ON LOVE; PART MCDLXXVIII
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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 thoughts on the effect of the Master’s words which ARE our trifecta. These words, in the form of three separate sayings by Jesus, ARE intended to show the need to keep His words if we ARE to attain any of the rewards or promises of the New Testament. We should try to see that these rewards and promises have ever been available to men who will live according to the Truth of scripture and while this IS a high bar, it IS also a necessary one. The rewards give men much Power, spiritual Power to be sure, in this world and such Powers CAN NOT be trusted to the average man or even the dedicated doctrinal Christian. Such Powers ARE reserved for disciples that ARE so under the criteria that the Master offers us, a part of which IS included in the trifecta. That ALL spiritual Power IS available to men IS a New Testament fact but one that IS NOT understood apart from the doctrinal ideas of men that ARE based in their nebulous ideas of faith and believing. The nebulousness of these doctrinal ideas IS easily seen in the haphazard way that men DO or DO NOT receive what they ask for in prayer and, for us, such successes or failures to receive ARE mere happenstance. The Apostle James shows us the futility of such asking as he tells us that “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:1-3). In regard to our words above it IS James’ last words that ARE of importance and while few understand the whole of his statement, this IS because the apostle’s words ARE in direct opposition to the doctrinal teachings of the churches. In the words “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” we have the singular reason that men DO NOT receive what they ask for in prayer save by happenstance. This failure then engenders doctrinal scrutiny regarding those that pray and DO NOT receive presumably because their faith IS NOT strong enough while ofttimes men ARE told that the Lord did NOT agree or HE was NOT ready to give such things at this time. The greater reality however IS captured by James in the idea that “ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” and the idea taken here should be that men ARE asking for carnal favor in this world. James goes on to tell us about this relationship with the world saying “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 1:4). James point IS clear but it IS NOT accepted by the church at large as men continue to see the world as their source of good while proclaiming that the Lord IS the giver of ALL. But other words from James should have destroyed this perspective as he tells us that “every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” James 1:14-17).
We should note here that this idea that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” IS explained for us in the apostle’s words above saying “that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God“. Let’s us begin today by exploring these ideas. James’ point which IS spread across these two seemingly separate ideas IS that there IS naught that IS a “good gift” or a “perfect gift” that IS of this world and while the apostle frames the idea in terms of “the friendship of the world“, this should ONLY add to his and our point. There IS NO thing of the world that IS spiritual, there IS naught that IS of the Good, the Beautiful and the True things of God but this has never stopped mankind from seeking after the worldly, from seeking after “treasures upon earth“. Further, through the doctrines of men, most ALL ARE nurtured and indoctrinated into thinking that it IS these “treasures upon earth” that should be their Life’s pursuit. This IS of course contrary to the Master’s words that we have been studying, words that offer us the choice of pursuing “treasures upon earth” or “treasures in heaven” as He shows us the importance of being singleminded, of having the single eye focused on the things of God. Jesus tells us that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19, 20, 22, 21) as James shows us that to have that focus upon the “treasures upon earth” IS tantamount to being a “a friend of the world” and therefore “the enemy of God“. There IS yet another important spiritual point embedded in these words from James as he tells us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” and that IS that in Him there IS “no variableness, neither shadow of turning“. Here we should see that equanimity in the Lord’s view of Life in form in this world, an equanimity that shows the same idea as that of the Master who tells us of the Lord that “he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Luke frames this same idea saying that of the Lord that “he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35) and in the combination of these ideas we should see that there IS “no variableness, neither shadow of turning“. The Greek word parallage which IS rendered as variableness IS ONLY found here in this verse; Strong’s tells us that the word IS: from a compound of G3844 and G236; transmutation (of phase or orbit), i.e. (figuratively) fickleness:—variableness9a. Thayer’s with few words tells us simply that the idea IS variation, change9 and while many see the idea in cosmic terms or as related to the writer of Hebrews’ words words saying “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8), the greater reality IS the equanimity with “no variableness, neither shadow of turning” as He looks upon His created world.
