ON LOVE; PART MDXXXVI
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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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While we closed our last essay by repeating our trifecta, our final point was in regard to the Apostle Paul’s descriptions of what agape IS NOT and, specifically, that agape “thinketh no evil“. While the meaning here has been changed in other translations to reflect such things as that agape “takes no account of evil” and that agape “does not keep a record of wrongs“, such ideas take away from the apostle’s intent which IS thinking. Agape as a concept has NO ability to think and perhaps this IS why such changes here and elsewhere have been made; however, when we look at the idea from the perspective that “God is love agape” (1 John 4:8, 16) we should be able to see that it IS this same agape that IS defined as the Souls of men, their individual Christ Within if you will. Paul alludes to this in several places but DOES so in the same parabolic style as DOES the Master and this in an effort to shield the Truth from those that ARE NOT ready to hear it. We should remember the Master’s words regarding the Way of the disciple as He tells us of discipleship that:
“Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear” (Matthew 13:11-16).
This lengthy quotation from Matthew’s Gospel IS intended to show that it IS the disciple, the man who has some foundation for spiritual knowledge, that will understand the parabolic ideas that ARE offered. We should understand here the role of measure which idea IS included in His words as HE says that “whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath“; this IS the embodiment of measure. Jesus also tells His disciples “Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given” (Mark 4:24) which should show us the reality of discipleship by measure. In many parts of his writings Paul embodies this same parabolic style of saying things that ONLY those with the right measure of hearing will understand; this we should see from the context and from the defining ideas of akouo which IS rendered as hearing. In addition to merely hearing with the ear the idea extends to perception, comprehension and understanding2 what IS heard; it IS such ideas that ARE the privy of the disciple who, by measure, can perceive, comprehend and understand. While this aspect of parabolic speech IS clearly shown in the Master’s words above, it IS NOT at ALL understood by men nor by the church which interprets biblical ideas as men in a world of men with little regard for their deeper spiritual values. Jesus’ words above applied to Isaiah’s time, in Jesus’ present time 2000 years ago and yet today. It IS unfortunate that few see the current Christian dilemma in these words nor elsewhere where the ‘hidden’ intent IS to show that the reality of time DOES NOT affect such ideas. We should ALL understand that it IS to the man who approaches discipleship that the reality of the parabolic ideas of the Master and His apostles comes and this through the developing ability of the man to accept the promptings of the Soul, the Christ Within, and incorporate such into his daily living.
We should understand as well that it IS the disciple that has the Truth as the Master tells us in our trifecta which we repeat here to show the overall reality of discipleship and while millions claim to have these rewards, few actually DO. Jesus 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 these most important words from the Master we should see the crux of the promises that ARE afforded by measure to the man who will approach discipleship and the fullness of these IS on display in the New Testament stories of the Book of Acts and in the writings of His apostles. From our perspective the Master’s words that ARE our trifecta ARE the most basic rewards into which ALL other promises flow. In the first part we have the Truth and its freedom and the reality of True discipleship against the cost of keeping His words which Jesus’ defines as abiding in His words, living in them if you will, which IS a Truer picture of the idea cast as meno which IS rendered as continue in the King James Bible. It IS in this state of Truth, even by measure, that we ARE able to understand the deeper ideas given us in the parables and in the parabolic sayings of the Master and His apostles. This IS NOT due to some miracle that IS bestowed upon one who keeps His words, words which ARE NOT at ALL parabolic but which ARE still interpreted, misinterpreted by many, by those who claim to KNOW based upon their own indoctrination rather than upon perceptions of Truth. It IS this willingness to interpret the spiritual into carnal ideas that IS at the heart of the vanity of men and we should try to see that this vanity IS ONLY dispelled by applying the reality of this first part of our trifecta. And this IS a most basic problem of the church and has been since its inception nearly 2000 years ago: that men interpret the simple Truths in ways that support the ability of men to live as men thereby rendering the Truly parabolic Truths unattainable by them and those that rely upon their words. It IS the interaction between the heretofore carnal mind and the Soul that allows for the Truth to flow into a ready mind which IS made ready by the discipline of striving to keep His words. Thus, this privilege of KNOWING the Truth IS afforded to the aspirant to discipleship and to the disciple. That the appellation of disciple IS so easily bandied about in the church IS Truly unfortunate; this IS despite the way that the Master aptly describes the disciple in His words above where the criteria IS that we abide in His words; that IS that we live in them and we live by them.
