthew 10:24-25) and in this we should try to see our equality as sons of God. There IS a criteria however for our being called among the Sons of God and the apostles lay this out for us rather clearly. Paul tells us “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8: 14) and we should understand that to be “led by the Spirit of God” IS to conform our lives to His words which in a word IS Repentance. To the Truly Repented and Transformed man John says “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1); to be sure of his audience for these words one need ONLY to read the apostles epistle. The point IS that we can be as the Master but the Path to this IS through discipleship, yet another idea severely diluted by the doctrinal church; this Path has its costs as noted by Jesus in what IS called His Parable on Counting the Costs which IS NOT a parable at all but rather an admonition that one must be prepared.
We end today with the Master’s own criteria for discipleship; He tells us first that “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). He also tells us “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. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple“. Then, after His words on the cost, He tells us “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27, 33).
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
- 2 New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 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
