ON LOVE; PART MCDXCVIII
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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 extended thoughts regarding the mystery that Paul shows us saying “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27). These words ARE NOT understood by most of the church as they ARE intended; too many believe that they have access to the mysteries and understand them through their doctrines but they have failed to meet the criteria established by both Jesus and Paul regarding this access. Paul tells us that the mysteries ARE “ made manifest to his saints” and it IS likely the misconception, taught in doctrines over the centuries, that one IS a saint merely by being a doctrinal Christian that has created confusion regarding Paul’s words. We should remember that the Master teaches us that the mysteries ARE just that, mysteries, and that they ARE NOT revealed to the man in the world but rather to His disciples and this Greek word mathetes further confounds the issues. Regarding why the Master speaks to the people in parables Jesus tells His disciples “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given” (Matthew 13:11). The problem IS as we have said in the past; the word mathetes IS ill-defined as a learner, pupil, disciple2 in bible dictionaries and commentaries and men have taken the last idea and comported it with the idea of the pupil and the learner. This IS become the common defining idea of disciple while the True meaning of the word IS encapsulated in most every saying from the Master that deals with this word mathetes. This IS the starting point perhaps of the failure of the church to see that the idea of hagios, being a most holy thing, a saint2, IS a high spiritual bar that must be scaled in order to be, as Jesus says, “my disciples indeed“. The point here IS simply that every Christian, devout or NOT, IS NOT a saint, he IS NOT a disciple and to be sure he IS NOT holy, and it IS ONLY such that DO have access to the mysteries. While the mysteries can be easily understood in concept and in words they ARE difficult to understand in real Life terms and this because of their spiritual nature, a nature that IS undefinable in carnal terms save for those that ARE holy and a saint. We have said that the disciple IS the applicable idea regarding the saint as a person in this world and for this we take the Master’s words regarding the ‘difficulty’ of attaining this station as well as the other criteria that the Master places upon our being such. Jesus tells us several things regarding discipleship and we should understand here that there IS NO instant conversion from being carnal to being spiritual as portrayed in muchg of the church; there IS ONLY the process of discipleship which comes upon us by measure.
The idea of measure IS an important aspect of our Journey onto and along the Path and Jesus shows us this idea several times and from differing perspectives in the gospels. While we ARE shown the idea of measure in terms of judgment, of hearing and of giving, we should note that these should be understood as examples of the concept where our own effort IS the price to pay for the ensuing reward….for the greater measure. Matthew shows us the Master’s words on measure as “with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2). In this selection we have the more defined example as the ideas of measure and of judgment ARE in reality separate thoughts that ARE tied together. In judgment, which idea immediately precedes Jesus words on the hypocrisy of judging others when one himself has issues, we ARE told that there ARE repercussions for our judging. Here we should try to see that there IS also a “righteous judgment” as we ARE told in the Master’s words saying “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). From this we should try to see that His saying that we should “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1) IS in regard to negative ideas. Then Matthew shows us the idea of measure and here we can presume that He intended for these ideas to be taken together, judgment and measure. But measure also stands alone and it IS in this vein that we should understand that it IS with whatsoever effort we exert that by measure the result will flow. In this IS also the reality of our striving. This idea of measure IS at play in most every human endeavor but it IS most important when we consider our spiritual rewards. It IS this idea of measure that we should bring to our understanding of the Master’s words on discipleship; Jesus 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).
- If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27-27).
- “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).
