ON LOVE; PART MDXLIV
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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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In the last essay we spent much of our time discussing discipleship and the Master’s criteria for being able to claim this appellation. We noted at the end that we will likely get NO help from the church as we ourselves attempt to strive toward this high spiritual goal. Here we should remember that the very definitions that ARE bandied about regarding being His disciple ARE diluted and changed from the very specific criteria that the Master shows us in His words. We also noted at the end the role of Repentance in our quest to be His disciple; we should try to see that ALL begins with this decision, prompted by our own individual Spirit and Soul, to shift our focus off of ourselves and our little lives in this world and onto the greater glory, the “glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). It IS in our Repentance that we step onto the Path and begin our struggle to Transform ourselves in such a way as Paul alludes to in saying that “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light“. The relationship of Paul’s words to our theme of discipleship may NOT have been the apostle’s intent as he IS speaking of men in this world who have taken on the role of “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:14, 13). His words however DO allow us to discuss the reality of his words as they regard the aspirant to discipleship who must Transform himself out of the darkness and into the Light. The carnal man can be likened to his own version of satan as the carnal creature that he has become through the timeless nurturing and indoctrination into the ways of the world both individual and corporate. This carnal existence IS satan, a creature that IS self-serving and dedicated to his Life in this world with little True regard for the Life of the inner man, the “angel of light“. The Master addresses this in several ways as He tells us about the evil eye saying “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23).
These words ARE NOT understood by most of the church as they define the idea of evil as being on the far end of the scale of ‘good and evil’ that they have created. As we have discussed, the idea of evil from the Greek word poneros IS much like the idea of sin from the Greek word hamartia. While both should be understood to reflect the carnal focus of men in this world, they have taken on more dire meanings that ofttimes mislead men and lead them away from the Truth. The reality of the Master’s words here IS that when one’s focus IS on the things of the self in this world such a man IS in essence “full of darkness“. Here, as with His accompanying words on treasure, on mammon and on our very Life in this world, the idea IS our focus; that same sense of focus by which we cause our own Repentance which idea IS aptly described for us as: Such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice4. It IS in this like virtuous change in the life and practice that we move our focus off of the things of the self in this world and onto the things of God; this however IS NOT the focus of the church at large. While men ARE encouraged to live Life here in this world according to their understanding that it IS this Life that matters, the greater reality IS shown to us by the Master who clearly tells us that we should rather “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). This IS NOT merely a caution against a worldly focus but it IS our spiritual instruction and IS as much a part of His words as any other saying that is perhaps held more dearly. While we discussed this in some detail in the last essay, these words deserve a closer look; these words deserve to be understood according to the tone in which they were offered: as an instruction for men to Repent and to move their focus off of seeking after “treasures upon earth“. In many ways this admonition IS the whole subject of the whole New Testament.
This leads back us to the Master’s words on the evil eye which we cite above; in these words we ARE given a view of the darkness of living carnally and while many may never see the Light of an eye focused upon the things of God, these words should NOT be misunderstood. The eye here, much like the heart in the above verses, IS symbolic of the Life of men in this world. The eye shows us the focus of our lives whether it be carnal or spiritual or somewhere in between. The heart shows us the inner realization of that focus, the effect on the Life of a man based upon his focus and, to be sure, while doctrinal religion helps to move one’s focus, it DOES so without that specific intention. We could rephrase Jesus’ words here to reflect the idea of focus saying “where your treasure focus is, there will your heart Life be also“. In this we should try to see the idea of Life as our very existance on Earth as men. If our focus IS on things carnal and mundane then our Life will exist in that realm of reality and we will perforce attend to the things of the flesh as Paul likes to frame this. Conversely, if our focus IS on the things of God, on agape and on Truth, then our Life will exist in that realm where we ARE bringing the Kingdom of God into contact with our heretofore carnal existance. In this we will perforce continually gain our measure of Truth and agape as we strive to keep His words through these ideals. In the former scenario where our focus IS upon the carnal and the mundane we DO experience the darkness that the Master shows us in saying “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23). In these parabolic words we should try to see that the single eye IS one that IS focused upon the things of God; it IS in this focus that the Light of the Soul IS able to permeate the carnal mind and emotions as we Transform ourselves into “an angel of light“. Jesus goes on to tell us that “if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness” and here we should try to see the opposite, we should try to see that NO Light of the Soul will permeate the mind and emotions as we focus our thoughts, our attitudes and our actions on the things of the world. In this darkness our focus IS on the things of the self and whether one IS an active participant in some doctrinal church DOES NOT change this. This darkness IS ONLY changed when the man IS striving to keep His words and become Repentant; this IS the man who can express some measure of the Love and Truth that IS tantamount to keeping His words. This darkness IS of course spiritual darkness. The Master shows us the effect of this darkness for one who IS also involved with doctrinal religious ideas and ideals; Jesus tells us “they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14).