In the end this idea of equanimity must be aligned with the idea that there IS a dichotomy between the things of the world and the things of God and it IS this separation that James shows us above and Paul shows us in such ideas as “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 8:6-8). Our point here IS that whatsoever IS True of men insofar as the precepts that show us that there IS NO direct influence by the Lord over the minutia of Life in form IS True because this IS the Way of the Lord. The Lord in whom there IS “no variableness, neither shadow of turning“. To this we should add the most simple idea that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11). This too shows us the equanimity of the Lord in regard to the people of this Earth. It is unfortunate that this idea IS NOT understood as it IS intended by the masses of men both in and out of the church. What DOES it mean when the apostles tell us that “God is no respecter of persons“? DOES it NOT tell us what Peter describes saying “in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34, 35)? There IS however more to this that Peter acknowledges in regard to accepting persons that through tradition should NOT be accepted. Peter’s remarks ARE situational and when we add to this the Master’s own words saying of God that “he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust“, we get the clearer picture of the equanimity of men in the ‘eyes’ of the Lord. James adds to this for us as he turns this idea of having NO respect onto men as well as God. James tells us that “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:8-10). James accomplishes a number of things in this statement of Truth; first he ties this idea of having NO “respect to persons” to Love, to agape, which we should understand IS the very nature of the Lord as John tells us saying “God is love agape” (1 John 4:8, 16). Second, James shows us that to have such “respect to persons” IS as much as an offense as IS breaking any of the commandments as he goes on to equate this with killing and adultery. Finally, the apostle ties his words to the appearance of men which IS intended to show us that one’s appearance IS of NO importance spiritually, that we ARE NOT to favor any one above another as men in this world.
We should remember here that while James relates this idea to a comparison between the impoverished and the wealthy, this IS but the example that he uses to define the whole idea which we should see in terms of color, of race, of ethnicity and of any other divisive view of the diversity of the human family. ALL ARE equal in the ‘eyes’ of the Lord; ALL ARE Souls expressing Life through form according to the nature of their birth and their nurturing and indoctrination into the ways of the world; one IS NOT favored above another. NO one receives anything from the Lord as favor in this world. This however IS NOT an accepted Christian attitude as men ARE taught that they can achieve in this world through the use of their nebulous faith and believing and their prayers. It IS to this that James says “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” and we should see here that this idea of amiss IS the error in men’s thinking. The Greek word kakos which IS rendered here as amiss is a complex word with NO pleasant definitions according to Strong’s who tells us that the idea IS: badly (physically or morally) which they then interpret into ideas of amiss, diseased, evil, grievously, miserably, sick, sore9a. Others render kakos as: “your request has been wrongly made“, “you ask with evil intentions“, “you pray with the wrong motive“, “ye ask evilly” and other like ideas. The closest to the reality of the apostle’s intent IS the “wrong motive” which IS used by several but the idea presented IS NOT as should be understood. Most see the failure to achieve in the nature of one’s request of the Lord and it IS preached that what one asks for may be subject to the Lord’s disapproval. Some place men’s failure in the strength of one’s faith, as if there were any who could measure another’s, and the result of this idea can motivate men to see others failure to achieve as an indicator of their faith. That this IS ALL counter productive to the Truth which DOES NOT play into men’s doctrinal ideas. Few if any see that the whole of the idea that “ye ask amiss” IS related to the idea that we ARE praying to the Lord of spiritual gifts for carnal benefits, for those things that “ye may consume it upon your lusts“. Can we see the point here; a point that has been ignored by the churches for 2000 years? Of course the church DOES NOT see that these ideas ARE tied to the Master’s words which ARE generally ignored when it comes to living according to the spiritual intent that He brought to this world. To be sure, the general understanding of James’ words here IS that we should NOT ask for more than we ourselves believe we can attain. This can be heard stated in such in church services and Christian internet programs in such terms as that men should not ask for a million dollars when they have faith for ONLY a hundred dollars. This they preach as they they tie men’s receiving to their giving and most often in the form of tithes.
These ideas ARE some of the few that ARE based in the words of Jesus albeit ONLY according to the doctrinal interpretation of His words as in the doctrinal ideas gleaned from such sayings as “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). The doctrinal acceptance of these words IS likely based in the overall selfishness of men; although perhaps self-serving would be the better view. The whole of the Master’s words here ARE spiritually oriented as He shows us the way of the man who Truly seeks the Lord; Jesus IS speaking on agape and the resultant union with the Lord and NOT in regard to men’s receiving from men. Luke tells us that the Lord says “love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:35-37). These ARE ALL spiritual expressions of Truth regarding the Way of Love that lead up to His words on giving and, to properly understand this idea of giving we must understand the previous verses as well were the Master tells us “Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again” (Luke 6:30-34). Here we see the True benefits of giving without the self-serving doctrinal ideas that should NOT be attached; we should note that these words ARE NOT a part of the doctrinal ideas offered to men save for their value as His words. The above idea that with one’s giving there IS a return that “shall men give into your bosom” IS interpreted in terms of giving and receiving and IS divorced from the words that precede this saying. It IS also divorced from the words that follow as Jesus continues in His teaching of spiritual precepts. Finally we should note that the idea that “shall men give” IS derived from the Greek word didomi which has NO reference to men at ALL.
