ON LOVE; PART MCDLXXVII
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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 words from the Apostle Paul which we see as his acknowledgment of his struggle between being single-mindedly focused on the things of God and drifting into his own carnal concerns. While this may not be the way that Paul’s words ARE used by the doctrinal church, they DO indeed show us that he DOES struggle and whether he IS speaking currently or of his past DOES NOT really matter. He IS showing his struggle against his own vanity and the nurturing and the indoctrination that he had endured; here we should remember Paul’s own Life story before his Repentance and Transformation. We will continue with this look at Paul’s struggles after we complete our discussion on the Master’s words that we began in the last post. We ended that segment with Jesus’ words on God and mammon saying “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). We should note here that these words follow upon Jesus’ offering of our choice between “treasures upon earth” and “treasures in heaven” and His summary of the necessity to make this choice in His words on the single eye versus the evil eye (Matthew 6:19, 20, 22, 23). In previous excursions through the Master’s words from His Sermon on the Mount we DID NOT approach these verses in the same way as we ARE DOING now as we implied that ALL ARE the choices to be made. While this IS True, our current approach IS to outline that in addition to choices there IS a foundation being built for our successful Transformation should we see it. In His words on the eye we should see the focus of one’s Life and the either/or situation that we ARE in. Jesus DOES NOT include such ideas as measure in these words as He shows us the ideas in terms of darkness and Light but the idea of measure DOES exist; one CAN NOT go from Repentance to the fullness of Transformation, which IS our Redemption, in a moment. This Life change IS made over time through our striving and we should be able to see this in the gospel stories regarding Peter and the other apostles as well as Paul’s own acknowledgement of his particular struggle. Jesus offers us the choice between the two poles of “treasures upon earth” and “treasures in heaven” and then tells us that we must choose one or the other before He tells us that we CAN NOT embrace both, we “cannot serve God and mammon“. As we often DO we should insert James words here as he tells us of the peril of trying to DO what Jesus tells us IS NOT possible. James says “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8).
It IS important here that we see this idea of Wisdom as it IS intended; Strong’s defines the Greek word sophia as: wisdom (higher or lower, worldly or spiritual)9a but, to be sure, the apostle IS referencing the spiritual. James covers this idea of Wisdom again later in his epistle as he distinguishes between the “the wisdom that is from above” which IS “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” and that wisdom that “descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish” (James 3:17, 15). The former IS of course spiritual Wisdom while the latter IS wisdom that IS attributable to the world, worldly wisdom. But what IS worldly wisdom? IS it NOT that of which the Master speaks in the parable that we recently discussed saying that “the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light” (Luke 16:8). Here we see the role of worldly wisdom as it works in the lives of “the children of this world” making them wiser in such wisdom than “the children of light“. It IS worldly wisdom that men use to manipulate their role in worldly affairs and we should understand that this source of wisdom afflicts ALL that ARE yet subjected to the vanity into which they were born. And we should understand here that ALL who have NOT Repented and Transformed are still fully or somewhat in their own “bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:21, 20) which IS their vanity. This brings us back to the Master’s words that show us the choices that we must make between “treasures upon earth” and “treasures in heaven” and we should understand here that any degree of choice regarding “treasures upon earth” leaves us as “a double minded man” as James frames this. We should understand here that we ARE ALL doubleminded when it comes to the Truth and we remain so in some measure until we ARE Transformed; Paul’s testimony shows us the normalcy of this state as we strive toward the greater Truths of the Kingdom. We should remember here that those that may believe that they ARE seeking after “treasures in heaven” while maintaining their ‘right’ to live as men in this world according to the ways of the world, religious or NOT, ARE among those to whom the apostle says “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). We should ever try to see the extent of our own deception and act upon it in the ONLY way possible which IS to keep His words. For clarity, we cite again Paul’s testimony before we continue with the Master’s words. Paul tells us:
“we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin“
Romans 7:14-25
