ON LOVE; PART MDXXXVII
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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 a combination of ideas from the Apostles James and Paul regarding works and how that the church philosophies regarding works DO NOT address the reality of the situation with which mankind IS faced. Of course this ONLY matters to those that see the brevity of human Life and how that their individual incursion into this world can soon end with NO spiritual collateral. This latter idea IS best saved for another post but we should try to see that we ARE here for ONLY a short time in each Lifetime and that this IS the subject of the Master’s parables and sayings regarding our readiness for our own end. Even when looked at from a eschatological perspective according to the Master’s words saying “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (Luke 12:40) should cause the spiritually minded man to take pause and consider his own Life. This however DOES NOT happen against the constant threats of the end times nor against the end of the Life of an individual and this IS especially True in the church where so many believe that they already have their ‘salvation‘ and have it without works. We use the idea of works here in the broadest possible way; for us works ARE ALL that men DO, works ARE ALL that a man thinks as well as the attitudes through which he lives his Life in this world. While this may seem a broad statement, it IS at the same time a Truer picture of the ways that such ideas as karma work out in this world. Paul addresses this saying “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7) and yet the deception goes on seemingly Ad infinitum. This IS the Power of vanity in the lives of men and whether this idea of vanity IS seen in terms of the ‘fall of man’ or if it IS looked as logically DOES NOT matter. Either way it IS the responsibility of everyman, every Soul incarnate in this world, to overcome that vanity and stand with the Master saying “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
This idea of overcoming the world IS the overcoming of our vanity and the overcoming of our carnal focus upon our little lives. And it IS this overcoming of our carnal focus and our vanity that IS the prima facie result from our keeping His words which, again, can be summarized into the reality of expressing agape as our Universal attitude toward ALL. It IS this expression of agape that should be understood as the primary work of the individual Life; and this work CAN NOT be set off from the doctrinal agendas that claim that the ‘religious’ man in this world need DO NOTHING to ‘earn’ his ‘salvation‘ save to follow along with a particular doctrinal approach to the Lord. We should be able to see this through Paul’s words to the Corinthians which we have been studying; words that tell us that whosoever one may be, the apostle included, will fail in this Lifetime without one’s understanding of agape as the Power and then utilizing it for the betterment of mankind as a whole. And we should not be distracted by the idea that in our expression of agape there may be worldwide effects as whensoever agape Love IS offered, others will respond. Since we DID NOT complete our study of Paul’s words as we sidestepped into James words on works, we repeat Paul’s words to the Corinthians for clarity as we proceed. Paul tell us:
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity agape, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity agape, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity agape, it profiteth me nothing. Charity agape suffereth long, and is kind; charity agape envieth not; charity agape vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. charity agape never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away” (1 Corinthians 13:1-8).
We last ended our discussion with some ideas on the phrase agape “thinketh no evil“; we offered the idea that the deeper reality of this saying IS that agape DOES NOT focus upon the carnal and the mundane but IS eternally focused upon the deep spiritual world of the Soul. We should try to understand that this IS so because our individual source of agape IS the Soul, the Christ Within, which as an Aspect of the Trinity of Life carries the very same reality as the Lord. Again, the Apostle John tells us two things in this regard. First that “God IS love agape” (1 John 4:8, 16) and second that “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). If God IS agape and if we ARE ‘as he is….in this world” then the logical conclusion IS that we too ARE agape as Souls and that it IS this Power that we must bring to bear on our carnal lives if we ARE to realize these Truths as men. We must ever remember that this and ALL things spiritual come into our lives by measure, that there IS NO ‘lightening strike’ that will imbue us with an automatic awareness. As we often cite it IS the Master who shows us the idea of measure albeit in words that ARE NOT understood by most to apply to bringing forth the Power of the Soul into the Life of a man in this world. Jesus tells us “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2) and here we should see that the “measure ye mete” IS reference to the work that we DO as Souls expressing agape and thereby keeping His words. Here again we should look at what James tells us about works.
