ON LOVE; PART MCDXLIV
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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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We ended the last essay with some thoughts on the idea of works, “good works” to be more specific. There IS a distinct difference between what Paul rails against in his teaching on the seemingly opposing ideas of faith and works and the idea of “good works” that IS found in both the apostle’s writings and the Master’s words, a difference that few in the church seem to teach or see. The Apostle James DOES clarify these ideas of faith and works in a way that feels as though he had read Paul’s ideas and desired to correct the Christian perspective; this however DID NOT work as the church has from the beginning held Paul’s words in higher esteem than those of James or the other apostles. It IS upon Paul’s words that most ALL Christian theology IS based and, as we have maintained from the beginning of our writing, men’s ‘convenient’ interpretations of the apostle’s words have become their doctrines. We use the idea here of ‘convenient’ interpretations with purpose; in our view the church has continually interpreted scripture in a most carnal fashion measuring their interpretations against the failings of humanity so that such failings DO NOT cause individual nor corporate ‘distress’. Such ‘distress’ IS likely the predicted result of believing that Jesus’ words ARE True and that in the absence of keeping His words men ARE NOT ‘saved‘ as they would like to be. Much like the Jews before them the Christian world has chosen to modify the scriptural Truths to suit the needs of men and the Master shows us this age-old problem in such words as “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9). Unfortunately the Christian world DOES NOT consciously see their problem as they believe and teach that such words ARE intended for the Jews alone and that in their many versions of Christianity they have corrected the Master’s accusations against the Jews. This however IS NOT based in any form of scriptural Truth, it IS but a part of the reality of “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men“.
The idea of “good works” that we ended our discussion with came from Jesus’ second affirmation to His disciples and the ‘promise’ to those that will follow them. He says “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). These “good works” ARE the fruit of the Life of everyman that Truly lives according to His words and we should try to see here that this DOES NOT require a faultless or sinless Life but rather a Life of striving, as the Master tells us, to “enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24). This “strait gate” should be understood as the Kingdom of God but NOT according to the doctrinal idea that this IS the place for ‘Christians’ when they leave this world. This “strait gate” IS the narrow Path that leads us “from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. This IS our Path from our carnal lives, our “bondage of corruption” into our spiritual expression of Love and Truth which IS “the glorious liberty of the children of God“. The point here IS that ALL ideas of heaven and hell as they exist today ARE built upon age old superstitions and beliefs plus a supreme desire for men to ‘feel’ as though they have a specific future after their Life here in this world. Such beliefs ARE nebulous at best and ARE NOT scriptural despite the way that the ideas DO come from scripture and, to be sure, the many different beliefs in what DOES happen when people die IS a testament to the nebulous nature of ALL such ideas. Jesus DOES tell us that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21) but the church has contorted this idea to say that the Kingdom IS “in your midst” or that the Kingdom IS “among you” as others render the Master’s words. For such to be the full Truth, one must then concede that Jesus’ words regarding entering the Kingdom ARE moot and meaningless for the Kingdom would be here for everyone. What we can say about these alternate renderings of “the kingdom of God is within you” IS that these too address the idea that the Kingdom IS here and now and NOT in some far off time and place that awaits the death of the believer.