There ARE yet other criteria that Jesus offers us regarding discipleship but these too ARE ignored by most ALL of the church despite the simplicity of the Master’s language. Jesus tells us “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27). Save for the idea of hate, which IS NOT intended as the idea IS understood today, there IS a clarity here that men choose to ignore as it disrupts the relationship between men and their families and Loved ones. However when we consider that the reality of agape IS that there IS NO “respect to persons” (James 2:9); we should be able to understand the greater point. This point IS NOT one that IS accepted by most of the church which promotes the idea of family and which DOES NOT understand the difference between the common ideas of Love and the reality of agape. While the idea of hate here can be understood as to love family less, this IS NOT addressing the common idea of Love but rather agape. We can have that common idea, that mental and emotional attachment and attraction to others that IS Love defined while we embrace the deepest ideas of agape which IS that Universal vision of ALL as One. Again the idea that hate IS meant to be understood as that we Love family and Loved one’s less that we Love the Lord comes mostly from Matthew’s version of this same idea; there the Master’s words ARE reported as “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). Another reality of the intended meaning of the Greek word miseo IS found in the idea that to be His disciple that one must hate “his own life also“; it IS here that we equate ourselves with others as we resist the attraction to the things of the world that IS wrought in our vanity.
While our explanations of hate here ARE valid interpretations of the Master’s words and while many of the commentaries on His words reflect our position, the church still rejects these idea as they pertain to discipleship. The Master however IS NOT finished giving us the criteria for discipleship as He goes on to give us some ideas regarding the cost of discipleship through His examples of going into battle unprepared for what may happen and of building a tower without having the necessary resources to finish it. In these examples we ARE instructed to “counteth the cost” of discipleship and while we may NOT KNOW the totality of that cost we DO KNOW that a part of it IS that we hate family and loved ones according to the reality of that idea. For far too many this IS a bridge too far. After His examples of how to “counteth the cost” the Master tells us another criteria which IS perfectly clear but again unaccepted in the church; the Master says “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:28, 33). It IS in the combination of these ideas of forsaking ALL and ‘hating‘ ones family and Loved ones that has caused the mass ignorance in the church regarding discipleship and we should understand here that to DO such things in this world one would be abiding in the Lord and in His words.
We should try to understand here that ALL of these visions of discipleship ARE themselves aspects of agape and our expression of agape in this world. While we ARE told that “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14), this message has NOT been correctly received by the church. Many see these words as regarding the law of Moses and while this IS True, we must add to the equation two ideas. First that the Master tells us to “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18). In these words we should see that relativity of the law of Moses as we understand that “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law“, that this idea of the law IS a grand part of the Earth scheme. While some in the church claim that Jesus Himself was the fulfillment of the law, there IS NO scriptural evidence to this as a Truth save for the words above saying that “I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” which idea fails with the next statement. Yes the Master DOES come to fulfil; He fulfills prophecies but His role here IS but the beginning of the fulfillment of the whole which relies upon the Redemption of the planet and its inhabitants. In these ideas there ARE many parabolic ideas and perhaps to best understand the idea we need to see the idea of fulfil in greater detail. The Greek word pleroo has many meanings aside from the idea of completion; the lexicon tells us as the third defining idea that pleroo IS: to carry into effect, bring to realisation, realise2. This the Master surely DOES and it IS the intent of Christianity to extend that realization to ALL against the endpoint where “all be fulfilled“
Secondly, if Jesus IS the fulfillment of the law and that the law IS NO longer required, why then DOES He reinterpret the law and then teach us on how that we should live our lives as spiritual beings on this Earth. That some of the church claims that it IS in the Master’s death and resurrection that the law IS fulfilled, this too IS but church doctrine with NO specific scriptural reality. Much of what IS found in doctrinal teachings regarding Jesus as the fulfillment of the law IS based in the churches objective of separating the Christian from the Jew and much of this IS inspired by the church’s illogical interpretations of the words of the Apostle Paul, especially those regarding the idea of works.
