ON LOVE; PART MDXLIX
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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 the ways that the church has failed over the last 2000 years to teach the Truth of Jesus words and how that this failure leaves many, many millions of Christians in a position where they believe their doctrines, the “commandments of men” if you will, over the Truths that the Master brought us. We touched upon the idea that while most priests and preachers ARE well meaning, they still fall into the broad category of “false prophets” as the Master defines them. Jesus cautions us to “Beware of false prophets” as He gives us His analysis of the situation in His day but we should be aware that the situation has NOT changed much in the last 2000 years, priests and preachers ARE still today “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” and this because they have NOT seen the relevance of the Master’s words as the standard of the Christian religions. Jesus, repeating the words of the Prophet Isaiah spoken hundreds of years before, tells us “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, 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). We often cite these words from the gospels and DO so because they DO point out for us the problem with the churches and why they Truly lead far too few to the Lord. As DID the Jews’, the Christian clergy teaches their doctrines over the words of the Lord while manipulating the words of Jesus and His apostles to agree with their doctrinal approach. Our view of this has been that the church, from its early days, could NOT fathom the total forsaking of the self in favor of service to ALL as a teaching to the masses and while some in the early church may have begun by forsaking the self, this soon faded into the doctrines that ARE taught; doctrines which DO NOT require such ‘sacrifice‘. The church has wandered ever since. We must remember of course that the idea of forsaking IS ONLY for those that DO Truly seek the Lord and True discipleship according to the Way of the apostles and some of the other Truly devoted disciples 2000 years ago.
It IS ONLY the man who can accept the challenge of forsaking his worldly Life that need be concerned about such forsaking and ‘sacrifice‘; it IS ONLY the man who can accept the challenge of forsaking his worldly Life who needs to, “through the Spirit“….”mortify the deeds of the body“. Paul tells us that it IS in DOING so that “ye shall live” (Romans 8:13). You should note that we are enclosing the word sacrifice in parentheses and this because it should NOT be understood as it commonly IS but rather in accord with Paul’s continuing words to the Romans saying “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service“. Here the idea if ‘sacrifice‘ IS painted as it should be biblically understood; it IS shown to us as “your reasonable service“. Can we see the point here? And can we see that in performing this service that we ARE indeed forsaking our claim to a carnal and mundane Life in this world. And the intended result IS that we shall NO longer be “conformed to this world” but will instead be “transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). This IS the Path of the disciple, this IS the Path for those that Truly seek the Lord and True discipleship according to the Way of the apostles; those that have tired of wandering if we can phrase it this way and can accept the challenge of forsaking his worldly Life. It IS in this spiritual scenario that we find the Truth of the Master’s words saying “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). While the church has created a doctrinal idea that it IS in believing, and faith, and acceptance of the Lord as savior that one finds himself on the narrow way “which leadeth unto life” bur such an idea runs afoul of the reality of the Master’s words.
Our point here IS that while discipleship IS NOT in the Life’ Plan of everyone, it should be in the Life’ Plan of some and this we can see from the words of the Master and His apostles. Jesus tell us that there IS specific criteria for becoming a True disciple and these words ARE what separates a man from his spiritual pursuits. These criteria we have discussed several times in recent posts and we should try to see how that His words on discipleship ARE important for one to be Truly Transformed and able to “prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God“. We should remember here that the Greek word dokimazo that IS rendered as prove IS rendered by others in terms of discernment which idea IS easier to understand. In discernment we have the idea of KNOWING which IS the apostle’s point here; while the idea IS rather muddied by Strong’s and Thayer’s ideas that dokimazo refers to our testing, that we would be able to test “that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God“, but this seems illogical in the context of Paul’s words. Dokimazo IS a derivative of the Greek word dokimos which IS defined in terms of being acceptable and here we find more than the idea of testing; to come to KNOW “that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” IS of course to accept it. It IS this KNOWING that IS the result of our Transformation and it IS this KNOWING that IS the KEY to understanding some measure of “that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God“. The aspiring disciple must be ready to Repent and be Transformed and this IS ONLY done through one’s adherence, if we can use that idea here, to the Master’s stated criteria which IS:
- “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.
- whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26-27, 33)
To be sure there ARE other references to discipleship in the Master’s words but these ARE offered in the most clear and unmistakable fashion. The clarity of His words however has NOT deterred the church from looking past them as they consider themselves as disciples and this afflicts most ALL of the church from the simple man striving to do what IS right to the highest ecclesiastical offices. Within this broad range there ARE some which DO have a claim to make for being a disciple but few there ARE that have accomplished even a measure of His criteria. The ascetic Lifestyle of a monk may allow a man to forsake ALL, and bear his cross and to see friends and relatives in a far off manner but most ALL are attached to their own religious doctrine and fail to fully “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works” as many effectively put their Light “under a bushel” (Matthew 5:15, 16). On the other side of this ARE those of high ecclesiastical office. Most ALL of these live luxurious lives when compared to the average person and when we use this term, ecclesiastical office, we DO NOT refer ONLY to those in the Catholic and Orthodox churches but rather in every scenario where the leaders of a church, denomination or a sect live in such a way as to ignore much of what the Master offers as criteria. Our point here IS simply that being a part of a denomination or a sect or a cult DOES NOT make one a disciple regardless of the station to which one IS assigned, self-assigned for the most part. The Master’s criteria IS clear and there IS really NO way around fulfilling one’s obligations in order to Truly be among His disciples. Again, we must remember the idea of measure when we consider such ideas as discipleship for this too has a range. From the fledgling aspirant to discipleship to those that have achieved a greater measure, ALL ARE involved in some way in the work of the Lord. ALL who ARE True disciples and aspirants DO “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works“; and these “good works” ARE NOT as men would believe but rather involve ONLY our expression of agape Love to ALL with NO “respect to persons” (James 2:9).
In our espression of agape Love to ALL with NO “respect to persons” ALL other things ARE considered. In our expression of agape Love we will perforce DO what IS right, righteous if you will, as we will see ALL men as we see ourselves thereby eliminating our heretofore self-serving attitudes. There ARE several KEYS to our True expression of agape and, again, the first IS in our understanding of just what agape Love IS. While the idea IS broadly defined as the ‘God kind of Love’, who can Truly define this idea without noting that we DO NOT KNOW the True expression of agape by the Lord. Of course we must KNOW that this ‘God kind of Love’ has naught to DO with the common understanding of Love in this world. There IS in fact NO real relationship between agape Love and that Love that IS based in our mental and emotional attachment and attraction to others and to the things of this world. In the Gospels there IS little said about our relationships to others but there IS much said about agape and it IS unfortunate that men have seen these two ideas, agape Love and the common ideas of Love, as the same. The ‘God kind of Love’ IS shown us in the simplicity of the Master’s words saying such things as “he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” and “he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35) but these ARE NOT seen as such. In both gospels, Luke and Matthew, these words ARE attached to the singularly important idea that we “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” which idea IS Truly the cornerstone of ALL Judeo-Christian religions as well as ALL world religions where perhaps the idea IS NOT phrased as directly. In the most direct statements on agape, Matthew offers us the Master’s words saying “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, 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; 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” (Matthew 5:45-45). While Matthew leaves us the Master’s words in this simple and direct way, Luke’s words can be a bit more explanatory as he is placing together ideas that Matthew shows us in separate phrases beginning with “Ye have heard“. Luke tells us that the Master’s words ARE:
“I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:27-36).