Our “good works“, our “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5: 22) as Paul calls our expressions of Truth and agape, IS NOT what Paul refers to as he tells us such things as “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). This IS confirmed for us in the very next verse where we read “For 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); here we ARE told that we have been ordained to walk in such “good works“. While these words ARE cumbersome, the gist IS that there ARE “good works” that DO exist in the hearts of men who ARE living in accord with the Master’s words and it IS in these that we should walk. The Greek word proetoimazo which IS rendered as ordained IS rendered by others in terms of preparation and planning so as to say that such “good works” ARE prepared in advance for men and while this IS essentially True, it IS at the same time rather unclear. Vincent helps us here saying of proetoimazo that “good works” ARE: Made ready beforehand. God prearranged a sphere of moral action for us to walk in. Not only are works the necessary outcome of faith, but the character and direction of the works are made ready by God. Vincent’s sphere of moral action IS for us the expression of agape as the central theme of the Master’s words as well as the gist of the True message of the Old Testament and most ALL world scriptures. This sense of agape however must be understood as everyman’s selfless expression that sees ALL men the same, an expression where there IS NO “respect to persons” (James 2:9) as James frames the idea. Our point here IS that there IS an ocean of difference between the idea of works that Paul rails against and the idea of works that qualify as “good works” and it IS this that James shows us without actually defining the ideas as he leaves it to us to discern the meaning much as the Master DOES throughout the gospels. James tells us:
“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[d] 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 is dead, so faith without works is dead also“
(James 2:14-26)
Using the same examples as DOES Paul as he describes the ideas of faith and works, James offers us a view of the reality our works and the understanding that if there ARE NO works resulting from our faith, then that faith IS little more than a nebulous affirmation of one’s doctrines. It IS through such ideas as this from James as well as the ideas from Paul cited above that we should be able to see that works IS our expression of Truth and Love and NOT what works has become in the doctrines of men. In the end we should try to see that as a “light of the world” we ARE to “shine before men” and in this shining allow ALL to “see your good works“. This IS the Life of the disciple and the aspirant to discipleship who ARE ever striving to “glorify your Father which is in heaven“. The Master’s next saying IS one that IS widely interpreted into different ideas; Jesus tells us of Himself saying: “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). Much of the idea that Jesus’ words ARE intended ONLY for the Jews come from this saying as doctrines proclaim that Jesus IS the fulfillment and this IS reason to forgo both His words and the law. But their logic IS flawed both through their understanding of the words used and the way that so many still use the Old Testament to reinforce their various doctrinal leanings. The Greek word pleroo which IS rendered as fulfil and the Greek word ginomai which IS rendered as fulfilled ARE unrelated words which ARE understood in the same context because of the translated ideas. The primary idea according to Thayer’s IS to make full, to fill, to fill up9 which IS NOT the same as today’s dictionaries primary idea regarding fulfil which IS to carry out, or bring to realization, as a prophecy or promise*. This primary idea from Thayer’s IS in agreement with Strong’s defining ideas for pleroo which says: to make replete, i.e. (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence); while these ARE the primary definitions Strong’s goes on to add satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction)9a. Vincent DOES NOT address these ideas in his Word Studies. While most have accepted the secondary definitions as the intent of Jesus’ words, we take the opposite idea that the Master came to to make full, to fill, to fill up the law to be the more valid understanding of His intent. We should note here that the rest of Jesus’ words here DO make full and fill up the gaps in understanding of the tenets of the law that He addresses, killing, adultery, and men’s expression of agape to cite a few. In this we should see that Jesus IS NOT declaring Himself to be the fulfillment of the law but rather the One that adds to the law to make full.
Similarly we should look at the idea that the law exists “till all be fulfilled“; here, in the Greek word ginomai, the idea of fulfillment IS the most valid rendering saying in effect that the law exists until ALL IS accomplished. What this means however IS NOT clearly stated by the Master nor by any of His apostles in their writings. Logically it would mean that as a world society men will KNOW their True relationship to the Lord and here we should stress the idea of world society, NOT that ALL must become Christians but rather that ALL should see the Oneness and the Unity of a Godhead which exemplifies the idea that there IS “no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11). We could ‘logically’ go through each of the Ten Commandments in this same way to show that the accomplishment IS that the world society grasps the concept of NO murder, NO adultery, neither carnal nor spiritual, NO covetousness, NO taking what belongs to others physically or psychically along with a proper understanding of just what “Honour thy father and mother” (Matthew 15:4) Truly means. In these ideas we should try to see that the doctrinal understanding that Jesus IS the fulfillment of the law IS a flawed one that has helped to erode the effect of the Master’s words over the last 2000 years. If we can understand that the first idea, that Jesus IS “not come to destroy, but to fulfil” as the reality of what He did in showing us the Truths behind the laws as He expanded the more simple ideas presented to the more barbarous and superstitious people of Moses time, some 1500 years before. It IS from here in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus begins His direct instructions, His ‘making full‘ the original commandments, with His cautionary statement that “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19-20). Should we look at the state of the church over the last 2000 years in relation to these words we could then perhaps see how lost humanity has become in regard to their eternal goal of being “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) and perhaps understand how the doctrinal approach of most ALL religions has failed.
