IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 1179

ON LOVE; PART DCCLXVIII

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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 reality of Love and the spiritual and scriptural connection between the Truth of this Love as our expression toward ALL men and the reality of keeping His words, how that to DO the one IS to DO the other. While we have broached this topic many times over the course of our blog, there IS additional reality in our current view as we see also the relationship between one’s keeping His words and the Presence of God in his Life and see that this Presence IS ONLY afforded to the man who DOES keep His words. Moreover, that a man keeps His words IS also the determining factor, the very definition if you will, of the Love that a man has for God or for the Christ as this IS painted for us by the Master. And we should ever remember here that it IS in the expression of the man in the world, his thoughts, his attitudes and his actions among men, that show the reality of this Love for God as the man who Truly does Loves ALL men in the spirit of the Master’s teaching. And this has been our ongoing point over the last several posts: that this Love that we MUST express to ALL men is intimately tied to the ideas above in the Great Commandments and in the reality of the Golden Rule and it IS these ideas that the Master expounds throughout His teachings. It IS also the teaching of His apostles who give us this same idea of Love and, while we offer again these ideas from the Apostles Paul and James, we should understand that these are but the most direct pronouncements of the fundamental Truth that we can find in ALL of their teachings. We repeat again:

• “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery , Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal , Thou shalt not bear false witness , Thou shalt not covet ; and 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 13:8-10).
• “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5;14).
• “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill . Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law” (James 2:8-11).

Here we find the Truth that if we can Love ALL men as the Master teaches, we ARE per force keeping His words and conversely, if we are keeping His words, we ARE per force Loving ALL men. And there should be no mystery here for the man who can discern the ideas presented in the light of day, away from the conflicting doctrines of the churches and away from the self centered and carnal thoughts, attitudes and actions of men which have devised such doctrines that DO NOT see the Truth of the Master’s words. We should be able to see in the sayings above the reality of Love and that if we DO NOT Love we ARE NOT keeping His words and this regardless of how one may view these realities. We should see as well that in the equanimity of this Love there IS the additional Truth offered to the man who may believe that he Loves his brother and his neighbor: that if he DOES NOT see them as deserving of equal measures of this Love, that he IS yet in sin; here James goes so far as to show us that this failure at Love, this failure to Love ALL men equally, IS akin to any other transgression of the law.

Perhaps it is for this reason, the reason of the sin that ALL men have when they DO NOT Love as the Master instructs, that doctrines have been devised  with ways that can artificially ameliorate this burden of sin. Here we should try to understand that just as the idea of Love is misunderstood and misrepresented in this world, so IS the idea of sin. Love IS NOT the emotional and mental attraction and the attachment to persons and things in this world and sin IS NOT the gross offences against the individual commandments of God nor the teachings of the Master. Love IS simply treating ALL men as we would ourselves desire to be treated, treating ALL with the same measure of respect and according to ALL what we would accord to ourselves. And sin IS, in the complex simplicity of the ideas of the apostles above, simply our failure to DO this; sin IS our focus upon the self and the things of the self in preference to the things of God. It IS in this reality that we should understand the idea that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In the end we will find that it IS Love that IS the KEY to ALL and this reality IS NOT so much hidden as it IS plainly just NOT seen by the man whose focus IS upon the “treasures upon earth” rather than upon the “treasures in heaven“; the man who sees the carnal Life as of importance over the spiritual or who has NOT yet seen the Truth that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:19, 20, 24).

So much of the confusion of men as regards the idea of God and of spiritual matters IS tied to the misrepresentations of those who take authority, misrepresentations that ARE based in the illusion and the glamour, the vanity according to Paul, of men who have confused the spiritual with the carnal throughout history. And we should understand that this confusion IS the expected result of the illusion with which men are afflicted and that it IS the teachings of scripture, the teachings of the Master and His apostles, that ARE intended to break down this illusion and to show forth the Truth for the man who can see and hear the inner voice of His own God and Christ Within, his own Soul. This IS the reality to those words from Paul to the Romans and to us ALL, those words that set forth the plight of men and the promise of True salvation; we read again his words saying: “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21-22). In these words we have the reality of the ‘fall of man’ and,in the subjection to vanity we have the Plan of God. And, in the promise of deliverance, we have the reality of the Presence of God in one’s Life, a Presence from which the man IS separated by his focus upon his Life in this world. While we have reconstructed these words to show our view of this reality, that God has NO need for hope and that this sense of hope IS not based in this deliverance, we should note that the same effect can be seen in the King James rendering of this. In our view of this we have the Plan of God and His expectation that ALL will be delivered and if this understanding can be read into the following verses, much clarity can be derived. This however IS NOT our concern for today; today we are focused upon Love as the reality of keeping His words and the combination of these ideas as that action in the world that will result in the Presence of God in one’s Life; that it IS the vanity or the sense of separation from God, this: perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends ⁴ as Vincent shows us, that must be overcome by the man in the world under the Power of his own Soul.