There IS however a middle road in between this Light and darkness which IS NOT spoken of in these words; there IS the Life of the man who IS striving to move his focus from the evil to the good. While we may see from Jesus’ words that this man IS yet in darkness, it comes against the question of “how great is that darkness!” that the answer lies in conjunction with the ideas of measure that ARE also a part of the Master’s teaching. While parabolic, the reality can be found in such ideas as “with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). And the Master continues to discuss this idea of focus as He next tells us that “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). In these words IS a Truth and a caution. The Truth IS that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” while the caution IS that we should take these words to heart and further our Transformation whensoever we ARE caught in this doublemindedness of which James tells us that “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). While the context of James’ words IS in regard to Wisdom and men’s quest for Wisdom, the saying DOES stand on its own. In regard to Wisdom, the ability to KNOW the Truth which we always tie to agape, this IS the quest of everyman that Truly seeks the Lord. In context James tells us that “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8). The point here IS of course spiritual Wisdom and NOT that idea of wisdom that IS of a mostly carnal nature. Included in this Wisdom IS our KNOWLEDGE of God and here James IS telling us that we can KNOW God through KNOWING ourselves. Granted the idea IS NOT framed this way but when we “ask in faith” we ARE asking in our KNOWING of our own selves’ abilities, that we can DO whatsoever we choose as disciples and aspirants to discipleship. As the Power of the Soul permeates the mind we come to have that ability to KNOW which IS the reality of the Greek word pistis which IS rendered as faith; pistis IS KNOWING and NOT the nebulous ideas of faith that doctrines teach. James IS telling us that from this starting point of KNOWING ourselves we can reach out further and come to KNOW God if our asking IS based in our KNOWING of ourselves and our role as Souls incarnate. This asking however must be full and free from the wavering which men suffer from as they vacillate between the spiritual and the carnal. We must seek the KNOWLEDGE of God through our ability to KNOW ourselves held steady in the Light of the Soul; otherwise we ARE “like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” between our carnal lives and our spiritual aspirations.
We should try to see in James’ words two things; first that as we ARE “driven with the wind and tossed” we ARE being “a double minded man“. James tells us that in being doubleminded we ARE unstable in both our spiritual pursuits and our carnal direction; serving each in a limited capacity which shows us that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon“. Secondly James’ words echo the Master’s words saying “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). Here what we ask for IS NOT carnal nor mundane; it IS ever spiritual gifts if we can us that word here. We should understand here that ALL of the verbs used, ask, seek and knock, ARE NOT merely requests from the Lord, they ARE the activity of the Repentant man and part of his Transformation. The idea of asking IS from the Greek word aiteo which IS defined as: of uncertain derivation; to ask (in genitive case):—ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require9a. Here the ideas of call for, crave, desire, require should carry the weight of the idea while asking and begging ARE more related to the doctrinal idea of asking, praying if you will to God for special favor. We can of course relate these words to the previous thought of “that which is holy” (Matthew 7:6); this can help us to clarify what it IS that we ask for, seek and knock for. The idea of seeking IS more self-explanatory from a spiritual perspective; the Greek word zeteo IS rendered as seek here. The lexicon tells us that the idea of zeteo IS: to seek in order to find and to crave, demand something from someone2; here we should see similar ideas as those presented by aiteo. Finally there IS the idea of knocking and here again the idea IS rather self-explanatory. The Greek word here IS krouo and the meaning IS simply: to knock at the door9. Again, our focus should be spiritual and the idea has naught to DO with a door per se but rather acts as a metaphor for gaining access to what it IS we seek. Vincent, quoting Trench, puts the three ideas in context for us saying: Ask, seek, knock. “The three repetitions of the command are more than mere repetitions; since to seek is more than to ask, and to knock than to seek“4. James resolves ALL of this into the idea that “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him“.
