Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
ON LOVE; PART CCXC
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
GoodWill IS Love in Action
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
Of all that the Master told us, He considered this as the Greatest of Commandments. So much of what we are to understand as aspirants or as believers is found in the precept that we must KEEP HIS WORDS:
“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 12:30-31).
We ask ourselves 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.
We add to this THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST which can serve to both give us an understanding of what it means to Love oneself and how it is that we can Love our neighbor:
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them“ (Matthew 7:12).
We looked again at the concept of predestination as we understand it and compared it to some of the many views on this subject from the doctrines of some of the denominations that see this as an individual concern as expounded by John Calvin who simply states that All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death. ‡‡ This understanding is a part of the core beliefs of some and was also a part of Martin Luther’s teaching as he says that: All things whatever arise from, and depend on, the divine appointment; whereby it was foreordained who should receive the word of life, and who should disbelieve it; who should be delivered from their sins, and who should be hardened in them; and who should be justified and who should be condemned. These words from Luther come from his commentary on the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, from that same Chapter Eight that we discuss so often and, while Luther puts the apostle’s words into this context, we see this in a totally different way as we relate it to those words that the apostle gives us on the nature of Life in this Earth and our deliverance from it. For us this IS predestination as it effects the totality of Life on this Earth and there IS NO individual context for this except, as we have discussed, the ability of the Soul who has accomplished some degree of discipleship in a prior incarnation to take part in a planned incarnation that has at its heart some goal, some accomplishment by the man. We have posited that this IS the way that this worked out over 2000 years ago as the Master came among us with His apostles and his disciples and those others that were necessary to the fulfillment of His mission against the odds presented by the free-will of man. Of course, this IS how we see this and for us this also makes sense from a carnal perspective and we should add here that the apostle with the greatest responsibility in this from the perspective of the Soul is the Apostle Judas who had a most difficult thing to accomplish.
Of course doctrine does not agree but at the same time there is little agreement in doctrine among the denominations as regards this concept of predestination and here Vincent helps us to understand the nature of the debate as he tells us in a footnote to the words of Meyer:
- Meyer’s words as quoted by Vincent say: “It is God’s being aware in His plan, by means of which, before the subjects are destined by Him to salvation, He knows whom He has to destine thereto” (Meyer).
- Vincent’s footnote regading Meyer’s words tells us: This is a simple, common-sense meaning. The attempt to attach to it the sense of preelection, to make it include the divine decree, has grown out of dogmatic considerations in the interest of rigid predestinarianism. The scope of this work does not admit a discussion of the infinitesimal hair-splitting which has been applied to the passage, and which is as profitless as it is unsatisfactory.
Vincent, while offering better understanding of the translation of the Greek words in this chapter, does not offer any commentary regarding the meaning of our verses that we interpret as an encapsulation of the plight of the incarnating Soul and the ‘promise’ of his deliverance from this Life in form. Repeating this again we read:
“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 firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:20-23).
In doctrine this idea of being “made subject to vanity” is generally attributed to the ‘fall of man‘ as this concept is made a part of Christian beliefs while we attribute this clearly to the Plan of God which has for its purpose that deliverance from “from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. And, it has for its purpose the “the redemption of our body” for reasons largely unknown but for which we premise that it IS our solemn duty as the Souls of men, in itself a position of some status in the Kingdom of God, to lift this entire world and ALL its component parts another step toward their own realization of what we ARE. These mysteries are deep, very deep, and the answers, like our premise, are largely incomprehensible from our perspective as men in form and, at the same time, this IS ALL the motivation behind our steady progress toward True divinity and the instructions of the Master to do so. And, while is appears that we bemoan doctrine, we do understand that there is likely a need for it in the lives of the greater population that IS grounded in Life in the world so as to keep men’s interest until they can reach that point where they can see past the illusion and the glamour and hear the promptings of the Soul; we should note as well that it IS because of doctrine that even the secular world is filled with ideas and references to God. The unfortunate part here is the disagreement among denominations and sects which only serves to confuse and befuddle and which creates among them a bit of strife as each sees their own view as the right view; to this we should add that there is a degree of delusion on ALL sides as teachings are still largely based upon the teaching of the Church Fathers and the authors of the Reformation, two of which we cite above. Further to this is the near universal Christian interpretation of scripture that is responsible for the separative attitudes toward other religions as well as other denominations and sects; ALL based upon the way that the leaders are still taught to believe and which they still teach and evangelize. We closed our last post with a question: The Master’s message is Love; is anyone Truly listening?