The Master’s words above ARE His specific instructions on becoming His disciple and we should note here that there may have been similar confusion regarding this idea in Jesus’ day. We say this because of the way that He frames the idea of “my disciples indeed“; these ARE NOT idle words. The Greek word alethos which IS rendered as indeed IS defined by Strong’s as: truly:—indeed, surely, of a surety, truly, of a (in) truth, verily, very9a and we should note here that this word IS used frequently by the Master to show the Truth of His sayings. The idea IS rendered by some translators as Truly with the meaning that in keeping His word we ARE Truly His disciples. The next criteria offered by the Master ARE in regard to our allegiance as men; if we ARE focused upon ideas of family and living one’s Life, then our focus IS carnal. Jesus tells us if one IS so focused then “he cannot be my disciple” and when we can comport this idea with the first of the Great Commandments, we can then have a much clearer understanding of what it means to be His disciple. In the idea of bearing one’s cross we should see the totality of one’s following Him and, to be sure, to follow Him Truly IS to keep His words; a concept that little or no prevalence in the church today. Finally Jesus tells us about forsaking, about giving up claim to ALL things carnal. While this idea should be seen in the previous ideas, Jesus finalizes His criteria with an emphasis on our forsaking and this IS perhaps the singular idea that keeps men from Truly following the Master. Between the ideas of family and bearing one’s cross and the final idea of forsaking Jesus gives us some examples showing us the necessity of counting “the cost“, the necessity of KNOWING what will lie ahead should we decide to forsake ALL for the Kingdom of God. Through ALL this we should try to understand that the whole of our journey IS in the shifting of our focus off of the self and the things of the self and onto the things of God. We should understand here as well that the quid pro quo that can be found in most every endeavor to strive toward the Kingdom IS active also in these words where the reward IS discipleship. And, to be sure, there IS NO one that anoints another as a disciple; there IS ONLY the self-knowledge gained through keeping His words and striving to DO so; a self-knowledge that IS ever enhanced through the added measure of Truth gained in this striving. It IS in this self-knowledge that we come to KNOW ourselves as Souls and it IS through this inner vision that we can come to KNOW God of whom we ARE ever part and parcel. Again keeping His words IS the singular KEY to this self-knowledge as our reward. It IS keeping His words that results in ALL spiritual grace as we can see in our trifecta which we repeat 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).
In these words we should see the reality of our spiritual Life. In these words ARE our realization of the Truth which “shall make you free“, our ‘acceptance’ into the Kingdom of God and the realization of the Presence of the Lord in our lives; a realization of the Christ Within and revelation the mystery that Paul shows us IS “Christ in you, the hope of glory“. Again we must add to these rewards the factor of measure; that these rewards come to us by measure and we must understand that these ARE NOT bestowed by some far off God but rather by the God Within in accord with the idea that “with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). How we have realization of these rewards and of ALL of the other promises offered in scripture IS rather simple to state but difficult to understand. Unless one IS partaking in that change of focus from the self and the things of the self to a focus upon the things of God such revelation and realization will NOT come. Of course we may have some occasional insight in the absence of keeping His words that comes and goes much as James shows us saying: “he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was“. We should remember here the full text of James words and they what such ARE tied to keeping HIs words; James tells us:
“be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed“
James 1:22-24
Keeping His words IS the Way par excellence to change one’s focus by measure and, to be sure, there IS NO automatic and full change that can overcome a man as IS ofttimes taught by some denominations and sects. One DOES NOT become a saint or a disciple or even a True follower of the Lord based in any carnally oriented rite or ritual. ALL comes by measure to the man who will strive toward the Truth and the Love embedded in the Master’s words. Peter shows us this change of focus as he instructs us on how to become a partaker; the apostle tells us “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to[b] glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3-4). While Peter shows us that the Way IS through “having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” we should understand these words must be understood as they ARE presented….we must escape from the ways of the self in this world. And this escape IS a process that begins with a sincere desire to Repent and then to Transform our lives away from our heretofore focus on the self and the things of the self. It IS in this way that we “might be partakers of the divine nature“. It IS unfortunate that so many Christians ARE instructed in alternate ideas that appear to be easier for the man in this world to accomplish. It IS because of this type of instruction, that men need ONLY to believe and have faith to secure their ‘salvation‘, that few if any at ALL Truly try to DO simply as the Master says. We have often discussed the nebulous nature of the faith and believing that IS prevalent in the church as we have offered our own views on the reality of pistis and pisteuo, the Greek words that are rendered as faith and believing. For us, the KEY to understanding these Greek words IS NOT found in the doctrinal ideas of men but in the use of the ideas by Jesus and His apostles; to this we should add perhaps a modicum of common sense. Of course common sense and religion ARE generally opposing ideas but this IS ONLY when Life IS viewed from a carnal perspective.
