ON LOVE; PART CMLXXIV
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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).
In the last essay we centered our thoughts on the idea of factions and we should try to see how that it IS the factious thoughts and attitudes of men in this world that ARE at the center of the second group of words that the apostle gives us as “the works of the flesh“. It IS in factions which results in the divisions of men over innumerable lines of thought and attitude as well as the more concrete sense of division that IS found in race, in color and in the tenor of Life which becomes custom. These latter ideas ARE the more physical and, as we discussed in the last post, these ARE intentional and ARE the result of the Great and Awesome Plan of God which we can but glimpse as we Truly strive toward realization of the Presence of God in Life. The former however, those that ARE of the fabric of men’s thoughts and attitudes, compound the intentional and add fuel. It IS these compounded ideas that cause those things listed by the apostle in the Greek words that ARE rendered in that variety of ways as we discussed two posts back .
That this added fuel IS the hatred and the emulation and the wrath felt towards those who ARE of a different faction IS beyond the ken of the man whose focus IS in his own Life in this world; this man DOES NOT see past the glamour that he holds in regard to his own sense of the divisions of men. It IS in the illusory tone that IS established by men, a tone that shows themselves to be the carnal man of flesh with his mind and his emotions rather that the True view that shows men as the spiritual man, as a Soul in form, that allows for their factious behavior. And it IS the force of glamour that holds men fast in their own belief that their own division IS the right one and IS the best. These ARE vanity, these ARE the thoughts and the attitudes from which a man must be freed or, better, from which a man must free himself. Here again we come upon that freedom in the words of Jesus that we call our trifecta and which IS rendered for us as deliverance in the Apostle Paul’s words that show us the plight of the man in this world saying that “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21).
We should understand that as it IS True that the Plan of God has erected the more physical divisions of men in race and color and the necessity of custom according to one’s region of Life, so it IS the Plan of God that has set the illusion and the glamour, the vanity, in place as a part of the very experience of Life in this world. And while we can but glimpse His reasoning as we look away from doctrines and nurturing and experience and seek for the Truth, we should be able to discern that the Truth IS NOT found in the folly of men’s fables regarding the ‘fall of man’. There IS a KEY to these mysteries of Life that IS found in our trifecta and the simplicity of this IS that we keep His words which Paul shows us IS accomplished in Love, in agape; we read the Master’s words on the trifecta again 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).
That keeping His words IS seen as beyond the ability of men, IS ONLY because of men’s reliance upon the illusion; an illusion that founded in and fostered through their nurturing and experience and their indoctrination into the many forms of ‘religion’ that Life offers. We should understand here that this idea of ‘religion’ covers most ALL aspects of one’s Life. This idea of ‘religion’ IS what one comes to believe as the Truth in spiritual matters, in politics, in career, in family….in the whole host of human endeavor. We should try to see here how that it IS in striving toward the Truth that one can overcome the nurturing, the experience and ALL indoctrination; it IS in striving that one can begin to see the True Light and the expectation of being “ delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. In this sense we should see the very idea of corruption, the corruption of the True Life of the Soul, through the nurturing that one receives according to the ways of the world and one’s indoctrination into the many forms of ‘religion’.
We should be able to see in these ideas the point that the Prophet Isaiah makes as he asks “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1). We discussed these words and how that these ARE repeated by Paul and the Apostle John and we use them here again to complete our point: that the report IS the Truth that IS hidden by the doctrines of men; the Truth which IS lost in the corruption from which men must be freed. Both the prophet and John continue the thought and we should try to see that the “the arm of the Lord” IS revealed to the man who has “believed our report“….the man who has had some realization of the Truth which comes to the man who will “continue in my word” and, by measure, to the man who strives toward that goal. This IS the simplicity of the gospel message and there IS naught that can be found in the entire New Testament that will declare otherwise save for out of context ideas and words. And to this we must add the ideas that we have been discussing, ideas which ARE the erroneous translations of Greek words and the common understanding of the words which ARE rendered.
As we have been discussing, there IS great depth in the words that the Apostle Paul uses in our selection from his Epistle to the Galatians and in the first segment of his list of “the works of the flesh” Paul’s words ARE rendered and understood most always with a sexual view. These convenient translations ARE the creations of men and the common understanding of them IS the doctrines of men. And while the sexual ways of everyman IS NOT according to the Way to Truth and the Presence of God, it IS the infidelity of everyman toward the Godhead that IS the deeper Truth of the apostle’s message. These things we have discussed in great detail and this view can be easily seen in the proper translation of the words themselves and one’s view of them apart from doctrine.
