ON LOVE; PART MDXII
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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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In the last essay we continued our discussion on the idea of Redemption. Redemption IS a misused and misunderstood concept in doctrinal Christianity. The idea IS generally applied to the idea that by the Master’s death He redeemed mankind from sin but this IS ONLY True from an allegorical perspective. The Truth of our Redemption IS hidden away among the many mysteries that ARE presented to us in the bible and it IS closely tied to Paul’s words to the Colossians saying “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:25-27). We should remember that the revelation of these mysteries IS NOT generally available to men having “been hid from ages and from generations“. Paul tells us here that they ARE “now is made manifest to his saints” which idea has also been grossly misinterpreted. While the church may teach and people may believe that they have such revelation based upon doctrinal authority, the reality IS that such revelation IS available ONLY to His saints, a word that must be rightly understood according to its biblical usage. While we have often discussed the use of hagios which IS rendered here as saint, it will serve our greater understanding to look at this idea of hagios again. The general idea of hagios from the lexicon IS simply: most holy thing, a saint2 and we find that the word IS rendered most often as holy and secondarily as saint thereby linking these two rendered ideas into a singular one. To be holy and to be a saint ARE then synonymous ideas neither of which can be applied to the average man in or out of the church. The standard for holiness IS the Lord and through this we should see the standard for being a saint as well; again we should see these ideas as synonymous. Vincent tells us that: The term agioi <hagios> saints is applied to Christians in three senses in the New Testament. 1, As members of a visible and local community (Acts 9:32, Acts 9:41; Acts 26:10); 2, as members of a spiritual community (1 Corinthians 1:2; Colossians 3:12); 3, as individually holy (Ephesians 1:18; Colossians 1:12; Revelation 13:10)4 and with this we DO disagree. The idea that the saints can be members of a visible and local community IS based upon the doctrinal interpretation of the use of the word while being members of a spiritual community at least implies that one IS spiritually oriented. Vincent’s final idea of being individually holy should be the ONLY measure of sainthood and a review of the listed uses of hagios will reveal that this standard can be applied to ALL.
The point here IS that the mysteries ARE revealed “to his saints“, they ARE revealed to those who focus on the Lord has been accomplished through their Repentance and Transformation and in this we should see that there can be some sense of measure even in sainthood. Perhaps it IS to this end that the Catholic Church and some other similarly oriented groups assign the appellation of sainthood posthumously to those that have exhibited some large degree of focus upon the Lord in their Lifetime while linking the idea to some form of miracle accomplished after death. This however IS NOT the way that hagios IS applied in scripture; it IS applied to men in the here and now and it IS this same concept that we should see yet today. Who then has access to the “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints“? Simply put, the saints have access to the mysteries and here the singular mystery IS “Christ in you, the hope of glory“. This realization begins in our Repentance and becomes fully realized through our Transformation which results in our Redemption which Paul frames as “the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). Our Redemption then IS hidden from view in the mysteries and it IS in our unfolding of the mysteries of Life that we can begin to see our True relationship to the Christ through the “Christ in you“, the Christ Within, that IS allowed full access to ALL aspects of our lives here in the carnal world. We should understand that this access begins with our Repentance which IS our decision to allow the Soul, the Christ Within, to take possession of our Life in this world and to Transform it into a Life of holiness and sainthood which, together, can be understood as True discipleship.