The Lifestyle of the disciple IS clearly portrayed in Luke’s words above and while there ARE other aspects to be considered, the apostle’s list encompasses ALL that needs to be understood about our expression of agape with NO “respect to persons” versus a self-serving attitude that runs contrary to the Master’s words. The message IS clear but has become muddled over the last 2000 years because of men’s lack of understanding of just what agape Love IS. The message IS a motivation to selflessness as we first shed our personal feelings regarding our enemies and we should be careful to understand the gist of the Greek word echthros which IS rendered as enemies. Our enemies must NOT be so from our perspective; the idea here should be applied to those the DO consider us the enemy, “to them which hate you“, “them that curse you“, and “them which despitefully use you“. Can we see the point here? We should note that we ARE told to specifically “love ye your enemies” and here it should be clear that NO man IS to be our enemy from our perspective. Second we must see the selflessness in the idea of ‘turning the other cheek‘ and this idea need NOT be attached ONLY to physical attacks but rather to ALL controversy regarding others. Matthew frames the Master’s words on this as “resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also“. While this seems ONLY applicable to physical violence, it should be understood to cover ALL interpersonal negative events where one would normally try to uphold one’s point of view and ofttimes IS DOES NOT matter if one IS right or wrong. Luke includes here the Master’s command that we should also give up what IS demanded by others and while most would see this as cowardice, the reality IS that it IS meekness properly defined as having the ability to resist but choosing NOT to. We should remember here that meekness earns blessing; Jesus tells us “Blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:5) and He tells us of His own meekness saying “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29).
While Luke’s framing of the idea of giving up what IS demanded portrays some kind of violent action, Matthew includes more civil demands. Here Luke tells us that the Master’s words ARE “him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also” while adding “of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again” which implies ideas of theft. These ARE valid points that ARE in regard to enemies in a sense as both include the idea of something being taken away. Matthew’s version expands upon this saying “if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain” (Matthew 5:40-41). Here we have most any sort of taking, even that sanctioned by the law; we should also take note of the idea of compelling and understand that the idea IS NOT restricted to travelling. Perhaps the strongest point of the Master’s words in both gospels IS in the idea of giving; Luke takes this from two perspectives. First we ARE told to “Give to every man that asketh of thee” and while this IS a hard saying to put into practice, it IS a major component of our selflessness. Luke goes on to include this idea regarding lending which IS equated to giving through the idea that “if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again“. Luke expands upon this saying also that men should “lend, hoping for nothing again” which IS the same a giving but IS perhaps more tolerable for the human psyche. Matthew frames this idea differently saying that we should “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” thereby equating lending and giving. Surely these ARE hard sayings to accomplish as men in this world and it IS for this reason that we should understand these as the accomplishments of the aspirant to discipleship and the True disciple. The final points from Luke’s version of the Master’s words, as well as Matthew’s more straight forward version from Jesus’ Sermon, concern our expression of agape Love in a more direct way.
While Matthew shows us a seemingly complete picture of the Sermon on the Mount; seemingly because we DO NOT really KNOW the True sequence of events in the gospels, a sequence that varies among the four, Luke has most ALL of the same precepts placed in different parts of his gospel. His words on agape however ARE offered to us in his sixth chapter in a similar way to Matthew’s version. Luke tells us that the Master’s words ARE “love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6: 35-36). These words from Luke’s gospel repeat some of what the Master says earlier in the text; here he shows us the Master’s saying on “love ye your enemies” which idea IS repeated from an earlier verse that IS more in line with the words that Matthew provides. For us, this should show the importance of this idea and should likely be understood much as we cite above as we discuss Matthew’s version; we have NO enemies from our own perspective but others may deem themselves as our enemy. It IS to such men: “to them which hate you“, “them that curse you“, and “them which despitefully use you” that we ARE to show agape, it IS to such that we should express agape towards. This sentiment of course comports with Luke’s following words saying “unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other” for it IS such men as “them which hate you“, “them that curse you“, and “them which despitefully use you” that would “smiteth thee” and here again we should understand this idea as much more that physical confrontations ONLY. Luke then repeats the Master’s words on lending and while we DO NOT KNOW if the Master Himself repeated this idea, we DO KNOW that Luke sees the idea of lending as important for us to understand. Luke then shows us that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11) as he tells us that the Master says that in DOING such things “ ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil“. In this we should be able to see that ALL men ARE treated equally by the Godhead, an idea that IS alien to the church yet today. This IS the Love of God spread forth to His human creation; it IS founded in equality and it IS NOT affected by prayer and supplication as so many believe that it IS.