Spiritually both pistis and pisteuo relate to the certainty of KNOWING some measure of the Truth and when we consider that this KNOWING comes through keeping His words the whole of the idea can take on the necessary clarity and diffuse the common ideas still held in much of the church. These ideas however ARE contrary to what the man in the world considers as success and here we should try to see that most ALL of men’s presumed successes ARE tied to his personal view of “the corruption that is in the world through lust“. It IS lust that IS the great motivator of men in this world and here again we should caution that the idea of lust IS NOT as it IS commonly understood; lust IS NOT tied to men’s or women’s sexual fantasies; the idea of lust should extend to ALL driving desires, ALL desires that motivate men to DO whatsoever to succeed in Life. We should understand also that this idea of success IS one that has variable implications in the lives of men; success IS based upon a wide variety of men’s expectations which vary according to many carnal factors from custom to ability. While Peter shows us the idea that men’s desires furnish their individual sense of corruption, Paul shows us that this corruption IS in fact our vanity, our perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4 as Vincent defines this for us. Paul shows us that ALL ARE born into this vanity, this corruption if you will, but he also shows us that our vanity can be defeated, that we can overcome it. Paul tells us in words that we often use to show the plight of men as well as the promise; he says that “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). Our changes to these words ARE NOT intended to change the context but rather to change the emphasis; first there IS NO need for God to hope as that idea IS generally understood; God KNOWS and expects. Second the idea of reason that IS implied by the word because IS replaced by that based in Vincent’s commentary saying: In hope because [επ ελπιδι οτι], The best texts transfer these words from the preceding verse, and construe with was made subject, rendering oti that instead of because4. Finally, the Greek word eleutheroo which IS rendered here as delivered IS rendered as make (made) free in all other occurrences. It IS this same freedom that IS shown to us by the Master in His words above regarding keeping His words, that in so DOING we can “know the truth, and the truth shall make you free“. Connecting these two ideas we should try to see the way that keeping His words IS the Way to realize what should be understood as the expectation of the Godhead….that we can enter “into the glorious liberty of the children of God“.
While we see these ideas as the general theme of the New Testament teachings, most DO NOT. It IS in keeping His words that we DO find the Truth and its sense of freedom from our individual “bondage of corruption“. We should try to understand here that this can and will become the corporate human achievement. We should note here that it IS in our individual achievement that we contribute to the overall Plan of God, a plan that starts with our continued birth into the vanity that IS Life in this world and ends with ALL being freed “into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. It IS with such ideas as this in mind that we should view Jesus’ words saying “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 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 5:13-16). Individually, when we DO strive to keep His words, we exhibit some measure of this Light and some measure of the full savor of the salt which, like leaven, will someday “leaveneth the whole lump“. While this may seem a simplistic way to frame the salvation of humanity, it IS NOT. As we can see, it IS the psychic movements of people that spread and today, with the prevalence of social media, such movements can be easily seen and tracked. What IS necessary IS to start such a movement IS NO different that what has been responsible for countless movements over the centuries, movements that revolve around a singular idea and often a singular person. We have such an idea and a person in Christ. Yes His movement has been growing for 2000 years but the growth lately has been stayed as the reality of the Master’s message has become so muted that it IS indistinguishable from the carnal wranglings of men. And we have such an idea in agape, in that form of Love that IS at the heart of the Master’s teachings. This the church has ONLY superficially adopted while most ALL have failed to adequately define just what agape Love IS. It IS agape that can become the revival that much of the church actively looks for as they mistake the idea of revival with some sort of euphoric response to doctrines. A Truer revival has been in the works, if we can use that idea here, for several decades as men have begun, without the aid of the church, to recognize the rights of individuals to the reality of Life, liberty and happiness. While the church rails against ALL things New Age, it IS the New Age that will save humanity from itself. The New Age that we ARE entering embraces the ideals taught us by the Master, ideals that emphasize equality, and the flourishing of agape Love but our realization of this IS limited by our reliance on carnal ideas of agape as the common ideas of Love. In short, like any movement that combines people into groups centered around a singular goal, it IS the efforts of the one that infects the many.
