ON LOVE; PART DCCCIII
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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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)
We are back to our writing after a brief hiatus during which we moved our base across the country. While we will keep with our theme of the Truth of the grace of God and the reality of the Master’s words on how to attain that grace, we will take a brief break to address two ideas that came to us from the Verse of the Day that we read daily from biblegateway.com. These ideas ARE NOT unrelated to the theme of grace as we have been presenting this, as ALL things that come from God and from and through the God and the Christ within every man, his own Soul. Grace IS the Light of the Soul as it IS directed into the waking consciousness of the man in the world and grace IS the impetus to that Transformation that brings a man to the fullness of the Presence of God and to the Truth of the Kingdom of God in his life in this world. While this DOES happen by measure, it IS ever the fullness that we should seek and it IS by our expression of grace to the world of men that we grow in this fullness. When we can understand that the grace of God IS our own revelation and realization of His Presence in our lives, we can come to a greater understanding of the mysteries of Life and it IS in our realization of these Truths that we continue to grow in His word as we leave off our focus upon the carnal and the bane.
It IS this change of focus that IS our Transformation and we should ever remember that our ability to Transform is founded in the reality of Repentance, that decision to change the focus of one’s Life away from the self and the things of the world and onto the things of God. It Is the reality of His Presence in one’s Life that IS His grace and the revelation of that Presence and the realization of this IS reflected in the Life of the man in the world as his expression, the expression of the Truth of keeping His words. And this IS as He tells us in His words from the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John which we have been discussing now over many essays and which we repeat here again as it IS in these words that the great KEY to the Kingdom of God can be found; we read again:
“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 remember why we show this whole dialogue between the Master and the Apostle Judas. Judas, representing the apostles, DOES NOT understand the reality of the Presence of God in his own Life although, by way of being an apostle, he has that Presence. In this we should see the idea that if this IS difficult to understand for the man who IS in His Presence, how more difficult it can be for the man looking in from the outside, the man who IS NOT keeping His words. And we should see as well that Jesus answer to Judas’ question regarding His Presence IS but a repetition of His original saying albeit a bit more complete as it includes the deeper reality of the Presence of the Father and the Son. While the value of the idea appears lost on the world of men, while it is easily seen as the True Way to the Kingdom of God, men DO NOT or choose NOT to see the deeper reality of this idea even as it IS woven throughout the Master’s teachings and the clarifying and amplifying teachings of His apostles. Men DO NOT see the overriding reality, that the great KEY to ALL spiritual endeavor IS found in the reality of keeping His words; it IS by this that we show our Love for God and for our fellow man as we read in the Great Commandment that we have again at the top of our essay. As we have been discussing in our other selections from the Epistle of John, this sense of Love IS the realty of keeping His words and we should understand that our expression of this Love IS dependent upon our ability to take our focus off of the self and the things of the self; it IS only in this way that we can understand and see the ease of so doing as the Apostle John shows us saying:
“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:1-3).
While much of doctrines contort these words to suit their own understanding of believing, the reality remains: if a man Loves God then he must Love His brother. And while much of doctrines also contort this idea of Love as to apply to other Christians, the reality remains that the Truth of this Love IS inextricably tied to keeping His words which the apostle shows us as the Truth of our Love for God, a Truth that IS “not grievous“. And John goes to great lengths to show us this Truth which must be seen in the context of the Master’s own words on Love which we see in the Great Commandments and the Golden Rule and NOT in the doctrinal context of fellow Christians. We should clearly see the apostle’s intent though the parabolic nature of his words as he tells us “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar” (1 John 4:20); it IS here that we should again see that link between our Love for ALL men and the reality that “we keep his commandments“. And this IS our segue to those ideas from the Verse of the Day which we read as:
- “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).
- “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:19-21).
In our repeating of what was published as the Verse of the Day we have added the next verse to each of these as there IS much value in understanding the complete thought and, while these seem totally unrelated to our theme of grace and keeping His words, this IS the reality of the Apostle Paul’s instructions. In the first sayings from Galatians we find the idea of the children of God as the apostle writes to the followers of the Lord in Galatia; here we should remember that the direction of Paul’s words IS toward those who had chosen the way of the Lord and His teachings only to be dissuaded by others who interpreted those teachings in a more carnal way. The apostle shows that what these others teach IS their own view of the Truths of the Master; we read this as: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7). It IS this turning toward the easier way of carnal interpretation of the Master’s teaching that causes Paul to proclaim “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you” (Galatians 3:1). It IS this same idea that we should be able to see as men in the world today and for ALL of the yesterdays since these ideas were written; it IS this same idea that plagues ALL who interpret the deep Truths of Love and of keeping His words in such diluted fashion as IS seen in the world yet today. Paul IS here reminding them of the idea that John presents presents to us in his words above and in the deeper idea that it IS the Soul, the True man of which we read “in the image of God created he him” (Genesis 1:27) that IS the reality of the “children of God“, a reality that IS realized as His grace, His Presence, to those who will strive to keep His words.
