IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 253

Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

ON GOD; Part XL

We ended yesterday with a discusssion of each of the Fruits of the Spirit as they are elucidated by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians. Paul gives us this list of Fruits in opposition to those things that are of the world saying that: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before , as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). Now there are some bad things in this listing and others that are considered rather normal in one’s Life in this world and from which few are Truly free. We all understand adultery but fornication is a difficult concept which is relegated by some to any sexual encounter outside of marriage. The technical translation of for this word is however whoredom which gives this a very different feel and creates a better understanding of the intent of the Lord. The Strong’s definition of the Greek word translated as fornication, porneia is: sexual immorality, fornication, marital unfaithfulness, prostitution, adultery, a generic term for sexual sin of any kind³, and to this the church has given the understanding of any sex without marriage thereby creating sinners out of the masses of people who without any devious or malicious thought are relating with lovers. While it is right to understand that a man or a woman must be free from this as it relates to sin it is also right to understand that this is an inter gender relationship which comes from strong physical and emotional urges. We will not go further into this here but to say that the whole subject of sex and the relationship of the sexes is much more complex than the simple puritanical pronouncements of the church.

Paul’s next words are uncleanness and  lasciviousness which are related to each other and to the true intent of fornication as it should be understood. The Master deals with this in a verse we looked at in yesterday’s post and although He related it there to adultery it can be seen in these two words do go yet farther: “that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). The key here is what is in one’s heart and to what degree do they affect the man and we need not here create a clearer picture except to say that sex is not the only area into which any of these things can go but rather they can apply to any mode of lustful living that is intended to satisfy the wiles of the flesh in ways that are contrary to the words of the Master. These words may apply to the more egregious and gross acts of the flesh but they are also, by degree, appropriate to all of the doings of man that are not in line with the Master’s teachings. If we look at the apostle’s list in categories we will see that this is a category of carnal behaviors and has to do with the more physical cravings of the man as aided by emotion and thought and that the next category is more centered in the emotional framework which feeds one’s wants and desires for things and for pleasure in the world.

Idolatry can be seen as the working out in the heart of a man of his using a relationship to a power or to a god to get his own selfish ends and the same idea can be given to the word witchcraft. The differences can be seen of the direction of one’s focus and there is little other difference in whether one looks above to the supposed powers of a spirit or a god or if one looks below to the supposed powers of the world and the minions of the ‘devil’; in either case the understanding should be be that these are selfish acts intended to bring reward and which can, by degree, cover an enormous array of wishes and desires in the world. In today’s world these terms are much more muddied and very much similar and most all of us can likely imagine in his own Life his use of these, although not called by these names, in what it is that we value most and what we are willing to do to obtain these things. Reliance on the things of the world can be a good way to position these ideas today. Paul next tells us of hatred which is self explanatory and against which the Master tells us that we must: “do good to them that hate you” (Matthew 5:44); hate is of course contrary to all of His teachings on Love. Next is variance which is better understood as strife and contention in most any way and of which the Master tells us that we should “resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39) and , of course, we certainly should not ever be the cause. Our understanding of emulations should encompass jealousy and all that it produces in thought and action including the next two terms of wrath and strife although in the idea of strife we should also include those things that one will do to promote himself above others and which is also denounced by the Master as contrary to being accounted worthy telling us: “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11). As we proceed through these ideas it is important to keep in mind that the teachings of the Master are intended to make a disciple of the man who follows and keeps them and His admonition to us ALL is that we strive.

Sedition and heresies are next in the apostle’s list of vices and these too are related terms and many in the church have been guilty of this over the many years since this was written. Most every new denomination is produced by sedition and in every event there are likely those who believe that the one who is seditious is at the same time committing a heresy. Webster’s tells us of seditionthat it is The raising of commotion in a state, not amounting to insurrection; conduct tending to treason, but without an overt act; excitement of discontent against the government, or of resistance to lawful authority; Dissension; division; schism. [obs]¹. Of heresy, Webster’s tells us that in our context it means: (Theol.) Religious opinion opposed to the authorized doctrinal standards of any particular church, especially when tending to promote schism or separation; lack of orthodox or sound belief; rejection of, or erroneous belief in regard to, some fundamental religious doctrine or truth; heterodoxy¹. Can we see the relationship and can we see this through the ages within the church. This is not to say that all church progress is founded in these “works of the flesh” but it should point us to the words of the Christ and His apostles that tell us that there is a better way, a more excellent way, and that way is Love. We come next to envy which is a word that does not stand alone as it is the cause of so much of the problems in this word. It is related to our word above, strife, but is at the same time a much more common human failing; it is ever so closely related to and the cause and result of covetousness if we can so frame it. In covetousness we have the idea of things physical and behind this envy lies and, at the same time envy can be for any cause, any thought, any feeling and any imagination. The last three words, murders, drunkenness and revellings, have their roots in all those that precede them; murders in hatred and strife, variance and emulations, drunkenness can be found in adultery, fornication, uncleanness, and lasciviousness which lifestyle produces a wantonness in every quarter of one’s Life and in this same context can be found the idea of revelling.

We should understand in Paul’s closing words here that his perspective in saying “as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” are words of caution and that the resolution of this is those things from yesterday’s post…..the Fruits of the Spirit. We should remember as well that Paul is speaking to those who he sees as committed to the Christ and to the new understanding that He ushered in and that Paul’s comments are, for the wayward Galatians, a corrective action. What we should also see here is first, the importance of Love and of the Fruits of the Spirit that flow with Love and second, that once committed that a man should no longer resort to any of these vices. Paul closes this idea in saying that: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:24-26). In the end this should all be clear and in it should be seen again the words of the Master that “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). For all who read the apostle’s words should come the message that so long as one is mired in any of these worldly things, that he “shall not inherit the kingdom of God“.

We come now to our next saying on Love from our list; this again from Paul who is here writing to the Ephesians:

• “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:14-15). In this we can see not only the state of the Ephesians who knew not what to believe in this time as there were likely many doctrines loosely based on the Master’s teaching but we should also see the effect on the world of the various and assorted church doctrines that attempt to lure ‘new children in Christ’ to themselves, a process that still effects man to this day? Who is to say which of the manifold doctrines are those that are of the “sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive which can be perpetrated on the race either as the acts of “ravenous wolves” or by well meaning but misguided teachers who believe that they have received revelation? The Master warns us of this as well saying to those who would follow Him that: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits . Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?……Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:15-16, 20). It is plain that this verse refers to those who purposely work to deceive for their own benefit and this is how we have heretofore presented this but can we not also see in this light any and all who teach their own doctrines over the precepts of the Master who rails against the Pharisees for doing such? Who is to say which and what division or sect or denomination or doctrine falls into the idea of the Master saying “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). The watchword here is Fruits and the Fruits are for us identified by the apostle as we discussed in the last post and to this end the Master tells us that “….every tree is known by his own fruit” (Luke 6:44) and that it is by Fruit that one can be known as His disciple: “Herein is my Father glorified , that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). We must also see in this that there is a reality to the teaching of the Master in these words by Paul and that is that we should not be ‘new children in Christ’ “tossed to and fro” by doctrine and dogma but rather we should come to maturity “speaking the truth in love” leaving off all reliance on the “wind of doctrine” and follow the prompting of the Christ Within which leads us out of the world and into His Kingdom.
• “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”  (John 14:21). Coming back to the sayings of the Apostle John we find ourselves in familiar territory and that is His Love. In the simplicity of this saying is the objective of each of us who aspire to be disciples of the Christ and in this there should be no confusion whatsoever.
• Know His commandments that are concisely put for us into the two Great Commandments which say that: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39).
• Keep His commandments which we can here see much more clearly than the ideas of believe in and believe on which we must interpret into keep His words and follow Him. Here in a word is our instruction clearly put to us. And, the commandment is Love.
• This is the definition of one who Loves the Christ: that we have His words in our hearts and we keep them and this is said for us many times and in many ways and is further explained to us by the apostle who tells us it is impossible to Love the Christ without Loving one’s brother, one’s fellowman. John tells us “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4:20) and again he says that: “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4).
• Finally we have the Christ Within as the fulfillment of the saying that the Master “will manifest myself to him” who “hath my commandments, and keepeth them“. In this we should see the fullness of the Christ Within expressing His qualities through the Self, the former personality consciousness which is now become Soul consciousness.
• “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:10-12). This the Master speaks to His disciples and all are His disciples who keep His commandments. For the Christ, the full expression of the Christ Within to the world, the next point of contact is the Father and in this is the meaning of the Master’s saying. The Soul is the manifestation of the Spirt, the Son is the manifestation of the Father, and when that High point is reached where the Son or the Soul is being expressed as the conscious Self then it is the full potency of the Love that IS God that becomes the focus of the Soul. This is a complex idea and words do not exist for its proper understanding from the perspective of a man in the world. We can perhaps better understand this as the Master speaking to them as men, as aspiring disciples, and telling them of the progression through with they are going and will continue to go; along the Path from being a man in the world who by degree focuses more and more on the Christ Within, the Soul, to the point where he keeps the Master’s commandments in his heart and in his actions experiencing more and more of that Joy that flows through in His Love as it streams in from the Soul. The man is then immersed in this Love and it becomes his own expression thereby opening up for him access, as a disciple of the Christ, to the Love of the Father which IS His Kingdom.

We will continue with our thoughts on the last of our list of verses in the next post and try to summarize all this that we have put forth on Love as it regards our journey on the Path to His Kingdom.

• “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth , let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:6-10)

Note on the Quote of the Day