As we discussed in previous posts we should note here that Jesus ‘sandwiches’ His instructions from His Sermon on the Mount between two sayings that imply that to Truly be ‘saved‘ one must keep His words. He begins with the words above, His caution if you will, and He ends with the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. We should remember that the chronology offered us by Matthew may NOT be as it was but we should understand here that Matthew DID see an importance in putting ALL the Master’s sayings on the deportment of the disciple and the aspirant together. For us Matthew’s sequence IS helpful for that same reason; ALL of Jesus instructions ARE offered to us clearly and concisely. We noted in previous posts that the words of the Master, His caution above, IS NOT taken to heart by the Christian world because of their manipulation of the Truth, a manipulation which James clearly deals with saying “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Most ALL ARE deceived by their own thinking that they ARE free from the ‘works‘ of keeping His words based in their doctrinal ideas regarding faith and believing which ARE gleaned from such words from Paul as “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“. For us ALL of the KEY words in this saying ARE grossly misunderstood and this begins with the idea of grace which IS from the Greek word charis. While charis can take on the ideas of: acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace(- ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank(-s, -worthy)9a as Strong’s defines the word, these ARE but carnal effects and NOT spiritual. Paul IS speaking in spiritual terms and as we have ofttimes said charis, grace, IS ALL things that come from the Godhead. In this we should understand that in every use of charis concerning things that ARE NOT carnal or mundane, the idea IS grace and this grace has NO carnal effects save in the Transformation of everyman. Jesus uses the word charis sparingly and of note IS His use according to Luke where some have unfortunately rendered charis as thanks. In Jesus words charis IS the reward to those who DO Love according to His words saying “if ye love them which love you, what thank grace have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank grace have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank grace have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again” (Luke 6:32-34). We should remember that Matthew frames these same ideas using the Greek word misthos which should be understood as a reward or as one’s wages and in the context of Jesus’ words either rendering IS suitable. We can also substitute reward for grace as we have substituted grace for thank in Luke’s version of the Master’s words above. This IS the idea of grace that we should apply to Paul’s words above; we ARE saved by grace, by the reward received through keeping His words and in the ideas above His words ARE centered around agape.
The next misunderstood and misapplied idea from Paul’s saying IS faith and should we read this literally as it IS written: “by grace are ye saved through faith“. It IS by grace as the reward or wages earned in keeping His words that we ARE saved and this IS accomplished through our KNOWING some measure of the Truth being applied in our lives. We should remember here just what this grace IS, just what IS our reward and how such rewards ARE earned. Jesus offers us three rewards in our trifecta along with our part in gaining those rewards. He 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).
The rewards here ARE rather clearly enunciated as discipleship, KNOWING the Truth, the Kingdom of God and the Presence of the Lord in our everyday lives and the cost for these IS simply to “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” which can otherwise be stated as “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them“. This IS the KEY to charis, to grace, as the reward for being or becoming “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves“. While the doctrinal church refuses to see the idea of reward as the personal benefit for keeping His words which many consider works, the idea IS presented to us in the gospels and throughout both the New and the Old Testaments. As we have often discussed this idea which we equate to a quid pro quo begins in the writings of Moses who details the Life of Abraham and his obeying the Will of God; this culminates in Deuteronomy where we read such things as “all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God“. This IS contrasted with Moses words saying “if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee” (Deuteronomy 2, 15). These words should show us both the positive and the negative aspects of the reward much as Jesus’ words DO in His caution above and His Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. The clarity of this idea of rewards IS difficult to dismiss but much of the church has dismissed this in favor of their ideas of faith which Jesus shows us IS much more than the nebulous idea that exists yet today. We have discussed this frequently in previous essays and here we should summarize our point in the simplicity of the Master’s words. Jesus tells us that with faith we can move the mountain and cast the “sycamine tree” into the sea and to think that such ideas ARE within the possibilities of the average believer IS but folly. In such sayings as “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you” (Luke 17:6) we should easily see how that this idea of faith IS that KNOWING that comes in keeping His words. Such ideas ARE however discounted by the doctrinal church while many DO at the same time believe in miracles. It IS when we can realize faith as that KNOWING that we can make progress in our Transformation which starts with our decision to change the focus of our lives from the carnal to the spiritual, a change that IS our Repentance.