Luke ends this segment with a variation on Matthew’s words saying “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Luke tells us to “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful“; as we have previously discussed, there IS much affinity between these two versions of our expression of agape. The Apostle John captures the idea of perfect for us as it relates to agape; John tells us “we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love agape dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love agape 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 agape; but perfect love agape casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love agape” (1 John 4:16-18). There IS much here that we have used in different contexts because John’s words on agape DO set the stage for our understanding of a most important fact which IS that “God is love agape“. First, we should understand that agape IS the more relevant term than the rendering of agape as Love and this because agape IS NOT Love as that idea IS generally understood. This IS True even through the definitions of agape found in New Testament commentaries and lexicons which ALL reference the common idea of Love and in mostly carnal terms. Agape IS quite different and when the idea IS analyzed across its different uses, including its rendering as charity which idea IS closer to the reality of agape according to the way the word was understood in centuries past. This IS pointed out in the preamble to our blog above. Whensoever we say that “God is love agape” we ARE making a statement about the very nature of the Godhead, a nature that the Master shows us in such sayings as “he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” and “he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil“. In these words a major precept of the nature of the Godhead IS revealed and although it IS NOT understood as such by most, it IS the Master’s parabolic way of telling us that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11). These words show us the reality of the very idea of God which IS contrary to the view of most ALL of the church where prayer and supplication ARE used for individual gain and, of course, most often for carnal gain. Can we understand this? Can we understand that the nature of the Godhead DOES NOT answer prayers for carnal benefit, that whatsoever one may gain in accordance with one’s prayer IS happenstance or IS caused by one’s own Life circumstances?
What we should try to see that that the most basic element of agape from the Lord’s perspective IS that it offers equanimity to ALL of His creation. It IS the opposite of this however that has formed the beliefs of many and perhaps this whole idea that there ARE ‘favorites’ stems from the Old Testament ideas regarding the Jews. In the Book of Deuteronomy we read of the Jews that “thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). There ARE several things that we should keep in mind here; first these words ARE written by men and while there IS a part of Christianity that believes that the Old and the New ARE the infalable word of God, these fail to understand that it IS men who interpret and write. Second, these words ARE a part of the founding times of the Jews’ religion and to Jehovah the Jews ARE certainly special; we should also try to see also that the idea of a “holy people” may NOT carry the same weight as DOES the Greek word hagios which IS rendered as holy. The lexicon lists among the meanings of the Hebrew word qāḏôš the definition of set apart2a and surely, according to the Pentateuch, the Jews ARE certainly set apart from the rest of the world. We will NOT get into the relationship between Jehovah and the Godhead here as this IS a very complex subject of which we have limited understanding but we can say that is IS Jehovah that perhaps became a ‘god of war’ issuing such orders to the Jews as “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass” (1 Samuel 15:3). This command was given to King Saul through the Prophet Samuel. We should also consider the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah at the command of the Lord. Such ideas ARE NOT a part of the reality of a Just God, a God of Love, and while many will defend the killing of innocents, they DO so ONLY because it IS into such ideas that they ARE indoctrinated. We should also remember that these were severely barbarous and superstitious times which the very nature of the Ten Commandments was intended to correct.
