ON LOVE; PART CMXCV

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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 ended the last essay with some thoughts on the Greek word makrothumia which IS rendered as longsuffering in the King James Bible. We discussed this word in terms of patience but in combination with other defining ideas from the lexicon ². We stated our view as: patience IS that steadfastness by which one can stand in Love and to DO those things which Love demands regardless of outer appearances; patience IS that perseverance that stands in faith, KNOWING that the ways of the world ARE as a passing wind. In these ideas we should see more that mere patience as this IS commonly understood and the King James idea of longsuffering can be seen most easily seen in these combinations. The Apostle James uses the verb form of this word, makrothumeo, as he speaks of our wait for the “coming of the Lord” and if we can see this idea of His coming as the fullness of the realization of the Presence and the Truth of God, we can then better understand.

We should try to understand that the apostle’s words ARE directed toward men who ARE striving toward the Kingdom of God; he gives them cautions and warning in stark terms and shows them the same ideas that we find in our subject sayings from the Apostle Paul. James shows us the bitter reality of Paul’s words saying “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” as he reminds men of their former Life before admonishing them to be patient, be makrothumeo, James says:

“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:1-8).

While the doctrinal views of James’ ideas on patience vary, John Gill see’s them as: The apostle here addresses himself to the poor who were oppressed by the rich men, and these he calls “brethren” of whom he was not ashamed; when he does not bestow this title upon the rich, though professors of the same religion: these poor brethren he advises to be patient under their sufferings, to bear them with patience, unto the coming of the Lord; not to destroy Jerusalem, but either at death, or at the last, judgment; when he will take vengeance on their oppressors, and deliver them from all their troubles, and put them into the possession of that kingdom ⁸. We see naught that should lead one to this conclusion; this IS not the type of patience that James IS showing us nor IS this the patience which Paul tells us IS a “fruit of the Spirit“. Vincent helps us to understand the force of makrothumeo as he tells us:

Be patient (μακροθυμήσατε); From μακρός , long, and θυμός , soul or spirit, but with the sense of strong passion, stronger even than ὀργή, anger, as is maintained by Schmidt, who describes θυμός as a tumultuous welling up of the whole spirit; a mighty emotion which seizes and moves the whole inner man. Hence the restraint implied in μακροθυμία is most correctly expressed by long-suffering, which is its usual rendering in the New Testament. It is a patient holding out under trial; a long-protracted restraint of the soul from yielding to passion, especially the passion of anger. In the New Testament the word and its cognates are sometimes rendered by patient or patience, which conceals the distinction from ὑπομονή, uniformly rendered patience, and signifying persistent endurance, whether in action or suffering. As Trench observes, “ ὑπομονή is perseverantia and patientia both in one.” Thus Bishop Ellicott: “The brave patience with which the Christian contends against the various hindrances, persecutions, and temptations that befall him in his conflict with the inward and outward world ⁴.

To be sure, these ideas from Vincent and his quotes from others should suffice to show the force of this sense of patience as a “fruit of the Spirit” which can be seen, as we discussed in the last post: as a combination of the defining ideas from the lexicon and especially steadfastness and perseverance. This same idea should be seen in the words that James offers us with the understanding that his words ARE directed at the disciple and the aspirant and NOT at the random poor. The patience, the longsuffering, that James cites is in a man’s seemingly long wait for the fullness of the Presence of God, a wait in which he must persevere and be steadfast, in which men should “stablish your hearts“. And we should understand here by the apostle’s analogy that this patient, longsuffering, waiting IS NOT idle time; the husbandman DOES NOT sit idle as he “waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth“; and neither can the aspirant and disciple sit idle as he waits for his measure of “the fruit of the Spirit ” which IS his sign of “the coming of the Lord“. As the husbandman must tend to his crop in order to receive “the precious fruit of the earth” so the man who Truly seeks God must ever strive to keep His words in order to receive that Truth, that realization of the Presence of God and of His Kingdom as we read again in the trifecta:

• “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).