Our point in citing these words from the Apostle Paul IS to show the struggle that ensues when we first make that decision that IS our True Repentance. We should NOT forget here the True defining idea for this most KEY gospel word, the Greek metanoeo which IS rendered as Repent. While the common understanding IS inadequate to show the spiritual meaning, the lexicon definitions DO try to lead us in the right direction. Based in Thayer’s9 defining ideas the lexicon tells us that 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. Here we see that Repentance IS a change one’s mind for better but it IS likely that the first idea, to change one’s mind, IS this type of biblical interpretation of metanoeo that has resulted in the washed out ideas that ARE most men’s understanding of Repentance. Strong’s offers us a similar way to these same washed out ideas saying that metanoeo means: to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction):—repent9a as they equate Repentance with their defining ideas. It IS from such diluted ideas that we get the common understanding of Repentance which IS: to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc. (often followed by of); to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one’s life for the better; be penitent*. This IS far from the intent of the Master in telling us to Repent however and according to Webster’s 1828 dictionary this has always been the case. Webster’s defines Repent in botanical terms and Repentance as: Sorrow for any thing done or said and, In theology, the pain, regret or affliction which a person feels on account of his past conduct, because it exposes him to punishment1. They DO add some better ideas however saying that: Repentance is a change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God. Repentance is the relinquishment of any practice, from conviction that it has offended God1 but these ARE ignored save for in the minds of the Truly Repentant. Vincent offers us the clearest view of the Master’s intent, an intent that IS easily discernable in the gospels through such ancillary ideas from Jesus as “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). Vincent tells us that metanoeo IS:
A word compounded of the preposition meta, after, with; and the verb noew, to perceive, and to think, as the result of perceiving or observing. In this compound the preposition combines the two meanings of time and change, which may be denoted by after and different; so that the whole compound means to think differently after. Metanoia (repentance) is therefore, primarily, an after – thought, different from the former thought; then, a change of mind which issues in regret and in change of conduct. These latter ideas, however, have been imported into the word by scriptural usage, and do not lie in it etymologically nor by primary usage. 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 practice.” Sorrow is not, as is popularly conceived, the primary nor the prominent notion of the word4.
We DO spend much time and words on this idea of Repentance and this because it IS the cornerstone upon which ALL True following of the Lord rests. We should try to understand that Repentance IS our starting point and for this reason it IS among the very first precepts offered by the Master who tells us “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). While it may occasionally be so, Repentance IS NOT the product of sorrow for offending God nor IS True Repentance motivated by fear of punishment. Repentance IS a willful act motivated by one’s vision of the Path to Truth. It IS our Repentance that leads us to our Transformation, the importance of which Paul sums up for us in saying “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). We should understand here that in order to Transform we must first make a solid decision to DO so and it IS this solemn decision that IS our Repentance. We should also try to see that Paul IS writing to those who have already made their decision to follow the Lord as we note in the opening of his epistle where he addresses his words to “all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). Transformation IS the act through which we erect a spiritually oriented mind here in this world and we should note here that while we ARE Transforming, renewing our minds, we ARE yet somewhat directed by our own vanity. This IS the state that Paul seems to be showing us in such ideas as “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members“. We should understand here that Paul’s idea of sin here IS NOT the gross offences that one would commit in this world but rather he IS speaking of the Truer nature of sin, of hamartia, which the lexicon tells us IS: to be without a share in; to miss the mark; to err, be mistaken2. There IS NO hint of the common understanding of sin here in these words yet the church has ever ignored these ideas of sin in favor of concentrating on the gross behaviors of men. In sin we lose our share of communion with the Lord. Vincent offers us a look at the idea of hamartia from the previous chapter to Paul’s words above; he tells us regarding being a servant of sin that: Every man must choose between two ethical principles. Whichever one he chooses is master, and he is its bond – servant4. In this we should try to see that same choice that Jesus offers us between “treasures upon earth” and “treasures in heaven“. Vincent goes on to to tell us from the same verse in Romans that: Sin unto death – obedience unto righteousness. The antithesis is not direct – sin unto death, obedience unto life; but obedience is the true antithesis of sin, since sin is disobedience, and righteousness is life4. The point here IS that the idea of disobedience IS NOT limited to the gross offenses but to ALL that IS contrary to the words of the Master as He shows us the Way to deliver ourselves from “the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).