It IS among the rewards of discipleship that we can DO such “greater works” as the Master promises to those that will believe on Him. Here we should see that the reason that the church decries the idea of “greater works” when such idea exceeds men’s ministry IS that NONE that believe doctrinally have done any; neither can they. Jesus tells us “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12) and we should understand that the works of which He speaks relate to His healing, His raising the dead, as well as His ability to whither the “fig tree” (Matthew 21:19) and vanish “out of their sight” (Luke 24:31) when confronted by the Jews. While we apply ONLY the Master’s ability to vanish and appear and to look differently to this idea of “the redemption of our body“, there IS likely much more yet to be discovered. Also left for us to discover IS how the measure of our Transformation can offer us glimpses of such ability as can be seen with the apostles in the Book of Acts. In the end of the last post we featured an additional section from Luke’s description of the Master’s ability where we read that “Jesus himself stood in the midst of them” as the disciples spoke about what had happened on the road to Emmaus; this IS but one of several like occurrences. We read in John’s Gospel that “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you“. During this encounter with the Lord the Apostle Thomas was NOT present. Later the same scene IS again presented; John tells us “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God” (John 20:19, 26-28). Two things here; first the idea that “the doors being shut” IS specifically mentioned by John to perhaps show the miraculous nature of the Master’s entrance. Second John shows us how that the Master’s appearance IS as they had previously known and was complete with the wounds that He suffered in His crucifixion. To appear the same and to appear differently ARE both shown to us, and, along with Jesus’ message regarding “greater works“, these should give us some modicum of faith that we too can DO such things. Such faith, such KNOWING, however IS a very difficult enterprise. It IS with this difficulty in mind that we should read Jesus’ words saying “whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23). This then IS the True KEY to faith: that we believe and NOT doubt; it IS this that unlocks every spiritual door and it IS this that IS our major difficulty.
In the lives of the apostles as recorded in the gospels we see much in the way of doubt. Through their writings we should be able to understand that even in such a place as to be with the Master in this world, being able to believe and NOT doubt was for them still a major difficulty. That they DO overcome their doubt IS shown us as well but, to be sure, none of them exhibit the fullness of KNOWING that the Master possesses. The picture painted for us should be able to show us the Truth of pistis and pisteuo and the role of this sense of KNOWING and perhaps this IS NO more evident than through the ‘confidence’ of the disciples when the ARE ‘sent out’ by the Master to teach the masses. According to the gospels they had successes in healing and teaching; these ARE recorded for us by Matthew and Luke. However, despite their successes they still have some doubt that keeps them from the fullness of the Truth and the ability to say with Jesus that “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Can we see the point here? After Jesus’ death and resurrection there IS a greater ability to DO such “greater works” as we read in the Book of Acts. Both Peter and Paul have developed the ability to somewhat control their physical environment and when we read such things as that “they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one” (Acts 5:15-16). Paul also presents himself as a great healer; we read of him that “from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19:12). We should remember here that while Peter was with the Lord, Paul was NOT; Paul’s conversion should show us that it IS NOT ONLY the direct apostles that could exemplify for us the reality that “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). While there IS little written regarding the other apostles we should be able to see from John’s writings the spiritual depths that he reached as he imparts to us a picture of the deeper aspects of Jesus’ time in this world, His deeper teachings that go beyond the more historical way of the synoptic gospels. And we should NOT forget those apostles that join in being True followers of the Lord after Jesus’ departure from this world. Among these ARE Stephen and Philip who themselves ARE reported on in scripture. We read that “Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people” (Acts 6:8) before his death at the hands of the Jews. We also read of Philip that “the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did“. We should NOT forget also that it IS written of Philip that “when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:6, 39). These reports regarding Paul, Philip and Stephen should give us cause to see the spiritual opportunities that lie before us as regular people who will Truly Repent and begin to Transform according to Paul’s words saying “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 12:2). Here again we should understand that this proving IS found in the KNOWING which comes to us as a part of the promises of our trifecta which we repeat here saying:
- “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
- “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 should try to understand the interrelationships of ALL spiritual ideas. From agape to pistis to Repentance and Transformation, ALL ARE interconnected into One reality that begins with our Repentance and ends with our Redemption which we can try to see as the Redemption of our Earthly lives. Without a spiritual journey through our lives in this world we simply live and die and bring little if anything of spiritual importance into the afterlife. While the church has been encumbered with thoughts of heaven and hell as the result of living in this world, their ideas ARE built upon the archaic ideas of past millennia, ideas that were suited to the superstitious and barbaric civilizations of the past. Still today the prospects of ‘going to’ heaven or to hell dominate the psyches of millions based upon the various teachings of the many denominations and sects of Christianity. We should note here that most every religion has its own versions of heaven and hell. As we have said throughout our blog posts the ideas of heaven and hell ARE used much like a cudgel in much of the church where the promise of heaven IS shown for men’s obedience against a dire picture that IS painted for us as hell. And, as we have consistently maintained, the pictures painted for us in scripture DO NOT specifically describe a place except by allegories that ARE ofttimes literally interpreted into men’s ideas while the words of the Master and His apostles that ARE clearly stated ARE ignored. This IS Truly unfortunate. There ARE likely many psychic reasons for this ignoring of the clearly stated while grasping onto the allegories as Truth, ofttimes literal Truth, but the one singular reason that we see IS found in men’s strong desire, lust if you will, to live as men in this world. This of course IS the product of our vanity, an idea that Paul presents to us seemingly in passing but one that carries much weight as we consider our Repentance and Transformation. Again, Paul tells us 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). It DOES NOT matter here if we see this in terms of the fall of man or if we can understand it as it IS presented by Paul, the result IS ever the same.
