ON LOVE; PART DCXIII
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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“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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“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).
In the last essay we continued our look at the final verse of the third chapter of James’ Epistle which we are seeing as a link between the prior thoughts covered in that chapter and the beginning of the next chapter were the apostle speaks of war. This transition involves the idea of righteousness which IS the word that we have been rather stuck on and which IS a important word in one’s spiritual journey; it is also a word that IS much misunderstood. The misunderstanding of righteousness is based in the use of this word as a carnal virtue as well as a carnal fault and this in addition to the way that it IS used here by James in a spiritual reference. Our transition verses tell us of the link of ideas as James intent and we read these as:
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust , and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 3:17-18, 4:1-2).
We should remember here that the ideas of the third chapter are themselves linked as the apostle speakings about teaching, which should NOT be seen only in the professional way but rather by ALL who influence others, and then the control of one’s expression which the apostles speaks about regarding the tongue but which should be understood as the entirety of the expression of a man in the world which, of course, includes his teaching. James then goes into what IS and what IS NOT Wisdom from above where we should be able to see his intent which IS to show that ALL things of and for the self in the world, ALL thoughts and attitudes, and ALL revelations and realizations that one may believe are from God but which benefit the self, ARE NOT from God. He then gives us these transition verses where we see the attributes of what IS Wisdom from above and here we should remember that these ideas ARE to be seen spiritually as ALL that comes from God IS spiritual. It IS at the end of this ALL that we have our current words saying “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace“. We see this as leading into the next discussion on “fightings among you” as the idea of Peace IS the antithesis of this sense of fighting which may include wars by should not be limited to that idea as it IS by some, nor should the idea of “war in your members” play a prominent role here; perhaps the better view IS the expression of the man in the world based in what he may believe IS this Wisdom.
We have spent our time in the last two essays speaking about righteousness and noting that the eventual expression of righteousness by the aspirant and the disciple in the world IS the objective of ALL and that this righteousness IS His righteousness as we read in the Master’s instruction that a man should “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). In the end, righteousness IS keeping His words and this saying by James should be seen as telling us that the fruit of keeping His words IS the precursor of Peace. We set forth our own view of James’ ideas saying that: It is in one’s focus that a man comes to keep His words; it IS in His words that the holy reality of the God Within becomes the purity of the expression of the man in the world; and this expression IS the activity of righteousness in the world….His righteousness. In these ideas we should see the reality of and the equality of righteousness with keeping His words and we should understand as James teaches earlier that this IS ALL of His words and not those that one may choose to keep; James tells us: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). In this we should be able to see the reality of righteousness as the Way to the Kingdom and better understand the reality of the Master’s teaching.
James’ words here are in relation to the “fruit of righteousness” which should lead us to the reality of Peace and this idea should be seen as an extension of Love and our expression of that Love as mercy and GoodWill. In the world this Peace IS a state of mind and of being while from a spiritual perspective it IS the result of Love and we should see that this works out in many ways. As an outward expression it IS GoodWill, as in inner sense it IS personal tranquility and in a spiritual sense it IS harmony with ALL things….harmony with God. John Gill reminds us of an Old Testament saying from the Prophet Isaiah saying: “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17). The context here IS not the same as we are seeing from James but the reality of this saying IS the same Truth and here we should see the ideas of work and its effect in the same Light. So then the fruit and the work are the same which IS the message that we take from James’ words on faith and works and our understanding that these, works and fruit, ARE the expression of the man in the world. These ARE the expression of ALL men and here we should see the reality again of focus; the man whose focus IS upon the things of God will express works of Love and his fruit will be what the Master calls “good fruit“, while the man whose focus IS in the self and the world will express that “evil fruit” or fruit of and for the self in the world. This IS of course the black and white view and we should note that moment to moment the expression of a man CAN change depending upon his momentary focus. It IS in this regard that James tells us “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8) which should be seen from the spiritual perspective; that this idea of unstable IS the reality of worldly.
