ON LOVE; PART MCDLXXXV
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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 begin today where we left off in the last essay, with the Master’s words from His Sermon on the Mount. While we DO spend much time on His words from this Sermon, we DO so in our view that these most concise words ARE the pinnacle of the Master’s precepts and instructions. We should understand that Jesus IS addressing His disciples and that much of His words here ARE reinterpretations of the Old Testament laws of Moses that were taken out of context by the Jews. The Master’s reinterpretations ARE NOT changes in the law; He tells us early in His Sermon according to Matthew “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17) but unfortunately the idea of His fulfillment has been misplaced in the church. Jesus form of fulfillment IS NOT that He indeed DOES “destroy the law” as fulfillment as many Christian denominations claim. Rather it IS in His ability to live according to the law taken in its proper context that He fulfills. It IS context that IS the Jews’ problem from Moses days forward and this despite the messages of the prophets that sought to correct the Jews’ ideas of Truth as they adopted with earnest the ancillary ideas from Moses while forgetting the important parts, the weightier parts if you will. Jesus DOES call out the Jews’ hypocrisy saying such things as “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23). These words, found in a lengthy list of similar woes against the Jew’s treatment of the law, echo His earlier words saying to these same leaders “go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice” and “if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless” (Matthew 9:13, 12:7). Despite the Master’s words to the Jews 2000 years ago however, the Christian world has adopted a similar way as they too take the Truth out of context and apply Jesus’ words and those of His apostles in a carnal fashion that IS dressed up with ideas of worship and ritual. With this said, we return to our theme with His most misunderstood words saying “Take no thought for your life“; repeating the full text of Jesus’ words, we read:
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof“
Matthew 6:25-34
The foremost instruction here IS that we should “Take no thought for your life” and while this IS interpreted by the church in terms of worry and being anxious, this IS NOT the intent of Jesus’ words. While worry and anxiety may be a part of taking “no thought“, these ARE NOT the primary emphasis that the Master intends. His words ARE quite clear as He cites the idea of thought, the idea of what IS the focus of our minds. We should remember how we get here in Jesus words; we begin with the choice between “treasures upon earth” and “treasures in heaven” as the focus of our lives. The Master then takes us to the idea being singleminded versus being doubleminded, the idea of seeing clearly the spiritual Path or sharing that vision with our carnal lives as we live as men in this world. While these words remain unclear in the church, there IS a most basic reality to them and we can gain some greater understanding from Vincent who tells us: The cognate noun is merimna, care, which was formerly derived from meriv, a part; merixw, to divide; and was explained accordingly as a dividing care, distracting the heart from the true object of life4. Can we see how that the idea of dividing care works in conjunction with Jesus’ previous words regarding the doubleminded way of the man serving mammon, the man with the evil eye who at times focuses his attention on the Lord? Such men ARE distracting the heart from the true object of life as ARE those that have NO focus on the things of God. Can we see the way that the idea of thought enters into this for the man who Truly seeks the Lord? To take thought for one’s carnal Life, as illustrated in eating, drinking and clothing oneself, IS distracting the heart from the true object of life and this IS the point to be taken from the Greek word merimnao. In using ideas of anxiousness and worry, we should try to see how that for most ALL men eating, drinking and clothing oneself ARE NOT paramount reasons for being anxious or having such worries. They ARE however valid ways for the doctrines of men to avoid the need to think about their dividing care. Vincent goes on to tell us that the above meanings have: been abandoned, however, and the word is placed in a group which carries the common notion of earnest thoughtfulness. It may include the ideas of worry and anxiety, and may emphasize these, but not necessarily4. In the end Vincent DOES NOT agree with our assessment of the ideas presented by the Master as he converts Jesus’ words into a doctrinal theme saying: It is uneasiness and worry about the future which our Lord condemns here4 as he agrees with the Revised Version’s rendering of “be not anxious“. We should note here that there IS naught in either segment of the Master’s words above that has a futuristic component; ALL is focused upon the here and now as the actions of men who desire to focus upon the things of God versus those that ARE focused upon their carnal lives or are doublemindedly focused on both as we discuss above.