And, thirdly, what IS the specific meaning of this fulfillment according to the Church. The Greek word DOES NOT imply what much of the church claims: that because Jesus fulfilled the law men who believe on Him DO NOT have to. This IS purely doctrine with NO relation to the reality of the Master’s teachings and this IS the way that much of the church has viewed Life for the last 2000 years. It IS surely unfortunate that much of the doctrinal ideas of men have become so engrained in the minds of men that they ARE nearly impossible to change; it IS this indoctrination that has fulfilled the words of the prophet and then of the Master. While Isaiah spoke to the Jews centuries before the advent of the Master in a tone that his words were for the people in that time, Jesus took the same words and made of them a prophecy for the men of His time. Now, we in turn take this same idea into the future which would be the ONLY purpose of having His words inscribed for us in the texts of the bible where they ARE a teaching for the future of humanity. 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 mere fact that the church today relies ONLY upon their doctrines should show us the timelessness of these words as well as the ways of men as they have ignored this very idea for so long.
We return now to our previous discussion on agape from the Apostle Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians where we ended with some thoughts on Paul’s words that tell us that agape “thinketh no evil“. This idea IS misconstrued to address the common ideas that ARE attached to the Greek word kakos which IS used here by Paul and rendered as evil. This IS NOT the ordinary word that IS used for evil which IS poneros, a word that parts of the church tells us IS the origin for English words related to phonography. From our perspective this etymology IS unclear but nonetheless the ideas have been linked by the doctrines of men. We have written much on this particular Greek word and here the idea IS NOT an issue; our focus IS rather on the rendered idea of evil from kakos. While we must fight against the ideas attached to evil by the church, we DO NOT have the same fight here. Overall however, we should try to see that most biblical references to words that ARE rendered as evil DO NOT concern the common idea which IS best defined by its synonyms: immoral, wicked, nefarious, vile, base, corrupt, vicious, depraved, iniquitous, and sinful* according to our modern dictionaries. Biblically we should try to see the idea of evil in much the same way as we should see the idea of sin, as missing the mark2 which IS the defining idea of harmartia, which IS rendered as sin, according to the lexicon. This idea of missing the mark can be understood as a reference to our defining ideas regarding our focus from a spiritual perspective; the idea here IS that evil IS that we ARE focused upon the self and the things of the self as a general rule while perhaps sin IS a more specific focus upon the self. In the idea of kakos we should see a different dynamic than we get from poneros; although both ARE rendered as evil, kakos DOES NOT imply the same ideas. Strong’s tells us that kakos IS: apparently a primary word; worthless (intrinsically, such; whereas G4190 properly refers to effects), i.e. (subjectively) depraved, or (objectively) injurious9a. The reference to G4190 IS a reference to poneros and here Strong’s IS comparing the two ideas albeit from the perspective of the rendered idea of evil. Thayer’s agrees somewhat saying that the idea of kakos IS simply bad while adding: universally, of a bad nature; not such as it ought to be and (morally, i. e.) of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting; base, wrong, wicked9.
The usage of kakos in the New Testament IS different than the ideas offered by poneros in that the reference IS most often to carnal actions and especially carnal thoughts which ARE for the most part undefined. Thayer’s captures a part of the idea saying that kakos pertains to: of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting and we should try to see that the attaching the idea of evil to this, especially using the common understanding of the word, IS a disservice. Even the defining ideas from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary offer us evil as the idea IS currently perceived although there ARE other ideas added that ARE NOT as evil if we can say it this way. It seems that NONE have seen that the use of either kakos or poneros DO NOT ONLY apply to our gross activities but rather they apply to our propensity to think and act in a carnal fashion, “conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2) if you will.
