ON LOVE; PART MDVIII
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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 Master’s use of the Greek word thesauros which IS rendered as treasure(s) in most bible translations and as riches and wealth in others. These renderings of the Greek word show us that the general idea that we should see in thesauros IS riches, wealth, possessions, etc. and that this IS the full meaning of the Master’s admonition that tells us clearly to: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). A more careful look reveals however that there ARE NO Earthly riches, wealth nor possessions in Heaven and this comports with Solomon’s words saying “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand” (Ecclesiastes 5:15). This IS a commonly accepted idea both in and out of the church but this reality IS seldom attached to the Master’s words above as most see the idea in terms of ONLY physical wealth and possessions. There IS little room for interpretation in Jesus’ words here when thesauros IS considered in this way and while there IS much difficulty in attaching the accepted defining ideas to “treasures in heaven” commentators have done so nonetheless. John Gill for example, in his Exposition of the Bible, tells us that the idea IS:
‘either be concerned for, and seek after heavenly treasure, the riches of glory, the joys and glories of another world, which infinitely excel everything that is valuable on earth; and which can never be corrupted, or taken away: or rather, lay up your earthly treasures in heaven; that is, put them into the hands of God in heaven; and this is done, by liberally communicating to the poor; by which means men “provide themselves bags which wax not old, and a treasure in heaven that faileth not”, ( Luke 12:33 ) . They shall never want any good thing here, and they “lay up in store for themselves, a good foundation against the time to come”, ( 1 Timothy 6:18 1 Timothy 6:19 ) . This is the way to have worldly treasure secured from moth, rust, and thieves; for to lay it up in heaven with God, to give it to him, to his poor, to make use of it for his glory, is to lay it up in a place‘.
Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
While the Master IS telling us not to seek out “treasures upon earth“, Mr. Gill, citing doctrinal teachings and ideas, IS telling us that it IS okay to seek our “treasures upon earth” so long as we DO give liberally to the poor. This IS of course contrary to most ALL New Testament teachings when they ARE rightly understood and perhaps the greatest evidence IS found in Jesus’ interaction with the “certain ruler“, the rich young ruler, found in the gospels. Here we read that:
“And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God“
Luke 18:18-25
Again the message here IS abundantly clear yet it IS manipulated by doctrines as to allow men to accumulate riches and wealth while teaching that they ARE nonetheless ‘saved‘. While we can attribute the general tendency to accumulate wealth to the vanity into which men ARE born, it IS important to remember the role of our nurturing and indoctrination into the ways of the world. And we should understand that this idea of accumulating wealth and possessions IS ever relative to one’s societal place and the culture into which one IS born as these DO change the dynamic meaning of what IS considered as wealth and possessions. We should remember as well that our vanity IS what keeps us grounded in the ways of the world and while the church’s position should have been to explain and diminish the effects of vanity, they have NOT. Many have in fact enhanced the vanity of men in this world through their doctrinal assertions of Truth which causes men to stop seeking the greater Truths that ARE at the heart of True Christianity. For us the reality of our vanity IS best described by Vincent who tells us that it IS: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4. In pursuing the ways of the world, in seeking out our “treasures upon earth“, we ARE pursuing false ends. Accordingly, whensoever we DO pursue the things of the self in this world we ARE increasingly separate from God and this based in the established dichotomy between the things of God and the things of the world. This dichotomy IS shown us by Paul who tells us to “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2) as well as showing us that “they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally[b] minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal[c] mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:5-7). Of course we must NOT forget James’ words that highlight this dichotomy as he tells us “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever* therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).