While this IS a good example of the manipulation of the Master’s words for men’s carnal benefit, there IS yet a better one from Mark’s Gospel. Again a brief selection that IS interpreted into self-serving ideas IS accepted by the church as doctrine while most ALL of His other words ARE essentially ignored. Jesus says in Mark’s Gospel 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. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:23-24). While we use these words to support our ideas on the reality of pistis and pisteuo, on faith and believing, the doctrinal church goes right to the end idea that “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them“. They pay NO attention to the idea that men DO “ask amiss” as James frames men’s asking for carnal benefit and they pay NO attention to the strength of the preceding verse were a man “shall not doubt in his heart” and, to be sure, there ARE few if any in this world that can exhibit such KNOWING. Jesus tells us here and elsewhere that this degree of KNOWING will allow a man to Truly “say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea” but such ideas ARE greatly discounted by the church because they DO NOT see a path to such KNOWING. So, while ignoring the first verse and the difficulty of such believing and KNOWING, they have incorporated the easier words into their own lexicon. There ARE many in the Christian denominations that DO NOT subscribe to the idea of ‘name it and claim it’ which IS derived from Mark 11:24 but, at the same time, they DO NOT subscribe to the reality of the Master’s words, their Power, as they see the whole idea of the mountain figuratively. For us the whole of the Master’s idea IS to show us the Power that can be unleashed in the lives of those that can Truly “not doubt in his heart“, those that can KNOW that whatsoever they want spiritually can be accomplished. Matthew offers us a similar idea but without the secondary part that allows for the dilution of the idea into a carnal one. Jesus tells us in Matthew that “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done” (Matthew 21:21).
We should try to understand that some of the Powers of the Soul that can be expressed through the lives of men ARE available carnally although these ARE NOT of the same reality as the Truly spiritual rewards that flow to the disciple and by measure the aspirant to discipleship. Jesus shows us this in such sayings as that which we show only a part of in our trifecta; He tells us that “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“. Here the Master acknowledges that there be some who ARE prophesying, healing and DOING such things as can be considered by men as “wonderful works” and that these ARE NOT spiritually oriented because such men have NOT fulfilled the first part of His statement. It IS the first part that sets the stage for ALL True Power; Jesus tells us 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” (Matthew 7:22-23, 21). While we often cite these ideas in terms of His calling out those that DO such things but DO NOT “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven“. We conclude that it IS these words that reflect on such things in the church where there ARE many that DO profess such Power yet DO NOT keep His words. Our point today however IS that there ARE powers that may seemingly mimic the True spiritual Powers that ARE available but which ARE ONLY carnal effects. While these may result in some degree of awe from the average man, they will NOT allow for the practitioner to “enter into the kingdom of heaven” without first being among the few that “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven“. We see this idea of power in the story of the sorcerer Barjesus that is found in the Book of Acts. We also read there the story of “a certain man, called Simon” who similarly has some measure of carnal power at his command, power that was confused by men with the True Power. We read that this Simon “beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries” (Acts 8:9-11). We should NOT forget here the magical powers of those “magicians of Egypt” (Exodus 7:11); such sorcerers had much power which may have been interpreted as spiritual but was ONLY carnal and was easily defeated by the True spiritual Power of Moses and Aaron.
Our point here IS simply that there IS carnal power in this world that can be manipulated by men but it IS but carnal power. True spiritual Power comes ONLY from above, or better, from within. As we often discuss, the Soul IS the True man and the Soul IS our mortal connection to the Lord and this IS True for ALL men. While it IS easier to see an Almighty God that IS in control of this world and whose dictates the world of men should follow, the reality IS that our Almighty God DOES perforce work through the Spirits and Souls of men in this world. While it IS the Soul that animates the form with Life, the Life in form IS trapped in the vanity that IS Life here in this Earth. We can however escape from this vanity as the Light of the Soul begins penetrating the carnal human mind and, as Paul tells us, renewing it. While this may be a difficult concept for many to understand, this IS ONLY because of the centuries of mind conditioning, indoctrination if you will, that reflects the ideas of men in ALL phases of Life from the social to the religious. Paul shows us the True process saying that “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). This IS the process and here we should try to see how that this works out in the lives of men and turns their carnal power into spiritual Power. ALL have some sort of carnal power that can be channeled into their various endeavors and there ARE some who believe that they have ‘magical’ powers which in the church IS understood as their prophesying, healing the sick and maimed and DOING such things as can be considered by men as “wonderful works“. Jesus however tells us that such powers ARE worthless in regard to attaining the Kingdom except when we “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven“. This of course IS NOT understood by those that believe that they have such power and display it in regular church services some of which end with their ritual ‘altar call’; most ALL of these believe that they ARE DOING “the will of my Father which is in heaven“. Such persons believe that they have the rewards of the trifecta as they miss the KEY detail embraced by each part; 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).