It IS through our asking, our seeking and our knocking, “in faith” or with our self knowledge that we can gain greater access to the Light and bring ourselves evermore out of the darkness of our carnal existance. Out of our doublemindedness and into the focus of the single eye which IS focused upon the Good, the Beautiful and the True….onto the things of God. What we have in the Master’s words above IS the fact and the caution regarding our focus on the things of God, our “treasures in heaven” as He frames this. The caution IS that we resist our focus upon the carnal and the mundane. Jesus then shows us the results of our focus, that we have Light or darkness depending on which treasure has become the object of our heart. This brings us back to the Master’s words that show us that in our doublemindedness we ARE treading an untenable path trying to navigate between these great poles of human living. He tells us that “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Here again we have the idea of hate from the Greek word miseo and while this can be seen as closer to our understanding of hate, the idea DOES yet fail. We DO NOT hate our carnal lives nor our spiritual lives whensoever we ARE Truly caught up in a Life situation of doublemindedness but at the same time we ARE caught between these two poles. For the True aspirant this IS a burdensome situation as he vacillates between the carnal and the spiritual; he can Truly be found to be “like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed“; here the aspirant must try to understand that this IS the natural force of Transformation at play. The Apostle Paul shows us this struggle to Transform through his own words saying:
“we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:14-25).
While a lengthy statement from Paul and one that IS cumbersome to understand through the translations and rendering of the Greek words, the gist should be clear to ALL that Truly strive and struggle to fix their focus upon the things of God. Paul IS of course reflecting on the law as it existed in those days when the law was more reflective of the doctrines of men than of the doctrines of Truth and agape Love. This should be understood through his words and especially the idea that “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me“. This has been the way of the church from the beginning of the Judeo-Christian era; men have created doctrines to ameliorate the perceived harshness of the True Laws of God. Perhaps if we can look at Paul’s words as a reflection upon his own indoctrination into Judaism we can gain some better insight into his message. We must remember here that these words ARE written after the apostle has shed his prior adherence to the Jews doctrines and the time when he was a Pharisee; which we read of in the Book of Acts where we read “he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6). In this role he KNEW the doctrines of the Jews, their law if you will, and here in his reflection upon his knowledge he tells us “that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good“. From his present perspective, and in his own striving to fully shed the ways of the Jews in favor of the teachings of the Master, Paul IS showing us his personal difficulty in changing, Transforming IS the better idea, from what he had KNOWN, from following the doctrines into which he was indoctrinated, saying “for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I“. The point IS that in his own Repentance and through his Transformation he struggled to cease DOING “what I hate” as he strives to answer the call of his own Soul, his own Christ Within, to see that “what I would” IS the proper Path for a disciple of the Christ.
