ON LOVE; PART DCCV
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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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).
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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.
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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).
As we continue with our discussion on the concept of grace, we come to that part where we can Truly relate the grace in the Life of the aspirant and the disciple, the man who strives towards the Kingdom of God, and the operation of the Holy Spirit in the Life of that man. We have discussed at length our view of grace as the realizations and the revelations of the Truth of God by measure and as the ability in the Life of the man in the world to express these Truths; we shroud try to see that in the context of the whole of the teachings of the Master and His apostles, this IS the ONLY reality that can be seen working in ALL that they tell us. This IS NOT to say that there ARE NOT deeper ideas and revelations to be found in their teachings but to say that from our perspective of their words, that they are teaching the reality of discipleship, the reality of the Life of the man who keeps His words to the end where his expression of the Truth of His words IS the fruit of the disciples Life. The common ideas of grace ARE NOT this however as so many relate whatsoever grace that they perceive in their lives to the pleasures and the comforts of Life in this world and, again, we should understand that this IS more that just the material things of the world but the psychological as well and here we should try to see the intimate relationship of these ideas. An inkling of this can be seen in some of the Master’s parables and here we should look at the ideas that are ensconced in the Parable of the Wedding Feast; we read:
“And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:7-11).
The understanding of this parable IS that it IS against the tendency of men to exalt themselves, to make themselves bigger in the eyes of others, a tendency that IS based in one’s own belief that he IS better and this IS our point. It IS this tendency to see oneself in accordance with the ways of the world that IS the psychological component of which we speak above; we should try to see here that men may believe that their station or their position is found in the grace of God but when this IS for the psychological comfort of the man, this IS of the world; this IS NOT grace as we should understand it. An example here could be seen the the Pastor of a church who sees in the Wisdom of God that he should build a bigger and a better church; he goes forth to raise the money and build the building which he sees as the Will of God and as a benefit to God. Where IS the Truth here? Does God request or require the building of this church that is many times larger that the last or IS this merely for the psychological comfort of the Pastor who gains a larger following? IS this for his own sense of importance? NO one can answer these questions for another and the Truth of these things lies in the heart of the man; he may be Truly seeing the grace that IS the Wisdom from above or he may be seeing the carnal wranglings of his own mind and emotions. This IS the deeper purpose of the words from the Apostle James on the Wisdom from above which we discussed again in the last essay as it IS in one’s honest and right discernment of what his IS seeing as revaluation and realization that Truly defines the reality of grace.
There IS yet a greater reality in regard to this idea of grace and this IS yet another that must be discerned by the individual himself as he asks himself that rhetorical question that the Master poses saying: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Can we see the reality here and see the relationship between this question and the Truth of Jesus words to disciples that “whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do” as we have in our selection from the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John. Here again we must understand that Jesus IS speaking to disciples, a point that doctrines seem to miss, and we should have the general understanding here that as such that they ARE keeping His words and that this brings a measure of grace into their individual lives. In this reality we should be able to understand the Master’s point: that He IS leaving them but that they can still approach Him in the reality of His Name, in the reality of what He represents….the Presence of God in the world of men. Much emphasis IS placed on the idea that He says “whatsoever ye shall ask” and that He repeats this saying “If ye shall ask any thing in my name“; many believe that this IS intended to include ALL things. The greater reality here however IS found in the nature of His audience; these ARE disciples and as such they ARE NOT going to ask for any thing for the self nor any thing that IS of the world. It IS these men who have forsaken ALL to follow Him and the furthest thing from their own sense of reality would be those same things that they have willingly given up for the Kingdom of God. This IS the same idea that must be seen in Jesus words on moving the mountain….none who could would and the only who could IS the True disciple, the man who has that “faith as a grain of mustard seed” (Luke 17:6); the man who “shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass” (Mark 11:23).