Again we should try to see how that this idea of longsuffering and of patience IS an outward expression by the man who has such “fruit of the Spirit” working in his Life in this world. This outward expression IS found in the reality of Love and in the way that this patience IS extended to ALL based in one’s understanding of the plight of ALL men as they struggle or NOT against the illusion and the glamour that afflicts them. We should try to see as well how that the Master’s admonition on judgement applies here; Jesus tells us “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:1-2). If we can see past the carnal, we can then see how that the man who DOES NOT judge IS expressing this “fruit of the Spirit” called longsuffering or patience. Conversely the man who DOES judge IS NOT expressing this fruit but rather IS yet in the carnal world where he too will be judged. In judging others there IS NO sign of that understanding that IS an integral part of Love and the reality of one’s ability to express that patience that IS the fourth “fruit of the Spirit” in Paul’s list which we repeat here again:

“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).

That there IS an inner and an outer component of this idea of longsuffering or patience IS apparent in the use of the ideas as they ARE captured by Vincent and by those he quotes. These tell us of the force of this patience and how that it should be seen as persistent endurance, whether in action or suffering. Anyone who reads and understands the Master’s words on Love from the Sermon on the Mount can see how that these ideas work out in our expression and how that His ideas on judgement above and His words on Love work together through understanding one’s True place in the scheme of things. This IS an understanding that the Buddha captures for us in a few words saying: “See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do? For your brother is like you. He wants to be happy. Never harm him” ⁵. This IS the reality of Love and it IS in seeing this idea at work, in seeing the Truth in the idea that “your brother is like you“, a Soul on the very same journey as you, that one will express the fruit of longsuffering in his own Life.

On the other side, which we can read into Vincent’s words as suffering, we should try to see how that this idea works out in Paul’s words as that conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. Spiritually this sense of patience and longsuffering can be even better understood as a man’s emotional and mental ability to fight against the carnal thoughts and attitudes that heretofore governed his Life and motivated him in thought, attitude and action toward others. Jesus captures these ideas for us in His many words on Love as the expression of the man and we should see here how that this longsuffering works in regard to Love, as an integral part of it, in His saying to “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Without patience, without longsuffering, and without the understanding that both causes it and results from it, men DO NOT see the how to accomplish Jesus’ words.

These first four words then; love, joy, peace and longsuffering ARE intimately related and we could likely build the case that to Truly have one of these IS to have ALL of them. This IS especially True regarding Love as this fruit DOES encompass ALL of the others. It IS in one’s realization of the Truth that comes from the Soul, from the Christ Within, that brings the needed understanding which in turn allows a man to Love and to express ALL these ideas of fruit. Such realization IS based on one’s focus upon the Truth of God that IS revealed to a man by measure as he strives toward that Truth which comes in keeping His words. We must remember that this understanding which allows love, joy, peace and longsuffering, IS essentially a spiritual understanding that IS the very grace of God; and that it IS the grace of God that “bring all things to your remembrance , whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26) as we read in Jesus’ words.

It IS this grace which IS the reality of one’s revelations and his realizations of Truth and it IS in this grace which IS afforded men by their focus upon that Truth that dispels the glamour and the illusion, the vanity, of Life in this world. It IS the Truth of grace that sees through the doctrinal maze that IS presented to the world as carnal and convenient interpretations of the Truth of His words and which allows men to see the deeper ideas that ARE embedded in the words of the Master and His apostles. There IS One Truth as there IS One God and this Truth IS universal. This One Truth IS KNOWN by the spiritual man, the Soul in form, and it IS ever the Soul’s objective, the objective of the God and Christ Within, to get the attention of the carnal mind and emotions and to pass this Truth, by measure of understanding, into the Life of the man in the world.

And Jesus shows us in the trifecta how that this can be accomplished in the Life of the man in this world as He tells us and shows us the great KEY which IS keeping His words. It IS the Truth that sets one free and it IS in this freedom from the fetters of carnal living, this freedom that found in Paul’s words at the end of our selection above. It IS this freedom that comes in understanding and KNOWING that allows a man to be as the apostle shows the man who IS Christs: that he has “crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts“.

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post. 

Aspect of  God	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 not fall back into 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.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts

• ² New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
• ⁸ Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com