ON LOVE; PART MDXV
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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 a discussion of agape that led through the way that we must define this unique idea of Love. We should understand here that there IS likely NO singular English word that can be better understood than the idea of Love and this IS likely True in ALL languages. It IS this however that has put mankind into the quandary that we ARE in yet today where the idea of agape IS seen ONLY in terms of Love and Love IS seen ONLY in terms of the carnal ideas attached to it. It should be evident to the church that the carnal ideas of Love CAN NOT be the reference of the Master nor His apostles when they tell us that “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“. In this essay we will begin by exploring this idea of Love versus the more inclusive word agape with the understanding that these ARE NOT Truly related; that the idea of Love that comes from agape should be understood as a separate idea devoid of the carnal implications of the rendered word Love. The carnal implications of the word Love ARE well established through the defining words found in any dictionary. Our own dictionary tells us that Love IS:
- a strong feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, such as for a parent, child, friend, or pet:
- a profoundly tender, passionate affection, often mingled with sexual desire, for another person:
- sexual passion or desire.
- active, self-giving concern for the well-being of others:
- a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart;
- used as a term of endearment, affection, or the like
- love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour
- sexual intercourse; copulation
- Love, a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid
- strong enthusiasm or liking for anything; a thing for which one has a strong enthusiasm or liking
- Religion. the benevolent affection and deep compassion of God for all creatures, or the reverent devotion returned from them to God.
The list goes on a bit to cover the way that the word is used and then its use as a verb and the overall idea here IS simply that save for the last defining idea regarding religion, NONE address the reality of agape. It IS through these defining ideas that we have formed our own definition of this carnal idea of Love as it IS understood today which IS that Love IS our mental and emotional attachment and attraction to others and to things. Carnally Love IS but a feeling, an emotion which can easily override the thought processes of men. Agape Love however IS NOT a feeling, it IS an action that we must embrace in our interactions with others and with the world at large. In the religious view cited above, Love IS the benevolent affection and deep compassion of God for all creatures, we should see a doctrinal approach to the idea that IS devoid of reason. In these ideas God IS portrayed as a man which IS NOT a reality, neither IS the Godhead showing benevolent affection and deep compassion. Despite this underlying reality, men DO believe that they Love God and that the reverent devotion from God IS what they ARE returning to the Lord. None of this IS the reality of agape and here we repeat what we have said throughout our blogposts: we must divorce the idea of Love as it IS commonly understood from any and ALL spiritual endeavors regarding agape. Our Love for the Lord IS NOT a feeling, it IS an action that IS defined for us by the Master who says “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). In these words we should clearly see that our reverent devotion to the Lord IS expressed ONLY through keeping His words. And Jesus shows us this reality as He gives us the criteria for both Loving the Lord and having the True Presence of the Lord in our lives. This He offers us in the third part of our trifecta which we repeat 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).
The Master could NOT be clearer as He tells us that “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings“. In these words we have a reality that IS ignored by the doctrinal church which favors their own doctrines over the words of the Master, His sayings if you will. While these words ARE framed in the negative to say that those that DO NOT Love the Lord DO NOT keep His words, His previous words ARE positively framed to follow up on His saying “If ye love me, keep my commandments“. Through these we should have a firm understanding that Jesus’ words ARE universal, that His commandments, His sayings and His words ARE ALL the same and CAN NOT be separated. We should note as well that the Master ties this idea of Loving the Lord to having His Presence in one’s Life, a presence that we should try to understand in its depth and NOT in the cursory way of the church. Jesus’ words could not be clearer regarding the idea of Loving the Lord as He tells us that it IS “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me“; the KEY idea here IS of course he that “keepeth them“. It IS to those that Love the Lord that He “will manifest” Himself and herein lies much mystery for the doctrinal church. The idea of this manifestation IS by biblical definition a difficult thing to understand; Strong’s tells us that the Greek word emphanizo means: to exhibit (in person) or disclose (by words)9a but this IS clearly NOT what the Master intends for us to understand. Thayer’s tells us that emphanizo IS: properly, to present oneself to the sight of another which again IS contrary to the idea that IS being presented; Thayer’s goes on to present a doctrinal idea that says the idea IS: metaphorically of Christ giving evidence by the action of the Holy Spirit on the souls of the disciples that he is alive in heaven9. Vincent offers us the same ideas saying: Will manifest [εμφανισω] . Properly, of manifestation to the sight, as distinguished from dhlow, to make evident to the mind. A clear, conspicuous manifestation is indicated. Vincent however adds a comment from Wescott saying that: It conveys more than the disclosing of an undiscovered presence [αποκαλυπτω] , or the manifesting of a hidden one [φανεροω]4. It IS Wescott’s idea here that we will pursue as the reality of a conspicuous manifestation IS surely NOT the Master’s intent.