We should understand that these words that begin with “Take no thought for your life” CAN NOT be understood in a carnal way; the idea IS purely spiritual. As a spiritual idea it IS foreign to the carnally oriented man and we should remember that this idea of carnally oriented combines both those that ARE fully devoted to their carnal wellbeing and those that DO take out some time to focus upon their doctrinal views. The reality here IS NOT unlike what the Master tells us regarding parables where His words hide the Truth from ALL but those that have the wherewithal to recognize the hidden Truths. We should remember here that it IS the man focused on the things of God that has such wherewithal and, by measure, those that ARE Truly striving toward that goal. To the carnally focused man the ideas of worry and anxiety ARE preferred over the idea that one should NOT think about his Life in this world and it IS this man that may see Jesus’ words too literally. While the meaning IS “Take no thought” we should try to understand that the idea IS that one should NOT focus upon his carnal Life nor give it undue attention and here both of these, focus and undue attention, ARE subjective values that must be interpreted individually. Nonetheless the Master IS telling us, as disciples and those striving toward discipleship, that we should NOT be focused on the self nor the things of the self. His words should be understood to include worry and anxiety but that they ARE NOT limited to these ideas and we should note here again that even in the understanding of the Master’s words in terms of anxiety and worry, most ALL fail to heed His admonition. Worry and anxiety ARE part and parcel of our lives in this world. In a way we could perhaps consider these words as a parable, as a statement of worldly living that has hidden the spiritual Truth of singlemindedness. Regarding parables we DO KNOW Jesus’ words saying to His disciples that “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given” and here the them ARE the average man focused upon his Life in this world. The Master goes on however to further define His way of teaching and speaking as He tells His disciples: “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear” (Matthew 13:11, 13-16). Herein IS the difference between the man focused upon the things of God and the deaf and blind wanderers that ONLY think that they ARE so focused. Matthew then in his own words tells us what these words from the Master mean; the apostle tells us “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 13:34-35). It IS based in this idea from Matthew that we can presume the Master’s words saying “Take no thought for your life” ARE indeed parabolic as He seeks to reveal the Truth to those that can accept His words. Mark offers us a similar view of the Master’s way of teaching saying “without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples” (Mark 4:34). Our point here IS that much of the Master’s words, including those above that tell us to “Take no thought for your life“, ARE parabolic in nature and while many claim to understand His intent, few actually DO.
Returning to the Master’s words with a better understanding of the ideas presented through the Greek word merimnao we should try to see how that anxiety and worry may form a part of the idea but, as Vincent tells us, merimnao may emphasize these, but not necessarily. For us the KEY idea to be seen through Jesus’ words IS Life and in this word we have the full gamut of ALL things that may enter into one’s mind regarding his carnal existence. Jesus DOES go into some detail regarding the ideas of eating, drinking and clothing oneself but He offers us little in regard to His primary thought saying “Take no thought for your life“. The Master tells us that it IS the gentiles that think on such things and we should be careful here to NOT understand this word ONLY in terms of non-Jews or with any reference to Christianity. The Greek word ethnos means simply people, and here it would refer to people whose minds ARE crowded with thoughts for the self in this world. We should note also that the ideas of eating, drinking and clothing can be seen as important in those days to those whose choice of treasure IS “treasures upon earth“. We should also note that from a parabolic perspective these ideas help to cloud the intended Truth regarding the fullness of one’s Life in this world and, to be sure, this obnubilation has worked as most see ONLY the ancillary ideas of eating, drinking and clothing. We should remember also that Jesus IS speaking to His disciples and while there ARE others that can hear His words, these others fall into the category of the multitude which IS the primary defining idea for ethnos2. To understand that the status of one’s mortal Life IS NOT of paramount importance to the disciple we need ONLY go to Jesus’ words on discipleship where we read “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” (Luke 14:26). Jesus closes out this segment saying “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you“. This IS His admonition to ALL who choose to Truly follow the Lord and if we could understand that in DOING so ALL other considerations ARE taken care of. In Truly seeking His Kingdom one has NO need to worry, be anxious or even dwell upon such ideas as eating, drinking and clothing and we should try to see that it IS here that real faith, real KNOWING comes into play. As one seeks the Kingdom he comes to KNOW the Truth as we read in our trifecta and it IS in such KNOWING without doubt that we will have such things as we need. It IS in such KNOWING that we have the necessary confidence to be singleminded but we must understand that it IS what we need that IS the subject and NOT what we desire. It IS this sense of KNOWING that IS revealed for us in our trifecta which we skipped in the last essay but repeat here 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).