Many DO believe that they have this privilege which IS for us the reality of KNOWING, the reality of being Truly able to “have faith, and doubt not” (Matthew 21:21), while, at the same time they DO NOT understand how deeply spiritual this Truly IS. This IS the state of KNOWING ALL things as we see in the Life of the Apostle Peter and of the Apostle Paul, this IS the fullness of grace and this IS being “as his master“; this is the perfection of one’s expression in the world of which the Master speaks and which we should see in the same reality as His words on “greater works” below. Jesus tells us “The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master” (Luke 6:40) and the reality of this ability, as IS found in Mark 11:23, can also be seen in one’s self evaluation ONLY, in one’s own look at his Life with that same rhetorical question that the Master poses saying: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Here again we find the divide between Truth of the Master’s words and the interpretations of various Christian doctrines; while many may believe that the have this privilege of having “those things which he saith“, that they can “come to pass” (Mark 11:23), the reality IS that these things come ONLY to the man who IS keeping His words and, by measure, to the man who IS Truly striving. And we should remember here that these things ARE grace, they ARE NOT things but spiritual abilities which we can see in the Master’s own works:
- “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed , and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:19-22).
- “And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (Matthew 8:23-27).
In these two ‘miracles’ that we see from the hand of the Master are examples of the reality of the spiritual abilities afforded to men through grace. We KNOW that the Master IS among us “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) and we should understand here that we can be so filled as well; in this steam of revelations and revelations that come into the Life of the man who strives to keep His words, IS this ability and the KNOWING that makes it work. This IS the measured progress of the aspirant and the disciple; this IS a progress that brings us to that point of being “as his master” and of realizing those “greater works” and it IS in this light that we should see the ideas above. This ability to these “greater works” IS NOT limited to the apostles….it IS limited to the man who can keep His words and who becomes able to say with the Master “I have overcome the world” (John 10:30). And if we could but see past the story line of the Pentateuch, we could see the greater reality of these same type of “greater works” being done by the hand of Moses. It IS Moses who parts the Red Sea in the Exodus and it IS Moses who did “strike the rock” to provide water for the people and while this IS done at the command of God, there IS much the similar dynamic to be seen at play in the Life of Jesus who tells us that “the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10). ALL of these realities are obnubilated by the doctrines of men which try to explain the ideas in ways that can be understood by other men and, in a strange way, the very writing of the Old Testament and some of the ideas of the New can be seen as in this same light.
There IS a reality in the Master’s use of the seemingly impossible task of moving the mountain and this reality IS that this CAN BE DONE by the man who Truly KNOWS. We should try to understand that in the symbology and the reality of the Exodus story many of these same ‘impossible’ tasks ARE performed by the hand of Moses who IS Truly a Son of God. We should try to understand here that the gateway to ALL things spiritual IS found in keeping His words; this IS the great KEY to ALL things and we should ever remember that keeping His words begins and ends in the words of the Master that appear at the top of our essay….His words on Love. Repeating our selection from John’s Gospel again:
“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. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:12-20).
In the DOING of Moses and in the DOING of the Master, in ALL of what ARE considered as miracles, we should try to see the deeper Truths which IS the ability to DO based in the grace that comes into one’s Life. We KNOW little of Moses but of the Master we KNOW much and among the most important things to understand about Him is the reality that “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). In this great Truth IS the reality of His ability; this fullness IS His measure of grace which IS ALL that IS conceivably possible in the Life of a man in the world; and this IS the reality of the saying above that the Master IS “full of grace and truth“and the complementary thought that “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). It IS in this sense of grace that the Master works and that the Master KNOWS and it IS in this same sense of grace that we ARE able to “be as his master” that we are able fulfill His words saying “the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do“. Can we see this potential, this possible reality in our own lives? And can we see how that this sense of divinity in this world IS NOT possible for those who can simply believe as many interpret His saying above to mean? This idea of “believeth on me” must per force be the same reality of keeping His words and this we should understand simply by the context; we should see here that withering the fig tree and quieting the storm, the feeding of the multitudes and the raising of Lazarus from the tomb, ARE ONLY possible to the man who can keep His words. For this man, these ARE His works and these are a view of the “greater works” that he can do; works that he can DO in the reality of his perfection. This IS the reality of His telling us that “every one that is perfect shall be as his master“.
While it may not see that we have addressed the relationship between the concept of grace and the operation of the Holy Spirit, we should try to see here that we have. ALL of these things that the Master DOES, ALL of His own works and the works of His apostles in the world of men ARE the operation of the Holy Spirit. Grace IS the word we use to help define the ability, the revelations and the realizations that give us that increased Truth in KNOWING. The Holy Spirit IS the name we give to that Aspect of the Godhead that turns this ability to DO into the actuality of DOING; the Holy Spirit IS the Loving activity of God in the world of men, and this either in the global sense or in the individual as we express our measure of grace to the world of men.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect |
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.
