Monthly Archives: July 2014

ON LOVE; PART DCLXXXVII

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

FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “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).

ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ

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.

ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ

PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).

In the last essay we continued our discussion on the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John as a part of our exploration of the relationship between grace and the operation of the Holy Spirit in the Life of the aspirant and the disciple. We have noted how that our first selection from this chapter IS misunderstood by those who see Jesus words through the eyes of their own doctrines and how that the deeper meanings of His words show forth the relationship that He has with these Eleven who have been with Him since the beginning of His ministry on Earth. Here, after telling them again of His departure from them as these ideas are recorded in the various apostle’s writings on the Last Supper, and His dispatching of the Apostle Judas who would ‘betray’ Him, Jesus tells the Eleven to stand strong, to “Let not your heart be troubled” and to continue in their faith, their believing and KNOWING. That in the things of God that He had shown them and that they had come to realize through the revelations and the realizations that ARE their reward, their grace, which comes in their ardent focus upon the things of God. These ideas from the first verse ARE NOT seen by some as an admonition to continue in their believing, their KNOWING, and this failure IS based in the wrong approach taken in our King James Bible, and some of the other translations that follow it, where this statement gets lost in the idea that He IS asking for their belief in Him; to the contrary, this IS an admonition that they continue in what they had been doing…..believing in and KNOWING God and the Master.

It IS based in these ideas plus the doctrinal understanding of the nature of man and of the Kingdom of God, that the rest of this IS seen as that Jesus, by His death, will “prepare a place” for them in heaven, in the mansions that they will receive in their or death or in the second coming; this depending upon the teaching of the many denominations and sects of Christianity. Our reality here IS the admonition to continue and to stand strong and Jesus conveyance to them of the reality that in His leading and in their following that they themselves ARE prepared for their individual abiding in the Presence of God, in His Kingdom which IS within. The other views of this that are based in doctrine would NOT be of help to these Eleven in this time of change as they must already understand that they ARE somewhat in the Presence of God and that they ARE NOT expecting the opulence which the idea of mansions can engender. This IS the beginning of the Master’s teaching on the God Within and on the Christ Within as we should read these ideas in the saying rendered as “I will come again, and receive you unto myself” as that the Love and the Power of Christ IS a continual coming ⁴ for them that brings them evermore into His Presence…the Presence of the Christ and the God Within. While these ideas ARE NOT clearly stated here in this part, this dynamic IS further elucidated by the Master as He continues in His teaching which we repeat again:

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:1-12).

The exchange between the Master and the Apostle Thomas and Jesus’ words to the Apostle Phillip should serve to show us the complexity of these ideas and how that even for those who had been with Him, there IS doubt and uncertainty regarding these relationships. They ALL have had the revelations and the realizations that come as the grace received by those whose focus IS True and, as we have been discussing over the course of this discussion on grace, the measure of grace will vary among men based in a combination of factors including their measure of focus and their readiness to comprehend these Truths and this comprehension requires that they dismiss any preconceptions that they may have. It IS apparent here that Thomas and Phillip have NOT had such revelation and realization to understand the whither and the way nor the Truth that the Master previously offers them saying “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). And this IS the teaching to them, Jesus’ response to their questions and doubts, which at the same time goes out to them ALL: that in following the Way of the Master that one can find the Way to the Kingdom, that this Way IS found in His words which ARE the Truth of the Kingdom and that in following this Way of Truth one will find the True Life which IS NOT this carnal existence in the world. And we should understand that the words of the Master, His specific words to them and to us, ARE but tokens which open for us the Truths found in the Light of our own Souls, the Light of the Christ Within, which brings to the consciousness of the man the Love and the Power of that anointing that each man Truly IS.

