IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 1879

ON LOVE; PART MDXXVIII

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FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).

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WHAT THEN IS LOVE? In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God.

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PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).

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We ended the last essay with some words from the Apostle James, words that we often use to show the need to keep the Master’s words. James tells us that we ARE deceiving ourselves when we believe that through our hearing of doctrinal teachings on the word we ARE ‘saved‘ if we can use that term here. Of course the apostle DOES NOT specifically say that we DO regarding doctrinal teachings but since that has become the way for most to be a “hearer of the word” we think it prudent to state it this way. Aside from the actual doctrinal teachings that most ALL churchgoers hear, there IS also their own idea of bible study; we would point out here however that whatsoever study one DOES IS colored by their individual doctrinal position. To read scripture in the absence of preconceived ideas that flow from one’s doctrinal leanings IS difficult but yet possible and, to be sure, this IS the ONLY way to read the word with clarity. The doctrines of men have been diluting and changing the Master’s words and the words of His apostles for 2000 years and we should try to see here how Jesus’ words to the Jews in His day were often prophetic regarding today’s religious climate. This prophetic idea IS the same as that which the Master introduces when He repeats the words of the Prophet Isaiah calling the prophet’s words prophetic; so here, we ARE DOING the same and calling the Master’s words prophetic. Any Truly intelligent reading of the Master’s words would perforce reveal this analysis as True. The Master says “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). The state of the church today IS strictly doctrinal and when we understand the sheer number of differing doctrinal approaches to the Lord, we can then better understand where the Truth has been obnubilated, where the Truth has been diluted and changed to meet the ‘needs’ of men.

James’ words emphasize this; not from the perspective of dilution and change but rather from the perspective of hearing anything spiritual and believing that one IS ‘saved‘. We should understand here that the doctrinal ideas ARE generally NOT “the word” that James refers to; the apostle refers to the True words of the Lord, the commandments if you will, that have been subjected to dilution and change. James tells us “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:22-25). In the last post we looked briefly at the ideas that follow James’ picture of deception, how that a man will leave hearing the word, or whatever qualifies as the word in his mind, and feels right; “he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way“. James goes on to show us the fleeting nature of such feelings as one becomes again enmeshed in his daily Life in this world; he “straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was“. As we said, this can be based in hearing the True words of the Lord or in hearing ideas from whatsoever doctrines he may subscribe to. In either event, perhaps moreso with the doctrinal message, the feelings engendered ARE lost as the man begins again to focus on himself and the self in this world. It IS ONLY when one can hear the word in whatsoever way that it resonates in his mind, whatever causes him to comprehend and understand, and then “continueth therein” that he can be Truly ‘saved‘. While James phrases this as that “this man shall be blessed in his deed“, the reality IS the same as the nebulous ideas of ‘salvation‘ that ARE bandied about in the church. We should note here that these ideas correlate closely with our trifecta where the results for he that “continueth therein” IS discipleship and we should remember here that discipleship IS the goal for ALL who Truly seek the Lord; that discipleship IS the Way par excellence to True salvation which IS the reward of ALL points of our trifecta. The Master tells us:

  • 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).

In the first part of our trifecta we have the same idea of continuing in His words that James offers us in saying “whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed“. The Master offers us the ‘blessing‘ of discipleship and of having the Truth while James offers us the more universal idea of being ‘blessed‘. We should note that the idea of ‘blessing‘ IS rather undefined; James uses the same Greek word, makarios, as DOES the Master in His list of ‘blessings‘ which we call the Beatitudes. The word IS rendered as happy and as blessed2 and the defining ideas from Strong’s9a and Thayer’s9 offer us little more. Today’s dictionaries define the idea for us in spiritual terms saying that to be blessed IS: consecrated; sacred; holy; sanctified and worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship* and this seems the way that the idea should be understood in the church. These ideas ARE NOT often those expressed in modern language and so we say that the idea of blessings IS rather undefined. Defining ‘blessed‘ then must be understood from the scriptural context in which it IS used and, to be sure, the defining makarios as happy works in but a few of the New Testament entries. To best define this we should look to the Beatitudes and to the Master’s statement above which, while it DOES NOT use the idea of makarios, DOES show us what the idea means in practical terms. In our trifecta this ‘blessing‘ IS discipleship or, perhaps better, one’s seeking discipleship, and Truth; and, from the idea that this “truth shall make you free“, we should see the spiritual nature of it. Additionally, should we apply the ideas from the Beatitudes and understand them spiritually as they ARE offered by Jesus, we can then best understand what it IS to “be blessed in his deed“.

