ON LOVE; PART MCLII
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
GoodWill IS Love in Action
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
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).
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ
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
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ
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).
While Jesus uses the law to show the Jews their error in interpreting it into their doctrinal approach to God, much of Christian doctrines try to reduce the law to naught and this based purely upon their translations and interpretations of the New Testament, especially the writings of the Apostle Paul. While Jesus tells us that “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 5:18), much of Christian doctrine has moved to ignore the law in favor their out of context view of the words of Paul which replace the law with their idea that it IS in one’s confession and affirmations that he IS saved.
Rather than accepting the apostle’s words as a repetition of those similar words from Moses that show that the word IS the law and it stands as the foundation of Truth as we read in Moses’ words saying “all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God” (Deuteronomy 28:2), much of Christian doctrine chooses to see this in their own terms. This doctrinal view ignores the realities of the law including “the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith” (Matthew 23:23) in favor of their own law that IS based on ideas that ARE NOT the reality of Paul’s intent; ideas that form the basis for much of the doctrines of men. Repeating our selection from the apostle’s words we read:
“The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world” (Romans 10:13-18).
These words follow upon words that ARE, in context, the same as Moses and the True idea IS also much the same….that men should keep His words which IS NO different that to hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God“. But these words and ideas ARE distorted for the convenience of men who have convinced themselves that the easier way of simply affirming and confessing DOES bring them salvation. Even their salvation IS nebulous however as there IS NO real evidence of it until the death of the physical form and, then, there IS still NO evidence at ALL. Most ALL miss the reality of KNOWING and expressing the Truth which comes to the man who will strive to keep His words and that this KNOWING and this expressing IS the reality of one’s salvation.
We should try to understand that if the law was so dispensable as doctrines portray it, that Jesus would NOT have said so much in reference to the law which IS at the heart of His words. The Master consistently points out to the Jews how that they have ignored “the weightier matters of the law” and, in His list of woes, how that they believed the their own carnal behavior was in accord with the law. As we show above, the Master also shows us how that the law extends in time ad fin. and NOT according to the doctrinal idea of fulfillment which many place on Jesus through His saying “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17).
There ARE two different Greek words at play here which ARE both rendered in terms of fulfillment and seen by much of doctrine in the idea that Jesus DID fulfill the law and it IS thereby dispensable. However, when we look at the Greek word ginomai as Strong’s defines this saying: to cause to be (“gen”-erate), i.e. (reflexively) to become (come into being)9a, we DO NOT see the idea of fulfillment. Young’s Literal Translation renders this idea as “till that all may come to pass” and here the reference IS that the law IS unending and, in the reality of there being NO “shadow of turning” (James 1:17) with the Lord, we can see how that this IS so.
So then Jesus tells us that He IS come “not come to destroy, but to fulfil” and then that “one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled“. If in the latter idea we have the non-ending rule of the law, what DOES it mean that Jesus says “but to fulfil” in the former idea? The New Living Translation can give us a clue here and although we seldom use this dynamic equivalence version, they DO have an interesting view of these words from the Master; they render “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved” (Matthew 8:17-18). And what IS the purpose of the Law but agape….and at what point IS this purpose achieved but through agape. And IS this NOT the message of the apostle who equates agape with the law as we read again:
“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:8-11).
As we discussed in previous essays, the way that this idea of Love, of agape, replaces the full force and intent of the law IS the ONLY ‘authorized’, the ONLY suitable replacement for keeping the law that can be found in the bible. And this IS NOT because agape IS replacing the law but because agape IS the heart of the law which, when it IS firmly fixed in one’s heart, enables everyman to express the fullness, the full force and intent, of the law. The doctrinal idea that Paul IS telling us that the law, that keeping the law, IS NO longer necessary because of the atoning value of Jesus’ death and that it IS ONLY necessary to nebulously believe as various doctrines portray, DOES NOT take into account the totality of the endless message of Truth which we summarize again in our trifecta; we read:
- “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).