As Judas “not Iscariot” questions this idea for the disciples, the Master’s answer IS NOT much clearer as regards this idea of manifestation. And this IS the Christian problem as they doctrinally believe that some Presence of the Lord comes into one’s heart as a rather automatic response to their being ‘saved‘. This sense of ‘salvation‘ permeates much of the Christian world; for many it IS linked to one’s completion of certain ‘sacraments’ while in others it IS part of an affirmation that Jesus IS one’s Lord and savior. Both approaches miss the mark of Truly having the Presence of the Lord whose manifestation IS our realization that it IS the Soul that now directs the Life of the man in this world. The Apostle Paul writes that we should “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2) and this IS that process that begins in our Repentance and continues through our Transformation. It IS as we Transform and strive to keep His words that we allow the Will of the Soul to overcome the will of the flesh. When we can understand that each Soul IS part and parcel of the Godhead, we can then understand how that the Christ, the Principle of Love, and the Father, the Spirit of God, DO manifest themselves according to the Master’s words. It is this manifestation that IS our disclosing of an undiscovered presence and the manifesting of a hidden one as Wescott envisions; and here he rightfully says that such manifestation of Truth and Love even conveys more. We should remember here that even His apostles ARE NOT clear on the working out of this manifestation. It IS from here that the Master begins speaking intently about the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, and in these words we should try to see a continuation of His words regarding the manifestation of the Christ and the Father. We should try to understand here that there IS but One God, One Spiritual Presence that IS shown to us in His component parts. Our best understanding of these parts IS ONLY as clear as IS our understanding of the Godhead and in this IS the reality of Paul’s words regarding “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 1:26-27).
The entirety of ALL ideas regarding the Godhead ARE a mystery to ALL but those to whom the mysteries ARE revealed and, as we ofttimes discuss, this revelation IS “to his saints“. So too IS the revelation of His Presence as we read above and here we should understand that those that “hath my commandments, and keepeth them” ARE His saints. This IS the great Truth that IS missed by the doctrines of men and we should note here that there IS a note of intention in this. From the earliest days of doctrinal development the focus was NOT on keeping His words but on worship as the superstitions and idolatry of the past yet afflicted the world. And this world included what ARE KNOWN today as the church fathers, those men who took upon themselves the authority over the spiritual lives of the masses. Perhaps it was their intent to begin a religious effort based on the Life of the Christ, His death and His resurrection, but following the methods of the day, the Jews, the Greeks and the Romans, they settled upon a religion that was centered on worship and awe. Add to this the need to attract people to their ’cause’ and we have the end result of a religion which IS steeped in doctrines and light on the Truth and the Love that were the central points of the Master’s teaching and example. It IS likely the superstitious and idolatrous nature of men in those days that engendered the teachings on heaven and hell as the religious leaders extracted from the Master’s words and the words of His apostles ideas that would support this nature. There ARE many clues to the origins of Christianity in the writings of the church fathers and we should note that most ALL of these wielded great power in their day as they ‘negotiated’ a doctrinal religion that IS much the same yet today. What was missed from the beginning was a reliance on the Master’s words as men’s guide to True spirituality and this despite the Master’s warning, His timeless warning, saying “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:6-7). This IS NOT ALL that the Master tells us in regard to His own words. Jesus tells us from the beginning of the plight of those that DO NOT see His words and examples as the Way as He gives us this analogy:
“whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it“