Before we look at James’ words again however we should look to the Master who sets the stage so to speak for the words of the apostles whose intent IS to clarify and amplify Jesus’ message. Jesus tells us about fruit and while the context IS different the idea behind His words can be seen to apply to most ALL of Life’s endeavors. The Master tells us in the context of seeking out the True prophet against the peril of the “false prophets” that “Ye shall know them by their fruits“. Then, after painting an analogy for us using trees and their fruits, the Master tells us “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:15, 16, 20). These words apply to ALL things and NOT just the example of “false prophets” and we should remember here that the idea of the prophet IS much more far ranging than the ideas understood in the church. The prophet IS everyman who IS in touch with his own Soul, his individual Christ Within, and who can bring forth the promptings of the Soul to fruition in this Earth. It IS NOT this idea of prophets that we need to understand however it IS the idea of fruits which, from the “false prophets“, would be largely self-centered words, actions and attitudes that apply ONLY to carnal matters while the True prophet’s fruits would be expressions of agape in their lives. Jesus addresses this idea of fruit several times in the gospels and an individual example of His intent can be found in His explanation of the Parable of the Sower for His disciples. There we read that “on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). The Apostle Mark shows us a similar idea in Jesus’ words saying “these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred” (Mark 4:20). We should understand here that despite the original parable and then the explanation of that parable, found in each of the synoptic gospels, the thrust of the idea presented IS rather ignored by most ALL of the church which DOES NOT see itself as individuals as any of the cited ground save for believing that they ARE the “good ground“.
In this idea of fruits, “good fruits” if you will, we should see James words on works and this then along side of Paul’s words on “the fruit of the Spirt” versus “the works of the flesh“. Let us begin however with Paul’s words from his Epistle to the Ephesians where in that same section from which the doctrinal church takes their ideas on faith and grace as the keys to ‘salvation‘ the apostle tells us: “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). We could question what the idea of “good works” represents here but the answer should be obviously agape as it IS in agape that “we should walk“; here, the idea that “we should walk” in agape Love comports with the overall teachings of the Master and His apostles. Paul addresses this idea further on in his epistle saying “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love agape, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Ephesians 5:1-2). The Apostle John also shows us this idea in his Second Epistle which IS one that we seldom use; John tells us “And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love agape one another. And this is love agape, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it“. There should be NO question as to the inferences from these sayings; that the apostles ARE telling us that we should “walk in love agape” and that this walk IS our “good works“.
To be sure this idea of works IS NOT what Paul speaks against in his epistles and while we have tried to explain the apostle’s motivation in condemning works, we have had little success in creating an understandable scenario. Let us try this again then with the ideas above and James and Paul’s words on works and agape Love. Above we have established that it IS our “good works” that we ARE ordained to “walk in” and it IS this same idea, to “walk in“, that IS shown us in regard to keeping His words; this IS expressed as that “we walk after his commandments“. It IS this, that “we walk after his commandments” that John offers us as the defining idea for agape so that we can inject here that the idea IS that we “walk in love agape” as Paul shows us. Can we see the point here? Can we see that it IS our work to “walk in love agape” and that such “good works” ARE ordained by God and form the core idea in Paul’s saying. Most ALL of the church looks past this however as they concentrate on the ‘easier’ way to ‘salvation‘, a way that suits their doctrinal need to rely upon faith and believing, on faith and grace, as men continue to live as men in this world. What we have then IS Paul telling us “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10) and a church that sees ONLY the first two verses as important in their chosen walk with the Lord. For us however the greater KEY IS found in our “good works” and NOT in the nebulous idea of faith which IS offered us by the church. It IS here then that we look to James words which we repeat here saying:
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit[e] is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:14-26)
James, in his style of writing, begins this section of his epistle with a question asking “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?“. From our perspective and through the words of the Master and His apostles including Paul the answer IS clearly NO. Paul shows us this in saying “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” which IS a clear indication of the Power of karma over the lives of men and here we should consider two things; measure and agape which includes ALL of the “good works” that flow through us to the world of men. Paul considers this as he continues to tell us “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:7-10). The message of sowing and reaping here IS clear and perhaps can be best understood using the Master’s words saying “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” (Matthew 6:19-20).