Our point here that the apostle, by his own admissions, IS struggling to overcome his own vanity which was intimately tied to his position in the Jews religion; to overcome those thoughts, attitudes and actions that made him into a Pharisee. And this IS our struggle too; it may not be overcoming some high position in a religion as it was for Paul but, at the same time, it IS our overcoming of the proclivities of carnal living and, for some, the overcoming of the doctrinal ideas into which one was indoctrinated. For Paul his position with the Jews’ religion was his mammon which included the position and its benefits both psychological and monetary. Of course the apostle DOES overcome which we can see from the spiritual abilities and his access to the mysteries that we read about in the Book of acts and his epistles. We should remember here that Paul, and perhaps ALL of the apostles, ARE our guides to the Truth and agape Love that IS our God. Following in the ideas presented by the Apostle John and the Master, we should try to understand the significance of the idea that “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17) and Jesus’ saying that “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Paul, following in this model of Truth, becomes a prolific Christian writer who has access to the mysteries which IS promised to True disciples of the Lord; in fact, he develops so much spiritual Power that “from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19:12). This IS NOT unlike what we read of the Master that “great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all” (Matthew 12:15). Peter also overcame his carnal tendencies, both religious and secular, going from the one told by Jesus that “before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice” (Mark 14:30) to the one of whom we read that “they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one” (Acts 5:15-16). The point here IS that Peter and Paul and perhaps ALL of the apostles overcame whatsoever carnal afflictions remained in their lives and so can we. We can ALL say with Paul “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” with the realization that we too can overcome our wretchedness.
We should try to see that our wretchedness IS NOT a physical ailment however, it IS a spiritual affliction that makes itself KNOWN to the mind of the man who IS striving and struggling to Transform himself into an “angel of light“. This IS the apostle’s affliction and it may well be that same affliction of which he speaks saying “lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Here we can see that Paul IS struggling with the inflow of Truth from his own Soul, “the abundance of the revelations“, that ARE causing him to decide daily, carry his own cross if you will, to stay the course set by his own Soul or fall back into that which he had KNOWN for many years, that which had made of him an ardent Pharisee. There ARE many alternate theories regarding Paul’s “thorn in the flesh“, that it was an affliction given by the Lord to remind him of the course that he should follow but ALL of these ARE physical maladies and, based in the simple Truth that “there is no respect of persons with God“, most ALL physical ideas should be ignored in favor of a spiritual answer. We should understand that Paul’s words here follow upon those that open this Second Epistle to the Corinthians where he tells us that he IS NOT alone in this quest for discipleship as he references the idea of we. Paul also extends his remark toward ALL that would follow him in search of Truth and agape Love saying:
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:3-10).
We will NOT get too far into the apostle’s words here save to say that his suffering IS in Asia which IS where Paul went after his ‘conversion’ on the road to Damascus. That his Epistle to the Galatians tells us that this time was spent in Arabia IS explained by the lexicon where we read their defining idea regarding this word; the lexicon tells us that Arabia IS: a well known peninsula of Asia lying towards Africa2. Of course it DOES NOT matter where Paul went after his ‘conversion’ save to make better sense of his words which we see in regard to his personal struggles to overcome his carnal deportment, his doctrinal allegiance to be sure, and become a True disciple of the Master. That Paul may be referring to his ‘missionary journey’ to Asia may be a part of his story but regardless, the idea here IS his own personal struggles with discipleship and the tearing away his lifelong indoctrination into Judaism; these ARE Truly his “thorn in the flesh“. Paul’s struggles, which ARE well documented in his epistles and in the Book of Acts, ARE intended to be our guide to our own striving toward discipleship but unfortunately most ARE NOT seen this way. Most of his words have been dissected and taken out of context to form the Christian doctrines of men. Here we should see such doctrines as they ARE shown to us by the Master who tells us that “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:6-7). In addition then to the way that the Life’ journeys of the apostles ARE NOT seen as our guide to our own individual and our corporate glory as “children of God” so too ARE the Master’s words NOT seen as applicable to the Christian experience. Most ALL never see their own doctrinal allegiance and their own doctrinal teachings as a part of the Master’s words as they continue to worship Him while ignoring most ALL of what it IS that He Himself established as the True doctrines of Christianity.
