ON LOVE; PART DCCLXI
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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 in our discussion on grace and its relationship to Love, to the Holy Spirit and to the Presence of God in the Life of the man whose focus IS upon the things of God, we are reminded of the conversation between the Master and the Samaritan woman at the well. We should understand here that there IS NO witness to this encounter and that John, upon hearing of it or perhaps intuitively KNOWING it, sees the importance of the Master’s teaching and offers it to us as a part of his gospel. While we often reference this conversation to extract the Master’s words on God; that “God is a Spirit“, or, as this IS better rendered by many translators, “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), There IS much more to be discovered here in this chapter from the Gospel of John and today we will seek the deeper ideas behind His words from the beginning of this encounter; we read:
“Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw” (John 4:5-15).
While it may appear that these words have naught to do with our subject matter of grace and Love, there IS a common thread here. First there IS the revelation and the realization of the Truths of the Master’s words and second there IS the connection to the reality of the expression of the grace of God as this IS linked by the Master to yet another teaching which we read as: “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). While it IS uncertain what scripture the Master IS referring to here, this should NOT be the focus; what should be seen here, as in the ideas that Jesus offers the Samaritan woman, IS that there IS this expression of Life from the man who will keep His words. Here again we must see that this “believeth on me” IS NOT mere assent to some idea about Him but that this IS essentially keeping His words, following Him and, as Vincent shows us, that to “believeth on” IS: to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4. In this idea of binding and in the reality of adopting we should be able to understand how that this IS keeping His words and we should see this as well in the very way that the Master uses these words and this idea. In the idea of “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” we should see the expression of the grace and the Presence that the Master promises to them that keep His words; there IS NO separate subject here and we should try to see that the flow of this “living water” IS the natural action of the man whose focus IS upon the things of God….this flow of Love and grace becomes His natural action.
In the ideas presented in the story of the Samaritan woman we should try to see the overall reality of the Christ, that what He has to offer IS offered to ALL men and while many paint this story as one of confrontation between the Master and the woman, the reality IS that there IS a lesson here that should be understood by ALL who Truly seek God. The lesson IS, from our perspective, one of revelation and realization; here we have the Christ revealed and then realized by the woman who, while a Jew in many respects, IS NOT considered as one by mainstream Jewry. In this we see how that the sense of doctrine that colors the lives of the Jews and their leaders blinds the people to the Truth of the Christ; the Samaritan woman IS free from this burden and, as we read later in the story, so are the others living in her area. And we should recognize here that while the idea of adultery IS NOT in accord with the word of God, the Master DOES NOT withhold aught from this woman who would be considered as sinner…..Jesus offers her this “living water” nonetheless. Here we should try to see that it IS in the idea of her asking for this water that she Repents, that she changes the focus of her Life to the things of God, a Life that she may had been seeing as that it was so focused and which she comes to realize was NOT. It IS this idea of revelation and realization that the Master continues in the following words that the Apostle John shows us in his gospel and it IS this same idea that we find in the fourteenth chapter where the ideas find greater depth in Jesus discourse with His apostles.
In this idea of “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” we should try to see the expression of the Life of the man who keeps His words and, again, that this becomes the natural flow of Life for that man. And we should understand here the idea of the beginning of this Truth for the man in the world, the man who senses the prompting of His own Soul which the Master frames for us saying: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). This IS the start for ALL; in this thirst we find the man who IS seeking the Truth, the man in whom the prompting of his Soul IS heard above the clamor of Life in this world; here again we find the price for this Presence of God, as the flow of “living water” from his Life…the price of keeping His words in the same way as we understand His later ideas that we have been discussing:
- “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. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:23-24).