Jesus’ words that ARE the Beatitudes have NOT been fully addressed in our blogposts and perhaps this IS our opportunity to seek out the True meanings of His words; apart of course from the doctrinal ideas that ARE often attached to them. The Beatitudes ARE a most fundamental part of Christianity but a part that IS ill understood from the perspective of the Master’s meaning in citing these ‘blessings‘, both their cause and their reward. Let us look at the Master’s words in some detail. Jesus tells us that:

The first point, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” IS perhaps among the most difficult to understand based upon its rendering into English. Most ALL translations render Jesus’ words this way but a few lean toward a more carnal view saying such things as “Happy are people who are hopeless“; “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope” and some crossover ideas saying “Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless” and “Blessed are those who are spiritually needy“. From our perspective NONE of these Truly make sense as the lead offering from the Master in His list of Beatitudes; we should especially note the rendering of makarios as happy as this IS totally irrelevant save for actually KNOWING that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven“. For us the idea of happy can ONLY be used in certain contexts of which there ARE but few; the idea rendered as blessed IS sufficient despite the fact that we have NO real understanding of makarios‘ deeper meanings. Vincent’s history of this word IS too lengthy to post here but for those interested here IS a link to Mr. Vincent’s commentary: https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/vnt/matthew-5.html. When we look at the idea of being poor, we should look upon it in the Master’s terms of forsaking as for us this IS the most relevant positioning of the idea and offers us a much Truer understanding of His intent. We should note that the word rendered as in IS NOT a part of the text so that it would read simply “Blessed are the poor in spirit“; neither IS the word rendered as are included in the Greek text so that this could easily be understood “Blessed IS the poor spirit“. Attaching this to Jesus’ words on forsaking that we have frequently discussed we can find common ground against the reward of “the kingdom of heaven“. This same idea IS also a KEY part of the Master’s message to the ‘rich young ruler’ whom we recently discussed. Jesus tells us “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). In the end we should try to understand this Beatitude as that those that have forsaken all that he hath” ARE Truly disciples and DO gain access to “the kingdom of heaven“. Can we see the point here and the spiritual logic that IS missed by the doctrinal church that denies the need to forsake anything?

The next Beatitude tells us “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” and this too has been misunderstood for centuries. The Greek word pentheo which IS rendered as mourn IS defined by Strong’s as: to grieve (the feeling or the act)9a and by Thayer’s: as to mourn for, lament, one9. From our perspective the proper idea IS lamentation as in mourning there IS the sense of someone’s death. What IS it then that one would lament in this particular saying addressed primarily to disciples and aspirants to discipleship? Perhaps the best understanding comes from the Apostle James who tells us “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 4:8-10). Here one’s affliction, lamentation as recorded in other translations, IS a personal sense resulting from the perceived difficulty of cleansing and purifying. We lament the difficulty that we believe that we face and James tells us this IS beneficial as one’s cleansing and purifying relies upon such inner feelings and results in our ability to “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord“. Can we see the point here? Can we see how that our lamenting our situation as we work towards our goal to “Draw nigh to God” draws us away from our doublemindedness, away from our laughter and joy regarding our lives in this world? It is such that ARE among those that mourn or lament in Jesus’ words, it IS such that will be comforted in their success. While some commentators apply the idea of sin here and say that we mourn because of our sin, this would ONLY be True with respect to those that DO “Draw nigh to God” which IS what we ARE saying here. Otherwise mourning sin IS but a form of the way that Repentance works in the church, as ‘sorrow‘ for things DONE. Others apply this idea of mourning to reflection upon our everyday Life in this world and the ‘sorrow‘ we may feel for DOING what we have DONE but, unless this ‘sorrow‘ IS a part of True Repentance, it has NO effect on our journey to “Draw nigh to God“. Let us remember here the definition of Repentance; Vincent tells us that Repentance must be: Such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice4.

The next Beatitude IS perhaps the most misunderstood of them ALL; the Master tells us “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth“. We should remember here that this idea of meekness IS grossly misunderstood in common language as it has taken on the idea that to be meek IS to be: humbly patient or quiet in nature, as under provocation from others; (Synonyms: yielding, soft, timid, weak, obedient, calm, pacific, unassuming, passive); overly submissive or compliant; tame; Obsolete. gentle; kind*. From these defining ideas we get NO real idea according to the way that the word IS used in the New Testament; even the obsolete ideas ARE insufficient to show us the reality of the word. Webster’s 1828 dictionary offers us some help as they defined meek as: Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries. Appropriately, humble, in an evangelical sense; submissive to the divine will; not proud, self-sufficient or refractory; not peevish and apt to complain of divine dispensations1. Here, while a bit more aligned with the reality of the idea, these defining ideas DO NOT fully capture the reality of meekness. The lexicon offers us the following definition along with an analysis; they say meekness IS: mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness2. They go on to add:

Aspect of  GodPotencyAspect of ManIn Relation to the Great InvocationIn relation to the Christ
GOD, The FatherWill or PowerSpirit or LifeCenter where the Will of God IS KNOWNLife
Son, The ChristLove and WisdomSoul or Christ WithinHeart of GodTruth
Holy SpiritLight or ActivityLife WithinMind of GodWay

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