This brings us back to the Master’s words saying that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon“; from Jesus’ perspective this IS impossible yet men have been trying to DO this for centuries. Men have created organized religions across the globe which allow men the privilege of being men, serving mammon, for the majority of their time, while carving our a small space where they believe that they ARE serving God. Can we see the point here? Can we see that despite the Master’s strong saying that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon“, men continue to try to DO so. Surely whatsoever efforts that men channel into their idea of serving the Lord ARE NOT wasted; they DO account for something in this Life. KNOWING God however, Truly KNOWING Him, IS not among the benefits of the doctrinal experience. This John tells us the Way saying “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). Clearly it IS in keeping His words that one can come to KNOW the Lord and we should understand here that keeping His words IS the KEY to ALL spiritual benefits. And the benefits ARE many. Whether we call these benefits as such, as rewards or even as gifts DOES NOT matter; regardless of how we view them they ARE the measurable rewards that come into our lives as we strive to keep His words and, here again, the most efficient way to keep His words IS through our expression of agape Love and Truth. Perhaps the idea of efficiency IS misplaced here but for lack of a better word we can say that from the perspective of the man in this world there ARE but a few ways that we can Truly “Strive to enter in at the strait gate“. We can see the Truth of this statement through the completion of the Master’s words as He tells us to “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24). In these words the difficulty IS clearly shown to us yet the idea behind Jesus’ words have been ignored by most ALL of the church for centuries. Matthew makes the idea somewhat clearer as he tells us the Master’s words as “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Here we get a picture of the narrowness of the Way to the “glorious liberty of the children of God” but we DO NOT have to be scholars to see that this narrow Way IS found in our keeping His words and our expression of agape Love and Truth. The link between keeping His words and our expression of agape Love IS founded in the apostle Paul’s words saying “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14) and other such sayings while the effect IS clearly seen 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).
Here the promises, the rewards, the benefits and the gifts ARE shown to us in the Master’s words and we should be careful to note and to understand that ALL such rewards ARE spiritual….there IS naught that IS carnal coming to us from the Lord. The criteria for accessing the cited rewards IS clearly stated for us in three different ways that should ALL be seen as synonymous. While we have discussed this in previous essays, we should refresh our understanding of Jesus’ criteria. First we ARE told that we should “continue in my word” which idea we IS better understood biblically as that we should “abide in my word“, live in His words if you will. The reward here IS that we can become a True disciple and NOT merely a man who claims to be so based in a diluted understanding of what a disciple IS. To this the Master adds that we “shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free“. The Truth here should be understood in regard to our KNOWING God who IS the essence of Truth. Second we ARE told that we should “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven“. While some may try to cast a difference between the words of the Master and the Will of the Father, there IS NONE; these ideas ARE synonymous as the Master tells us saying “the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me“. The reward here IS entrance into the Kingdom of God and while many may be waiting for their death to enter the Kingdom, this IS NOT what the Master IS saying. Our entrance IS here and now whensoever we comply with the criteria of DOING God’s Will we ARE freed from our individual vanity and can enter the Kingdom of which the Master tells us, again clearly, that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Here again much of the doctrinal church has diluted and changed the meaning of these words but it matters NOT how you see the Kingdom, it IS still ONLY accessible to those that “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven“, those that keep His words. Thirdly, we have the idea of the Presence of the Lord in our lives which IS framed for us in terms of His manifestation. While the Greek word here indicates to manifest, exhibit to view9, the greater reality IS revealed to us by Vincent’s quoting of Westcott where we read: Properly, of manifestation to the sight, as distinguished from dhlow, to make evident to the mind (1 Corinthians 3:13; Colossians 1:8, etc.). A clear, conspicuous manifestation is indicated. Compare ye see me (ver. 19). “It conveys more than the disclosing of an undiscovered presence [αποκαλυπτω] , or the manifesting of a hidden one [φανεροω] ” (Westcott)4. Our interest should be in what Westcott shows us and while this may be confusing when taken against the meanings of the Greek word emphanizo cited by Thayer’s and Vincent, it should enable us to see the greater Truth. The disclosing of an undiscovered presence IS the realization of the Presence of the Soul, the Christ Within, in our lives; this IS the manifestation of something that was heretofore hidden until such time as we keep His words. The promise of the third part then, the reward if you will, IS our realization of the Presence of the Lord in our heretofore carnal lives.
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