Jesus tells us that we ARE “the light of the world” and this IS True of ALL that seek the Truth with a knowledge that they ARE such Light. This IS NOT a idle phrase; “Ye are the light of the world” IS an appellation directed at His disciples and while many perhaps heard His words, they were NOT His intended audience. We should remember here the opening lines that lead us to the Sermon on the Mount; Matthew tells us “seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying” (Matthew 5:1-2). We should see here that Jesus IS teaching disciples and that in DOING so He IS offering the common man instruction on how to be a disciple should one choose to follow that Path. It IS the disciple that IS “the light of the world” and “the salt of the earth” but this DOES NOT inhibit anyone from following in their Path and becoming the same. This becoming begins with keeping His words as the singular Way to exhibit our True faith and believing in and on the Christ as we come to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life4; as we become aspirants to discipleship. And it IS as we begin this journey that we can “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven“. We should understand here that it IS “your good works” that others will see and this idea IS NOT limited in any way. While many may see this idea of “your good works” in terms of philanthropy or other outward deeds, this IS but a small part of the reality of “your good works“. It IS in our expression of True Christian values that will be seen as “your good works” and here it IS the expression of agape that IS paramount. It IS our expression of agape that shows our Repentance and our Transformation. It IS our expression of agape that Truly shows that we ARE NO longer “conformed to this world“, that we ARE “transformed by the renewing of your mind” and that we can “prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). It IS in “the renewing of your mind” that we can have realization in the heart and mind of “Christ in you” through the revelation of the mysteries. Here we can tie ALL these ideas into the reality of our resurrection; repeating our closing of the last essay saying we should try to understand here that our realization in the heart and mind of “Christ in you” IS in so many ways at the heart of our resurrection, our “resurrection of life“. Paul shows us ALL of this in his ‘prayer’ for the Ephesians saying:
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen“
Ephesians 3:14-21
Remembering that there ARE mysteries that keep the Truth hidden from those whose focus IS yet carnal, those that ARE yet in the midst of a Life of vanity, let us unpack some of the apostles words of ‘prayer’. First we have the idea that there IS “the whole family in heaven and earth“; this we should try to see through the lens that Jesus offered us in His discussion with the Sadducees and Pharisees that we discussed in the last essay. The Master comports the idea of the resurrection with that those who have died “are as the angels of God in heaven“, an idea that IS entirely alien to the church. It IS as Souls that “they neither marry, nor are given in marriage” (Matthew 22:30) and here we should try to see the idea that it IS the Souls of men in heaven that ARE the “angels of God “. Again, as an alien concept it IS NOT necessary that we subscribe to this idea and again we should remember that ALL of this IS a mystery to which the aspirant has but a limited measure of KNOWING. For us it IS the combined idea of those who ARE here in this Earth as men plus those Souls that ARE NOT incarnate that form “the whole family in heaven and earth“. Paul’s next point comports with the idea, the mystery if you will, of “Christ in you, the hope of glory“; Paul clearly tells us in Colossians that this mystery IS ONLY revealed to His saints, an idea that should NOT be understood in human terms. Here in this ‘prayer’ the apostle refers to the idea of being “strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man“; the Christ within and the “Spirit in the inner man” should be understood as being synonymous. Also, the word rendered here as His need NOT refer directly to the Lord but rather to the Godhead of which every individual “Spirit in the inner man” IS a part. Most ALL translations refer to the idea of His Spirit as the singular Spirit of God but this IS based in men’s doctrinal interpretations of just what or who IS our God. Nonetheless, the idea of the “Spirit in the inner man” and the Christ Within ARE the same and here the apostle IS ‘praying’ that this aspect of everyman be strengthened so that it can have its intended influence on the lives of men in this world. We should try perhaps to see here some link to Paul’s words on being “transformed by the renewing of your mind“.