Even for us these 2000 years later there IS NO easy way to understand these timeless Truths which have NO boundaries of religion. ALL men can KNOW the essence of the Master’s teaching and His Presence which IS better understood in the idea of the Anointing which IS the literal translation of the Greek word Christos that IS most always rendered as Christ. In this Anointing which the Apostle John tells us that we ALL have, we can see these Truths for ourselves and this seeing IS grace and this grace comes by measure to every man who can focus upon the most paramount part which IS Love. This Love IS the things of God. The measure of grace that IS needed to understand the Master’s words here requires more that one’s casual view of God and of Love and we should see this in the reality that Phillip and Thomas ARE apostles of the Lord, men somewhat accomplished in His Way; what we should see here IS the complexity of these ideas as well as the inner vision that IS necessary to Truly understand them. These apostles must realize that they KNOW and be able to transform this realization into their understanding as men and while it IS unclear that Jesus’ words above are sufficient to spark their further progress, these ideas ARE for us further teaching on the relationship between Father and Son, the Christ and God, and the Spirit and the Soul and it IS to bring these ideas to our level as men in the world that the Master continues.

As we closed the last essay we included some similar words from Luke’s Gospel regarding us as men and we should be able to see in these words as well as those above from John’s Gospel that whatsoever the Master IS saying regarding Himself and His relationship with the Father IS True for us as well. The words from Luke are clear in this idea as we read again: “The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master” (Luke 6:40). We can assume that these ideas ARE NOT realized by the apostles although perhaps some DO have a glimpse of this Truth which IS lost in the ensuing doctrines that have been formulated by the churches. In the carnal vision of men this saying IS thought to be in regard to the general idea of masters and servants; here the context DOES NOT help either side as the this saying from the Master appears random. This saying IS preceded by the saying on the blind leading the blind and other parts of Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount. And this IS followed by the continuation of the Sermon and specifically how that it IS hypocritical to see and to interject oneself into the carnal affairs of another when one has these same or similar faults of his own. We see this then as a saying that stands alone while John Gill’s idea IS that this as a continuation of the previous thought on the blind leading the blind; we read:

The disciple is not above his master; Or “more excellent”, as the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions render it; that is, in learning and knowledge; if the master is ignorant, the scholar will be so too; and thus it is with teachers, and their people under their care; if the leaders are blind and ignorant, those under their instructions will remain so likewise. These words are an illustration of the preceding parable, and are used to another purpose here than in (Matthew 10:24). 
but every one that is perfect shall be as his master; The Vulgate Latin reads it, “every one shall be perfect if he is as his master”; that is, if his master is a man of general learning, and a complete scholar, if he is like him, he will be so too: the Persic version renders it, “every disciple that desires perfection shall be as his master”: whoever is ambitious of being a thorough scholar, and is diligent and industrious, by all ways and means, to obtain such a character, shall be even as good an one as his master, under whom he learns, and better he cannot well expect to be; and this is sufficient; and so the Ethiopic version renders it, “is it not enough that every one be as his master?” agreeably to ( Matthew 10:25 ) Maimonides has an expression much like this: “he that learns, shall not be greater than he of whom he learns, but shall be “as he”.” Christ, in this last clause, seems to design his own disciples, who, when perfect in knowledge, which is not to be expected in this state, unless in a comparative sense, will be like himself ⁸.

We should note here that Mr. Gill does sense the relationship to Christ in the end of his comment but he discounts this at the same time and restricts this idea of perfect to KNOWLEDGE and NOT as we read this in Vincent’s comments regarding this Greek word katartizo: Rev., rendering the participle more literally, perfected. See on Matthew 4:21. The word signifies to readjust, restore, set to rights, whether in a physical or a moral sense. See 1 Corinthians 1:10, where Paul exhorts to be perfectly joined together ( κατηρτισμένοι ) in opposition to being divided. In Galatians 6:1, it is used of restoring a brother taken in a fault. Hence the meaning to perfect, as Ephesians 4:12 ⁴. The idea of perfect IS a difficult one to accept as an achievement of man from a doctrinal perspective and we can see this in Mr. Gills ideas above. And this IS NOT the same Greek word that IS rendered as perfect in Jesus’ saying that we should “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48); although this Greek word, telios, IS used of God and of the destined state of the disciple of the Lord, doctrine sees this as meaning mature. Vincent tells us on telios that: Perfect (τέλειοι); Mature Christians. See on 1 Corinthians 2:6.Be thus minded Lit., think this, or have this mind, namely, to forget the past and to press forward ⁴. In the context of this saying regarding the perfection of God and man, Mr. Gill offers us his assumption that: Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father; This perfection is to be restrained to the subject Christ is upon, love to men, and not to be referred to any, or every other thing; wherefore, in ( Luke 6:36 ) it is, “be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful”; and regards not a perfection of degree in that, but objects and quality: that is to say, not that men may, or can, or ought to be as perfect in love, as to the degree of it, as God is; that is impossible ⁸. 