Similarly the ideas of the second segment, which we should see as those things that ARE contrary to the second part of the Great Commandments, ARE NOT translated nor understood in the context that the apostle intended. Doctrines see these ideas as singular offences without ever noting how that these ARE rather normal human behaviors that singularly, according to the apostle, will keep men from “the kingdom of God“. And doctrines DO NOT see nor understand how that the idea of factions, the idea of the divisions of men over most every conceivable difference, ARE the apostle’s point. Paul’s ideas can be summarized as that “if ye be led of the Spirit” that one would NOT DO “the works of the flesh“. Repeating the apostle’s words again we read:
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But 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 and lusts” (Galatians 5:17-24).
As we have been discussing, it IS factions and the divisions which these ARE that ARE the cause and the result of the hatreds and the wrath that abounds in the world yet today. It IS this sense of difference that causes men to suffer from emulations and envyings as their sense of worth in this world IS found in their carnal Life rather than in the spiritual. Here we should look deeper into the words on Love, on agape, that the Apostle James gives us saying “if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin” (James 2:9). When we can see and understand James’ words as that these refer to ALL carnal differences among men, we can than perhaps understand the relationship to Paul’s words on factions and on the divisions of men. James’ words ARE NOT ONLY in regard to the rich and the poor but ARE in regard to every difference set up in one’s mind and emotions and we should try to see here how that these ideas cut both ways….everyman IS both the perpetrator and the victim. Jesus makes this same point of “respect to persons” in the first part of His parable that IS called the Parable of the Wedding Feast. Here the Master shows us the opposite side of the coin; we read:
“When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:8-11).
The Master is here showing us a Truth that may be difficult to see in terms of “respect to persons” and the simple idea IS that one should NOT respect oneself; NOT respect in the way that one may regard himself, but respect in the way that one makes himself better than others, that one may see himself above others in any way. This idea IS best seen in the view through which God sees man as we discuss above….as the spiritual being, as the Soul. And this idea of how one may view himself IS an important part of Jesus’ teaching to His apostles as He tells them more than once such things as “but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (Matthew 20:26-28). Can we see the point here? Can we see how that ALL men, oneself included, must be seen the same in this world despite the apparent differences. And can we see how that the factions and the divisions along any lines IS what Paul IS speaking against.
These ideas ARE NOT difficult to see nor to hard to understand for the man who can look past his nurturing and his indoctrination into the many forms of religion that fill his Life. They ARE however very cumbersome for the man whose Life IS centered in the corruption, in the illusion and glamour, of Life here in this world. We should try to understand here again that the apostle IS speaking to men who ARE free from the common understanding of the ideas that doctrines see in the “the works of the flesh“. We should try to see that these men to whom Paul writes ARE “led of the Spirit” and that this IS True according to the trifecta which IS that they DO keep His words or strive toward that goal. It IS this idea that we should take from the apostle’s closing of our selection above. In his words saying “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” we should look past the common understanding of doctrines that paint this idea in the same carnal way, that the “affections and lusts” are sexual. We should see here the deeper idea of affliction and suffering in place of affection and strong desire in place of lust as this is commonly understood.
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.
This Quote of the Day is the antithesis of glamour and illusion. In this mantram are the thoughts about ourselves and our brothers in the world that can diffuse these forces that hold a man in the world of things and prevent his spiritual progress.
Mantram of Unification
The sons of men are one and I am one with them.
I seek to love, not hate;
I seek to serve and not exact due service;
I seek to heal, not hurt.
Let pain bring due reward of light and love.
Let the Soul control the outer form, and life and all events,
And bring to light the love that underlies the happenings of the time.
Let vision come and insight.
Let the future stand revealed.
Let inner union demonstrate and outer cleavages be gone.
Let love prevail.
Let all men love.
The Mantram of Unification is a meditation and a prayer that at first affirms the unity of all men and the Brotherhood of Man based on the Fatherhood of God. The first stanza sets forth several truly Christian ideals in Unity, Love, Service and Healing. The second stanza is a invocation to the Lord and to our own Souls asking that from the pain (if there can truly be any) incurred in focusing on the Spirit and not the world will come Light and Love into our lives and that we begin to function as Souls through our conscious personalities. We ask that the spiritual control of our lives will bring to light for us the Love that underlies world events; a Love that the world oriented man will not see working out behind the scenes and also that the Love that we bring forth, individually and as a world group, can be seen by all and ultimately in all. Finally, in the last stanza we ask for those things that are needed for Love to abound. Vision and insight so that we can direct our attention properly; revelation of the future in the sense that all can see the Power of Love in the world; inner union so that we do n
o the world’s ways, that we faint not; and that a sense of separation, the antithesis of brotherhood, ends as we know it today. Let Love Prevail, Let All Men Love.spiritual control of our lives will bring to light for us the Love that underlies world events; a Love that the world oriented man will not see working out behind the scenes.