This “fruit of righteousness” can also be understood in much the same way as the Apostle Paul’s “fruit of the spirit” and this idea comes in the spiritual Truth that the righteousness that IS to be expressed by men IS His righteousness and therefore from God, from above and from the Soul or Spirit. Paul tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23) and in these words we should see not only the word Peace but that Peace, as Love in action, IS in ALL of these words. Further, Paul tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Ephesians 5:9) and in ALL these ideas we should try to see the equation of fruit and works; that the works of the Spirit ARE ALL these aspects of Love. Taking these lists then and viewing them in James terms, it IS these fruits and works that ARE sown in Peace by the righteous and while there IS a redundancy in words and ideas, these ARE ALL synergistic; these ALL work together in the Plan of God.
From the perspective of reaping and sowing these ideas are both the seed and the fruit; these fruits ARE sown in Peace and the fruit IS itself Peace and we should see James words as a picture of the man who IS righteous, that the fruits of his Life, his expression and his works, are sown in the world as Peace and here we should try to understand the deeper meaning of the ending words; “them that make peace” IS simply the righteous man at work in the world. This idea is much deeper that the man who can be seen as one who works to promote Peace in the world; he IS included no doubt, but we should also see the greater reality of the man whose very expression IS Peace. It IS the expression of Love and GoodWill that flows from above, from the Soul, that IS the man as the disciple and the man accounted worthy of the Kingdom of God; in this regard we should remember the Beatitude “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
We have here in James’ words a picture of the righteous man, the man whose expression IS Love and GoodWill, the man whose sense of righteousness IS His righteousness. It IS he that IS among “them that make peace” and it IS he that sows “fruit of righteousness“, the “the fruit of the Spirit“; and it IS his brother, his neighbor and the stranger who reaps this fruit that IS sown by the Life of the disciple of the Lord. It IS this picture that we take to the next chapter and the apostle’s words “wars and fightings among you“; that these ARE NOT from the man whose focus IS on the things of God. This last saying then can be seen as a stand alone idea regarding the righteousness of the disciple and his expression of Love and GoodWill as the fruit of this righteousness; this IS the Way of the disciple who sows in that spiritual Peace, “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) and reaps the sense of Peace in the world as the fruit of his labors. This IS the inner Peace that IS expressed in the Life of the disciple as an integral component of the Love and the Power of the Soul; this Peace IS his radiance and his aura. And this saying can be seen as a link between the previous thoughts and the next; likely it IS intended as both.
As has become customary as we complete a chapter in our studies, we also change our Quote of the Day and discuss some of the ideas within the present one. This we do today as we bring up the idea of the Great Commission which IS a much misunderstood part of the Christian experience today. The Master says:
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Much of the doctrinal church has taken these ideas to heart as part of the doctrines that they follow but they have lost the True emphasis and the Master’s intent. His idea was never to spread the idea of Churchianity which IS essentially what this has become and in some ways there is even a competition among the multiplicity of denominations that offer some type of missionary work in the world. The Master never said that ALL men should leave their native religions and follow the interpretations of the doctrines regarding Christianity the Master simply said that the disciple should teach men “to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” and to immerse them in the idea of God, the Universal God of ALL men, the Father of ALL men.
It IS this immersion into the ways of God that IS the essence of baptism and NOT that ritual that men copied somewhat from the sparse teachings of the Gospels; the True baptism is represented by Repentance and not the ritual and the ceremony upon which few denominations can even agree. What men read in the gospels and assume that they understand IS NOT the pouring on of water or the dunking of men into the river, it IS as Luke tells us: John the Baptist “came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Luke 3:3). The idea of and the use of water in John’s baptism IS ONLY the symbol of the cleansing of the man from the ways of the world and the creation of the ‘new man’ who has changed his ways, the focus of his Life, and the nature of his thoughts and attitudes. And then, as today, the idea of Repentance IS a fleeting one as many who Repent fall back into the old ways and forget.