We should remember that the whole idea of scripture IS to bring our focus to spiritual matters and to the Godhead rather than the self in this world. And the Path to this spiritual focus IS always agape; there IS NO substitute and we should understand that striving to keep His words IS itself our expression of agape. So when we hear that the idea of works IS a rather forbidden idea from parts of the church we should try to see that the reality IS that our expression of agape, our stiving to keep His words and ALL other spiritual efforts ARE indeed works that ARE ordained if you will by a Higher Authority. While Paul IS held up as the originator of doctrines through His writings they ARE, as we have discussed many times, largely taken out of context and used to support the ideas of men regarding their ‘salvation‘. We should remember here however that it IS this same Apostle Paul who writes the words on agape which we ARE our current discussion and it IS Paul that tells us that “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 in this same chapter of this same epistle that the apostle also tells us that “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9) and it IS this saying that IS instrumental in the churches’ doctrines against works. Here, the whole idea of Paul’s speaking against works has been misconstrued by men who DO NOT see the spiritual reality that ties the Truth to the volume of writing that instruct men on exactly that….the works that they DO. Perhaps the dividing line IS the reality of “good works“, an idea that IS ill-understood in the church. The works that Paul rails against ARE the works of the Jews through their doctrinal religion, the apostle rails against the way that the Truth was polluted by the Jews’ doctrines into a rote set of DO’s and DON’Ts that many follow still to this day. We should try to see here that Paul’s words ARE NOT frozen into the mold that the early church built and it IS ONLY through intelligent reading of the totality of his writings that we can glimpse the Truth; a Truth that IS hidden from view because men look ONLY at the carnal implications on their lives.
Here the words of the Apostle James can help us immensely but ONLY when we apply his words to the words that Paul writes. That James writes intentionally to contradict the understanding of men regarding Paul’s words IS for us a mystery but, at the same time his words DO contradict the ideas put forward by the church. James tells us rather succinctly that:
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit[e] is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:14-26)
While these words from James seemingly contradict those of the Apostle Paul, they actually DO NOT. The actually help us to understand that Paul’s words were NOT specifically against works as the idea IS presented by much of the church; Paul’s words were against the doctrinal ideas of the Jews’ religion. We should remember that the Jews practiced their religion by the letter of the law and while the law itself and the prophets tried to reclaim the Jews doctrinal trajectory, it largely remains their practice to this day. This however IS NOT the problem with which we ARE dealing. What we ARE dealing with IS the way that the Christian churches from the beginning mimicked the way of the Jews instead of the Way of the Master whose Name emboldens them. The Christians from the very beginning set up as series of rituals and rites that the church fathers embraced as the way to God and they likely DID so without realization of just what they were DOING. Then, the same corruption that held captive Judaism took hold of the Christian religion as a darkness grew over Christianity leading to such horrors as the Crusades and finally the Reformation Wars. DO we NOT believe that if there was a direct link between the Godhead and the happenings in this world that these centuries of horror would have been averted or at least lessened? Can we NOT see that it IS the vanity of men that IS in control of the happenings in this Earth as the horrors of war after war after war have shaped our societies rather than the teachings of the Christ and ALL of the other religious leaders that have come before mankind. And perhaps here today we can see the reality of the messages of both Paul and James, how that they ARE NOT contradictory but ARE harmonious.