Can we see the difficulty here with these words that ARE rendered as perfect and how that in the intent of the Master this IS the fullness of the Godhead which He has and which He exhorts us to have as well. Can we see how that doctrines downplay this idea to maintain their own view of the singular divinity of Christ Jesus rather that place this perfection in its rightful place as the objective and the goal of ALL men. Mr. Gill refers above to another saying in Matthew’s Gospel that reflects the relationship of the master and the servant and here too we see this as the relationship between the Master and His disciples; while the idea of perfect IS NOT used, the idea of being “as his master” IS and in this we should see the same end….Jesus IS the perfect expression of Christ who IS the perfect sameness as the Father. We read this as: “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord” and here we should see more clearly that the context IS the disciples as He IS instructing them as He sends them out as “sheep in the midst of wolves” and continues His words saying “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” (Matthew 10:24-25, 16, 25). Here again doctrine DOES NOT see the deeper meanings of “as his master“, that this IS intended as a literal idea of sameness; in Luke’s Gospel we see the sameness in perfection and in Matthew’s we see this as the goal of the disciple with the idea of perfection assumed in the Master’s perfection. Here Mr. Gill presents doctrine for us saying: It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master; A disciple should think himself very well off, be entirely satisfied, yea, abundantly thankful, if he meets with no worse treatment than his master; if he has the same honour done him his master has, this is more than could be expected by him; and if he has the same ill usage with his master, he need not wonder at it, but should solace himself with this consideration, that it is no other, nor worse than his master had before him: and the same is equally true in the other case ⁸.

And this brings us back to our current sayings from the Gospel of John; sayings that iterate for us these same idea of being “as his master“ in every sense and particularly in the idea of perfection which IS assumed in the Life of the Master. We read the Master’s words here as: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father“. Here we have a more profound understanding in the Master’s speech; here there is no allusion to the idea that one CAN be “as his master“, that this is the end goal of discipleship. Here there IS no allowance for the vagueness in the idea of perfection, no interpretation of this away from the True meaning of the nature of the Godhead and the Christ. Here in John’s Gospel IS the straightforward understanding that in keeping His words one can DO ALL that He had done and yet more and this IS the greatness that we see in the Life of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Here there IS a cost to be noted which in the other sayings is just assumed….and that cost IS keeping His Words. 

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.

We repeat here again a saying that is from the Bhagavad Gita, which goes well with our theme of the God Within, the Soul, which we see as the Christ Within and while this is good in the Christian world and is True based upon our understanding of the Christ as the manifestation of God, we should also see in these words below that it does not matter what these divine ideas are called; that it matters not what we call this Inner Man, that he is the same in ALL, he is the Soul.

Thou carriest within thee a sublime Friend whom thou knowest not. For God dwells in the inner part of every man, but few know how to find Him. The man who sacrifices his desires and his works to the Beings from whom the principles of everything stem, and by whom the Universe was formed, through this sacrifice attains perfection. For one who finds his happiness and joy within himself, and also his wisdom within himself is one with God. And, mark well, the soul which has found God is freed from rebirth and death, from old age and pain, and drinks the water of Immortality.—Bhagavad-Gita

It is difficult to tell just what verses of the Bhagavad Gita the above is from; whether it is a paraphrase or a combination. It is from the book “The Great Initiates” by Édouard Schuré which was originally published in French in 1889 and perhaps it is in the translation of the verses that they become hard to recognize. However, the sheer beauty of the presentation caught my attention and so I share it with you. The Path to the Kingdom is the same no matter what religion one professes.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!

• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
• ⁸ Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com