ALL of this should serve to enhance our understanding to the Master’s words on treasure, words that offer us the choice between the things of the self, the things of self in this world, and the things of God. We ARE NOT told however that we have this choice and what it means save for the idea of riches and wealth, and our ability to choose IS greatly diminished by church teachings that encourage men’s success in this world. While the general tenor of the Master’s words on treasure ARE to offer us a choice between these distinct poles, “treasures upon earth” versus “treasures in heaven“, the teachings of doctrines lean more toward a combined perspective of seeking the former while pursuing the latter. Jesus however DOES address this as He tells us of mammon, yet another word that IS grossly misunderstood. Before we get to this idea of mammon however we should take a final look at the reality of our treasure, the reality of what it IS that takes our attention and our focus. Until our awakening to spiritual Truths we ARE wholly encumbered by whatsoever we have in our minds and for the vast majority of people our minds ARE filled with the carnal and the mundane aspects of Life….this IS for most ALL that they KNOW. While doctrines purport to take us away from the carnal and the mundane, for the majority this IS NOT the case as the doctrines of men ARE themselves carnal and mundane. The doctrines of men show us the outer edge of our carnal existence as we ARE encouraged to put God into our lives. We ARE NOT encouraged however to make God the sole focus of our lives; we ARE instead encouraged to live our carnal existence to the fullest while having some idea of God in our thoughts and minds. Without getting too far into the ways of men in and out of the churches, we should try to see that the idea IS for most a part time encounter with the Lord and then ONLY under the auspices of our particular doctrinal bent. It IS against this human tendency that we should understand the Master’s caution to the church saying “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7).
There IS a companion saying that we see in relation to Jesus’ words saying “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also“, words that help us to define treasure as much much more that riches and possessions. The point here IS that one’s heart, one’s conscious thoughts and attitudes if you will, will be focused upon whatsoever we treasure and the Master relates this to our outward expression saying that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). In addition to the idea of plentiful the Greek word perisseuma IS defined by Thayer’s as: abundance, in which one delights9 and here we should relate this idea to the way that thesauros, rendered as treasure, IS used above. And we should NOT relegate the idea of speaking here to ONLY what we utter verbally but the entirety of our expression in this world. Similarly we should NOT restrict the idea of stoma to the physical asset called the mouth as the word IS also defined as the edge of the sword9. Can we see how that it IS out of the treasure of one’s heart that we cut out our expression to the world; be it evil, defined as carnal, or spiritual, we express what IS in our hearts. This leads us to the more comprehensive way that Luke addresses the Master’s words. Luke tells us that “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45). Here the ideas of treasure and abundance ARE merged into a single idea framed as “good treasure“, “treasures in heaven” and “evil treasure“, our “treasures upon earth“. Can we see the point here? Can we understand that it IS our treasure, that which we attend to in Life, that becomes the expression of our lives as our hearts ARE wheresoever our treasure IS. It IS the disciple and the aspirant to discipleship that IS attending to the things of God while others ARE attending to their carnally focused lives and here we must remember the established criteria for discipleship.
The next point, as we began in the last post, IS mammon. We should remember that mammon IS an untranslated word from the Greek word mamonas, a word of Chaldee origin. Strong’s defines mamonas as: confidence, i.e. wealth, personified; adding mammonas, i.e. avarice (deified)9a. These ARE doctrinal ideas to be sure as the idea of mamonas IS tied to the previous words on treasure. Thayer’s brings us a bit closer to the reality of the idea saying: mammon (Chaldean מָאמונָא, to be derived, apparently, from אָמַן; hence, what is trusted in9. Here we have a KEY to the True meaning of the idea which comports with our view on the idea of treasure. In treasure we have ALL that we ARE focused upon in this world or spiritually while in mammon we have whatsoever we ARE trusting in. These ideas should be seen together except that the idea of mammon IS limited to those things trusted in in this world. Jesus intentionally opposes the ideas of mammon and God or, for us, the things of God. In treasure the choice IS between “treasures in heaven” and “treasures upon earth” while the Master’s words on mammon tell us that we must choose the one or the other for any degree of success in either. Can we see the point here? Jesus tells us clearly that “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) and this simple statement IS a Truth that remains unseen in men’s doctrinal approach to the Lord. Much of the problem IS that the idea of mammon IS again tied to wealth and possessions as the focus of the church’s interpretation of Jesus’ words. Like treasure, mammon IS much more inclusive of ALL that takes our focus off of the Truth and places it on the self in this world. We should add to this the reality that even with the understanding of treasure and mammon as riches and possessions, the church still encourages men to seek after their ‘success’ in this world of vanity. That men should seek after their ‘success’ in this world IS a natural human phenomenon and that the church partakes in this IS understandable as they DO want people to become members of their particular doctrine and its ideas. However, it IS rather hypocritical that they teach the Master’s words on treasure and mammon while many hoard much wealth for themselves and their organizations and claim that such IS ‘biblical’.