Nonetheless it IS the Repentance that IS the reality of this baptism and, if only for the moment, the man who participates IS free. and this IS the reality of “the remission of sins“. Mark says this same thing in a slightly different tone that we read as “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins” (Mark 1:4-5). In these words we can take this idea of “confessing their sins” and see in them the reality of Repentance, changing from the ways of the world. In the ways of doctrine these ideas of confession and of sin are misplaced as it IS NOT by expressing what one has done that one progresses, it IS by changing one’s ways and this change IS Repentance. The lexicon offers us a part of their definition the Greek word exomologeo which can put this idea into the proper frame of reference; we read: to profess that one will do something, to promise, agree, engage 2. In this we can see the idea of Repentance rather clearly and then that one would change from sin or, as we KNOW this, change from the ways of the world. This IS the reality of baptism which we can see in Matthew’s Gospel as well where we read the Baptist’s words as: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Matthew 3:11).
In Matthew’s words and in those similar words that we find in John’s Gospel we have the beginning of the new dispensation and one that presumably would NOT need the medium of the symbol of water; here in Jesus new baptism one is immersed directly into the word of God by His words of Love but this has never been properly seen in the church that carries His name. The reality of both courses IS Repentance and as John preached “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins“. The Master simply “began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17) or as Mark tells us, Jesus says: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). There IS NO mention here of water as the new baptism is found in immersion in His words, the Power of the Holy Ghost in the world of men.
So then this IS the reality of the Great Commission; that the disciple of the Lord immerse others in His word, in the word of Truth and not in the water of symbolism. And He tells us what IS this word of Truth into which we should immerse men; that it IS “all things whatsoever I have commanded you“. This is the greater reality of the Master’s instructions which are given to His apostles and to disciples by their word as we read in John’s Gospel where the Master, in His own prayer, says: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word” (John 17:20). We should understand here that their word IS that same idea of “all things whatsoever I have commanded you” and that in this idea of “believe on” it the essence of keeping His words or, as Vincent tells us: To believe in, or on, is more than mere acceptance of a statement. It is so to accept a statement or a person as to rest upon them, to trust them practically; to draw upon and avail one’s self of all that is offered to him in them. Hence to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is not merely to believe the facts of His historic life or of His saving energy as facts, but to accept Him as Saviour, Teacher, Sympathizer, Judge; to rest the soul upon Him for present and future salvation, and to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4.
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.
As we approach the Wesak Festival at the Full Moon of May, it seems appropriate that we post the Great Invocation as our Quote of the Day. Wesak IS the Festival of the Buddha and it IS said that on this day the Buddha returns to us and stands with the Christ to help to focus the attention of men of GoodWill on the Truth of the Plan of God, the Plan that can come to fruition in the expression of the Light and Love and Power in the world of men.
From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men–
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
This prayer is a part of our Prayers and Meditations section and there is much information about it there and in our discussion of it in the Quote of the Day section of In the Words of Jesus parts 128-132
The above Invocation or Prayer does not belong to any person or group but to all Humanity. The beauty and the strength of this Invocation lies in its simplicity, and in its expression of certain central truths which all men, innately and normally, accept—the truth of the existence of a basic Intelligence to Whom we vaguely give the name of God; the truth that behind all outer seeming, the motivating power of the universe is Love; the truth that a great Individuality came to earth, called by Christians, the Christ, and embodied that love so that we could understand; the truth that both love and intelligence are effects of what is called the Will of God; and finally the self-evident truth that only through humanity itself can the Divine Plan work out.
Like the Lord’s Prayer, this invocation is a World Prayer which is as all that a prayer is intended to be. It is a prayer for the uplifting of the Human Family out of the mire of materialism and selfishness. The Lord’s Prayer asks nothing for the individual praying it but asks that its benefits be for US and for WE which is why it was given by the Christ as a prayer and as a model over 2000 years ago. This invocation is also attributed to the Christ who, as He promised, has never left us; He, through channels that we do not readily understand, has Himself instructed His disciples to distribute this prayer and to encourage its use as a world prayer and as an aid in preparing the world for His return.
The first three stanzas of this prayer should be understood as reflecting the effective potencies of the Trinity which is God and which, when brought down to an individual level, the Trinity which is Man. His Will, His Love and His Light we should seen as the Potent Powers of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 2 New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