The latter ideas are deeper and more specific but the realization and the cost ARE the same and here we can also link this idea of “believeth on“, as the responsibility of the man, and the result of “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” as the grace received with the deeper ideas presented as “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12). This IS the greater reality: that the flow of this “living water” from the Life of the man in the world is akin to the reality of “greater works” as it IS in this flow that these works ARE enabled. We should try to see here as well that, regarding the reality of John’s own remarks saying, “But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39), there IS much confusion. Here the idea that this IS the Holy Spirit is a translators insertion; the Truer rendering is just that the Spirit, the Spirit of God in the Life of the man, His Presence if you will, comes to those who keep His words. If we can take these ideas from the more personal perspective we can see the idea of glory in the heart of the man who believes and NOT in the heart of the man who DOES NOT…to this latter man the Spirit “was not yet given” or, better, had “not yet come” or simply was “not yet“. In this light we can see the apostles idea clearer and in accord with his other ideas; Vincent tells us this:
The Holy Ghost (πνεῦμα ἅγιον); The best texts omit ἅγιον, holy, and the definite article is not in the text, so that the strict rendering is simply spirit. Literally, spirit was not yet. Given, in A.V. and Rev., is added to guard against a possible misconception, which, as Alford observes, “no intelligent reader could fall into.” The word spirit, standing thus alone, marks, not the personal Spirit, but His operation or gift or manifestation. Canon Westcott aptly says: “It is impossible not to contrast the mysteriousness of this utterance with the clear teaching of St. John himself on the ‘unction’ of believers (1 John 2:20sqq.), which forms a commentary, gained by later experience, upon the words of the Lord.”4
We must of course separate the doctrine from the reality in these ideas as we must DO in John Gill’s ideas on this same theme; we read: for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]; the word “given” is not in the original text; but is very properly supplied, as it is in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions. The Arabic version renders it, “for the Holy Ghost was not yet come”; he was; he was in being as a divine person, equal with the Father and Son, so he was from everlasting; and he had been bestowed in his grace upon the Old Testament saints, and rested in his gifts upon the prophets of that dispensation . In the annals of doctrine there IS much confusion regarding the Holy Spirit and the reality of the Spirit as we have been trying to understand this in our own discussions. For us the Holy Spirit and the Presence of God in one’s Life ARE inseparable and this IS more what we should read in John’s words: that speaking generally there were few, if any save for the apostles, among the people who were keeping His words and it IS in this sense that the idea that the Spirit was not yet come should be understood. And, again, we should see here the parabolic nature of the Master’s saying to the people as He shows the reality of the Presence of God in one’s Life as “living water“.
Our point here IS that ALL of these ideas ARE based in the same reality: that it IS to the man who keeps His words that the fullness of the Spirit of God will come. Whether we call this the Holy Spirit or we call this His Presence, these ARE the same thing viewed from different perspectives and even this idea of perspective fades for the man who has this realization of Truth. It IS in his realization that one finds the Spirit Within, the God and the Christ Within and the Kingdom Within; these ARE, ALL of them, the same Presence and they ARE in and of themselves the reality of revelation and realization…these ARE what IS revealed and it IS within these that ALL Truth resides. We must remember here that it IS our expression of these spiritual ideas that IS the Truth of discipleship and the reality of being accounted worthy of the Kingdom of God. And this expression IS found in keeping His words which IS the expression of Love by the man in the world who lives according to the Truth of His words as we read above in the Great Commandments. This Universal show of Love for ALL men is the linchpin of ALL spiritual accomplishment; and spiritual accomplishment IS the goal and the objective of ALL men regardless of their understanding of this Truth. And it IS Love that IS the central point of keeping His words as we see in the Master’s words above regarding our Love for Him and in this we have said that keeping His words IS the very definition of Love for God and for Christ. We should see in this that for one to keep His words, one must Love ALL men as we read above and that this Love for ALL IS the defining quality of keeping His words as we read from the Apostle Paul’s words saying:
- “if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10).
- “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14).
John IS NOT silent on this idea of Love as the reality of keeping His words; first it IS John that offers us the Master’s words on this that we read above where Jesus equates for us the Truth of Loving Him with keeping His word. This IS NOT only seen in the ideas above which take on a parabolic tone regarding His Presence, but there IS also that most straightforward saying that “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). This IS taken up again by the apostle in his own words as he writes in his epistle that: “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 now 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). In these words we have the essence of the Master’s message hidden behind the apostles sense of language and while we generally comment on the idea of believing on and believing in as the reality of keeping His words, we should see that John’s use of the believe in this context has the same effect. For us this idea is grounded in common sense more than in language or doctrine as IS the whole of the reality of the commandments of God and of the Master. If a man believes that Jesus or the Christ IS the Son of God, the natural effect should be that this man would keep His words, that he would DO the Will of the Lord.
In the dilution of doctrine however this has been changed and this IS a fundamental problem of doctrines that dilute the Truth in order that men can feel better about NOT doing the Will of the Lord. In the context that we have above we should understand that “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ” reflects upon the idea that this person will keep His words because He IS Lord. And the apostle does NOT leave us wanting for clarification as he goes on to say that “this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” which IS a rather direct repetition of the Master’s own words above. And we should recognize that the idea of “born of God” that IS used here IS the same as that is used in our previous selection from John’s Epistle which we repeat again below; there, the context IS entwined with Love, and Love IS ever entwined with keeping His words, yet so many believe that is IS enough to merely assent to the doctrinal factors and the most nebulous ideas of faith.
“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).
And so we have the idea of “rivers of living water” as the expression of the man in the world who IS “born of God“; this IS the expression of Love and this IS keeping His words as these ideas ARE intimately tied together by the whole of the Master’s words and the amplifying and clarifying words of His apostles. In ALL of this we should see the reality of believing; that mere assent IS NOT enough but that one must become a DOER. That men ARE NOT DOERS is a fact of Life in this world where the vanity, the illusion and the glamour of the world, encumber men’s minds and cause the Master’s rhetorical question saying: “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). We should remember here that this IS a timeless question that IS continually in the asking.
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