Our greater point here IS mammon which IS but a transliteration of the Greek word and which has been defined solely by the church as riches. Based in the context mammon IS used in, Jesus’ use of this word DOES go much farther than riches; we should remember here the Thayer’s idea that the word means what is trusted in9. What DO we trust IS ever the better reality for mammon that IS riches despite the way that the word IS used in other places to more aptly describe riches. We will cover some of these as we proceed but here, in this saying from Matthew’s Gospel, the idea can easily be expanded to be ALL that men trust in. Vine’s agrees with this saying of mammon that it IS: that which is to be trusted before telling us that Gesenius regards it as derived from a Heb. word signifying “treasure” (Gen 43:23); it is personified in Mat 6:24; Luk 16:9, 11, 139b. It IS from such ideas as the latter part from Vine’s that the general notions of mammon as riches personified ARE derived but not Truly defined. In this verse concerning mammon we should try to see that the point IS that we CAN NOT share our trust; we CAN NOT trust in both God and mammon and while the framing of Jesus words IS in terms of serving, the effect IS the same. The Greek word douleuo, while rendered here as serve, has a more definite meaning which, according to Strong’s, IS: to be a slave to. From this Strong’s offers us the usage of the word as to: be in bondage9a and should we conflate this idea with that of mammon itself, we can perhaps better see the Master’s intent. We should try to see that this form of slavery IS self imposed and not one that IS forced upon us as the idea of slavery IS generally understood. Here the Master IS showing us what we ourselves bind ourselves to in this world and the simple message IS that we CAN NOT bind ourselves to both God and mammon. Jesus tells us that our response to this half-hearted approach IS NOT a successful ploy in the spiritual lives of men and, according to the Master, it IS NOT a successful ploy for one’s worldly success either. The Apostle James amplifies this idea saying that “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). While most ALL bible translations render akatastatos as unstable, the word, which IS used ONLY here in the New Testament, DOES have more revealing defining ideas; Thayer’s tells us that the meaning IS: unstable, inconstant, restless9. Applying ALL of these defining ideas to the activities of men who ARE trying to ‘serve‘ both God and mammon should show us the reality of DOING so in simpler human terms.
The importance here IS that this word mammon IS NOT a translatable word in the English language nor IS it properly understood in other languages. The Chaldean word has been understood as meaning riches from the beginning; Vine’s tells us that mamonas IS: a common Aramaic word for “riches” before going on to say that it IS: akin to a Hebrew word signifying “to be firm, steadfast”9b. While the word IS used four times in the New Testament, it IS used in ONLY two places and a single context; the first being Jesus words above from Matthew’s Gospel and the second from Luke’s Gospel where we read of mammon at the end of the Parable of the Unjust Steward. The Lord says:
“There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures[a] of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And 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. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant 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“
Luke 16:1:13
We have covered this parable in previous essays and will NOT DO so again here. Our comments can be found by searching Luke 16 from the search bar. Today we seek ONLY to address the idea of mammon which IS used in the same way as it IS in Matthew’s Gospel but with some additional information to help us to clarify the meaning of the word. The steward in this parable IS NOT ONLY concerned with riches but with his standing in the community; we read this as “Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses“. Can we see the point here? The ensuing machinations done by the steward ARE his effort to secure a future for himself and he DOES so by helping the rich man’s debtors in ways that ARE essentially unrighteous. The reference here IS to “the mammon of unrighteousness” which shows us that the idea of mammon IS NOT a thing in itself such as riches; it IS rather the practice of unrighteousness as a worldly self-serving ploy. Of course we must try to understand the gist of this parable to properly understand the idea of “the mammon of unrighteousness” and we should try to see here that the Master IS telling us that if this IS what we pursue in Life that we should DO so diligently. The KEY to this however IS found in the simple statement that tells us clearly that “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? “. Here we must discern for ourselves just what ARE “the true riches“; they ARE clearly NOT “the unrighteous mammon” which can be better understood as the pursuit of the things of the self and, again, this idea IS NOT limited to possessions. We should try to see that “the true riches” ARE the opposite pole to mammon which the Master tells us IS God and, by extension, the things of God. Luke ends this segment with the very same admonition that Matthew uses, save for the idea of servant versus man in the opening line. It IS these words that we should understand as the gist of Jesus’ argument where we should KNOW for a certainty that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon“.