This message is of course the purpose of this blog as we use the Words of Jesus and His apostles to show how that Love is the Fulfilling of the Law and to which we add our own special twist which IS the revelation that GoodWill IS Love in Action and that by acting in Love, in expressing GoodWill, we can come to that point where we can Let the peace of God rule in our hearts!; a Peace that IS more than just amicable relations between men…..it IS that sense of ease and of KNOWING that we are Truly striving toward that strait gate that opens into His Kingdom and that we are becoming FREE from the cares of the world. Here in these words we have ALL of our titles and subtitles which state for us our purpose in these writings. And here again we can come to a discussion on personal predestination, that writing has always been in our view and this from rather early in Life, around the mid to late twenties. Without ever seeing a plan, there was always that idea in mind that writing was to be the way and this today we can understand as the prompting of the Soul which was answered in rather lackluster and intermittent fashion; perhaps because there was no one to help to show the way nor to explain the prompting in a way that could be readily understood. Unsatisfied by doctrine and befuddled by the confusion within the church, esoteric reading and participation became the better way and this led to Theosophy, Rosicrucian Philosophy and to the Tibetan whose teaching seemed to encompass them ALL. After years of study came the realization that this too was not the way, not because of the teaching which IS solid and beneficial, but because it did not seem the right thing. From here came Christianity again and this time from a most personal perspective and as if driven by some force; the bible became the new and better field of study. After reading (or listening) to the New Testament over and over and day after day, the words of the Master and His apostles took on new Life and, away from doctrinal presentations, a firm understanding of the True message came which understanding became the basis for this blog nearly forty years after the first hint of awakening.
This then is our understanding of predestination as seen from the perspective of the man in the world but it must be remembered that none of this would have happened without heeding the call of the Soul, even when there was no clarity that this is what was being responded to. And we ARE NOT alone, there are likely millions of men in the world today that are dissatisfied by the wranglings of doctrine in most all world religions and who are seeking a clearer and a better way but KNOW NOT where to look as the religions and the churches have taken the positions of authority and note here that we use taken in a very worldly way. This IS NOT unlike the gospel stories of the Pharisee and the Sadducee and the other religious rulers of the Jews who, as men in the world, took it upon themselves to take the higher seats and the power that came with them and, in their position of power, DID NOT do the work of the Lord except as it was interpreted by men and by doctrine. Here, if we follow the stories, there was a similar dissatisfaction among the Jews which resulted in the popularity of John the Baptist, ever a thorn in the way of the Pharisee, and the success of the Master and His message and we KNOW how the established religion treated Him. Around the world the Truth of the Spiritual Messages of the Master and the Avatars of the world’s religions have been diluted by doctrine and by those who have taken authority according to their own doctrine and have built complex and rather unmovable religious rules based in the commandments of men, commandments that are not found in the original scriptures, at least not in the way that they are presented to the people.
And there is NO better example of this than our current topic of predestination as the religious scholars, beginning with Augustine and carrying forward to the Reformation and the words of Calvin and Luther that we review above and in the last essay. Here, the rather simple pronouncements of Paul are taken into doctrine that completely eradicates the word of the apostles regarding the Truth that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34) and paints a picture of a God who favors one man above another. While there are some who do follow in this concept of predestination, most denominations have moved on and this IS again the rub, that there are so many interpretations of the ONE teaching by the Master and little agreement can be reached by those who have entrenched themselves in their doctrines. And this phenomenon IS NOT restricted to Christianity as most ALL religions suffer similarly; the theories of rebirth and reincarnation in the Buddhist and the Hindu traditions are examples of this and while we do not understand these religions as we do the Christian traditions, we can say with clarity that there IS NO transmigration of souls backward to the animal kingdom as IS believed by some, except of course for the human animal. The clearer point here is that in this world of men and competing religions and philosophies there is more emphasis put upon the doctrinal concepts than is put upon the actual teachings. Whether it IS the expression of Love for the Christian that will lead to ALL of the other precepts or the denial of the self and desire as preached by the Buddha, the doctrines of ALL tend to bypass the important for the more trivial and the easier to accomplish while spending inordinate amounts of energy debating over who IS right and again we have example of this in the gospels as the Master and His apostles tell us about the differing understanding of the Pharisee and the Sadducee and the apparent competitive nature of their followers.
And so here we are in this world of illusion and of glamour and we are trapped by these forces until we can recognize the prompting of our own Souls, our own God and Christ Within; in this prompting to the Good, the Beautiful and the True we have the opportunity to Repentance, to decide to change from the self-centered ways of the man in the world to the non-selective Love for ALL as taught by the Master. As we have discussed before, this choice IS the beginning of our long journey in this Life in the world, long not from the perspective of time but of accomplishment as once we can Truly sense the duality, the goal appears, and it appears afar off. This is a journey that may bring us to that place where we can again begin our Transformation and this is assuming that we have made some progress in a previous Life. This IS the Life of the aspirant who sees discipleship before him and yet so much of the world to work out.