In these words we have the difference between being wise and being foolish, being a “wise man” and a “foolish man“. While it may appear that these ideas have little spiritual value, they most certainly DO as regards the ability of any man to Repent and Transform. ALL of the Master’s words that precede these words of the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders, ARE His instructions, His commandments and His reinterpretation of the law; and, it IS the reinterpretation of the law that was aimed as the Jews doctrinal dilutions of the Truths espoused by Moses and the prophets. It IS also against this doctrinal malaise that Jesus offers us the everlasting reality of His words saying “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men“. That the church DOES NOT see these words as applying to them from the beginning IS a major problem for doctrinal religion as the Christian churches have adopted the very same doctrinal malaise as they continue to be teaching for doctrines the commandments of men“. Yes they have many doctrinal reasons for their approach to the Lord but they ALL fail in light of Jesus cautionary words saying “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:18-19). This brings us again to the church’s adoption of the ideas that they have interpreted from the words of the Apostle Paul that decry works as the Way to God. This brings us again to the reality that Paul IS NOT speaking of the law per se. He IS rather speaking of the way that the law was interpreted into the Jews doctrinal precepts and a more intelligent reading of His words in context will easily reveal this to ALL that Truly seek the Truth. From this perspective the apostles words can be seen as they Truly ARE; words that clarify and amplify the Master’s own words. This however IS NOT our subject for today as we seek to amplify and clarify the reality of agape and its spiritual effect on ALL that we DO in this world.
The above ideas however should show us that it IS in keeping His words that we ARE Truly saved, a salvation that IS sorely misplaced in the doctrines of men, and that the primary idea that we should glean from His words IS agape. It IS agape that IS our KEY to keeping His words and while the Master alludes to this in the gospels, His apostles certainly offer us a clearer and louder picture of that Truth. Paul, while being the apostle that IS given credit for the doctrinal ideas that the church has decided can override the Master’s words, IS a great contributor to the Truth of agape. Paul tells us twice that it IS in our expression of agape that we ARE ‘found’ to be in accord with the law and here we should try to see that the law IS as the Master had expanded it as He chided the Jews regarding their own use of doctrines. Paul tells us that “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8-10). These words ARE simple and clearly expressed by the apostle but they fade in comparison to the ideas that the church has gleaned from the totality of His words. And gleaned is the correct idea here as the church has from the beginning gathered slowly and laboriously, bit by bit* the ingredients of their doctrinal approach which has ever been oriented toward the comfort of men rather than the Truth of the Master’s precepts. This same idea IS offered again to the Galatians where we read his words saying “brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:13-16). These words precede some of the most poignant ideas that the apostle has espoused in his writings, words that include the reality of what it IS that comes from the Soul, the Christ Within, and into the Transforming minds of men. The apostle tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections[b] and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-25).
While many Christians lay claim to “the fruit of the Spirit” in their lives, few actually KNOW the reality of the words that ARE rendered as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance“. Most rely upon the carnal understanding attached to the Greek words rather than the spiritual connotation that the words were intended to express. We have discussed these words in depth and looking up some of the more obscure can point to the blog posts that address “the fruit of the Spirit“; searching for the Greek word eirene for example will land one near the beginning of our last discussion on “the fruit of the Spirit“. The first in this list of “the fruit of the Spirit” IS Love which of course IS rendered from agape and we should note here that this word IS likely the one that causes the most confusion in the minds of Christians as it IS so often related to carnal ideas of Love rather than the deep Truth of our singular expression to ALL. That expression IS the one shown us by the Master in the Great Commandment and the Golden Rule and shown us by His apostles in such sayings as we have above regarding the fundamental Power of this ‘God kind of Love’. This Love Is encapsulated for us in many phrases and sayings from the Master and His apostles and perhaps the most direct, and at the same time the most unseen, IS James’ words saying “if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 2:9). At the beginning we cited a long list of the defining ideas from our secular