IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 1158

ON LOVE; PART DCCXLVII

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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).

We ended the last two essays with the Apostle John’s words on Love from his First Epistle with the purpose of showing the ultimate reality of the way that Love must work out in this world of men and to find a way to better define the whole of the concept of Love. As we have said many times, the idea of Love IS NOT the emotional and mental attachments and attractions that we find here in this world; this IS NOT the idea behind the Greek word agape and agapao nor any of the other ideas that fill the New Testament in regards to one’s relationship with his neighbor, his brother or the stranger who qualifies as both. These would include the ideas behind the Greek words phileō, philadelphia, philadelphos, and  philanthrōpia which correspond respectively to love, brotherly love, love as brethren and kindness, love for man according to Vine’s ⁶. There are other ideas that are rendered as the more personal Love which are also aligned with the Greek prefix phil if that IS the right terminology, but the ideas above should ever be separated from the idea of human emotion ONLY as this generally takes on the selfish ideas of men in the world….at least until the personality begins to become the expression of the Inner man, the Soul. Our point here IS that it is the limitations of language the are behind men’s misunderstanding of this concept of Love; that the terms we list above ARE NOT intended to be seen from the personality perspective and that it IS the failure of proper education that leaves these ideas in the realm of emotion and desire.

While the idea of agape IS offered by some as a sort of God kind of Love, as the love of God or Christ for humankind, the covenant love of God for humans, the human reciprocal love for God and the extension of this as the love of one’s fellow man, there IS NO defining characteristic offered. This IS the problem that IS faced by the man who seeks to understand his own responsibility in regard to God and to his fellowman as well as the Truth of God’s Love for man; and this is the problem as well for the outsider, the man who may NOT currently seek God, as he DOES NOT KNOW the intent of these ideas in scripture and can have much difficulty relating the concept to his own Life. In the end, there IS NO real difference in the ideas offered us under the Greek word agape and the Greek word phileō or any of its kindred words as we list above. We should see this in exchange between the Apostle Peter and Jesus near the end of the Gospel of John; here John uses both terms in an almost interchangeable way and while this is talked about in many different doctrinal ways, perhaps the better view IS simply that the ideas ARE the same in this context; we read:

“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17).

We should see in the flow of the words from the Master and the apostle that the subject DOES NOT change, yet John uses both words; the word Love that IS bolded above IS from agape while those that ARE NOT are from phileō. While there may be a subtle difference here in these words, the reality of the idea should be in the Truth of Love, and the idea of its usage should ever be clear. This IS clear in the ideas that we have been discussing from the fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel that we have been studying; here, the Love for Christ IS from agape while the Love from Christ and from the Father ARE offered in the same way. In this view, the idea expressed by Peter above IS the same Love that IS spoken of by Christ in the sayings above. Repeating again our sayings from the fourteenth chapter:

• “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).
• “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23).

The Master asks Peter about agape, which, in our sayings from the gospel, IS shown as the Way of the man who keeps His words; Peter however answers affirmatively by way of the word phileō. In this we should see that the idea of Love behind both IS the same. Can we see the point in this? How that the idea of Love, regardless of how it IS presented in the New Testament from the selection of words above, IS the same and NONE of these IS intended to show the emotional and the mental attractions and attachments of men to others and to the things of the world.

I the last essays we have defined parts of the reality of Love according to the way that the words agape and agapao are used by the Master in our two sayings from the fourteenth chapter as we see them above as well as the the Master’s other words saying “If ye love me, keep my commandments”  (John 14:15) and His saying that “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings” (John 14:24). If we can see the ideas that ARE used here by the Master, we can understand that the defining idea of Love for God and Love for Christ IS that we keep His words….this IS the defining concept of this use of the idea of Love. We can also then understand the idea of the Love of God, that this IS HIS grace and this IS His Presence in the Life of the man in the world. This idea works as well in the ideas presented in our sayings form John’s Epistle which we repeat below; in his idea of “the love of God toward us” we have the Universal sense of grace to ALL mankind; it IS by the grace of God that the Master came among us to show us the Way. In this we see the global sense of grace offered to ALL men as in the apostle’s words “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). In these ideas we have the reality of grace, both global and individual; the global IS found in the Universal action of the Godhead which effects the universe of men while for the individual, that grace that comes from and through the God and Christ Within, comes as the reward for keeping His words which IS Loving Him.