This IS reinforced by the apostle’s next words ‘praying’ “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love“. That Paul desires this for the Ephesians and for us IS good but how IS this accomplished? While the church believes that this idea of Christ in one’s heart IS the automatic result of one’s ‘being saved‘, the reality IS NOT so simple; nor should it be. Here we need to go back to the Master’s words that ARE our trifecta and understand that the Greek word word katoikeo has a very specific meaning according to the lexicon where we read that the idea IS: to dwell, settle; metaph. divine powers, influences, etc., are said to dwell in his soul, to pervade, prompt, govern it2. While this IS NOT supported by Strong’s definition that katoikeo means: to house permanently, i.e. reside9a and IS NOT strongly suggested in Thayer’s9, the lexicon’s view IS the proper idea that should be taken especially in this usage. In our trifecta Jesus tells us about the Father and the Son dwelling in the Life of those that “that hath my commandments, and keepeth them” and while the word that John uses here IS emphanizo, to manifest, the idea IS largely the same. To have the Lord dwelling in one’s heart takes the same effort as it DOES to have the Lord “manifest myself” which Jesus later explains as “we will come unto him, and make our abode with him“. Paul uses the idea this dwelling, this abiding in one’s heart, IS by faith and here again we must understand the spiritual implications of pistis and pisteuo which ARE rendered as faith and believing. Pistis and pisteuo ARE the reality of our KNOWING and spiritually this KNOWING is KNOWING God and KNOWING thyself; to best understand how this works we must go again to our trifecta where we find that this KNOWING IS for those that “continue in my word“; it IS these that “shall know the truth“. And this IS the point of KNOWING: that we “shall know the truth“.
The major aspect of this Truth IS simply stated by Paul who ‘prays’ that we may have this Presence of God in our hearts as our conscious realization when we ARE “rooted and grounded in love“. While Paul DOES NOT say that this being “rooted and grounded in love” IS a prerequisite for our True realization of His Presence in our hearts and lives, the idea IS carried forward by his framing of his words and through the reality that being so IS paramount among the Master’s commandments. While this should NOT be difficult to understand, the doctrinal approaches of men seem to miss this as most ALL rely ONLY upon their own ideas of what it means that “Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith“. Far too many see this as tied to their doctrines and their ideas of ‘salvation‘ rather than the as a result of being “rooted and grounded in love“. Paul next asks that we “May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height“. As these ideas ARE undefined, let us look into the apostles intent in framing his words in this way. The first word, platos, IS defined by Strong’s as width9a and here breadth gives us an equal idea except as concerns Thayer’s defining idea which tells us that platos IS: carrying with it the suggestion of great extent9; our lexicon, which generally follows Thayer’s lead, simplifies this saying that platos IS: suggesting great extent2. Paul’s next words ARE “length, and depth, and height” and in these we should see the same idea as we get from platos which IS rendered as depth; ALL ARE suggestive of great extent in every which direction. We should try to see here that the idea, the subject if you will, IS our KNOWING and these words, while carnally oriented, should show us the infinite and the eternal ideas that ARE our God. KNOWING God IS the objective but NOT from a human perspective alone; we should be able to “comprehend with all saints” the fullness of His Presence and “the love of Christ“. From our perspective this idea of “the love of Christ” would be better understood as the Love that IS Christ. Vincent helps us some with his commentary on the dimensional ideas that Paul offers saying that: Breadth, etc. No special interpretations are to be given to these words. The general idea of vastness is expressed in these ordinary terms for dimension. Notice that the article is attached only to the first, breadth, all the rest being included under the one article; the intention being to exhibit the love of Christ in its entire dimension, and not to fix the mind on its constituent parts4. The message IS the same whether we see this as the “love of Christ” or as the Love that IS Christ.
Paul continues in this theme to tell us that it IS the “love of Christ“, or the Love that IS Christ, that Truly “passeth knowledge” and here again we should examine the apostle intent. Strong’s tells us that the meaning of hyperballo which IS rendered as passeth IS: to throw beyond the usual mark, i.e. (figuratively) to surpass (only active participle supereminent):—exceeding, excel, pass9a. Perhaps with this in mind several translations render the word as surpasses while one tells us that it “is beyond all knowing“. These ideas of surpassing DO capture the fullness of Paul’s intent and here we look again to Vincent for additional insight; Mr. Vincent tells us that we should see in these words the idea that the “love of Christ“: surpasses mere knowledge without the experience of love. Note the play on the words know and knowledge4. Ponder on this.
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 |
- 2 New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.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
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