While we have said many times that Paul’s words ARE NOT against works as the idea IS presented in the church as an easy way to ‘salvation‘ where one need NOT DO anything or strive toward any thing spiritual in Life, such ideas still control much of the church. Again, to its detriment, the church has embraced the illogical ideas that if one ONLY believes in the Lord as their Lord and Savior that they ARE ‘saved‘; and they have embraced the notion that these ideas ARE illogical through their manufactured ideas that because the Master says that “with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27), that these words apply here and that this sense of faith IS ALL that IS needed. Most ALL ignore the apostle words saying that “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) as they equally ignore the words that James writes for us. While we DID NOT intend to begin a discussion on works here today, it IS important to understand the role of works as we stive to express agape Love in this world. Paul tells us that agape “thinketh no evil” and while we have discussed this in relationship to the common ideas of evil and the greater reality of our focus upon the self and the things of the self as the source of this idea of evil, there IS yet another angle to explore. Saying that agape “thinketh no evil” IS a statement of Truth as the whole idea of agape IS Unity, a Oneness of ALL humanity. It IS in this Unity, in this Unity in Diversity, that ALL men exist under the banner of One World, One Humanity and One God; in this Unity there IS NO space for evil regardless of how we choose to define that idea. We must understand here that we speak from the personal perspective; we must understand here that we can ONLY look to ourselves as expressions of agape regardless of what the rest of the world IS DOING. And so this becomes our work as individuals with the hope that by our words and our example others will follow.
This brings to mind the words of John Lennon who was a man of some vision as reflected in the lyrics to many of his songs; Lennon tells us to imagine and if we analyze his words we can see that we ARE imagining agape. We ARE asked to “Imagine all the people Livin’ for today” and here we should NOT see the selfishness of the day but rather the ability to NOT excessively plan for tomorrow. The Master addresses this idea in His Parable of the Rich Fool. Lennon also tells us to imagine “Imagine all the people Livin’ life in peace“, a more readily understood idea which IS followed by another saying “Imagine all the people Sharing all the world“. ALL of these idealistic words should allow us to more clearly see the apostle’s words saying that agape “thinketh no evil“. Finally we should try to see the how that the reality of agape can spread and this also through the words of Lennon who tells us “You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will live as one^”. It IS unfortunate that much of the church decries Lennon’s words in this song and this based mostly in a lack of vision of their own and a misunderstanding of the intent of such words as “Imagine there’s no heaven” and the equally disapproved words saying “Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too^”. Few see agape at work in the words of this song and few see the need to work towards peace and sharing as they continue to decry anything that can point to One World Order or One World Religion; and this mostly because they themselves fear losing what they see as their own standing in this world.
Moving on, let us look here at James’ words on works as we try to understand how that “that faith without works is dead“. Understanding that our work IS to express agape and by DOING so to keep the Master’s words, we should look to the reality of the idea of faith. While we have discussed the Greek words pistis and pisteuo often during the course of our blogposts, we should look here again at the reality of both of these word that ARE rendered as faith and believing respectively. The reality of both of these words IS found in KNOWING; to Truly have pistis in the Lord we must KNOW the Lord by whatsoever measure we have achieved. Similarly to Truly believe IS to Truly KNOW and again at the level of measure we have achieved. These ideas ARE foundational in our understanding of scripture and especially for our understanding of agape as the singular force for Unity in this world. Rendering James’ words as “faith KNOWING without works is dead” should then tell us that if we DO KNOW the Lord then the result must be works and in our discussion here that work IS our expression of agape Love to ALL. In the end the realization that we should have IS that if we DO KNOW God, if we DO KNOW the Lord, then we will perforce show this KNOWING by our works, by our expression of agape Love to ALL. This idea we can then relate back to our original discussion of the words from Paul to the Corinthians regarding agape where we read that DOING such things as the church deems important: to “speak with the tongues of men and of angels“; to “have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains“; and to “bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned” ARE ALL worthless in the absence of our expression of agape. Paul tells us that “it profiteth me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1, 2, 3) while James asks us “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?“. The answer IS the same, “it profiteth me nothing“.
James tells us that “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). The idea here of “a man” should be understood as a certain man9a and seen to reflect on a person who DOES “shew thee my faith by my works“. It IS this man that expresses his KNOWING of the Lord through his works, through his words and by his example as we see in the lives of the Master and ALL of His apostles. While some of what we say above may seem unrelated to the idea of agape as shown us by Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, there IS a definite relationship which we should see though the ideas above and which will be the topic of our next essay.
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
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.or
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
- ^ Imagine. By John Lennon. Copyright Downtown Dmp Songs o/b/o Lenono Music.
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