Finally there IS the idea that this grace, this reward, IS “the gift of God” and we should try to see that the church’s interpretation of this idea has done much to deflect just what that gift IS as a reward. Most like to think that such gifts come to men through their faith and believing and unfortunately their ideas ARE tied to carnal things. Carnally the idea behind the Greek word doron IS a gift but Paul IS speaking here about spiritual things and it IS this that changes the defining ideas of the word. The idea here IS that this gift IS the grace that saves and which comes upon men as they come to KNOW the Truth; here in the idea of grace we should understand that such comes from the Lord through the Christ Within. At the same time however we should be able to see and understand through the context of Paul’s words that this gift IS earned and while this idea of reward IS obscured by the doctrines of men, it IS nonetheless True as we interpret the ideas spiritually. Summarizing our thoughts, we should try to see grace as the gift and as the reward and see these two ideas as spiritual synonyms that ARE the result of that KNOWING that IS embodied in the Greek word pistis which IS rendered as faith.
Returning to our main topic of the words of the Master that show us the Way, we come upon Jesus’ words on killing. Jesus IS amplifying the original commandment as well as showing that the Jews’ traditional way of addressing the commandment IS flawed. While men should have seen the idea of the commandment as more than an admonition to NOT kill another, they DID not; against this Jesus says “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21-22). In these words the Master addresses anger as equivalent to killing and, as we have discussed before, the idea being “angry with his brother without a cause” IS NOT found in ALL manuscripts which just address being “angry with his brother“. It has been suggested that the words “without a cause” were a later addition by a copyist trying to make the statement less radical and that This was also the view of some Church Fathers**. Understanding this we should try to see that Jesus was equating ALL anger with killing and we should try to see this in terms of causation; one kills another most often as the result of anger. Following this we have Jesus showing us the ideas of Raca and such insults as calling another a fool; if we could see these ideas as causes for anger and understand that these ARE examples of the overall events that can lead to killing we can then perhaps better understand that there IS a sense of logic here. We should also try to see that the punishments ARE NOT as they have were in the days where “an eye for and eye” ruled; in the less barbarous and less superstitious world of Jesus’ day this idea was more muted and while the judgement may have been death to the offender, this IS NOT the direction that the Master offers us. It IS difficult to understand these word ideas, Raca and calling one “thou fool” in the absence of the idea of causation and we should note here that these verses DO NOT end this conversation. Jesus continues to say, connected by the idea of therefore, that “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). The Jews used this idea of bringing a “gift to the altar” as part of their idea of atonement and this IS likely closely tied to the ritual use of the sacrifice of animals or of bringing grains and oils to the priests. Understanding this we can see Jesus’ words here as complimentary to the previous idea on killing and anger; that if one IS going to leave a gift for the purpose of atoning for his anger or an offence that causes another to be angry, that reconcilement IS the better way and that the gift IS meaningless without reconciliation. We should see here that this was NOT the way of the Jews nor IS it the way of men today; we should also see that the greater understanding of these ideas comes later with Jesus teaching on “an eye for and eye” (Matthew 5:38). Again we should remember that the sequence that Matthew gives us IS NOT necessarily the way that these saying occurred.
