Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
ON GOD; Part C
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4:1-21).
Our point yesterday had little to do with the source of the text, the Bhagavad Gita, but was rather intended only to present the point and the objective of the ideal that it presented: Unity in Diversity. The source document is a beautiful and inspiring work from Ancient Indian culture which should be read by all with the understanding that one must be careful to choose a more literal translation that is not tied to some particular school of thought or at least understand that what one is reading may be biased. This idea of bias is at the very core of the lesson that we sought to get from the Gita and this saying as bias will be found at the very heart of separatism. The simple realization from our saying is simply that we are ALL the same behind the phenominal appearance here on this Earth where all is clouded by the illusion and the glamour of the Life of the Self in form. The Buddha says the same things to us from a vitally different perspective 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 And the Christ tells us the same in His dissertations on Love and on the righteous treatment of our brothers who are ALL “…the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45) thereby denoting our equality.
We should bring out here also that this phrase from Matthew is a classic example of the manipulation of words for the changing or the creation of the thoughts for the reader. The way we frame it above shows that ALL are the children of the Father and this is surely how the Master meant this to be based upon His other sayings especially those that claim the Fatherhood of God which precede this saying and follow it. It is even in some of these sayings that there can be some confusion regarding the actual words and the intent of the Master: By example, we believe that the Master is speaking to the multitudes here although the text is unclear; in Matthews Gospel we read that “And seeing the multitudes, he went upinto 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) from which the assumption is made that “them” refers to ALL, the disciples and the multitude. Luke tells it this way: “And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said….” (Luke 6:19-20) which tells us that the multitudes are there with Him. Understanding the generality of the sayings that follow, we should understand that the references to the Father are intended for all; in later chapters and verses the Master goes out of His way to define those who are entitled to the Kingdom and to discipleship but here in the Beatitudes and in the Sermon on the Mount His teaching is much more a matter of instruction.
This is not really an important point except to those who interpret the words of the Master in our lead verse in a separatist manner and to remind any such readers of the ambiguity of the text. The full verse of Matthew 5:45 goes this way: “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” and our issue is with the first several words which would imply that one “may be” children of the Father if they do what the Master says in the preceding verses. However, the rest of the Master’s sayings do not bear this out; He says:
- “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven“
- “That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly“
- “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly“
- “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him“
- “After this manner therefore prayye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name“
- “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 14).
There are others but these should suffice to show that this idea of Fatherhood has no criteria attached by the Master and it should be clear as well that the prior sayings at the outset of the Sermon are intended to be the same. We then should see also that the verse above that we say is meant for All and not just for those who “may be” His children and further, were this the case, there would likely be no need for a saying at all regrading “the evil and on the good” or “the just and on the unjust“. This may seem like a long way to go to make this point but it is very important and a key to man’s entire spiritual; Life that he understand that God IS God to ALL men and not just those who profess Him in some way or by some ritual. It is in this that we see the sameness also of the teachings that lead our essay today and that show us the reality of Unity in Diversity. Remember that the True man is not this appearance in form on this Earth but he is the Soul expressing through that form as much of the Love of God as the form’s consciousness will allow at any time. It is only here in this context of expression through form that one may be considered as becoming. However, this is not the view of the church which thinks that the appearance IS the man and therefore this is likely not a part of their interpretation of these things.
Before we leave this we should add that the wording in the Greek does not include the words here translated “ye may” but they are added by the translators because they believed that this is the way this should be translated. The Greek word ginomai had several English meanings including to be, become and happen3. Alternate readings of our text from other translations go thus:
- New American Standard: “so that you may be sons of your Father“.
- Common English Bible: “so that you will be acting as children of your Father“.
- GOD’S WORD Translation: “In this way you show that you are children of your Father in heaven“.
- New Living Translation: “In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven“.
- Wycliffe: “that ye be the sons of your Father“.
Can we see how the understanding can be changed by the use of the translators words; does the Master mean to tell us that we can be His children if we do as the preceding says or does He mean to say that we ARE children and that we show it by doing His word? We know what we believe and why but there are many that believe differently based upon their respective doctrines and it is these that likely see much of the Master’s words in a separatist way. Our way is however Unity and it is in the diversity of forms and activities, including those who believe in these separatist ways, that we must realize this Unity and that we must not only see the outer differences and diversity. This is our meaning; that we see behind each form of man on Earth his Soul and his divinity and we realize that he is our brother and he is just as we are. There is little that we can do in this Life that is of more importance that this….this is the Key to Love and the Key to most ALL of the Master’s words.