When we look at the idea of KNOWING without a doubt we ARE reminded of Jesus’ words regarding the ability of a man to DO so. The Master tells us “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23). While these words ARE used in much of the church as a carnal ploy to obtain what one desires, the reality lies in Jesus’ parabolic use of language. We KNOW that while we may be able to “say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea“, it IS ONLY with extreme confidence that it “shall come to pass“; a confidence that IS built upon that KNOWING of the Truth; a KNOWING in which there IS NO doubt. This IS that KNOWING that we see in the gospel stories as the miracles DONE by the Master of which He tells His disciples “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12). We should be careful here to understand the idea of “believeth on me“; we should see this word pisteuo which IS rendered as believe in the same way that we see the kindred word pistis which IS rendered as faith; we should see both as that KNOWING. Vincent shows us the depth of this idea of believing saying that: 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 Savior, 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 life4. This sense of believing, this KNOWING, IS then the privilege of the man who keeps His words; it IS the single factor that enables us to KNOW. In regard to the mountain then this believing IS our KNOWING without doubt that Jesus speaks of saying that “he shall have whatsoever he saith“. To be sure the idea of moving the mountain IS but an extreme example, a parabolic one if you will, of the “greater works” that ARE promised to the disciple, an example that should be used in the context of ALL things spiritual. We should understand here that such spiritual context extends into our ability to change things in this Earth and it IS though this concept that we should understand the Master’s ideas saying that “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you“. These things ARE His reference to the daily needs of the man in this world and it IS likely that little or NO thought need be used to influence such. Again we go to the gospel stories of the apostles, especially those from the Book of Acts. Peter, Paul and others have the ability to DO such “greater works” and we read of many. At the same time we see NO reference to the apostles seeking after food or clothing and here we just presume that such things ARE made available to them without their thinking on them. They have what they need rather ‘automatically’ and the source of their having IS never the issue; thus it would be then for everyman who “shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass. according to this formula “he shall have whatsoever he saith“. Can we see the point here?
Matthew offers us two examples of the extremes of this KNOWING; the apostle tells us that the Master says “If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done” (Matthew 21:21). Matthew changes Mark’s word pisteuo, believe, to pistis, faith, and here we should understand that these ideas ARE nearly synonymous. The common idea between these sayings IS that of having NO doubt that what we say “shall be done” and we should ever understand the reality that such “greater works” ARE ever tied to our ability to keep His words, our ability to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life4. In the other example Matthew tells us Jesus word saying “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20). Here we have the idea of the “mustard seed” which many have aligned with Jesus’ other words on that seed saying of the “mustard seed” that it IS “indeed….the least of all seeds” (Matthew 13:32). There IS however NO basis for our understanding that these two references to the “mustard seed” ARE intended to show us that our faith can be small, that if we have the slightest bit of faith we can move the mountain. This CAN NOT be the Master’s reference; He IS NOT telling us that the slightest bit of faith can enable us to move the mountain and this IS especially True when seeing the idea of faith as that nebulous faith of Christian doctrines. True faith and True believing ARE the reality of KNOWING and here again this KNOWING IS of the Truth that IS promised to those who will keep His words. The relevance of the idea of the “mustard seed” IS a unique one; it IS NOT a matter of size as in great or little faith and this IS shown us by the logic of the Master’s words. Again the idea of “faith as a grain of mustard seed” should NOT be confused with size but rather with the nature of the “mustard seed” and likely ALL such seeds. We have previously showed this idea of the “mustard seed” in terms of KNOWING and while this IS a unique approach, it IS nonetheless a valid one when we analyze Jesus’ words. He tells us that this “faith as a grain of mustard seed” enables us to DO “greater works” which idea we should ever align with keeping His words through Vincent’s most astute view of the Greek words pisteuo eis which IS believing in or believing on the Master. If then having faith so small CAN NOT logically allow for these “greater works“, what IS the relevance of “faith as a grain of mustard seed” but a reference to the nature of the “mustard seed” itself.
While it IS difficult to relate the nature of a “mustard seed” to one’s faith, it becomes easier when we see this idea in terms of KNOWING. While it IS still a difficult analogy to make, there IS a basis in the logical extension of what it IS that a “mustard seed” ‘KNOWS’. Let’s begin with the fact that the “mustard seed” IS a form of Life in this world and that it carries the potential to become “the greatest among herbs“. Jesus tells us that the “mustard seed” will “becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof” (Matthew 13:32). We must remember here that this too IS a parable and one that IS about the nature of “the kingdom of heaven” although this last idea IS NOT the point of our analysis. Our analysis IS ONLY concerned about the nature of the “mustard seed” itself and NOT Jesus relating it to the Kingdom; that IS an analysis for another time. Today the point IS simply that the “mustard seed” ONLY KNOWS that it CAN become “becometh a tree” and while we use this idea of KNOWING loosely, the reality of the idea IS rather factual. One dictionary tells us that the word KNOW means: to be or feel certain of the truth or accuracy of (a fact, etc)** and we should be able to see here how that the “mustard seed” IS certain to become a tree. Our point here IS that the “mustard seed” CAN ONLY become a tree if it survives; this IS the “mustard seed” certainty. Here then we can expand upon this idea to see how that the man with such faith as “a grain of mustard seed” will have that same certainty which idea we then relate to the Master’s words saying “If ye have faith, and doubt not“. We should understand here that certainty and doubt are extreme opposites and that in our certainty we DO Truly KNOW. Extending this to Jesus’ words we should try to see that to have such faith, such KNOWING IS to be on the positive side of His words saying “If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done” (Matthew 21:21). This IS the Power of KNOWING and the KEY to the promise of “greater works” but, to be sure, the bar of KNOWING IS set extremely high.
