Monthly Archives: August 2012

Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

ON GOD; Part CLXXXVIII

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GoodWill IS Love in Action

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In yesterday’s essay we discussed the ideas of the Apostle Paul’s words in his Epistle to the Romans as they relate to the mysteries of Life and the Kingdom and posted the apostles saying from the very end of this Epistle regarding these as well as the Master’s words on mysteries. We noted how this all relates to our subject over the last several weeks regarding the Reality and the Truth of mans existence in this world. For us Paul’s words can be seen as a revelation of some of these mysteries and this because we are looking past the doctrines and the teachings that are still founded in the writings of the Church Fathers in the early times after the Christ’s resurrection. We noted how these doctrines are enhanced in the world by the vanity of which Paul speaks and which we call the illusion and the glamour of Life in form which are enhanced to such a degree that many think that they are understanding the mysteries of Life in the varied doctrines of the churches but these realizations are limited to those who see with the Eye of Christ; that is those that can see across the broad spectrum of humanity and understand its essential divinity and the Unity and the ONENESS of ALL. Without this sense of vision the mysteries remain mysteries as the KEY to unlocking most ALL of them is in the Love that the Master teaches to us and which is reflected on by the Apostle John in our Quote of the Day below which we have been carrying now for several days.

While our words above may seem a stretch, they are based upon the words of the Master who tells His disciples only that “…it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13:11). In the flow of Love and Wisdom that streams forth into the consciousness of the man that is focused on the Christ Within comes the revelation of ALL things and this is the Providence of the True disciple who has paid the price, in human terms, and this the Master has carefully laid out for us saying:

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 14:26-35).

Here we have not only the requirements of discipleship which we have covered many times before but we have, in parabolic form, the Master’s cautions to us who would Truly follow Him. He tells us plainly of the cost and tells us at the same time that we should consider this cost before we commit ourselves to this cause. While it is hard to KNOW for sure what the Master means in His comments about salt as the commentaries and the interpretations are too much in regard to real salt, we should note the end line and how it relates to our discussion on the the mysteries and on ALL things spiritual; if we Truly look we can see and if we Truly listen we can hear and this is the way of the aspirant who strives to look beyond what his mortal eyes can see and to hear beyond what his ears may reveal.

We come now to the verse that we have left at the end of our essays for the last two days. In these words from Paul we should be able to see some of the additional realities of being a disciple and especially of being an aspirant such as we are. We have this in two translations because the thoughts given by the apostle are difficult to understand as words translated into English; we use these two in particular because they are most void of any doctrinal interpretation as some of the more modern versions are prone to be. Paul says:

• “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting  of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh” (Colossians 2:20-23); King James Version.
• “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things which all perish as they are used), according to human precepts and doctrines? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting rigor of devotion and self-abasement and severity to the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians 2:20-23); Revised Version.

We begin with the understanding that we should address to ourselves saying that if we have died with Christ, which is as Vincent tells us is the right understanding of the aorist tense in which it is used, and, telling us that this is in the same vein as Paul’s pronouncements: died unto sin, unto self, unto the law, unto the world⁴, that it is these things that we die to. We should understand that this is in no way related to an actual physical death but rather it is a death that is as Vincent lists and likely more. In the idea of rudiments we should see all these things as sin, self, the law and the ways and things of the world which the Revised Version calls the “elemental spirits of the universe” and which we can put into our terminology as one’s focus upon the things of the world, whatsoever they may be. This understanding of rudiments from the Revised Version is an attempt to translate a difficult Greek word, stoicheion, which is in other places translated as elements and which Vincent tells us are elementary teachings and practices the particular sphere of which is the world⁴. Thus we can say that these are those things which we learn as men and from men in the long journey of the race through time. The rudiments in Jesus time are not the same as they are today in practice but in essence they are likely much the same; this is the customs of men and can be seen to include ALL that we itemize above.

Paul then is asking the question, saying that if one has died to all these things, the rudiments of the world, then why does the man still follow along after these things of the world which things are those that he has learned as rules and regulations. I the man is free from these rudiments, why does he conduct himself “according to human precepts and doctrines” or, “after the commandments and doctrines of men” as it is stated in the King James Version. The point here is that if a man is dead with Christ to these rudiments, then there is no need to perform any of these things as the man in this state will naturally act according to the commandments of the Lord and without need for the commandments of men. The bottom line here is that under the guidance of the Christ Within, the man will follow the just and right laws of the world as it is the objective of the disciple and the aspirant to live in accordance with the words of the Master and of God. It is likely in the context of church laws and rules that the apostle writes the last part of this as to show that to perform such things as are required by the church may be good to allow a man to be seen in such doing. Paul is relating these things to the words of the Master who tells us about the Pharisees and others who do to be seen and who speak to be heard; and he is telling his readers that they should not do likewise. In saying these words Paul us telling us first that these things are after the the ways of the world, and we should understand that much of the pomp and ritual of the churches are included within these ideas of rudiments of the world albeit this is not recognized as such. And it is not that there is anything inherently wrong with any of this; as we have always said there is no sin or evil as we commonly understand these words involved in any attraction to the things of the world, only in what a man does in regard to these attractions. He is also telling us that in doing and performing any of these things in the world, while it may make a man feel good or feel proud, they are of no value in helping the man overcome the power of the flesh.

In his own way of words the apostle is telling us that in the illusion and glamour and the vanity of Life in form, that we may see these rudiments as the thing to do in the secular and in the religious world. He is also telling us that we should not fall prey to these forces and do as the world does and that no matter what it is that we do in the world and no matter what we think it does for a man’s position in Life, that these things are of no use against our primary goal of looking past them and toward the Kingdom of God.

We end today on this note and will pick up with a new topic in the next post.

Note on the Quote of the Day