To be sure Paul’s struggle IS our struggle although his differs in the fact that he IS fully committed to the Lord while most ALL others ARE yet trying to accomplish the fullness of our Repentance which IS to act upon the decision that we made. Returning to the Master’s words we should try to see that the struggle IS in the fullness of choosing God over mammon as we resist the pull of the world to yet live as men in this world. Jesus tells us “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). These words ARE the culmination of our choices put into the idea of our struggle; again we must choose the one or the other, disobedience in serving mammon or righteousness in serving the Lord. Here in these words Jesus IS showing us that we CAN NOT serve both and while this seems to detract from our ability to be doubleminded, the reality that should be understood IS that we ARE Truly serving neither. We should understand here as well that as we strive to be singleminded, as we try to focus upon the Lord, we DO NOT need to leave off of our daily lives; we need ONLY to relegate our worldly affairs according to Peter’s words saying: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter5:6-8). While the church focuses upon the last idea here regarding the devil, our proper focus should be on our ability to “Humble yourselves” as we steadfastly move to “mortify the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13) and focus our desires ONLY upon the things of God. Note that the idea here IS to focus our desires; in the world we focus upon the things of the self, we desire whatsoever we want or believe that we need and the range here IS the full range of what Jesus refers to as “treasures upon earth“. This range includes wealth which IS of course a term relative to one’s position in Life but IS NOT limited to it. In this range ARE ALL human motivations regarding family, career and even our religious pursuits; the range IS ALL that we may think about in carnal terms as well as our religious inclinations when they DO NOT fully comport with the Master’s precepts. It IS in this tone of our worldly desires and motivations that Jesus continues His dialogue on our choices as He then shows us the Way and while this IS misunderstood and misinterpreted, it IS the Way to move our focus off of the self and onto the Lord. Jesus’ tells us:
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?“
Matthew 6:25-30
These words which close out Matthew’s version of the choices that men ARE presented with in Life ARE both the summation of the Master’s precepts and a KEY to the Way that we can make the right choices through faith. Of course our understanding of this faith IS NOT the nebulous ideas of doctrines but rather that sense of KNOWING that comes to those than will strive toward their individual spiritual goal. That these words ARE NOT seen in that Light is Truly unfortunate as they DO hold within them a part of the mystery of Life as a True disciple of the Lord. Jesus begins with the simple idea that men should “Take no thought for your life“, an idea that IS NOT nearly understood as it IS presented by the Master and the way that He goes on to discuss ideas of eating, drinking and clothing serves to obnubilate the True gist of His message. While this obscurity may be purposeful it DOES NOT matter as the message IS still clear for ALL who ARE NOT concentrating on the ancillary points but ARE looking intently at the idea of one’s Life. We should try to see here that carnally men DO equate eating, drinking and clothing with Life but we should try to see that these ONLY regard the physical form and its desires. We should note as well that this theme IS found throughout the gospels, NOT in direct words but in terms of possessions and wealth. We should note that many Christian commentators tell us that feasting and clothing were signs of wealth in those days and it IS perhaps for this reason that such terms ARE used by the Master. That much of the church has interpreted the main idea here into one of anxiousness and worry DOES NOT Truly matter either as even with this understanding most ALL fail miserably. Let us look again at the Greek word merimnao which IS rendered by the King James Translators as thought. This idea of “Take no thought” IS rendered by others as “be not anxious“, “don’t worry about” and “Do not be careful about” while still others replace the idea of Life with such ideas as “don’t worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body“. This last rendering of the Master’s words eliminates the KEY to understanding His intent as the whole idea of “Take no thought for your life” IS transformed into these carnal ideas. This dilution of the Master’s intent IS fueled by the attitude of those who comment on the bible and define the Greek words for us. Strong’s tells us that merimnao means: to be anxious about even as they show us that the rendering should be “Take no thought“9a. Thayer’s tells us that the meaning IS: to be anxious; to be troubled with cares; adding to care for, look out for (a thing); to seek to promote one’s interests9 and it IS these ideas that have made their way into the lexicon. In the end, these ideas DO reflect upon the thought processes of men but to challenge men to NOT think about such things likely seemed for the translators and the commentators a bridge to far.