And this IS a message that runs through ALL of the New Testament and in a rather clear tone that needs NO interpretation to understand. Most ALL of the instructions on agape which IS the reality of Love, on Truth, faith and believing which IS KNOWING some measure of the Truth, ARE clear and in the clarity of these ideas we can easily find the greater reality of those other words that ARE rendered in terms of salvation, of grace and man’s True relationship to the Godhead. But the doctrines of men look past this clarity in the words of the Master and in the words of His apostles and interpret other New Testament ideas into doctrines that ONLY Truly satisfy the carnal minds of men.
It IS as if men prefer to live in the illusion and the glamour of Life in this world; it IS as if men prefer the vanity to which ALL ARE subjected over True deliverance “from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). And here we should be able to see the Truth of the words of Moses which ARE repeated by Paul; in the idea that “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach” we should understand that the Truth IS always at hand. This IS the same reality that, while accepted by the Jews, was allowed to fade into their doctrines and become naught; Moses said: “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” (Deuteronomy 30:14).
The point of both of these ideas IS the same; “the word of faith” IS the Truth of God and the word that Moses gives IS His law….His way to “the glorious liberty of the children of God“. And Paul goes on to show us that such KNOWING IS the product of the words, the ideas and even the stories that ARE told by given by those who DO KNOW; we read this in Paul’s words as as “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?“.
Here the word pisteuo IS rendered as believe and if we can see the stronger idea of KNOWING or, as Thayer’s Lexicon shows us, the idea of: to be persuaded of or to place confidence in 2,9 we can have somewhat more than that nebulous doctrinal idea. Here we can have the idea that Vincent shows us saying: to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4. Again, if one IS believing that Jesus IS Lord then the ONLY course of action IS to DO as He says and this IS His point in saying “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).
Perhaps it IS in the idea that to DO “the things which I say” removes being human, as we see that idea as humans, from one’s Life and sets one upon a course of piety and the simple Life of the apostle rather than the seemingly more desirable course of human existance, that has caused the doctrinal approach that we see today. Perhaps it IS this perspective of being human that keeps men in “the bondage of corruption” which IS the vanity of Life in this world. While men may believe that their doctrinal pursuits bring them closer to the Lord, they forget Jesus’ own words and example which ARE constant and consistent in their admonition that men take leave of their more human thoughts and attitudes which revolve around the self and set their focus upon the Truth and His words.
It IS against the human proclivity to serve the self that most ALL scripture IS written and it IS because of this Truth that men have made themselves the more ‘human’ approach to God. This approach IS the doctrines of men and this approach has ever failed to bring to men the True promises and blessings of the Lord, promises and blessings that ARE the realization of freedom from that “bondage of corruption“; and this realization IS one’s deliverance into “”the glorious liberty of the children of God“. Men have never Truly realized the Power that IS afforded men as humans in the words of the Master and the amplifying and clarifying words of His apostles….the Power of agape.
And this IS what we should take from Paul’s messages above….both of them. In the one we have the reality of Love as the Power of men, spiritual men, to DO “the things which I say“; here we ARE told that to express agape IS tantamount to keeping ALL the law which IS to keep His words. In the other we have a practical instructive way to understand the role of the preacher and the substance of what IS preached and heard by those who choose to Repent. Here we should remember that to “call upon the name of the Lord” IS the same idea that IS behind the confession and affirmation or, better, the the professing which IS one’s expression of the Truth that a man whose focus IS upon the Lord has come to KNOW.
These ideas ARE equivalent and as Paul continues his thoughts here he IS offering us his basic logic relating to this idea of salvation. First we must understand that to “call upon the name of the Lord” IS NOT, nor can it be, that one merely appeal to Him or call His name; in the deeper ideas from epikaleo we should see the idea that to be as such IS to take upon oneself His name which IS the way that this idea IS used in other New Testament verses….as surnamed. Can we see the that Paul’s point here IS NOT that one appeal or, as some see this, invoke the “the name of the Lord” but rather that one take upon himself the reality of his own anointing as the Christ?