It IS when a man can see through the illusions and the glamours of mammon, it IS when a man can reflect in his carnal mind the thoughts and attitudes from his own Soul which are trying to influence his Life, that a man can begin to walk upon the Path that leads to that strait gate which opens into the Kingdom of God. This IS the journey toward deliverance which Paul speaks of, the journey to that state where one can see how that it IS the “bondage of corruption” that IS this Life in form for the man whose focus IS upon these things of the world that ARE, in their entirety, the reality of mammon. It IS this journey that brings a man the Presence of God as it IS in the revelations and the realizations found on this Path to God, it IS in this grace, that we come to that point of Union of the God Within and the consciousness of the man in the world. It IS in this Union that we find the Truth that this IS the very expression of Love by the man in the world and that this IS the end point of Paul’s ideas that we show above; the apostle tells us: “we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:22-23). It IS the reality of this idea of adoption that Paul shows us as the end point to the ever growing measure of grace that we  find in striving to keep His words; an end point for which he himself waits as he includes himself among those who have the “firstfruits of the Spirit“, which IS the measure of grace and of His Presence that IS heretofore achieved. In the end there IS the adoption, the Union if you will, of the man and his expression to the world and here we should see the reality that this expression IS that of Love for ALL in the Life of the man in the world. We can see this in idea more clearly from the words of Vincent who, quoting Mr. Merivale, says: the adopted son of God becomes, in a peculiar and intimate sense, one with the heavenly Father ⁴; it is this that they see as the force of the Greek word huiothesia. From a different perspective Paul gives us more understanding of this idea of adoption and none can be found contrary to Vincent’s and Mr. Merivale’s ideas above; we read:

• “Now I say , That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:1-6). In the light of our ideas above and across our blog, can we see the reality of vanity in the idea that the heir, the Soul that IS born into this world, remains as such; that being “under tutors and governors” IS the reality of his nurturing and that the “time appointed of the father” IS the awakening of the heir to his own Truth? And the apostle relates for us the idea of children with this “bondage under the elements of the world” which IS the same “bondage of corruption” of which we read above. In Paul’s words this IS the state of mankind and it IS the Advent of the Christ that IS the cause for Redemption; it IS by His example and His teaching and it IS in following His Truths “that we might receive the adoption of sons“. It IS to the man who IS lost in the vanity, lost in the illusion and the glamour, that “God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts” and here we should understand that the apostle IS speaking to men who have somewhat of this grace and its revelation.
• In the apostle’s thoughts at the beginning of his letter to the Ephesians we read: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:3-5). Here again we have ideas that ARE NOT as they are represented in the doctrines that DO NOT see the reality of man and the nature of God. We should understand here that there IS a reality to the anointing, the unction, that we ALL receive or, better, that we ALL ARE. It IS this idea of the Soul, the Christ and the God Within, that should be understood and here we should see the global idea of grace as the “spiritual blessings” and the idea of “heavenly places in Christ” as the Truth that the “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21) as the Master tells us. And in the Truth it IS the eternal Soul that IS “in him before the foundation of the world“, we should realize that it IS in this divine nature that we ARE “holy and without blame before him in love“. This IS the spiritual reality of men that ARE “made subject to vanity“, that ARE “in bondage under the elements of the world“; this IS the divine nature of man that IS covered in the parabolic manner of the apostle’s writing as he protects the mysteries of Life from the understanding of the man who IS NOT yet ready, in the same manner as did Jesus. And we ARE predestined albeit not in the ways that doctrines represent; we are predestined in the manner of the apostle’s words to the Romans as he tells us that we “shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. This idea that is rendered as “according to the good pleasure of his will” IS better understood as His GoodWill and this is rendered as the “purpose of His will” by some and by another as “according to his goodwill and plan“. In either rendering of this idea we should see again the global characteristic of His Love and His grace as this applies to the lives of men in this world.

When we can understand the nature of the apostles’ writings; that these ARE directed at men who see somewhat of the Light of Truth and ARE intended to strengthen them and to clarify and amplify the Master’s words, we can then see the reality of our own lives and the effect of the illusion and the glamour of Life upon ourselves and those around us. In ALL of these ideas from Paul’s writings we should be able to glimpse the reality of Life in this world and the need to escape from “the corruption that is in the world through lust“; it IS here that we realize the promise of His Presence, and His Love and grace, and understand that these ARE ALL the same thing. It IS here in this escape that we come to Love and to keep His words and that we can come to see the “great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). While it may seem that we have gone off of our subject of Love and keeping His words, ALL of these ideas are related to this focus upon and expression of our divine nature in the world. This IS His Presence and this IS the reality of being “partakers of the divine nature” which IS the nature of the Christ and the God Within; it IS this that we must express according to the Great Commandments and it IS this that IS the reality of Love which we can perhaps see now more clearly today  in these words from the Apostle John which DO, in their own parabolic way, say the same things.

“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. 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 4:7-5:5).

And we leave here for another day our sayings from Paul on the ideas of discernment, the expression of one’s measure of grace received, and the reality of the Holy Spirit with the intent to get back to this in the next essay:

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:12-14).

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

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