IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 1200

ON LOVE; PART DCCLXXXIX

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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. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God

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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 ARE coming to the end of our long discussion on the ideas of grace as these are presented to us in the words of Jesus and of His apostles. In the last essay we went back to the those points that we discovered near the beginning of our work where, in the words of the Master, we find the idea of reward and grace in the same group of sayings. These sayings which ARE presented by Matthew and Luke relate these ideas for us and show us that grace IS the reward for our expression of Love and it IS unfortunate that doctrines DO NOT see this reality; it IS in this failure to see that many have chosen to render the Greek word charis as thank, as credit, and as other similar ideas that fall short of the nebulous reality of grace. We have premised that this view of charis in Luke’s words “if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?” IS based in the doctrinal ideas of the free grace of God as this IS presented by the Apostle Paul and interpreted by doctrines that DO NOT see the difference between the global sense of grace and the individual realization of that grace in the Life of the man in this world. When we can see that grace IS ALL things that come from the Godhead: ALL revelation offered globally in the Life of the Christ from the perspective of the man in the world as well as ALL things that give men sustenance plus the reality of the essence of the Life of the True man as part and parcel of God from the perspective of the True man, the Soul, we can see a picture of the global grace that effects every man.  It IS in the realization of one’s divine nature and of the Truth of the teachings of the Master as the revelation of Truth that come to a man from His own Christ Within, his own anointing, that we have the individual sense of grace which allow men better understand his own relationship to God. These three ideas are our view of grace which remains as a nebulous idea in the many doctrines, the many differing views of the denominations and the sects of Christianity, and we of course have barely touched upon the totality of the things that DO come to man from God.

We should try to see here again how that the global ideas of grace ARE the free gift of God for the man in the world from a religious perspective and we should try to understand here how that this global grace IS the allowance by which a man lives which Paul shows us saying: “in him we live , and move , and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Here we should understand that this realty IS True on every level of Life: our Life in this world as men and our Life as divine beings trying to express that divine nature in this world. This IS our sense of the global grace of God which IS the free gift of His Presence in the world of men but NOT in their individual lives. In the individual Life of a man the idea of grace IS still His Presence but it goes further so that it IS the revelation and the realization of that Presence in the consciousness of the man in the world; it IS in this grace that a man KNOWS the Truth as it IS revealed by His own Soul. This IS the reality behind the Apostle John’s words regarding the unction, the anointing which ALL men have but which goes unrealized and, as we have seen though our discussion on the words used by the apostle, this unction, this anointing, IS the Christ Within, the Soul of every man. When we can understand that the apostles ARE speaking to disciples and to aspirants in their epistles, we can better understand the reality of John’s words saying “ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” (1 John 2:20); It IS here that we should see that this KNOWING IS based in the individual grace that comes to a man as the revelation by the anointing and the realization of  Truth in the consciousness of the man in the world.

It IS in the discernment that comes in this sense of grace, a discernment that sees and KNOWS the Truth by measure, that IS the privilege of the man who strives to keep His words and, as we read below in our selection from the Epistle of John, the man “of God” will Truly KNOW his own place and his own shortcomings as a disciple of the Lord. And this KNOWING, this realization of the Truth, this discernment, this Presence of God in one’s conscious Life in this world, IS the individual grace of God that comes to a man in the same measure by which he can Truly keep His words. We should see in these words from John how that this idea that “we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” IS so intimately tied to our own expression of Love. It IS this expression of Love that IS the fruit of our measure of grace and it IS this expression of Love that we are cautioned on by the apostle as he tells us “let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth“; it IS in one’s expression of Love that “we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him“. This expression of Love IS the way by which we ourselves KNOW that we are in accord with His words and this expression of Love IS the way by which we KNOW that we ARE “doers of the word, and not hearers only“….that we ARE NOT “deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). This reality of Love IS the first and final expression of the Truth of our own divine nature in this world and the ultimate Truth of keeping His words as Paul shows us saying “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14). And this IS the essence of John’s words below: that we Love “in deed and in truth” and not be deceived by the easier ways of the world nor the teaching of men whose own sense of Truth IS carnally focused:

“whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come ; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 John 3:17-24, 4:1-6).

John shows us that to have this expression IS to have the Presence of God and to have the Presence of God one must have this expression and it IS in this circular reference that we see the steady flow of grace into the the Life of the man in the world; a grace that comes by measure as one strives to keep His words and to Love. This IS the reality of the reward that we read about in the gospels, the reality of the grace that comes in one’s expression of Love for ALL men as the Master shows us in the Sermon on the Mount and in the Great Commandments that we have again at the top of our essay. In the Sermon we read that we should “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:27-31). It IS in this context that the Master tells us about charis which should be rendered as “what grace have ye?” rather than what thank or what credit or favor. And it IS in this same context that Matthew interprets the Master’s thoughts to say “what reward have ye” (Matthew 5:46) which IS our established link of these ideas and our first view of the reciprocal action by which grace comes into the Life of a man in this world. But we need NOT rely upon these views of the Master’s words here in the Sermon as we also have His words from the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John where we read more specifically about the reciprocity; of the reality that grace IS the reward for keeping His words.