Try to contemplate the idea of KNOWING anything without ANY doubt. There ARE some things, facts to be sure, that we can KNOW in this way however in the absence of fact we ARE left with two main choices. The first IS to use our nebulous faith which in the end IS more of a hope and a prayer than a certainty. Doctrinally we ARE told to use this faith to access this certainty but DOES this really work for the average Christian who IS praying for this or that; DOES he KNOW without ANY doubt that what he IS praying for with come to pass? The answer here IS a resounding NO and to combat this negativity caveats have been built into the doctrinal idea of praying with faith. There ARE myriad reasons noted by commentators for one’s NOT having one’s prayers answered; among these ARE such ideas as ARE shown to us by the Master and His apostles. Men have added additional ideas to the mix such as one’s NOT having sufficient faith for what he prays for; an example I have heard revolves around the idea that one CAN NOT pray for a million dollars when one only has hundred dollar faith. So we ask the same question again. Can we KNOW without doubt that “those things which he saith shall come to pass“? This IS the high bar; this IS what keeps men from “greater works” and from True spiritual accomplishment. Unless we Truly KNOW in our hearts that we have such Power as to get what we ask for, we will NOT have such Power and to think otherwise IS but self-deception. James ties this idea of deception to keeping His words and we should understand that it keeping His words IS the KEY to unlocking this Power. Here we should remember that such KNOWING IS the reality if keeping His words; the latter produces the former as we KNOW from our trifecta. Jesus tells us that “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) yet far too many claim to KNOW the Truth without DOING so. Against such claims James tells us clearly to “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22) but despite the apostle’s clarity few if any see their self-deception.
Returning again to our main topic, the Master’s words saying that we should “Take no thought for your life“, we should try to see that the ideas above from Jesus and James add for us a degree of understanding as to why men DO NOT see the Master’s words as they ARE intended. Even in the doctrinal conversion of “Take no thought for your life” into such ideas as “be not anxious for your life“, there IS little True understanding. In some translations the conversion of the Master’s words IS even more severe as we read in the God’s Word Translation’s framing of this as “stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear“. Here the idea of one’s Life IS totally abandoned and replaced with the strictly carnal ideas of eating, drinking and clothing. We should remember here Vincent’s words that tell us of the Greek word that The cognate noun is merimna, care; and that the idea was explained accordingly as a dividing care. This should be interpreted into the idea that we should NOT be taking care for such carnal things that together sum up one’s carnal Life; that in DOING so men ARE distracting the heart from the true object of life4. This leaves us with assaying individually and corporately just what IS the true object of life. It IS our answer to this question that becomes our motivation in Life; if we believe that the true object of life IS spiritual, that we ARE destined to become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). In this we should see the Apostle Paul’s kindred words saying that our destiny IS to “be delivered made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). If however we believe that our carnal existence in this world IS of paramount importance, with or without any religious leanings which seemingly justify this attitude, we ARE then creating a new destiny for ourselves as men in this world of vanity. Here we should remember Vincent’s other words that tell us that this vanity IS our perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4.
It IS in this vein that we should try to understand the Master’s words saying “Take no thought for your life“. While He offers us examples that may have been of more importance to the Jews in those days, the reality IS that we should be seeing these as just that, as examples of our desires in this world. Much of these desires for individual men ARE based in one’s social status and the social structure where one may live. In poorer less free countries food, drink and clothing ARE of more importance than they may be in richer and freer countries but we should ALL understand that it IS the whole of our desires that the Master IS addressing in His words. The Apostle Luke offers us a similar take on the Master’s words using the same theme and examples but varying some of the example’s points. Luke DOES however add an idea to the Master’s words in this parabolic saying that IS NOT found in Matthew’s although Matthew DOES address the idea elsewhere as we have discussed. Luke adds the words “neither be ye of doubtful mind” which further reinforces the idea of KNOWING. Also, we should note that Luke tells us that these words on “Take no thought for your life” ARE addressed specifically to His disciples. We close today with Luke’s version of the Master’s words:
“And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink*, neither[b] be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom“.
Luke 12:22-32
Finally we should note that Luke offers us a closing statement that has been taken out of its context and used by the church in the absence of the idea of “Take no thought for your life“.
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 |
- 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
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
- ** BRITISH DICTIONARY from COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY-COMPLETE & UNABRIDGED 2012 DIGITAL EDITION
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