While these words ARE used by the church, they ARE at the same time manipulated to the understanding that the Lord IS against serving riches and possessions and while this IS so, they DO miss the more applicable idea that it IS NOT possible to serve one’s self in this world and serve the Lord. Millions upon millions testify to their serving of the Lord while they DO, at the same time, focus ardently upon their carnal and mundane lives in this world. Perhaps the main error IS that the church DOES NOT equate the idea of riches and possessions with ALL other carnal activities and their developed sense of treasure. Most try to see treasure and mammon ONLY in terms of riches and wealth while at the same time encouraging men to partake in ALL that the world has to offer. Some denominations and sects outwardly manipulate scripture to allow themselves and their followers to continually seek “treasures upon earth“. There IS a long list of teachers of what has come to be called the Prosperity Gospel and while these have attracted many followers and adherents, they ARE for us prime examples of what Jesus calls “false prophets“. The easy counter to this doctrinal drive IS found in the Apostle Peter’s words that we often use as well as the words from the Master that we ARE studying here in this series of essays. Peter tell us “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 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 1:2-4). Here we should clearly see that it IS through “the knowledge of God” that we can see and understand that there ARE “exceeding great and precious promises” and that through these we “might be partakers of the divine nature” rather than partakers of ALL that the world has to offer. There IS a cost here however and it IS much like the cost of becoming His disciple which we have been discussing. We must have “escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust“, escaped the motivation to choose mammon over God and to secure through our focus “treasures in heaven“. This IS the Way of the disciple and of ALL who Truly seek to follow the Lord.
We can perhaps find some additional ideas to help clarify the Master’s words regarding treasure and mammon in the seemingly obscure verses that separate these ideas in Matthew’s Gospel. This IS His words on the function of the eye. Jesus tells us “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23). Part of the problem that keeps these words in relative obscurity IS the understanding of the ideas of evil and single as they ARE presented in common language. First the Greek word poneros IS most always seen in the most negative way although the defining ideas ARE NOT necessary to be seen in that light. The idea of evil has been adopted by doctrines ONLY as the most negative of ideas. Strong’s tells us that poneros IS: from a derivative of G4192; hurtful, i.e. evil (properly, in effect or influence, and thus differing from G2556, which refers rather to essential character, as well as from G4550, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue). These comparisons should show us that there IS more than one Greek word that can be rendered as evil and that two of them refer to one’s essential character and to that degeneracy from original virtue; this however has been applied to ALL of the Greek words. Can we see the point here? Poneros IS touted by some as the origin of the English idea of pornography but there IS little support for this view although the English synonyms for evil DO conform to this idea. Listed among the synonyms we find such ideas as: sinful, iniquitous, depraved, vicious, corrupt, base, vile, nefarious wickedness, depravity, iniquity, unrighteousness, corruption, baseness plus several others*. While Strong’s goes right to the most egregious ideas to define poneros, Thayer’s takes a more reserved approach telling us that the word means: full of labors, annoyances, hardships; pressed and harassed by labors; bringing toils, annoyances, perils; and bad, of a bad nature or condition9. Thayer’s defining ideas ARE more in line with the way that the word IS used, especially in our subject verses and we have long defined the idea ourselves to be more in line with our view of sin. Both words imply that we ARE NOT living according to the precepts that the Master lays out for us in rather clear language; both words have been confined by the doctrinal church to meanings that involve ONLY gross human behaviors. However, the Greek word hamartia which IS rendered as sin IS defined in the lexicon as: to be without a share in; to miss the mark; to err, be mistaken; to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong; to wander from the law of God, violate God’s law, sin2.