The next saying IS also closely allied with the Master’s teaching on killing and anger; Jesus tells us to “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing” (Matthew 5:25-26). Just as the previous sayings regarding “thy gift” IS a remedy for anger and related feelings, this saying IS also directed at reducing the ill feeling that one may have toward another. In this saying there ARE also consequences for NOT resolving differences and we should remember that the law, the civil laws interpreted from the words of Moses, was quite different in Jesus’ day than they ARE today. A simpler way of Life ruled in those days but should we advance the Master’s instructions to today’s societal problems, the reality of His solution would serve in the same way to defuse the interrelation problems among men. None of this IS easy of course unless one IS focused upon the things of God; anger is an emotion that can and does overwhelm the psyches of men and IS easily the result of disagreements with adversaries as well as situations where one may “hath ought against thee“. The encouragement here, the instructions if you will, IS to understand that anger goes in two ways and both must be addressed; a man can be angry with others and a man can have others angry at himself. Both should be resolved before anger IS allowed to run its own course which ever results in more complex problems. Many contrast this teaching on anger with Paul’s words which seem to imply that anger IS NOT the offense that Jesus paints for us; the apostle tells us “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27). Paul’s words ARE NOT in support of anger contrary to the Master’s instructions; they ARE rather an observation that anger DOES exist and offer us the resolution to anger which IS NOT different than Jesus’ words where in His ideas the mechanics of diffusing our anger IS left to the individual. The idea that we should “let not the sun go down upon your wrath” follows closely to Jesus’ instructions as DOES Paul’s injunction that we NOT “give place to the devil“. There IS anger in this world of vanity and the ideas presented by the Master and His apostles ARE intended to diffuse that anger before it can result in the harm that IS ever anger’s destiny.
From here the Master goes on to discuss adultery which we should remember IS another idea with a dual nature. There IS carnal adultery which appears to be His message here and there IS spiritual adultery which IS ever attached to the Greek word moicheuo which IS always rendered into ideas of adultery. Jesus tells His disciples that “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). We should remember here that the Master IS speaking to His disciples and while others may be hearing His words, they ARE addressed according to Matthew’s description saying of Jesus that “he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them” (Matthew 5:1-2). In this scenario we should NOT simply assume that Jesus IS speaking about carnal adultery as there IS little likelihood that His disciples would be so inclined; for them to engage in such behavior IS a remote possibility at best. But carnal adultery IS what the Jews interpretations of the law centered upon and it was primarily from this perspective that they understood the word. While the Master frames His words in this carnal tone, we should try to see the hidden message that perhaps His disciples DID see in His words; that it IS in the heart that this form of adultery begins. It IS in the heart then that spiritual adultery also begins and to properly understand the whole of the idea we need ONLY to look at the defining ideas for moicheuo and the Hebrew word na’aph which IS rendered as adultery in the Old Testament. Strong’s defines na’aph as: a primitive root; to commit adultery; figuratively, to apostatize9a and it IS in the idea of apostatize that we find the spiritual connection. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines apostatize as: To abandon one’s profession or church; to forsake principles or faith which one has professed; or the party to which one has been attached1 and we should try to see this idea in the broader sense of abandoning one’s spiritual commitment. It IS unfortunate that the Greek word moicheuo DOES NOT have the same ideas of spiritual adultery in its defining ideas and this likely because of the church’s fixation on sexual matters from the beginning. We ARE NOT left without understanding however when we look as the way that the idea IS used by Jesus and by the Apostle James. Jesus says to the Jews “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign” (Matthew 12:9) and we should understand here that He IS NOT calling ALL people adulterers from the carnal perspective but rather that He IS accusing their generation of being adulterous in the approach to the Lord; this Jesus tells the Jews in a variety of ways. We should also look at James’s words saying “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). In these words the idea of an adulterer IS clearly offered in a similar tone but goes unseen for most ALL; James IS NOT accusing ALL men of carnal adultery but citing their spiritual adulterous attitudes that favor the world over the Lord. Vincent helps us a bit in our understanding of adultery in his commentary on James words saying: The apostate members of the church are figuratively regarded as unfaithful spouses; according to the common Old Testament figure, in which God is the bridegroom or husband to whom his people are wedded4.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
- 1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913 from https://1828.mshaffer.com/
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
- ** en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matthew_5:22&oldid=1094010749
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