While searching for a saying by the Tibetan regarding the need for the aspirant and the disciple to make progress in the place that he IS, we came across these pearls of Wisdom that we repeat as we close this essay; All are about discipleship and, as aspirants these are very important to us:
- The problem of all disciples remains the same. This is to live simultaneously the acutely sensitive inner life of the Pilgrim upon the path of life, of a human being in the world of human events; to live the group life of the pledged disciple and the mass life of humanity; to fulfil his own spiritual destiny, through the medium of a controlled personality and, at the same time, to participate fully in the life of humanity upon Earth—this is no easy task. †
- The Tibetan tells us this about the difficulties that arise in pursuing discipleship: difficulties arise from various causes:—a. The disciple’s lower self, which rebels at being transmuted. b. A man’s immediate group, friends, or family, who rebel at his growing impersonality. They do not like to be acknowledged as one with him on the life side, and yet separate from him where desires and interests lie. Yet the law holds good, and only in the essential life of the soul can true unity be cognized. In the discovery as to what is form lies much of sorrow for the disciple, but the road leads to perfect union eventually. †††
- We are told by the Tibetan that A paradoxical situation is brought about from the fact that the disciple is told to enquire the Way and yet there is none to tell him. Those who know the Way may not speak, knowing that the Path is constructed by the aspirant as the spinner spins its web out of the centre of his own being.††
- The initiate is not simply a good man. The world is full of good men who are probably a long way from being initiates. Neither is the initiate a well-meaning devotee. He is a man who has added a sound intellectual understanding to the basic qualifications of a sound moral character and devotion. Through discipline he has coordinated his lower nature, the personality, so that it is a “vessel meet for the master’s use,” that master being his own soul. He knows that he walks in a world of illusion, but is training himself whilst doing this to walk in the light of the soul, realising that in service to his fellowmen and in forgetfulness of self he prepares himself to stand before the portal of Initiation. Upon that path he meets those who, like himself, are learning to be citizens of the kingdom. †††† We should see here the idea of the initiate as the disciple from the Master’s perspective; as one who meets the Master’s qualifications of being a disciple.
- The disciple has to take himself as he is, at any time, with any given equipment, and under any given circumstances; he then proceeds to subordinate himself, his affairs and his time to the need of the hour. When he does this within his own consciousness and is, therefore, thinking along lines of the true values, he will discover that his own private affairs are taken care of, his capacities are increased and his limitations are forgotten. He takes his place with those who perceive the needs of the coming cycle, wherein the wider plans for the good of the whole must be understood, endorsed and preached, the new and clearer vision for human living must be grasped and finally brought into being. ‡
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect of God |
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 |
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.
There is a certain esoteric Mantram which embodies this attitude—the attitude of the disciple who is striving, in cooperative endeavour with others, to link hierarchical intent with human aspiration and thus bring humanity nearer to its goal. The intent of the Hierarchy is to increase men’s capacity for freedom in order to function effectively with that “life more abundantly” which the Christ will bring and which demands that the spirit of man be free—free to approach divinity and free also to choose the Way of that approach. The Mantram bears the name, “The Affirmation of the Disciple.” It involves certain inner recognitions and acceptances which are readily perceived by those whose intuition is sufficiently awake; but its meaning should not be beyond the ability of any sincere student and thinker to penetrate if it appeals to them as significant and warranting their effort. ‡
I am a point of light within a greater Light.
I am a strand of loving energy within the stream of Love divine.
I am a point of sacrificial Fire, focussed within the fiery Will of God.
And thus I stand
I am a way by which men may achieve.
I am a source of strength, enabling them to stand.
I am a beam of light, shining upon their way.
And thus I stand.
And standing thus, revolve
And tread this way the ways of men,
And know the ways of God.
And thus I stand.
We repeat what we had previously said of this Mantram:
Today’s Quote of the Day is called the Affirmation of the Disciple and is spoken from the perspective of the Soul and not from that of the man in form. It is the Soul that we are in this life on Earth, housed in this ‘temple’ of flesh and it is the Light of the Soul that must flow through this ‘temple’ in order that we may say with the Christ “I have overcome the world“ (John 16:33) which is our goal and our destiny. Speaking then as the Soul we affirm our reality and true existence in God and in His Three Aspects of Light and Love and His Will. As this Light and Love and Will flow through our conscious personalities and forms we, as disciples, take on the nature of the second stanza being able to offer to the world a better way through our service and our Love for all, encouragement to righteousness through our strength of purpose, and the Light which shines in accordance with the Master’s instructions to “Let your light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:16) and illuminates the Path. Finally we realize that we are standing in this world and walking as men but, as conscious Souls in form, we know the way and the ways of God and are able to say with the Christ that “I am not of this world” (John 8:23).
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- † A Treatise on the Seven Rays Vol. IV; Esoteric Astrology BY ALICE A. BAILEY © 1951 BY LUCIS TRUST
- †† A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC OR THE WAY OF THE DISCIPLE BY ALICE A. BAILEY © 1951 BY LUCIS TRUST
- ††† Initiation, Human and Solar by Alice A. Bailey, ©1951 by Lucis Trust
- †††† FROM BETHLEHEM TO CALVARY, The Initiations of Jesus; BY ALICE A. BAILEY © 1937 BY LUCIS TRUST
- ‡ TELEPATHY AND THE ETHERIC VEHICLE BY ALICE A. BAILEY © 1950 BY LUCIS TRUST
- ‡‡ Wikipedia contributors. “John Calvin.”Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 7 Jun. 2013.