Vincent shows us a different perspective on the idea of merimnao saying that: The cognate noun is merimna, care, which was formerly derived from meriv, a part; merixw, to divide; and was explained accordingly as a dividing care, distracting the heart from the true object of life4. Here we get another lesson about doublemindedness through the idea of dividing care and, to be sure, this IS the tenor of the whole of this part of the Sermon on the Mount from His words about treasure to these words that tell us to “Take no thought for your life“. Mr. Vincent goes on however to show us that this original idea has been changed; he tells us that: This has been abandoned, however, and the word is placed in a group which carries the common notion of earnest thoughtfulness. It may include the ideas of worry and anxiety, and may emphasize these, but not necessarily4. It IS from this notion of earnest thoughtfulness that the ideas of being anxious and worry come but we should try to see from the tenor of the whole of the Master’s words that this IS NOT the intent. The intent IS simply to NOT be dividing care by NOT dwelling upon one’s Life in this world while being consumed by ways to better it financially, socially and hopefully morally. Can we see the point here? Vincent goes on to show us the thinking of men in this world saying that: The word has entirely lost this meaning as he introduces some words from Bishop Lightfoot (On a Fresh Revision of the New Testament)4. Bishop Lightfoot tells us that: I have heard of a political economist alleging this passage as an objection to the moral teaching of the sermon on the mount, on the ground that it encouraged, nay, commanded, a reckless neglect of the future4 but this IS True ONLY when we view the Master’s words from a strictly carnal perspective. Finally Mr. Vincent falls into the same carnal ideas saying: It is uneasiness and worry about the future which our Lord condemns here, and therefore Rev. rightly translates be not anxious4. We have discussed this idea of “Take no thought for your life” many times throughout our blogposts and perhaps the single most visual idea from these discussions IS that even in believing that Jesus IS referring to being anxious and worry, most ALL men still fail miserably at keeping His words. That Jesus chose to end this segment of His Sermon according to Matthew with this idea of “Take no thought for your life” should speak volumes but, since NONE of His words here, His words on treasure, on the single eye or on mammon ARE properly understood, it IS unlikely that the idea of “Take no thought for your life” can be. We should note here that NONE of these ARE stand alone ideas; they ARE covered over and over in the words of the Master and His apostles throughout the New Testament. Unfortunately the ideas ARE seldom connected together.