It IS vanity that IS our spiritual enemy and it does NOT matter how we view the idea of vanity. It DOES matter however how we define the effects of our vanity and here again we go to Vincent to show us the reality of Paul’s meaning. Mr. Vincent tells us that this vanity IS: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4. It IS this that men ARE born into simply by way of being born into this world. Vanity IS the natural condition of men who ARE generally self-centered egos who, aside from their natural condition, ARE nurtured and indoctrinated into the ways of the world. Here we should try to see that regardless of one’s upbringing, secular, religious or even the child of ne’er-do-wells, every person born has the same burden of vanity to bear. The very nature of one’s nurturing and indoctrination however DOES play a lesser or greater role in the outcome and it IS here that karma also plays an important role. While we DO NOT want to get into a discussion of reincarnation here, we must assert the idea as the precursor of the karmic burden that each person may bring into the world as this IS an important factor in describing the difficulty or ease with which one can approach their own spiritual center. As Souls, ALL men ARE equally part and parcel of the Godhead; any differences ARE shown through the ability of the Soul to take command over the personality but even this IS encumbered by our nurturing and indoctrination. The combination of our nurturing and indoctrination along with the affliction that IS our vanity ARE what must be overcome and here we should note that the nature of our nurturing and indoctrination DOES NOT matter….ALL must be overcome. A secular nurturing and indoctrination may incorporate some sense of religious indoctrination and this IS the state of most men. A strictly religious nurturing and indoctrination however IS still a carnal effort which may in fact be much more difficult to overcome. The point here IS that the more religious one’s upbringing, or one’s ardent religious indoctrination later in Life, the more difficult it will be to shed and here we should try to understand that it IS men’s doctrinal reliance that increases the difficulty. This IS because many ARE made to believe that they ARE on the Path to spiritual reality through their doctrinal beliefs.
The effects of doctrinal religion ARE often extreme but much of the extremism depends largely upon the denomination, the sect or the cult that one chooses to follow. Regardless, of the way that religion can bring people closer to a relationship with the Lord, that relationship IS at best a fragile one that IS NOT based in the Truth and the Love that documents the lives of those who Truly believe, that Truly KNOW some measure of that Truth. Our main point here IS that in the lives of men there IS ever a prompting to the Good, the Beautiful and the True that flows from the Soul, from the Christ Within. This flow however IS obnubilated by the degree of secular thought or religious dogma thought that one entertains; the more involved in the world, the less one’s psyche can hear the call of one’s own Soul. This makes it sore difficult for the man so involved in the world to ever awaken to the greater Truths that abound. It IS this awakening that IS the purpose of the Master’s incarnation in this world as He tried, through His precepts and example, to awaken the masses and we should note here the relationship between this phrase and our adopted definition of believing. Vincent shows us that the reality of believing must be: to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is not merely to believe the facts of His historic life or of His saving energy as facts, but to accept Him as Savior, Teacher, Sympathizer, Judge; to rest the soul upon Him for present and future salvation, and to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life4. Through the clamor of daily living combined with the doctrinal teachings that deflect this idea of accepting and adopting His precepts and example as binding upon the life, men ARE left to flounder in a sea of doctrinal ideas that bring little in the way of Truth and Love into one’s expression. This IS the state of today’s Christianity; while this IS painted with a broad stroke, there ARE many who ARE doctrinally motivated and, at the same time, see the need for action in this world. These ARE men and women who have been caught up in the New Age ideas regarding the expression of agape and it IS such as these that will bring the church out of its doctrinal doldrums and perhaps introduce a more middle ground from which men can grow.