We must of course see the reality of faith in this phrase from Paul, a reality that IS most clearly seen in the Master’s words saying “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove ; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20). Here we understand this idea of faith as KNOWING, a KNOWING that dispels the carnal thoughts and attitudes and replaces them with a realization of the Truths of Life; this same realization that comes as the Presence of God and as His grace. The apostle goes on here to show the universality of religion through one’s baptism; NOT the ritual baptism but the reality of one’s immersion into Christ which IS into the teachings and the precepts of His words which ARE in every way the words of God. We should see this as the reality of the man who has “put on Christ” which Vincent shows us as: To put on Christ implies making his character, feelings and works our own. Thus Chrysostom: “If Christ is Son of God, and thou hast put him on, having the Son in thyself and being made like unto him, thou hast been brought into one family and one nature.” And again: “He who is clothed appears to be that with which he is clothed.”…..With this putting on of Christ, the distinctions of your ordinary social relations – of nation, condition, sex – vanish . Can we see the apostle’s intent here? Can we see that any teaching other than our Unity with Christ through our own Christ Within through Love and keeping His words IS that which “would pervert the gospel of Christ” And can we see how that these ‘social relations‘ must perforce include religion as the apostle tells the Galatians that ALL who ARE Christs ARE at the same time “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” thereby dispelling any contrary teachings that would take man back to the more carnal paths of religious Life.
In these ideas we can try to see how that most ALL religion that DOES NOT see this Universal idea of Christ as the central point of religious Life, not the historical man Jesus who came as the Christ but the Inner man, the anointing which IS the Soul, DOES NOT see the greater Truths and can be counted among those things that “would pervert the gospel of Christ“. Here we should see the word rendered as pervert in such a way that we can see that ALL teachings which ARE contrary to the Truth of the message of Love and of keeping His words can and DO turn men away from the greater Truths of His teachings. In our second saying above we should see the resolution to the ideas that Paul presents to the Galatians as he writes to correct them and bring them back to the Truth of the Master’s words. As history attests and as the current state of the world and the church confirm, Paul’s message IS seen by very few as those very men who “would pervert the gospel of Christ”, who would dilute it and turn it to carnal interests, have succeeded…and the result IS the many interpretations of His Truth, the many ideas propounded regarding His good news, that ARE embraced by the thousands of denominations and sects that yet purport to each have such Truth. And there IS but One Truth which IS found in the culmination of our journey to the Kingdom of God and to discipleship; it IS this Truth that we see in Jesus words to His Jewish followers 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 54:31-32). In this we see the reality and the completeness of discipleship and the Way of the man who KNOWS the Truth.
In these words from the Master we should also see the ideas that the Jew’s own religion had become founded upon and which Paul incorporates for us in his words above regarding “Abraham’s seed“; the Jews who follow and believe on Jesus the Christ say: “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?“. And it IS Jesus answer that confounds the world yet today; He says “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:33-34) and here in this context we should see that this sense of sin IS ALL that IS contrary to Jesus former words “If ye continue in my word“. This IS the whole point of Paul’s Truth that “as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ…..ye are all one in Christ Jesus“; in this baptizing and putting on we have the reality of keeping His words. And it IS in His words that we find that reconciliation that the apostle speaks of in the second Verse of the Day above which we will discuss in greater detail in the next essay as we try to get back to our selection from the fifteenth chapter of John’s Gospel which we repeat here again:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:1-12).
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 |
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.
Repeating a Quote of the Day from the past that has some significance in relation to what we are discussing here, that the Kingdom of God and therefore God is within us ALL and that it IS His Presence which a man realizes by measure as he begins his journey to the Kingdom of God. Here Lord Tennyson poetically tells us just how close God Truly IS and how it is that we touch Him
Speak to Him, thou, for He hears,
and Spirit with Spirit can meet
Closer is He than breathing,
and nearer than hands and feet.
(Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809–1892)
From the poem The Higher Pantheism which puts forth the authors spiritual belief. Whether we agree with him or not, the quote if spiritually perfect for all of Christianity as well as any other world religion.
The thought behind the idea above IS NOT unlike that which we have been carrying as our Quote of the Day for many essays; It IS in the closeness that Lord Tennyson shows us that we should see the idea that “God dwells in the inner part of every man” which we read in the previous Quote of the Day. For us this saying and the previous one show us the closeness of the spiritual self to the Father and then too the closeness of the spiritual self with the personality of man. Men may like to think of God as something outside and above but the reality, as we have seen in so many of the sayings of the Master, is that God is with us and in us and we need only to let ourselves be drawn and to focus upon Him. And, if we can use these words from the Gospel of Thomas here we can perhaps see much: “When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father“
