ON LOVE; PART CDXCIV
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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“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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“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, 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. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).
Our thoughts over the last several days have been in regard to Love and to what we as aspirants can do to hasten the return of the Christ. We noted in our words that the coming of the Christ need not be in His physical form and He most assuredly would not be in the form of Jesus because, as forms come and go, that particular one IS finished. Now we should remember that the Great Soul that expressed the qualities of the Christ through that form of Jesus 2000 years ago also demonstrated to us His ability to take form at will, to appear as whatsoever He desired and that He also demonstrated the ability to appear and disappear. Doctrine of course does not see this and it IS interesting that while many denominations will attest to the Master’s supernatural powers, they will NOT attest to this particular one. We should remember here that the Master tells us as well that He will not leave us, that He tells us that “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20). Of course this does not mean physically but with us as the Christ of the World, the Love of God; as the Great Soul of Jesus. What we see here is likely not what most see as we understand that the presence of the Kingdom is, as we read in Thomas, both within and without:
”If those who lead you say to you: ‘Look, the kingdom is in the sky!’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you: ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fishes will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father. But if you do not come to know yourselves, then you exist in poverty, and you are poverty“ (Thomas 3).
In our view this is an expansion of sorts on the thought from Luke’s Gospel that tells us that:
“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).
We understand that these words from Luke are ALL inclusive of the inner and the outer as the Kingdom being within the man in the world, places the Kingdom within the world as well. We should however be careful of how we visualize these things as this idea of within should not be seen in a physical way but in a psychic way and a spiritually psychic way at that. We do not have a better word to use here but the relationship could be seen as own’s own consciousness which is reflected in one’s own thoughts and feelings….where are these psychic realities? These are a part of the physical Life of the man in the world and a part as well of the nebulous idea of world thought and world emotion which play upon the individual’s own part in them. Here we should try to see that as the physical body IS composed of the elements found in the physical world, so too are the emotional and the mental ‘bodies’ of the man composed of the elements of those more subtle worlds. If we take this idea yet deeper, beyond the physical, emotional and the mental, we will come to that state of being which we call spiritual and it IS in this more refined ‘spiritual matter’ that we will find the essence of the Kingdom of God. And it IS here that the Christ exists, and it IS here that our own Souls exist in their essential state; it IS from this state of being that the accomplished Soul, the Redeemed and perhaps Transfigured Soul. can reach out and control the less subtle matter of the lower realms.
Of course this IS our view of these things and we are but offering an expressible part of the glimpse of Truth that we can see. It IS in this ALL that the Christ IS with us still; He IS present with us in this Earth scheme; He has not left us but He remains. And this is much like that idea expressed in the ancient aphorism that we have been carrying as our Quote of the Day and which we see here below as part of this essay:
He who faces the light of His Soul and stands within its radiance is blinded to the issues of the world of men; he passes on the lighted way to the Kingdom of God. But he who feels the urge to pass that way, yet loves his brother on the darkened path, revolves upon the pedestal of light and turns the other way.
He faces towards the dark and then the seven points of light within himself transmit the outward streaming light, and lo! the face of those upon the darkened way receives that light. For them, the way is not so dark. Behind the warriors—twixt the light and dark—blazes the light of the Kingdom itself.**
The point here is that in the freedom, the deliverance from the need to incarnate or even stay here as a part of the overall spiritual evolution of the Earth IS an act of sacrifice that we can see in the Truth that the Christ remains with us. Here is a Soul of such Power who IS able to express the “all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9) and was able to do so at His birth in the form of Jesus 2000 years ago. In the vastness of this infinity in which our little world exists, there are likely many God things that the Christ could be doing which are beyond the scope of the little lives that we have in this Earth; but He chose to stay and to aid us in eventually understanding the teaching and the example that He left us with. Through His efforts the way is not so dark for us who follow Him, and we ALL must eventually follow Him as His Way IS the Way to the realization of our own divinity; we should see here the Christ’s continued service to humanity. And there are others, others who have achieved a state of spiritual awareness in form that IS similar to that of the Christ and of which He has told us the possibilities, He has told us how in the reality of His words saying: “The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master” (Luke 6:40). Here we see the how in the idea of perfect which we also understand from His words in His saying that we should: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). And this idea of perfect IS NOT a mystery; the instructions are simply that we keep His words.
And we read about this perfection in the Master’s words on discipleship, in those same words that we used a few posts back to show how that by keeping His words that we are included in His ‘prayer’ about disciples and their ONENESS with the Master and with the Father:
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me” (John 17:20-23).