The rewards here ARE spiritual and NOT carnal and we should understand that in the very nature of Life a mortal man that has such rewards CAN NOT and will NOT use such for personal benefit nor to alter the lives of others in this world. The basic reality IS that if we desire the Presence of the Lord in our Life, if we want access to that Truth that “shall make you free“, and if we want to attain the Kingdom of God here and now, we must keep His words. This IS our duty as Paul points out saying such things as that we must “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service“. Can we equate these ideas? Can we see that to “present your bodies a living sacrifice” IS to keep His words? The apostle offers us other assistance in understanding the dynamics of keeping His words as he shows us that ALL IS intimately tied to agape. To understand this we should look again at Paul’s words to the Corinthians, words that ARE largely misunderstood by men who relate them to carnal ideas of Love rather than the reality of agape. Paul shows us the Truth saying:
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not
1 Corinthians 13:1-3charityagape, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have notcharityagape, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have notcharityagape, it profiteth me nothing”
The apostle’s thought here IS in the same vein as the Master’s words cited above where He tells us that to DO such things as men believe to be religious IS a meaningless gesture save for the value of any virtue involved. Jesus tells us that such things as prophesying, healing and DOING such things as can be considered by men as “wonderful works” DO NOT mean anything spiritually if one DOES NOT “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven“. Paul tells us that it IS expressing Love, expressing the reality of agape, that IS tantamount to keeping His words and this point has been a nearly constant refrain throughout our blog posts. In the end the apostle tells us that without the expression of agape that he IS nothing and this of course should be understood spiritually. From our perspective the Master IS speaking to disciples and warning them of the spiritual perils of NOT keeping His words and this IS NOT because such a failure IS against His words but rather because in His words ARE the KEYS to the Kingdom. Paul on the other hand IS writing to a more general audience of men who have been attracted to the Master’s message and the amplifying and clarifying of them by the apostle. Both however ARE telling us the same thing and here we must try to see that our expression of Love, of agape, IS keeping His words. We should see this clearly in the Great Commandments which address this idea of agape by calling its expression the most important expression of ALL. Perhaps it IS in the simplicity of the words that the message has been lost for 2000 years; perhaps it IS because men have NOT yet understood that in the Great Commandments IS the Path to Truth, His Presence and the Kingdom of God. Whatever the reason, it IS true that most ALL men DO NOT see the reality of the Master’s words saying “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“. Nor DO they see that the second commandment IS the Way to live in accord with the first; the whole idea that “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” has become but a trite statement.
These words of the Great Commandments have been reduced to mere sayings in and out of the church. Few have ascertained the deep meanings despite the supporting words of the Master and His apostles. Jesus’ words ARE understood carnally rather than spiritually as the idea of agape has been turned into the common understanding of Love. This IS the same plight that has befallen the Apostle Paul’s words on agape above. The apostle’s intent has been changed into worldly expressions of Love rather than the deeply spiritual ideas that are agape. Agape however IS exceedingly more than the carnal ideas of Love and it IS against this misapplication of the idea that has allowed for men to claim that they Love the Lord despite Jesus’ very clear words regarding such Love. We cover this idea in every essay through the trifecta where the third part defines how one can Truly Love the Lord. Perhaps because the Master’s words and those of His apostles have been broken down into verses and small segments of them, most fail to connect the ideas together in any meaningful way. Here again our example IS the third part of our trifecta where we read that “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me“; here we should see that without keeping His words one CAN NOT Truly Love the Lord. And Jesus IS NOT finished with this point He also tells us that “If a man love me, he will keep my words” and He finishes by saying that “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings” (John 14:21, 23, 24). Can we see the point here of Loving the Lord, of how that we can Truly say that we DO. The Master offers us this same idea in Matthew’s Gospel buried if you will in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Jesus tells us here that it IS when we offer grace and mercy to our fellowman, even “the least of these my brethren” (Matthew 25:40), that we ARE offering this same to Him. In these words we should be able to tie together the two parts of the Great Commandments into one seamless idea of agape. Buried also in these words IS the reality of agape expressed in this world and we should try to understand here that the source of this expression IS ever spiritual and affects ALL men as the Light of the Soul begins penetrating the carnal human mind.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect | Potency | Aspect of Man | In Relation to the Great Invocation | In relation to the Christ |
| GOD, The Father | Will or Power | Spirit or Life | Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN | Life |
| Son, The Christ | Love and Wisdom | Soul or Christ Within | Heart of God | Truth |
| Holy Spirit | Light or Activity | Life Within | Mind of God | Way |
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher