Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

ON GOD; Part CXLIII

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry , Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:14-23).

The perspective that we have taken here on riches is a perspective on money and on the things of this world and on the power and the influence that they provide to every man based upon his own personal evaluation of what he has and his own estimation of his place in the scheme of things. In this we have tried to show that in the Master’s words the idea of riches is not related to the very rich only nor to the substantially rich or the slightly rich as these are but measures that are secondary to the measure that a man places upon himself. The man in the ghetto with the shiny new car and the glittering jewelry can feel as rich in his own place in Life as does the man of excessive wealth in his world and these worlds seldom touch. When the Master speaks of the things of the world in the Sermon on the Mount, he does not speak of treasures as we would understand them in the context of plenty but in the context of things that take up one’s conscious Life; in this context He tells us that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” which shows us the impossibility of trying. In this context He also tells us of the futility of accumulating “for yourselves treasures upon earth” which we further emphasized by way of that saying, presumably by King Solomon, that “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand” (Ecclesiastes 5:15) and this is a truth that none who are born can really deny. The Master does not speak of riches or of plenty when He teaches us on the idea of “take no thought” which is taken to mean that one should not to worry but which at the same time has much deeper meaning as well. Here the Master is speaking about most anything that takes a man’s focus away from the things that are of greater importance, which are the things of the Kingdom. We looked at Vincent’s comments which he does not ascribe to these words “take no thought” in this context but which we say that, away from the doctrinal influence and the overall selfish nature of man, there is likely a Truer meaning and a Truer intent of the Christ. Vincent shows us the way that these words mean to care for a thing or a person and we premise that the same is true here; that the intent is for the Master to say that we should not care for or about these things of the world, that “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” (Matthew 6:19, 24, 31-33).

In these sayings and interpretations from Matthew’s Gospel we have the proper understanding of man’s relationship to the things of the world and this has been a bitter pill to swallow for many Christians over the centuries. This refusal to see the intent of the Master in these teachings which are reiterated in other contexts and confirmed for us by His apostles, has led to the doctrinal approach to money, riches and the things of the world and this is rather directly in opposition to Jesus teachings in our view. While we know and understand the Truth in the saying by Solomon, we still spend most ALL of our efforts in Life accumulating according to our means and this has never been so True as it is today as there is so much to have and there is so much that is marketed to us. It is become that our status in the world as compared to our own peers is more important than our status with God though our own Souls and this is a sad predicament for the human family and a situation that MUST be overcome if we are to realize our True place on the True scheme of things. This again is the current heights of the vanity that the Apostle Paul speaks of above and this is the deceptive result of the illusion and the glamour of the world. In our discussion of the words and phrases in the saying that has been at the head of our essays, we had a thing to say about vanity and illusion and glamour and we repeat it here as this is become a crossroad for us ALL: This is the nature of Life in form and this ‘vanity‘ is what we as Souls must overcome. Among the first steps in accomplishing this is this realization of who and what we are and this is a thing that current doctrine sorely fails to aid a man in doing.

It is a very difficult thing for the man in form who is not yet sensitive to the call of his own Soul to understand these things and it is a very difficult thing for the man in form who is sensitive to the call to step back and to do as the Master says and this stepping back is a part of the Master’s telling us that we should “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24). We should note that is is commonly assumed that the Master is referring here to the first group that we mention above here, those who are not yet sensitive, but if we look at this saying again we should be able to understand that these are not yet seeking to enter; it is the latter group, those that are sensitive and who do not step back and keep His words, that the Master is referring to. Can we see here that He is telling us that but few of those who believe that they have accomplished all will enter and it is those few who actually do keep His words. Here again is glamour and here is illusion; and these ideas that we are discussing, these ideas on riches and money and the things of the world, are but a part of the overall attitude of man that keep him in that group of those that “shall not be able“. These are the words of the Master and the amplification of the apostles when rightly discerned agree; unfortunately these are not reflected in the doctrines of the church and its leaders who are likely inclined to be among those who see the things of the world as a man’s rightful share of the ‘gifts’ of God and man’s entitlement. This may seem a harsh thing to say but look around and it is likely hard to find and count any that do not succumb to this attraction and this attachment to the world.

In the last post we also brought to light again the reality of being a disciple of the Master and the arduous task that this is from the perspective of the man in form. While many in the church may believe that they are His disciples and while others attach to their names titles such as apostle, we should note for ourselves the foolishness of such beliefs. In our humble attitude we are ALL yet aspirants except for that very few who have come to the level of the twelve and perhaps the seventy and who gave not only their enterprise to the work of the Lord but who gave their ALL to the degree that the things of the world had no attraction to them and they had no attachment to the things of the world. This is the High Calling of a True Son of God on the Earth. The Master’s words to us take into account the difficulties and His message to us is to ever strive and our understanding of this MUST start with our own recognition of where we are, what we are and who we are with no platitudes but only the frank honesty that shatters the illusion and the glamour in which we live. In the companion saying to the one from Luke’s Gospel above, the Master tells us that: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Here we should get the similar message and understand that it is the illusion and glamour that we are suffering under that deludes the man into believing that he has accomplished what is necessary to be among the few; there is a reality here and it is clearly depicted in the Master’s words for ALL who can free themselves enough to rightly discern the Truth. In this is the greater Truth that we find in the Master’s saying that we should “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

We continue now with the two sayings that we have been leaving at the end of the posts for the last 2 days; the first, from the writings of the Prophet Micah, is in regard to the rulers, the priests, the judges and the prophets of that time and which is an indictment of them for their ways and their attitudes and our purposes in bringing it here is to show that the things that many of the church do still today are an “abomination to the Lord” for lack of a better term. The second saying is from Paul’s writings and it contains a great Truth that is pushed aside by doctrines and by the hearts of men:

• “The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say,  Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us” (Micah 3:11). There is a clarity here that is better seen when we understand that the prophet is writing to the rulers of the Land and all that seek to please them; he addresses his words: “ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity” (Micah 3:9). We say no more here except that ALL should look at their own ways and the ways of those who lead us and this in relation to the words of the Master.
• “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after , they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10). This is an apparently straightforward saying that is in reality a misinterpretation for all insofar as it is really not about money and it is not about Love. This reality goes to ALL that we have said on this subject heretofore regarding the dilution of the precepts of the Master and His apostles in order that the way of man are protected from the air of wrongdoing. John Gill in his Exposition of the Bible⁸ says this in regard to this verse: Of all the evils before mentioned, and of others; not money itself, as silver and gold, which are God’s creatures, and his gifts, and may be used to, and answer many good purposes; but the love of it, and not any love of it; for there may be a lawful love of it, and desire after it, so far as it is requisite to the necessaries of life, to answer the calls of Providence, the duties we owe to God and men, to serve the interest of Christ, and do good to fellow creatures and fellow Christians: but it is an immoderate insatiable desire after it, and an inordinate love of it, which is here meant, such as is properly idolatry: as when a man loves it, not only besides, but above God; serves it as if it was God, and places his trust and confidence in it, independent of God, and his providence; such love of it is the source and spring of all iniquity, as above; it was the sin of Judas, and the root of all his iniquity. The phrase is Jewish. So idolatry is said to be (twnwe lk rqye) , “the root of all iniquities”⁸. We should see here the errors in the ideas of the doctrines of the church; first that this idea of money is God’s gift when it is but a resource of the world and a part of His creation as are ALL of the best and the worst that the world has to offer. Second we should see that the division between lawful love and other desires is misplaced as there should be no Love whatsoever; Gill tries to place this Love of money into the realm of an immoderate insatiable desire after it, and an inordinate love of it, which is here meant, such as is properly idolatry but this is not what the apostle says. The thought here that is translated as “the love of money” is not so easily put into this term as the idea of money is not specifically in the thought. The Greek word philarguria is translated as such and it carries the meanings, according to the lexicon, of love of money, avarice² and the related word (origin) philarguros carries the same lexicon meanings but is translated by Strong’s as covetous³. For us, it is in the ideas of covetous and avarice that we find the reality of Paul’s idea. Strong’s defines the former Greek word as love of money, avarice, greed and the latter as money loving, avaricious, greedy³. Now while avarice is generally ascribed to money, we should see it also in regard to ALL things of the world; Webster’s defines avarice as an inordinate desire of gaining and possessing wealth; covetousness; greediness or insatiable desire of gain¹ and this is a thing that afflicts many with the ideas of inordinate and insatiable being a matter of degree and not only seen in its most ardent forms. This is the mistake of doctrine and of the teachings of the church, that there is degree to ALL things and that a little love of money, a little avarice, is avarice nonetheless. Gill tells us that the conviction in this saying by Paul is in Loving money above God but this is not necessarily True; it can be better seen as focusing one’s efforts on the things of the world and not on the things of God in any way that would qualify as avarice at any level. Can we see how some of the more ‘normal’ ways of man can easily fit into this idea of avarice by degree? Can we better see the words of the Master here when He tells us that “No servant 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” (Luke 16:13).

We did not address here the point of the apostle regarding this avarice being “the root of all evil” and we will do so in the next post and perhaps end our look at this most powerful force in the world and one of the most difficult things to overcome.

Note on the Quote of the Day

This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.

Values to Live By

A Love of Truth—essential
for a just, inclusive and progressive society;

A Sense of Justice—recognition
of the rights and needs, of all.

Spirit of Cooperation—based
on active goodwill and the principle of right human
relationships;

A Sense of Personal Responsibility—for
group, community and national affairs;

Serving the Common Good— through
the sacrifice of selfishness. Only what is good for all
is good for each one.

The world of the future depends on what each one of us chooses to do today.

We leave this Quote of the Day again for today with the hope that we can discuss these important points in the next post. We should remember here the premise that we presented near the beginning of our posting of this Quote of the Day: It is interesting to note that the ideas of the Quote of the Day embody much of the Master’s teachings and can set the stage for the beginning of each man’s revelation and realization of the Light of the Soul; that is, that by the intentional practice of these ‘rules’ of conduct one can put himself in the position of a follower of the Master and an keeper of His word and this regardless if he has ever heard of the Christ or wants to be affiliated with any ideas Christian. By keeping these sound principals of Life in mind and practicing them a man can lift himself up above and beyond the world of men and into the world of the Good, the Beautiful and the True as it exists for those in whom the Christ Within, the God Within, is awakened. Ponder on this.

In accord with the ideas that we close with above we bring again to your attention the ideas by which a man should Live. This Quote of the Day is the realty of how we should focus our lives and in so doing, all the other things alluded to above will take care of themselves and this is a great part of the selfless attitude of the disciple and his ability to forsake ALL.

• ¹ Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913
• ² New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
• ³ Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 2001
• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
• ⁸ Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com