Here we see how the Master includes us ALL as a part of band of disciples; we who come to believe on Him which IS to keep His words. Here we see as well this same idea of perfection, the perfection of having the Christ Within as the focus and the expression of our lives; in this IS the realization of that oneness, the realization of that perfection and the ultimate realization that “every one that is perfect shall be as his master“. In this ALL we should see that we are not alone; even in the surge of feeling and fear that tells us that as we approach closer to our spiritual reality that we are alone, that we are standing alone and against the ways of the world, the practiced ways of our brothers who have not yet seen the Light. But we are not alone as we stand as aspirants to that goal of discipleship; and as we stand as True disciples among the sages and the adepts of the ages. Of course we should remember here that we use this word disciple differently than most others as we see this word with the intent of the Master’s words; we see the True disciple as the man who keeps His words and the man who forsakes ALL for the Kingdom of God; we use this word disciple to show that man who has achieved some degree of perfection in Life in this world and we see everyone else who IS striving toward this goal as the aspirant.
The bar IS set high for the disciple of the Lord and this IS necessarily so because to achieve this is to be free from the encumbrances of Life in form in this world. And this IS the achievement that comes as one can say with the Master that “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). To achieve this IS the Truth of the Apostle Paul’s words as he tells us that it IS the objective of the very Plan of God that we ALL “shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. This is the reality of our salvation which ends with “the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:21, 23). It IS in our keeping His words that we are perfect and it IS in this perfection that we are delivered and it IS in this deliverance that we realize the adoption which IS, as we read above, that oneness of which the Master says “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one“. And it IS in these things that we come to realize that “redemption of our body“, a state of being where we ARE like the Master in this world and like those others who have traveled this Path before us. As disciples we can see this reality in the apostles words that tell us that “as he is, so are we in this world” and we should note that this whole saying is found in the midst of the apostle’s words on Love, that “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:16-17). Here again we have the criteria for realization of this Truth; here again we have Love and perfection.
This ALL begins in keeping His words, not in the convenience of doctrine nor in the parameters that have been set up by doctrine and tradition, but rather in the Truth of His words and this Truth begins with Love; the Love that we read as the Great Commandments as posted above. The Apostle John frames this ALL for us in these words from his First Epistle:
“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:1-5).
We generally stay away from sayings that are worded this way as we do not want to address the doctrinal argument regarding Jesus and the way that John presents this as “he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God“. We do not understand the apostles ideas here but we KNOW that the reality IS buried within this word rendered as believeth where we KNOW that this IS NOT that simple emotional or mental affirmation. As we see that believing in and believing on the Master IS realized in keeping His words or, as Vincent tells us, that these ideas mean: to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4, so we should see this same effect in this use of believeth which IS from the same Greek word. Perhaps also this idea encompasses that which we find in the Gospels, that this believeth is KNOWING. Nonetheless, this idea gives doctrinal Christianity some leverage for their idea of accepting and believing in or on Jesus, a leverage that is of no avail however when compounded by the reality expressed on Love, that “every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him“. If we see this as Jesus the Christ then we must refer to His own words that say “If a man love me, he will keep my words” (John 14:23) for this IS the ONLY way to Love Him and, if we see this as ALL who are begotten of God from the perspective that He IS our Father, the Father of ALL men, then we must Love ALL men. And this is further seen in these words above as we see “we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments” so that the leverage seen in the Christian idea of just believing that Jesus is the Son of God IS lost to the many who DO NOT Love.
Our greater point here is that it IS in this that we can “overcometh the world” that this IS “the victory that overcometh the world“; that we Love God and that we Love God by keeping His word. It IS in these words that we find the Truth of discipleship and the Truth of the Kingdom of God. This Love IS the essence of forsaking ALL; this Love is the gateway to our spiritual reality.
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.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.
God is love;
and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness
in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love;
but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.
He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
We love him, because he first loved 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?
And this commandment have we from him,
That he who loveth God love his brother also
1 John 4:16-21
Today’s Quote of the Day from the First Epistle of John is his reflection on God and on Love. John tells us that God is Love and, as we have discussed, Love is certainly as aspect and an attribute of the Godhead and one which is supremely represented by the Christ. John tells us further that without Love there is no relationship with God and likens the Truth of dwelling in Love to being in His Kingdom and in His Presence. He draws for us the idea of Love for ones fellowman being the prime prerequisite for Love of God for although one may say that he Loves God, it cannot be True unless he first Loves his fellowman. In John’s words the equation is certain: “he who loveth God love his brother also“. And, lest we forget that the idea of Love that the Master teaches in not the emotional attraction that we live with daily, we repeat again: LOVE is….
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’. To this we add the ever important High Ideal as taught by the Christ: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
- ** Discipleship in the New Age – Volume II by Alice A Bailey; © 1955 by Lucis Trust