That the Jews consider themselves as a “holy people” and as a “special people” IS a part of the reason that there has been so much anti-semitism in the world. Even more perplexing however IS that the Christians tie themselves to the Jews in the sense of being a ‘chosen people’ which we can understood as: the belief that the Jewish people were chosen by God to be in a covenant with him 7. While it IS NOT a universal belief that the Christians and the Jews ARE joined together as a ‘chosen people’, the Christians have erected their own separation from others through their belief that it IS ONLY through believing in Jesus as the Christ that one can be saved. This IS based on the out of context idea gleaned from Jesus’ words saying “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). As the Jews claim has contributed to the sense of anti-semitism in the world yet today, the Christian claim has led to a similar sense of opposition. Neither of these ideas ARE True however. The Truth IS that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34) and that this precept IS part and parcel of the reality of agape when viewed from the perspective of the Lord. While we have gone somewhat astray here we see it as important to separate biblical ideas about the Godhead from the doctrinal assertions of both the Jews and the Christians while pointing out some of the clearly anti agape ‘events’ that have led to these assertions. In the reality that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11) there IS NO room for ideas of a ‘chosen people’ or a singular religious path to the Lord. In the reality that “there is no respect of persons” (Colossians 3:25) ALL Souls travel their Lifetimes in Earth equally and while this may NOT be evident in our carnal world of existence this IS because of the vanity into which every Soul IS cast at birth. It IS in this vanity that the link between the Soul and the personality IS missing and it IS this link that must be established so that man can Truly understand the apostle’s words saying “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17) and through this see himself in the Master’s words saying “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
This brings us back to John’s words that we see as helping us to understand the ideas of mercy and perfection that ARE shown us in the similar verses from Luke and Matthew. Both ARE writing about the same subject which IS agape Love and while they may have different ways of expressing the Master’s words and intent, in the end we should be able to see their symmetry. Luke tells us that Jesus says to “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” as he closes out his summation of the Master’s words on agape while Matthew tells us they ARE to “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” as he too closes out his presentation of the Master’s words on agape. Their individual texts up to this point ARE much alike; while they use different words ideas to present agape, there IS Truly little difference in the gist of their words. Here we should see an example of the way that it IS men who interpret the spiritual impulses and ideas that they receive, their realizations if you will, as personalities in this world. This IS a factor that IS NOT understood by the church in their drive to see the bible as the infallible word of God without adding into the picture that it IS men’s personalities that DO the writing. From our perspective it IS the personality that IS the filter through which the inspired ‘word of God’ makes its way to men’s individual expression and this IS likely seldom the product of dreams and visions. Many preachers today in the church freely proclaim that ‘God told me’ this or that and when the result IS clearly carnal and mundane, such ideas which come from one’s own personality, one’s own psyche. We should be aware, as should they, and perhaps many of these preachers ARE aware that what they ARE saying came from God DID NOT. For others their proclamations may Truly be related to the deception that befalls ALL that ARE NOT “doers of the word” (James 1:22) while believing that being a doer IS accomplished through their doctrines. Many base their ideas of infallibility on the church’s interpretation of Paul’s words to Timothy saying that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). For us these words ARE meaningless in regard to the doctrinal idea of the infallibility of scripture as it IS men that have determined the translations and the interpretations of the bible and have defined for us what IS and IS NOT scripture. Perhaps this was a lot clearer in Paul’s time but today, with the many, many different translations of the original text, it IS NOT.
We should note that Paul uses the idea of perfect in his words here and while the church has applied the idea of maturity to the Greek word artios which IS here rendered as perfect the idea IS much less maturity than the reality of perfection. Paul IS showing us that it IS through our individual understanding of scripture, True scripture to be sure, that we “may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works“. Paul’s use of artios IS a different word than used by Jesus and John but DOES offer us a glimpse into the way that the idea should be used; also, this IS the ONLY place in the New Testament that this particular word IS used. Paul’s point DOES NOT point to the infallible nature of scripture but merely that scripture, and we emphasize True scripture, “is given by inspiration of God“. We must remember however that this inspiration, originating in one’s own Soul, IS expressed by a personality and in a cultural setting which allows it to be colored by that personality. Here we should go one step deeper and try to see that the gospels ARE as inspired as any of the words of the other apostles yet the words attributed to the Master ARE largely ignored in favor of the inspired words of Paul. Our main point here however IS NOT infallibility but perfection and mercy and Paul here tell us that “the man of God may be perfect” by his own use of, profitable use, of scripture “for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness“; there IS NO allowance here for what the Master refers to as the “commandments of men” (Mark 7:7). We did NOT get to complete our discussion of the Apostle John’s words that tie together mercy and perfection and we will begin with that in the next essay. We close again with our trifecta:
- “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).
These words ARE by the way True scripture penned by men reflecting upon the Truths of the Master.
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
- 2a Old Testament Hebrew lexicon on biblestudytools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 7 Google generative AI on chosen people
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.or
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