and therefore carnal dictionary and these incorporate most ALL that IS understood by the word Love for those both in and out of the church. To compound the understanding dilemma that exists regarding men’s understanding of agape, we have the ideas presented by bible dictionaries, lexicons and commentaries. For example the lexicon describes agape as: brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence; love feasts2. Surely brotherly love IS included in any idea of agape but the gist of agape in these words IS best carried by the defining idea of good will. We ARE and have been at a loss to understand the relevance of love feasts and to be sure affection as we generally understand that idea IS NOT an aspect of True agape. Neither can we understand the relevance of rendering the idea as charity as IS DONE in many of Paul’s writings; for us agape IS NOT charity but may spawn some aspects of charity. We should remember that the English word charity was differently defined in the nineteenth century1 as we point out in the prologue to our essays. Strong’s defines agape as: love, i.e. affection or benevolence; specially (plural) a love-feast and tells us it IS from the root word, a verb, agapao which they define simply as: to love (in a social or moral sense)9a this IS a totally inadequate definition. We should note here that we use the word agape to cover the ideas of both agape and agapao. Thayer’s seems to address these two kindred words as separate ideas while saying that agape IS NOT generally used in the New Testament saying of agape: Nor is it found in the N. T. in Acts, Mark, or James; it occurs only once in Matthew and Luke, twice in Hebrews and Revelation, but frequently in the writings of Paul, John, Peter, Jude9. Thayer’s DOES add that: In signification it follows the verb ἀγαπάω; consequently it denotes affection, good-will, love, benevolence9 which IS similar to the ideas of the lexicon.
What we should glean from ALL this IS that there IS NO Truly spiritual understanding of the concept of agape despite the many, many clues and commandments that show us that Truth. James clearly tells us that to say that one DOES agape, Love, as the Master shows us IS an incomplete action if we DO express it with “respect to persons“; this however IS NOT understood as it was intended to be understood. James words decry any favoritism of one person above another and this same idea reaches out to every sort of grouping into which people ARE placed. In James’ words we should see that any prejudices ARE contrary to the reality of agape as ARE any sort of preference for one nation, culture, societal position, etc; ALL ARE equally contrary. In the end this ‘rule’ of agape demands that even those close to us, one’s “father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also” (Luke 14:26) be seen through agape in the very same way as the stranger, the neighbor if you will. We stress again that from a carnal perspective we still have such relationships and that they should be valued but, in the spirit of agape, our ‘respect‘ for those close should NOT reach beyond those that ARE NOT. Jesus shows us this in the gospels when His own Earthly family comes calling; we read:
“There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother“
Mark 3:31-35
While the ending says that “whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother“, the previous line IS the more revealing of the greater Truth; looking out at “the “the multitude” the Master says “Behold my mother and my brethren” and surely we ARE NOT to believe that the entire multitude IS DOING “the will of God“. We should understand that both ideas can be True at the same time. The multitude, regardless of their spiritual stature, IS “my mother and my brethren” while those DOING “the will of God” ARE as well and perhaps even more so. The point here IS NOT to qualify ONLY those that “shall do the will of God” as “my mother and my brethren” but rather to show ALL as such. While this idea may seem muddied by the way it IS stated, we should see the same idea in His Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Here we read His words as “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). Here the idea of brethren IS shown to us without any qualification and this IS the way that the idea should be viewed. We should NOT forget here the companion sayings on NOT holding those close to us above others from Matthew’s Gospel. We read that the Master tells us that “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). It IS ONLY when we look at the Master’s words in combination that we can better understand the way that these ideas of having NO “respect to persons” can be Truly expressed. Again, we must remember the parabolic nature of the Master’s teaching and discover the ‘hidden’ meanings which ARE most often ‘hidden’ in plain sight.