“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. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, 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 14:21-24).

In the reality that His Presence IS found in this idea of manifesting and that this manifesting IS the realization of His Presence in one’s Life we have another idea that presents itself in a circular pattern and in this we should see the idea that IS presented as abode above in same way as we see the dwelling in as this IS presented by the apostle above. The reality of ALL of these ideas IS the same and ALL ARE shown to be the result, the reward, to the man who keeps His wordws. And this IS the rub as seen by doctrines that teach that the man in the world has little responsibility for his own salvation save to believe and to confess according to the doctrines of his particular denomination or sect. For us ideas that have been hatched in the carnal minds of men over the centuries since the Master left us and while the adherence to doctrines DOES keep many closer to the Lord, the Truths that He teaches us go largely unheeded. It IS for us as aspirant and disciples of the Master to see past the doctrinal approaches to God and to understand that the reality of His message IS that we keep His words and that it IS in the circular reality of this undertaking that a man can Truly approach and come closer to God and understand his own unique relationship to the Lord. We must remember that it IS this circular idea that the Master shows us in His many sayings that those that have will receive more and we should understand that in the Truth of such having IS the expression of that which has been revealed and which IS realized in the individual Life of a man. Jesus offers this idea several times in the gospels and the reality that should be understood in each of these IS that what one may have IS a spiritual idea and NOT a carnal one….that it IS the spiritual idea, the spiritual realization that grows:

• In speaking with His disciples about the mysteries of the Kingdom we read: “Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” (Matthew 13:11:13). We should try to see the idea of the growth of the Kingdom in the man who heeds the Truth, that in him the Truth will grow. Conversely, those who DO NOT see or hear the Truth of the Life of the Master and His teachings shall not only remain in the carnal state in which they exist but will become ever more confounded by the Truth. We should try to see as well that this idea of heeding IS the KEY, in this a man begins to live in accord with the spiritual impulses that flow as the prompting of his own Soul, or else he continues to shut out the prompting to the Good, the Beautiful and the True and attends only to his own carnal cares.
• In another place the Master uses this same idea that those who have some spiritual reality in their lives will gain more to show us the deeper ideas of the Parable of the Talents; we read:
  • For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying , Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We should remember here that this IS a parable and that the story itself IS NOT important: it IS what one discerns from the story that IS of moment. We should see that the idea of the talents IS just that, the spiritual talents that a man has in this world which we can see as the reality of the prompting of one’s own Soul and his realization of this prompting in his consciousness, a realization that IS based in one’s focus upon the things of God. The man who had the most realization continues to gain more and here we read five for five which shows the degree of growth; likewise the man who has less realization still gains but as a slower rate; he experiences slower growth and we should try to see here how that he now has four and will gain based upon this in the next realization of growth. This the Master explains as “every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance” as He explains also the plight of the man who has NO such realization or, rather, the man who has the same prompting but has NOT heeded it. This man IS left in a state where he IS shutting out even the most basic spiritual instincts, instincts that we should understand in the reality of keeping His words and NOT in the ordinary view of doctrines. This shutting out IS NOT an evil thing as we understand that word, it IS the reality of remaining focused upon the world and the things of the world over the things of God which ARE the focus of the others who ARE praised as the “good and faithful servant“. And what IS the outer darkness but the idea of remaining in this world and NOT realizing the Truths of the Kingdom of God.

• As we proceed to our final point here, we should remember that the parable IS offered as a comparison to the Kingdom of God and in this we should see the working of the Kingdom in man, how that it grows by the same measure as one invests into its growth. While we do not address the parable here directly, we do do so in In the Words of Jesus parts 104 and 105 and in a summary in part 108; we also address the idea of having and getting in part 188. Our next view of this idea that those who have some spiritual reality in their lives will gain more IS from the Gospel according to Mark where we read the Master’s words, again to His disciples alone to show them the deeper reality of the Kingdom of God. Mark shows us these words from the Master just after Jesus explains to His disciples the deeper meanings of the Parable of the Sower; we read: “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.  For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath” (Mark 4:22-25). In this idea of hearing we should read the deeper meaning of perceiving and relate this to our understanding of the realization of the spiritual Truths that ARE the revelation to the man whose focus IS upon the things of God. From another place Vincent gives us his view of this sense of hearing; in his commentary on Luke 6:27 we read: Which hear; With the sense of hearing in order to heed: giving heed ⁴. While we ARE NOT in total agreement with Mr. Vincent here, the point of giving heed IS what we need to understand as we realize that hearing can come in so many forms other that the physical sense. It IS giving heed that shows one’s perception of what one hears, it IS in giving heed that we KNOW our realizations.

We did not intend to go this far into this idea that those who have some spiritual reality in their lives will gain more but this IS an important part of the Master’s teaching and a part that IS NOT seen by many in the way that this IS intended. We should see as well how that this idea follows upon the ideas on unction and anointing that we have from John.

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