We continue now with our thoughts on the chapter that we have been reading daily from the 1 Epistle of John. He says “He that feareth is not made perfect in love” which is the converse of the last saying that we treated two posts back where we discussed the ideas of the freedom from fear that is found in Love. The most simple way to state this is that in Love, in the Love that IS God and the Love of God, a man has ALL of the reality and the expression of the Soul. In real and True Love that meets the criteria of the Master, we are keeping His words, we are following Him and we are His disciples and it is in this state that we KNOW NO FEAR. This expression of Love is the expression of the Christ Within for this too IS Love but it must be real and True and encompass ALL that the Master teaches including loving one’s enemies. Can we understand the depth of this and the intertwinement with His other teachings about the Kingdom and discipleship? Can we get a measure of forsaking ALL in the idea of “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) and can we see how the idea of forsaking is not in regard to possessions only? So in this real and True Love for ALL of God’s wondrous creation where we have given up ALL willingly for the Kingdom and for discipleship we can come to that perspective of KNOWING the Truth, the Truth that sets us free…..free from fear of any kind. We know this is so as the Master does tell us this 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).
There is here a relationship between Love and fear that is not hidden in these words; here John tells us of this relationship from the perspective that if we Love as we are taught by the Master, we will have no fear and, conversely, if we have fear we are not made perfect, not made disciples and not accounted worthy, in or by Love. We should remember the role of and the understanding of perfect as it regards being His disciple and we could in fact use these words synonymously. We should remember also the relationship between being His disciple and being accounted worthy of the Kingdom of God. We left a part of this overall verse out as we split this over two essays and that part is “because fear hath torment” which we can view as a accessory statement explaining why “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear“. It is difficult to understand exactly what this saying means but we do get some help from Vincent who tells us that: Hath torment (ko>lasin e]cei). Torment is a faulty translation. The word means punishment, penalty. It occurs in the New Testament only here and Matthew 25:46. The kindred verb, kola>zomai to punish, is found Acts 4:21; 2 Peter 2:9. Note the present tense, hath. The punishment is present. Fear by anticipating punishment has it even now. The phrase hath punishment (see on John 16:22) indicates that the punishment is inherent in the fear. Fear carries its own punishment. Augustine, commenting on the expulsion of fear by love, says: “As in sewing, we see the thread passed through by the needle. The needle is first pushed in, but the thread cannot be introduced until the needle is brought out. So fear first occupies the mind, but does not remain permanently, because it entered for the purpose of introducing love.” The words because fear hath punishment are parenthetical4. Augustine’s saying aside, can we understand the intent here according to Vincent? that the punishment is inherent in the fear which we can even better understand as fear is its own punishment; that while one is in fear that he is occupied with that fear thinking about it and realizing different scenarios based upon that fear. This is punishment and, in defense of the A.V. (King James Version) this is in reality torment.
We can get a better understanding of the whole of this verse from Vincent’s view of the opening line: There is no fear in love (fo>bov oujk e]stin ejn th|~ ajga>ph|). Lit., fear is not. It has no existence. The fear is that spoken of in 1 Peter 1:17; Hebrews 12:28; godly fear; filial reverence; not slavish fear, as Romans 8:15. In love, lit., the love, that perfected love of which John has been speaking4. The strength of the saying is then that Love and fear cannot coexist; there can be one or the other but there can not be both and in this we must remember that we are speaking about the Love that is taught by the Master and not what is commonly understood as Love as included in those terms of endearment of persons to persons based on some physical, emotional or mental attraction which is not the Love that IS God nor that the Master taught.
Tying together our thoughts for today we can also see the ideas of Unity in Diversity being ideas of Love as the Master teaches and the lack of this understanding of unity as a component of or rather a result of fear because, as we have seen, when the one is not present, the other one is. Ponder on this in regard to our comments on the unknown and the misunderstood.
We will continue with our thoughts on this chapter and on Love in the next post.
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.
Because of the subject matter we leave our Quote of the Day from the last post for today again.
In these words from the Master we see the crux of His message to us. When we can accomplish this as individuals we are disciples, we are in His Kingdom and His Presence as in these sayings ALL else is included. If we can look clearly and without prejudgment and without pride or self interest in what we may be doing at these sayings below and measure the Sermon on the Mount against them, we can quickly see the RIGHT direction to take our lives. We will also see that it takes the lessons of the Sermon to help us in accomplishing this.
KEEP HIS WORD
“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 12:30-31)
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.
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)
There is nothing more important in the True Christian Life than our sense of Love as it relates to these sayings of the Master. The Truth of our closeness to the Master and His Kingdom is found in the degree to which we live a Life as He instructs us in relation to our fellowman. This is the essence of all of His words and His teachings and in doing these things all other things will come to us as well.
- 2 New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- 3 Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 2001
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
- 5 Dhammapada Translated by Thomas Byrom