There IS much speculation regarding the demise of the church and while many may see the reasons for this in terms of the effects of the societal and cultural changes that have ever motivated real change, few see the fault as being with the church itself. Our view IS and has been that the prima facie reason for the state of the church today IS found in the way that so many see its teachings as NO longer pertinent in this time where man’s mental awareness has exceeded his emotional response. We should understand here that our own writings ARE intended to show that there IS a Way to focus upon the things of God without totally abandoning Life as we KNOW it but rather by removing the barriers to the Truth that have been erected by both the church and our secular society. Of course the Way IS found in our understanding and our acceptance of agape as the singular Way out of the doldrums and into an era of personal responsibility. This brings us back again to the threefold Path that IS ignored by church teachings but which plays an essential role in the spiritual lives of men in this world. This threefold Path incorporates the Master’s words that ARE our trifecta but in a way that focuses us on the idea of agape. First IS our Repentance and we should here again define this as it should be understood, as: such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice4. This IS intended to be a dynamic change in the Life of the Repentant man; it IS intended that such a man will allow the Truth and Love of the Soul to overwhelm his carnal motivations. We should understand here that Repentance IS NOT an immediately effective undertaking but rather one that we accept by measure as we begin to see in ourselves that virtuous change in the life and practice. We should try to see here that while it may be contrary to the teachings of much of the church that decries the very idea of works or that one must become “doers of the word, and not hearers only” as James tells us to be Truly saved, the reality IS that to NOT be doers, we ARE “deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Although there IS NO sincere way to wrangle these words from James, as IS True regarding many such straightforward statements from scripture, there IS the way that IS embraced by much of the church which IS to simply ignore such ideas. Embedded into this idea that the most straightforward Truths ARE simply ignored IS the way that they ARE simply NOT taught as serious Ways to overcome one’s carnal nature. This IS perhaps because the whole of Christian philosophy had been turned into a carnal endeavor that allows men to live as men in this world from the very beginning. Most any intelligent reading of the Master’s words however easily rejects any of the ideas that ARE promoted by much of the church, ideas that tell men that they need DO NOTHING but ‘believe‘ to be ‘saved‘. In the church the idea of ‘believing‘ IS a very nebulous one and the idea of being saved relates solely to the churches teachings on heaven and hell.
The goal of Repentance IS the first and foremost thing that a man must try to reach and it IS perhaps the most difficult. To Truly Repent one needs to be motivated by his own Soul and the difficulty here IS that the din of daily living easily drowns out the prompting of the Soul so that it becomes difficult to discern. However, in more quiet times most ALL DO get some inkling that there IS more to Life than what we see and feel and it IS this that men must grasp as his lead in to True Repentance. We should remember here that Repentance IS but a decision to change; it IS NOT necessarily the change itself. Using our definition of Repentance from Vincent we should be able to understand that while this change becomes full and permanent, it DOES NOT happen in an instant. Again, Vincent tells us that Repentance IS: such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice4 and we should try to see that a KEY word here IS begets. To beget IS defined as: to cause; produce as an effect* and that IS how we should see the idea in Mr. Vincent’s defining idea; our Repentance IS the cause for a like virtuous change in the life and practice. With this in mind we should be able to see that the first part, the alteration of the mind and purpose, IS based upon one’s discernment of the prompting of his own Soul and this whole can be perhaps best understood in terms of conscience. Conscience IS defined for us as: the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one’s conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action*. At its most dynamic point this inner sense IS the prompting of one’s own Soul, one’s own Christ Within, to the Good, the Beautiful and the True. Here we can discount such ‘inner sense’ that revolves around mundane matters, an ‘inner sense’ that IS a form of decision making in a carnal sense. It IS whensoever one’s conscience Truly relates to right and wrong; whensoever one’s prompting IS oriented by the reality of agape properly understood, that everyman has the opportunity to seize upon the ‘thought’ and allow it to alter his mind and purpose. For most this should be a purposeful endeavor but the gradualness with which this may occur in one’s conscience can and DOES lead many to at least a moment of True reflection. It IS when one can channel that reflection and extend its influence that one IS on the brink of that True Repentance which causes a like virtuous change in the life and practice. Many things can spark such change but we should try to understand that it IS always dependent upon the consciousness of a man to recognize the need and to grasp the opportunity.