In the idea of uneasiness and worry about the future we have the product of our vanity which produces the self-serving attitudes that prevail in this world. It IS in vanity that we see ourselves a men in this world rather that Souls seeking expression through form and we should try to understand that this vanity IS the Universal affliction of ALL mankind. Paul shows us this clearly saying that “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). These words ARE a part of the foundation of our blogposts as they tell us that we ARE ALL made human and subjected to being human until we can free ourselves from our own bondage to this world. Men ARE born into this vanity as a Cosmic rule where from infancy we KNOW ONLY being human; we ARE relatively divorced from our own Souls and left, individually and corporately, to find our own sense of Truth. Yes we ARE given guidance along the way in the form of the various world scriptures and we should note that while based in the culture to which each Avatar IS sent, their True messages ARE Universal albeit from different perspectives. It IS ONLY guidance however and it IS unfortunate that the Truth of most ALL scriptures has been compromised by the doctrines which men selfishly base in them. We should understand the idea of Avatar as offered by our dictionary as being Hindu mythology; this idea of mythology however IS based in a lack of understanding and NOT in any sort of fact. This defining idea of Avatar says that it IS: the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god*. While ideas like this seems to bother the Christian world, the Truth IS that there have ever been Avatars to guide humanity toward its goal which Paul shows us as being “made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. Jesus offered men the guidance of His words, His precepts if you will, that were based in His ability to express the fullness of the Christ Principle. Moses, in his role, as well as the prophets of the Old Testament also offered guidance and while they DID NOT express the fullness necessary to be the Christ, their contributions have nonetheless served to change the direction of those to whom they were sent. In their time and place both Mohammed and the Buddha served similar purposes and we should note that the teachings of each of these ARE the basis for different world religions. Again, it IS unfortunate that the Truth of each has been degraded by men and turned into doctrines. It IS against such doctrinal forms that we should see the Master’s words saying “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7).
None of these Avatars however taught that their Truth was intended to relieve uneasiness and worry about the future; ALL such teachings ARE however intended to allow a man to put his full focus upon the Truth that IS God and this IS the singular idea that we should see in Jesus own words saying “Take no thought for your life“. To think about our lives IS to dwell in the vanity into which we were born as we ARE nurtured and indoctrinated into being persons and while some may receive religious training, it IS purely doctrinal indoctrination. We should remember that Vincent defines this vanity for us saying that it IS a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4 and if we could see that these false ends ARE our pursuing of our carnal realities and doctrinal goals, we could better understand our own condition in this world. God and our relationship with the Lord ARE on the other side of our carnal existence, that IS they ARE NOT found in our perishable and decaying condition. They ARE found in our striving to live according to the Great Commandments that tell us that we must “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” and that we must “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mark 12:20, 31). It IS through these commandments that we ARE “made free from the bondage of corruption” which IS our carnal lives in this world. We should note that we chose the word must in regard to the Great Commandments and we should try to understand that this IS the Master’s perspective as He tells us that “thou shalt“, a phrase that IS intended to show us the necessity that IS still covered by the idea of shall in legal terms. Through ALL this we find our point; it IS through our ability to “Take no thought for your life” that we begin to look away from our vanity and, to be sure, these beginnings ARE begun in our Repentance and perfected in our Transformation. It IS also our Repentance that brings us into the fuller understanding of our trifecta and the meanings of His precepts that ARE included along with the rewards; rewards that greatly contribute to our ability to be fully “transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God“. Repeating our trifecta we read:
- “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
- “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
- “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:21-24).
That the church at large DOES NOT see the need for men to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” DOES NOT change the reality of the Master’s words that clearly tell us that we must keep His words if we desire the spiritual rewards that ARE available, the promises if you will. The rewards that ARE cited by the Master in our trifecta ARE ALL spiritual rewards which in everyday Christian language ARE that we will get “the truth, and the truth shall make you free” from our “bondage of corruption” which IS our carnal proclivities in this world. Additionally we ARE promised the Kingdom, that we can “enter into the kingdom of heaven” if we will “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven“. The first idea here, the Truth, IS NOT seriously considered in today’s Christianity which arbitrarily considers that their various doctrines ARE that Truth and, to be sure, few if any ARE freed by such a belief. Finally we ARE promised the Presence of the Lord in our lives; we ARE promised that the Father and the Son Aspects of God will “come unto him, and make our abode with him” and here this him IS defined by Jesus as those that will “love me, he will keep my words“. There IS great simplicity in these ideas from our trifecta and it IS these rewards that should be related to the Apostle Peter’s words saying that “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). To have the Truth, to have the Kingdom and to have His Presence ARE what makes us “partakers of the divine nature” through our escape from our own carnal selves; an escape made possible by keeping His words.
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 |
- 1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913 from https://1828.mshaffer.com/
- 2 New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.com
- 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
- * 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