So again we pose James’ question asking “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?“. Again the answer IS NO as ALL that IS involved in sowing and reaping IS works which Paul shows us saying “let us do good unto all men“. While this may be a contrary position to the doctrinal ideas of the church yet today, it IS at the same time into what it IS that we ARE “ordained that we should walk in them” and that IS our expression of “good works“. What James IS showing us IS that whensoever we claim that we have pistis, that we have faith as the idea IS understood, or that we have that measure of KNOWING the Lord as we understand it, that the natural flow of this into one’s Life must result in works. While Paul shows us the reality of KNOWING as he promotes this ideas of pistis and pisteuo, he IS NOT condemning the “good works” but ONLY those stagnant ideas that were the religious ideals of the times. The Jews performed their rituals and their rites and followed along in the carnal aspects of the law, the letter of it if you will, while they ignored the “the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith” (Matthew 23:23). Jesus spends much time and many words ‘condemning’ the religious practice of the Jews and while He partook in some of the rites and rituals that He ‘condemned’, He DID so only by tradition while at the same time speaking against tradition. While the church may see this Truth, they DO NOT and have NOT seen its effect upon Christianity where the establishment of rites and rituals and tradition have overwhelmed the reality of the Master’s words; here the result has been that men, religious men to be sure, eschew the idea of works based in their own doctrinal ideas which ARE NOT far afield from those of the Jews. In the end the reality IS rather simple: Paul teaches us that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” and in this we should see the need for our “good works“, our fruit if you will. James IS teaching us much the same thing and perhaps posing it as a test of our faith or of our KNOWING God. Simply put James shows us that “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” and these words should apply to everyman. While one may say that he can have “faith without thy works” the reality remains that the True believer “will shew thee my faith by my works“; this IS the natural way that this works out in Life and this IS much the same as the idea that Paul presents saying “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself“….to DO the one IS to DO the other.
And perhaps that IS the missing KEY to our individual and corporate spiritual development: that when we DO the one aspect of our work we accomplish the other. In our view this IS easier to see in terms of agape as it IS this that leads to the other aspects as well. Paul tells us clearly that our expression of agape Love to ALL IS the same as keeping His words and the reality here IS that in either direction this works out in the lives of men. If we endeavor to keep His words the expression of agape, which IS the prima facie aspect of DOING so, comes rather automatically. Similarly when we strive to express True agape to ALL we ARE effectively keeping His words as such expression subdues our vanity, subdues our carnal and mundane nature. This IS what Paul IS telling us in his words to the Galatians which in context tell us that “brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:13-14). From here Paul goes on to tell us what ARE the “works of the flesh” that we can subdue through our expression of agape which we should see in much the same way as to “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19, 16). These ARE Paul’s words, these ARE the words of the same apostle to which the church looks for their doctrinal approach to the Lord. These words however ARE NOT given the same weight as those that the church has chosen to lighten their load and to create a situation where they can teach that works ARE NOT necessary, that men CAN NOT ‘save‘ themselves apart from the doctrinal way. This appears True even when our works ARE those that the apostle tells us that we should DO, even when the works ARE our expression of agape. While many who firmly believe in their doctrinal approach believe also that they DO “Walk in the Spirit“, the reality IS that without our expression of agape this IS NOT so and this IS the message also of the Master who tells us:
“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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them*, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Clearly the Master’s message IS that we must keep His words in order to “enter into the kingdom of heaven” but these of course ARE presumed by much of the church to apply ONLY to the Jews in His time. Similar to our view here IS our view on the ideas of faith and works. Above we should be able to see Paul’s words on this subject apart from those ideas extracted out of context by the church to build and support their doctrinal views. It should be clear that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” and that if we “Walk in the Spirit” we will be able to subdue our carnal nature “and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh“. Here, while many claim to “Walk in the Spirit” they fail to control “the lust of the flesh” and we should understand here that this lust IS NOT limited to sexual ideas as it IS often understood. This lust IS rather the totality of our carnal ideas, thoughts, attitudes and actions. It IS in regard to works that James offers us the clarity that has been removed from Paul’s words as James tells us that “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:19-20). The apostle then repeats twice for us the singular Truth that “faith without works is dead” as he ask us “wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?“. These words have been lost to the doctrinal ideas of men who hold up Paul’s out of context words over nearly ALL else while stating that it IS Paul who authored two thirds of the New Testament. This of course should NOT have given Paul’s words any extra meaning or authority over the words of the Master and the other apostles but they have been chosen by the church at large to represent their doctrinal views regarding faith and works. And it IS doctrines that men DO follow, it IS doctrines into which they ARE indoctrinated and it IS doctrines which the ardent Christian has come to believe as fact. ALL this however IS based in the words of men and their presumed authority over the spiritual lives of the masses; the masses ofttimes see NO further that what they ARE told by those that they presume to be in authority.
As a church we ARE left however with ONLY these created doctrines that embrace the ways of men in this world more than the reality of our spiritual wellbeing and, to boot, these doctrines ARE portrayed as that they DO embrace our spiritual wellbeing. While the Master DOES show us the reality of the doctrines of men, his words ARE NOT held as a commentary against the doctrinal ways of men today or even for the last 2000 years. His words ARE held as a commentary on the doctrinal ways of the Jews and while the Christian world may believe that they ARE free from this commentary, they ARE NOT. The Master clearly points out the anti-doctrine Truth that was a factor in Isaiah’s day and He used the prophets words as a prophecy for His own time 2000 years ago; and while the church may want to believe that they ARE free from His words, the reality IS that they yet apply because men still apply their own doctrinal ideas over the Truths that have been delivered. The Master 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). Of course it IS near impossible to convince any in the church that this applies to them and to their doctrinal approach to the Lord but nonetheless the Master’s words ARE timeless and apply to ALL who ARE “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men“. The idea that the words that they use ARE inspired by God DO NOT help their cause but rather further muddies it because they ignore so much that IS pertinent to men’s spiritual wellbeing. So the Christian world IS saddled with its doctrines, its rituals and its rites, ALL of which ARE created by men and taken up by the populace based upon the presumed authority of those that conceived the doctrinal and ritual practices and then those that espouse them to masses as Truth. Our question should be how many Truths ARE there? ARE there as many Truths as the many denominations and sects portray or IS there but One Truth. The answer IS of course that there IS but One Truth and it has been revealed to us in scripture often in the parabolic tones of the Master and the New Testament writers but perhaps just as often in plain language that should be clearly understood. Our best example of the plain Truths can be found in our trifecta which we repeat here; the Master tells us clearly:
- “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).
While the clarity here should be deafening, it has NOT been from the beginning. Men have ever sought to deflect this idea that we must keep His words to obtain the rewards and it IS in this vein that doctrines were created. Doctrines have replaced this idea of keeping His words with their own “commandments of men” and have used a series of out of context sayings from the writings of Paul and others to justify their position which, in the end, will prove to be NO position at ALL. We have ofttimes said that were the Master to return to this Earth as He left, in ALL the glory of the Son of God, that he would rebuff the Christian church in most ALL of its forms in much the same way as He rebuffed the Jews. Instead of railing against scribes and Pharisees he would be railing against bishops and cardinals and popes as well as other church dignitaries among the many denominations and sects that comprise the church today. Here, if we review the long list of woes that the Master voices against the Jews (Matthew 23) we could likely see a taste of His disdain for the Christian churches and, to be sure, He would again rail against the Jews’ doctrinal practices which have changed little over the last 2000 years. And while the KEY to the resolution of the churches problems may lie in their doctrines, in their ability to shed the rites, the rituals and the “the commandments of men” that have held them captive for 2000 years, in favor of adopting the Master tenets on spiritual living, there IS little chance of this ever happening even in the face of Jesus’ ‘impending’ return. And we say impending here because His return has been expected for nearly 2000 years as even His apostles somewhat believed He would return in their Lifetime; still today there ARE some predicting His return with supposed accuracy. We DO NOT KNOW however anything about His return of which He tells us Himself that, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42) as He explains parabolically how that this may come. Mark also tells us the Master’s words saying “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13:33). Each of these entries in the gospels ARE followed by versions of the Parable of the Faithful Servant but His idea of our being ready have been ignored by most of the church that believes, as DID the scribes and the Pharisees, that they ARE ready. ALL of this IS the product of vanity, the corporate vanity of the church in ALL its forms and the individual vanity that keeps men bound to their little lives in this world.
Paul tells us about this idea of vanity saying that “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered made free from from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). Our changes to this text ARE discussed several times in our blogposts and we will NOT address these here. Again we repeat however that whether we see Paul’s words as they ARE intended, as the vanity that afflicts the world of men, or as the ‘fall of man’ based in the Genesis story DOES NOT matter…..the result is ever the same. However, when we look at Vincent’s analysis of the idea of vanity and understand what his words mean, we should be able to lessen our reliance on any ‘fall of man’ theories. Vincent tells us that vanity IS: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4; vanity IS Life in this world.
The Way out of this morass, the way out of our bondage to the carnal and the mundane, IS found in our main topic which IS agape. It IS in our expression of agape that we can overcome our bondage, overcome our vanity, and Truly “Walk in the Spirit“, Truly walk in those “good works” into which we ARE ordained. ALL of this IS from the writings of the Apostle Paul who, again, IS credited by the church as the establisher of their doctrines, but these words have little or NO effect upon the doctrinal approach to the Lord as the church has constructed their doctrines based in out of context ideas.
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
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
