ON LOVE; PART DCCXLVI
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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).
In the last essay we continued our look at the Way of Love as we find this in the New Testament and as we relate this to the reality of keeping His words. This Way of Love stands against the great doctrinal movement which sees Life through the eyes of the early church and the reformers who have substituted doctrinal assessments of the writings of the Apostle Paul in place of the Truth of the Master’s words. They DO this while using the idea that it IS impossible for a man to Truly keep His words. In a word, the Truth of Life and the mystery of the Kingdom of God IS found in the reality of Love, again, NOT that Love that is seen in human terms….not that Love that IS found in the emotional and mental attachments and attractions between persons, families and even things of the world. It IS based in the doctrinal view that it IS NOT possible to Love ALL men that we find the substitutionary teachings that proclaim that we are justified only by faith in Christ, and not by any manner of goodness of our own; and it IS in this view that we have failed to even understand the reality of this Love as it IS taught us by the Master. We should understand that doctrines DO NOT generally speak against Love or deny Love as a common virtue, but, at the same time, most DO NOT understand this idea as it IS intended in the use of the Greek word agape nor in any of the Greek terms that are rendered as Love. Many DO however speak against the idea of keeping His words as the Way to the Kingdom and, as we KNOW, the mainstay of the Truth of His words IS Love as this IS presented for us in the Great Commandments that we have again at the top of our essay.
If men were to see the reality of the Master’s words over the pronouncements of doctrine, the view of Life and the Kingdom and the view of salvation would greatly change. Whether it would lead to a greater force of Love in this world IS NOT sure but can it lead to any less? The Master IS generally clear in His pronouncements regarding salvation but the ideas of men have intervened and found ways to use interpretations of Jesus words which allow for more flexibility in DOING and many have come to rely upon Paul’s words to essentially deny the ultimate Truth that we must keep His words and that the man who desires the Kingdom must strive toward this goal. In this idea of striving, as in our ideas that it is by degree that men achieve, we have the intended work of the man in form in this world which IS the work of his Transformation that begins with the reality of True Repentance. It IS in this idea of Repentance, the very first teaching that we read in the Master’s words, that a man IS awakened and it IS the very purpose of the Master’s words and the words of His apostles: to aid the human family in this awakening. That there IS NO safe harbor in any ideas that are short of Repentance and Transformation IS the underlying Truth that stretches through ALL of the Jesus’ words and the clarifying and amplifying words of His apostles; and ALL ideas that there is such safe harbor IS deception as we read in the words of the Apostle James who tells us that we must: “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).
While this idea in and of itself IS contrary to the doctrinal ideas which are interpreted out of Paul’s words like “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Galatians 2:8), there can be NO doubt as to the meaning of James’ words. In this we should be able to see the difficulty and the reason why so many rely upon Paul’s words as they cite his having written the majority of the New Testament. In this view we ARE presented with the idea that more IS better rather that the simple Truths that the Master Himself has given to us and which James here affirms. In our recent study of the words of James we made note of several of his sayings that ARE contrary to the common Christian doctrinal ideas and we should remember how that James’ words on faith and works ARE chief among them; these too are passed over and reasons offered as to why these should NOT change the view that IS interpreted from Paul’s writings. In this ALL we should be able to see how that those who have taken authority can dilute, change and manipulate the Truths of the Master’s words and be seen as right and even holy in so doing and we should see here how that we would likely be viewed in the same way by men whose beliefs are formed in these doctrines. Here, while it IS True that we interpret Jesus’ words and the words of His apostles as well, there IS our own vision of the plain Truths of Jesus’ sayings that show us that, if men would follow these ideas, prejudices and hatreds, and selfishness and its resulting despair could be eliminated. In this ALL we ARE NOT speaking against the various doctrines that purport to show the Truth of Christ but we ARE rather speaking for His Truth and for the Love that IS the greater reality of keeping His words.
The Truth of the Master’s message to us as men IS rather clear as He shows us how that we should be in relation to our neighbor, our brother and the stranger and, in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John that we have been studying, He make this point to us by way of showing how that Love for Him IS the KEY to His Presence. We should understand here that it IS in His Presence that we would have the Truth of the Spirit of God, the Spirit that IS God, working in our lives. Here we must understand that the criteria IS keeping His words and the main points of keeping His words ARE found in the Two Great Commandments on Love. And Jesus gives us His example as well as we read at the end of our current selection below. While this may not seem by most to be His example, it IS the culmination of the Master’s words on the reality of keeping His commandments as the KEY to His Presence and AS the show of our Love for Him. We should see this in the same way as His DOING the commandments of the Father as His own show of this Love for God to the world. We read His words again saying:
“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).