In these ideas we have grace and Love as the same expression of divinity, globally and individually, and we should try to see here how that the reciprocal action works out in that upward spiral that IS the Path to the Kingdom of God. It IS from the global grace that we come to see the individual grace and it IS in accessing the individual grace that we grow or, better, the Kingdom grows within the consciousness of the man. So then in the global sense we have the Presence of the Christ and of the Spirit of God in the world of men and, in the individual sense of grace, we have the Presence of the Christ and the God Within as the realization of the man in the world. It IS the outflow of this grace that IS of the greater importance however and it IS the outflow of this grace that IS the least understood; this IS more that simply a Love for God and for Christ….it IS the defining idea behind this Love which IS that we keep His words.

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 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 4:7-21).

ALL of these ideas of grace and Love are shown to us by John in his words above. Here we have the expression of that grace and we have the idea that this grace IS from God. It matters not that we call this grace or Love in the context that we have in the apostle’s first verse; if we say “let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God” or if we frame this as ‘let us express the grace that we receive from God to one another; and everyone that DOES this IS born of God, and KNOWETH God‘. In this idea of KNOWETH we should also see grace as this IS the realization of God, the realization of His Presence. which IS founded in keeping His words. And we should see here as well how that this ALL comes around to the reality of the Spirit of God, that this IS also Love and, if Love, then the reality of grace. In this sense of “God is love” we should see both the global and the individual sense of His Love, His grace, in the world of men. Can we see how that this ALL works together, how that ALL these spiritual ideas intersect in the Unity of God and how that they ALL this IS realized by the man who keeps His words.

In these words the apostle gives us the reality of God, the reality of His grace and we should understand here the effects of doctrines that DO NOT see these ideas in the harmony that John intended. By example we should try to understand that the words that ARE rendered for us as “that we might live through him” can be seen as that we can live by, in and even with Him and in each of these we have the greater reality of His Presence as He presents this in His words from John’s Gospel above. In this regard the Douay-Rheims version and the Wycliffe version both render this Greek word dia as by which IS how this word IS rendered the majority of times in our King James version. We close today with these ideas from John Gill regarding the first verse from John’s Epistle above and we present this here as to show again how that the whole of the idea of Love is contorted by doctrine in ways that detract from the Master’s intent as well as the intent of the apostle; we read: Beloved, let its love one another; The apostle having finished what he proposed to say concerning the trying of spirits, returns to his former exhortation to brotherly love, and which comes with fresh force and strength; for since worldly men follow, hear, embrace, and cleave to the false teachers; such as are of God, and on the side of truth, should love one another, and their faithful ministers, and stand fast in one spirit by the truths of the Gospel, in opposition to every error: for love is of God: to love one another is the command of God, it is his revealed will, and is well pleasing in his sight; it comes from him, is a gift of his grace, and a fruit of his Spirit, and which he teaches regenerate ones to exercise: and everyone that loveth; God, as the Alexandrian copy reads, or Christ, and the saints, who seem to be particularly meant: is born of God; for love to the brethren is an evidence of regeneration; (See Gill on 1 John 3:14); and knoweth God; he knows God in Christ, and therefore loves those who have the grace of God in them, and the image of Christ upon them; he knows the mind and will of God, being taught of God to love the brethren; and he knows the love of God, and has had an experience of the grace of God, which influences him to love the saints ⁸.

And we should not forget the remainder of the Master’s words from the fourteenth chapter; in these we see the reality of the Spirit of God as the Holy Spirit and the culmination of Jesus teaching on Love, grace and His Presence….and the intersection of these with keeping His words.

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence” (John 14:26-31).

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!

• ⁶ Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1996
• ⁸ Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com