Another difficulty in this ‘conversion’ of men from their existance as carnal creatures that ARE bound to their vanity through what Paul calls their “bondage of corruption” IS the reality that there IS NO perceived need to be converted; most are outwardly ‘satisfied’ with their lot in Life. In the reality of Life however who IS ever Truly satisfied; most ever seek more but their seeking IS rather confined to the betterment of their lot in Life. When the Master tells us to “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7) His reference IS purely spiritual. This message however has been converted by men to include carnal favor as its prominent theme and herein lies a large part of the problems of humanity as most ALL see ONLY their carnal lives and Life styles as important. Seeing and recognizing that one should seek the higher ground has become a purely personal endeavor as there IS little or NO emphasis for spiritual living coming from a church which promotes the carnal well being of their congregants. Jesus however DOES instruct us on seeking the higher ground and the spiritual Way and while He tells us to “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30) few see themselves in that light. This again IS based upon the vanity into which we ARE born and the nurturing and indoctrination that we have received; it IS these things that show us that it IS our lives in this world that ARE of import. Few see the reality of the Master’s words as a way out of the doldrums of daily living but, to be sure, this IS the purpose of His words. Peter shows us this saying that “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance“. When we look at these words against the defining idea for vanity saying that our vanity IS a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4 we should be able to better understand the idea. John helps us here saying that “this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). Can we see the point? Can we see that while scripture shows us the Way to “the glorious liberty of the children of God“, men DO NOT see their way into this glory save for the ‘satisfaction’ offered through the doctrines of men, a false satisfaction that James shows us saying “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).
Moreover, Peter’s words ARE clearly telling us that while the Lord IS “not willing that any should perish” it IS Repentance that IS the alternative if we can use that idea here. The defining idea that we use here for the idea of vanity shows us the state of men in this world, a state that IS NOT Truly debatable. In our carnal state as men in this world we ARE in a perishable and decaying spiritual condition and while the doctrinally religious may claim that they ARE free from this perishable and decaying spiritual condition, there IS NO real evidence that they ARE. Most religious, and we use this word broadly here to incorporate most ALL who follow their doctrinal leaders, ARE but regular carnally oriented people that spend some percentage of their time embedded in their doctrines with little or NO adherence to the precepts that the Master put forth 2000 years ago. There IS little True Repentance and since Repentance IS the harbinger of Transformation, there IS little Transformation in the churches as well. Equally True IS the way that few if any in the church will admit to their own deception despite the way that they often rail against works as the Way par excellence to attain “the glorious liberty of the children of God“. James’ words could NOT be clearer as he tells us to “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” Can we see the point here and can we see what the Master Himself tells us of works saying “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Here we should NOT forget Paul’s words saying “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). It IS through these words we should be able to sense what his meaning was in other sayings that seem to decry works saying such things as “a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians 2:16). While we have spent many words trying to explain Paul’s position on “the works of the law” we have yet to fully explore the apostle’s ideas on works and it IS with this that we will begin our next essay.
We close today with the idea that there IS a vast difference between our “good works” and “the works of the law“; the ONLY commonality here IS in the use of the Greek word ergon that IS rendered as works. We also should leave a comment here regarding the idea of “good works” and their relationship to agape as the singular Way to have both “good works” and to Truly keep 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 |
- 2 New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- * 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