The point here then IS to establish the equanimity of our expression of agape so that it encompasses ALL. Again, this expression of agape IS NOT related to the ideas of Love that we live with in our daily lives; this expression of agape IS NOT based in emotion but IS a positive mental attitude towards others. Here we emphasize again that it IS ALL others with NO “respect to persons“, we see ALL men the same and equal with ourselves in essence. And this IS perhaps the KEY: that we see the essence of ALL men behind their outward projections of self. This IS agape. In this view we can “love agapao thy neighbour as thyself” and here we use the verb form of the word for this action. The simplicity here IS found in our view of others apart from our view of their motivations and actions as men in this world. Jesus tells His apostles that “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). While these words may appear to be in regard to the church’s ideas that the ‘heathen’ will come against them, and this may be a part of Jesus’ intent, the greater reality IS found in the difficultly of expressing agape. Strong’s defines thilpsis which IS rendered as tribulation as: pressure (literally or figuratively) before going into their ideas of its usage which they state as afflicted(-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble9a. In this list ONLY one usage idea IS related to pressure from outside forces and that IS persecution; ALL of the other descriptive words can indeed be internal pressures. And this IS our point here: the Master tells them, and us through them, about the “things I have spoken unto you” and we should NOT limit this to the immediately preceding words regarding His crucifixion but rather should expand this to include the entirety of His teaching. The idea of these from the Greek word tauta has a wide variety of meanings that ARE NOT limited to the idea of these but includes: the same, so, such, that, then, these, they, this, those, thus9a according to Strong’s. The subject here should be understood in terms of tribulation and peace; tribulation according to the ways of the world and peace according to the Way of the Lord. For the common man seeking the Lord, as the apostles ARE deemed by many to be, there IS always the worldly pressure to live and act as men and depending upon one’s social strata this can range from simple to extreme. And this IS likely the position of those who took authority over the spiritual lives of the masses 2000 years ago; ranging from simple to extreme they sought the peace that Jesus offered but without understanding the effects of “These things I have spoken unto you“. They instead supplanted the Master’s instructions with their doctrinal leanings and, as we can see from history, this DID NOT lead to any semblance of peace.
The greater point here however IS the internal tribulation that we succumb to as men seeking the Lord apart from the doctrines of men. Jesus tells us that “In the world ye shall have tribulation” and we should see this as a statement of fact as we understand that for each our tribulation will differ. Using the defining idea of pressure can enhance our understanding of how this works out in Life and here we should try to see that this pressure IS to remain “conformed to this world” which for most IS the ONLY Life experience we may have. This pressure IS of course self imposed for the most part although family and others my influence our decisions; this pressure IS, in a word, that we overcome our vanity or we remain conformed. Paul’s full statement here gives us a KEY to breaking this cycle where we succumb to our tribulations; the apostle tells us: “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). The KEY IS our Transformation, an endeavor that each of the apostles to whom the Master IS speaking IS engaged in. From the text we should be able to see that while His disciples ARE with Him they still have doubts regarding what will be and it springing forth from these doubts IS the tribulation that each must endure. Paul continues his point saying that “I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). Paul here points to the idea of being humbled by our experience with the Lord and we should KNOW that this idea of being humble IS an important point for the aspiring disciple and for those who can be considered saints. James shows us this idea of humbleness saying:
“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up“
James 4:6-10
In humbleness IS a great KEY to our ability to overcome. The Master shows us this same thing in His words to His disciples and while they may be considered to be for His disciples ONLY, they DO have real world ramifications. Jesus tells us “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12). This sense of exaltation and abasement IS NOT in the eyes of God but rather in the eyes of one’s fellowman although this IS a difficult thing to see in the general tenor of Life in this world where the rich and powerful ARE exalted and the poor debased. This however IS NOT the way that this IS supposed to be and with the incoming New Age this IS changing rapidly; this IS evident through the general attitudes of men toward riches and glory as well as in the rapid decline of caste systems throughout the world. And, in this we should see the political movements of the world, the conservative versus the progressive and the authoritarian versus the free. The Master and James show us this reality based in the world of 2000 years ago. Jesus tells us “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” and then, after questions from His disciples, the Master tells us “how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mark 23-25). While these words ARE clearly spoken, they ARE ill understood and virtually ignored based upon perhaps two ideas; first IS the idea that this afflicts “them that trust in riches” as men have taken to denying their trust while accumulating so much. Second IS the idea that the Master plants as He answers the disciples question of “Who then can be saved?“; Jesus says “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:26-27). The Christian world has taken both of these ideas and turned them to the advantage of men through their doctrinal teachings that ignore the fuller Truth of the Master’s words.
Finally, we close with the Apostle James words saying “ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 1:6-9). Here we have the combining of themes, one of being rich and the other of the view of the world upon the rich.
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