What we should try to see in the above defining ideas for both poneros and hamartia, for both evil and sin, IS an ALL inclusive idea that both offenses ARE based in our carnal living as persons yet caught up in our vanity; as the offense of men based in our living for the self and the things of the self in this world. This IS NOT the world view of these ideas however despite the way that they ARE defined. We have ofttimes cited the idea that the Master Himself IS NOT accusing ALL men of being evil as the idea IS understood carnally, as having a flawed essential character and to that degeneracy from original virtue where degeneracy IS the KEY negative word. Jesus tells us after His words on asking, seeking and knocking for the grace of God a carnal view of such asking. We read His words as “what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:7, 9-11). The Master IS NOT calling ALL men evil as that word IS commonly understood, He IS calling them carnally oriented as opposed to focused on the Way of the Lord. Understanding the idea of evil in Jesus words on the eye leaves us with the more obscure idea of the single eye. Single IS rendered from the Greek word haplous which has a more profound meaning than the idea of single. The dictionary ideas from this word haplous DO indicate the idea of single although there IS some difference between what Strong’s and Thayer’s say about the word. Strong’s tells us that haplous IS: properly, folded together, i.e. single (figuratively, clear):—single9a. Thayer’s offers that the idea IS: simple, single (in which there is nothing complicated or confused; without folds and goes on to say that it means whole; of the eye, good, fulfilling its office, sound: Matthew 6:22; Luke 11:34 — [others contend that the moral sense of the word is the only sense lexically warranted]9. While the ideas of folded together and without folds seem contradictory, this really DOES NOT matter as neither defining idea captures the Master’s intent. Vine’s captures some of what we ourselves see in this idea of haplous saying that we should see haplous as: “simple, single,” is used in a moral sense in Mat 6:22; Luk 11:34, said of the eye; “singleness” of purpose keeps us from the snare of having a double treasure and consequently a divided heart9b.
Other translations muddy the idea rather than helping to clarify it with some replacing single with good, healthy, clear, true and sound but NONE of these reflect a spiritual message from the Master any more than DOES single. Single however DOES work well with the overall theme of the combined passages on treasure, the eye and mammon. For us the ONLY True understanding IS found in looking at ALL of these ideas plus the final saying that we should “Take no thought for your life” (Matthew 6:25). It IS in the opening words of this segment on the eye that we should try to see the set up that follows Jesus’ words on treasure. The Master tells us that “The light of the body is the eye” and in this we should try to understand the allegory. The eye IS our communion with the world, it IS the source of conscious apprehension of most ALL things and while this can be substituted for in persons with limited or NO sight, such substitutes remain just that. In this way it IS the “light of the body” and hidden behind these words the eye DOES as well provide men’s ability to discern the Truth of whatsoever he sees. To help us here we should look at the Master’s words against the Jews’ leaders that ignore the Truth in favor of their doctrinal ideas; Jesus’ says of them “they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14). And this IS the point: it IS with the eye that we can discern the Truth and it IS with the eye that we can see the ‘benefits’ of our carnal existence. Hence, the single eye IS the eye that IS focused upon the things of God, focused on “treasures in heaven” and choosing God over mammon. The single eye IS just that, singly focused upon the things of God. On the other hand, the evil eye IS NOT to be seen ONLY as one focused upon the gross ideas of human behavior but rather upon ALL that IS carnal and mundane, upon “treasures upon earth” and ALL that leaves men trapped in their vanity. As we close today with our trifecta, we should note that idea that one can be filled with Light or darkness IS in direct relation to the focus of our lives which IS the focus of the parabolic eye in Jesus’ sayings. Repeating our trifecta of the Master’s words that ARE His words of Truth and Love and the objective of our focus upon the things of God.
- “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
- “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
- “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:21-24).
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| 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 |
- 2 New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- 9b Vine’s Expository Dictionary 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