While we see the Master’s words here as His example to us of the reality of Love, that to Love God IS to keep His words, most DO NOT see this in our view. Many attribute Jesus reference ONLY to the crucifixion, that this was His commandment, and that this He will DO but, in the context of the whole chapter, it should be easy to see our point. The Commentary Critical and Explanatory of the Whole Bible tells us that: But that the world may know that I love the Father–The sense must be completed thus: “But to the Prince of the world, though he has nothing in Me, I shall yield Myself up even unto death, that the world may know that I love and obey the Father, whose commandment it is that I give My life a ransom for many” 8. Here we see reference to idea from the previous verse which, in accord with the idea His immanent death, can lead to their conclusion; but we should understand as well that this IS NOT the ONLY commandment and that in reality this IS NOT Truly a commandment at ALL. While John Gill treats this differently, he DOES NOT see the crucifixion as the main idea, he also DOES NOT see our idea of Jesus example to His apostles and through them to us; we read: But that the world may know; Not the wicked and unbelieving world, but the world of God’s elect, such as are brought to believe in Christ: that I love the Father; Christ must needs love the Father, as being of the same nature and essence with him, and as standing in the relation of a son to him; he loved all that the Father loves, and approved of all his purposes, counsels, and determinations, concerning himself and the salvation of his people; and therefore he voluntarily laid down his life for them: and as the Father gave me commandment, so I do: as a son is obedient to a father, so was Christ in all things obedient to the commands of his heavenly Father, in preaching the Gospel, obeying the law, and suffering death; all which he did and suffered, as the Father gave commandment to him, as man and Mediator: and that it might fully appear how much he loved his Father, and agreed with him in all his designs of grace; how much his will was resigned to his, and what respect he paid to whatever he said or ordered 8.
Mr Gill DOES offer us the ideas of Jesus’ DOING the commandments of the Father and shows us that this includes many ideas including obeying the law and this IS, from our perspective, the more important point to be captured in Jesus’ words. Vincent DOES NOT offer an opinion regarding this but DOES show some of the dispute among doctrinal authorities; we read: But that the world may know, etc. The connection in this verse is much disputed. Some explain, Arise, let us go hence, that the world may know that I love the Father, and that even as the Father commanded me so I do. Others, So I do, that the world may know – and even as the Father, etc. Others, again, take the opening phrase as elliptical, supplying either, he cometh, i.e., Satan, in order that the world may know – and that as the Father, etc.; or, I surrender myself to suffering and death that the world may know, etc. In this case, Arise, etc., will form, as in A.V. and Rev., an independent sentence. I incline to adopt this 4. What we see here as the Master’s example, what we see as the Master’s showing us that the way to show Love for God IS to keep His words, IS NOT seen as such in the commentaries above. We see as His words as that they ARE intended to further His own commandments to us by showing that He too must be in accord with the word of God and we should be able to understand that His commandments to us ARE the same; we read:
- “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).
In these ideas we have the same Love for God and, if we believe the Master’s words that “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) and that “I am in the Father, and the Father in me” (John 14:11), then we should be able to see and understand the nature of His example….that His words for Himself ARE the same as His words for us. In these sayings we have the idea of our reward, our grace if you will, as His Presence in our lives which IS given as His manifestation and as the abiding of the Christ and the Father and we must understand that these ARE, as ARE ALL spiritual things, matters of realization and of revelation. In the idea of revelation we should see the reality of manifestation and in the reality of God as abiding in a man, we should see the idea of realization; and we should understand that these work together; the latter saying above from Jesus IS but a clarification of the first idea as we see it answering the question on manifestation as posed by Judas. And we should not forget here the more straightforward saying by the Master in this regard: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). While there IS NO apparent reward for this, the reality IS that there IS; we should be able to easily see that these ideas ARE to be taken together and that this Truth of keeping His commandments IS the gateway to “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter” (John 14:15-16). This IS another of those most misunderstood ideas presented by the Master in His parabolic tone; in the reality of His earlier sayings on the relationship between the Father and Himself, who IS there to ask? In the reality of the idea that “the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10) we see the Truth of the Unity and the Oneness of the Father and the Son….of the Christ and God.
When we can understand that the Holy Spirit, as this IS presented to us, IS the very Spirit that IS God, we can see the deeper intent of His words which can then be understood as to say that if a man Love God, that he will keep His commandments; and, this very action of striving toward the Kingdom of God IS our asking, and that in our asking IS our receiving. And the greater Truth that follows explains this ALL to us as we read: “ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:20). It IS in our eventual understanding of the Presence of God in the Life of the man in the world that we can see the greater realities that lie behind the parabolic language and the doctrines that are formed by the perceptions of men who DO NOT yet see these realities. The great Truth here IS found in keeping His words and the reality of this IS found in Love; Love for God which IS keeping His words and which results in His Love for us which IS the Truth of grace and the Truth of His Presence. And both of these are the realization that this IS so, a realization that brings that sense of Peace of which Jesus tells us “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you“. This IS that Peace of God which we show at the end of our daily essays; this IS that Peace of God which can become the rule in our hearts by the grace of God which IS His revelation and our realization of Truth.
This Love and this Peace are inseparable and they flow into the Life of the man in the world from his own Soul, his own God and Christ Within, which IS the reality of the Presence of God, a reality that must be realized by a man’s focus upon the things of God. This focus IS the DOING, this focus IS what can bring a man to that reality which IS keeping His words and this focus IS of paramount importance to the Life of the man who Truly seeks the Kingdom; this focus IS striving toward that strait gate which opens into the Kingdom of God. We end our essay here today in the same way as we ended the last one; with an eye toward the ultimate Truth of keeping His words as we see them in the Great Commandments above and in these words which from the Apostle John which we repeat again today:
“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).
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.
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