It IS ONLY there that we can find True salvation, True rescue of the spiritual self from the vanity that IS Life in this world. It IS in the threefold idea that Paul IS showing us that the Truth lies; and it IS in striving toward these things that one finds much spiritual progress: to pisteuo that He IS Lord IS to KNOW that this IS True, to profess this IS to express His nature and to “call upon the name of the Lord” IS to take the whole idea of the Christ as one’s own identity. This final part IS NOT a rite nor a ritual but the rather logical conclusion of KNOWING and expressing the nature of one; such a one becomes as Christ.
This IS the fullness of the reality that the Master and His apostles bring us. From Jesus’ words on “greater works“, to the Apostle John’s words saying that “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17), to Paul’s words that show us the great mystery of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27), ALL show us the infinite possibilities that are ofttimes harshly denied by the doctrines of men. Jesus tells us our Truth in a parable saying “The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master” (Luke (6:40).
And here is the rub: ALL of the doctrinal approaches to the Lord that deny men even the opportunity to be “as he is“, that deny men the opportunity to “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) ARE, perhaps unknowingly, counted among those of whom Jesus issues His list of woes and especially this: “woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13).
To be sure the law IS a difficult way to go and this especially when it IS NOT “in their hearts” as the prophet shows us the new covenant. But Jesus brought us that better way where the idea of “the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31, 33) reigns True. And this way IS founded in our True understanding of agape, our True understanding of the Great Commandments and our True understanding of the Golden Rule.
And while many doctrinal thinkers continue to believe that Paul’s writings created a new doctrine based in atonement, the greater Truth remains in clear and concise language which Paul shows us saying that “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14) and in his words to the Romans above. The foundation of so much of doctrine IS gathered from many separate, individual and out of context thoughts which ARE then bound together into a nebulous reality while the greater Truth, which IS clear and straightforward, IS deemed unacceptable because of the carnal focus of men, even those who count themselves as saints and the preachers to whom Paul refers in our selection above.
Too many equate this idea of being a saint with being pious and holy and incapable of mistake but this level of Truth IS ONLY attained at that same level of perfection that the Master shows us above, a level of perfection where there IS NO longer thought for the self and one’s desires as a man in this world. This IS an end toward which ALL men are working and this whether they may realize it or NOT. If we can put the idea of Truth into Paul’s words we can then come away with a clearer picture of what he IS trying to convey:
“The word Truth is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word Truth of faith KNOWING, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess express with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe KNOW in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man KNOWETH unto righteousness; and with the mouth expression is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
We should take this from the perspective that “thy word is truth” (John 1717) as Jesus tells us in His prayer to the Father and in this see that these words ARE synonymous. Paul shows us “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:13) and here we should have a clearer understanding of the reality of the gospel….it IS NOT the words of Paul nor any other apostle it IS the word of Truth which IS the word of God. It IS this same word, this same Truth that comes to everyman whose focus IS turned to the Lord….everyman who has a measure of True realization. For him “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart” and this according to one’s measure of True focus upon the things of God according to our trifecta.
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.
We change our Quote of the Day today to the words from Solomon on Wisdom along with our thoughts on them from the original postings of them in In the Words of Jesus parts 46 and 556. These words ARE a testament to those things that we should be asking of the Lord and which are representative of the Holy Ghost. Wisdom, understanding and knowledge which will lead us to understanding the fear (reverence and respect and awe) of the Lord and the knowledge of God so that in this world we can understand righteousness and judgement and equity and be preserved by discretion and understanding. Thus are we in a position to treat everyone as we would want to be treated ourselves.
Since we are centered on the ideas of Wisdom today we offer the following from Proverbs as our Quote of the Day. Solomon, who is KNOWN for his Wisdom, which we read in the story of his Life was His gift from God, a gift that he receives because he does not want for the things of the world. But Solomon gains as well the things of the world in plenty and as his Life story proceeds we can see clearly that it is his Life in the world that is to his detriment. The wisdom however produces for us the writings of the Book of Proverbs and it is this that he is remembered for. His Life is interesting reading and is well documented in the Books of Kings and Chronicles.
….incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee (Proverbs 2:2-11).
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
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
