ON LOVE; PART DCCCXXVI
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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 ended the last essay with the apostle’s answer to the Master’s words regarding the idea of His speaking to them in parabolic tones followed by His words saying that “At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God” Here again we have the idea of “At that day“, and some other words that had heretofore perplexed them, words that say that Jesus will “leave the world, and go to the Father“. Perhaps it IS the the Master’s telling them about the nature of His teaching them that has caused their response or perhaps they see this as being “that day“, we DO NOT KNOW. We DO KNOW however that He has told them NO new thing and that despite this claim that “we believe that thou camest forth from God“, they still have their share of doubt and uncertainty which continues through to His resurrection.
Of the Eleven there ARE perhaps some who see ALL of Jesus’ words more clearly than others and it IS in this light that we have been discussing the idea of “At that day“, how that this reference IS NOT some instant response from them ALL such as at the Pentecost according to some doctrines but rather that this IS their individual realization of the Truth as it IS revealed to them from their own Souls, their own God and Christ Within…..their own individual sense of the Presence of God in their lives. In a previous verse we read that “in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” and here in our current selection we read that “at that day” they “shall ask in my name” and it IS in this idea that we should try to glimpse the deeper ideas that they DO NOT yet see but which ARE painted for us as we come to understand the Truth of the Presence of God and of the Christ in one’s Life. It IS in the view that the Christ IS in Jesus and that it IS the precepts of God which ARE given by Jesus and that ARE His expression to the world that IS the reality of “in my name“. In this idea we should try to see that His Name carries with it ALL that He IS and ALL that He has taught them…..that this IS NOT simply saying ‘in Jesus Name’ as IS commonplace in the doctrines of men.
The reality of “in my name” should be seen in the same light as we see the ideas of believing and of faith as these are used in the gospels. While the deeper reality IS that sense of KNOWING by degree the Truth by revelation, the idea that IS presented in believing on IS that one keeps His words which IS the precursor to such KNOWING, the precursor to the realization of Truth by the man who DOES so. And so we have in the idea of “in my name“, that when one should ask in this way that one should be asking in such a way that one sees the reality of His Presence and the Power of that Presence. Here, if one DOES NOT have a sense of the reality of His Presence, the asking could be in any name where there IS NO collateral, but, in the reality that it IS through the God and the Christ Within that revelation and realization comes, that the grace of God comes, we should be able to see and to understand the idea that IS hidden behind Jesus’ words and His intent. There IS NO easy way to understand the dynamics of this save to understand that ALL things that come from God, ALL grace, ARE spiritual and in this there IS ONLY the revelations and realizations of Truth….this IS what they ask for and this IS what comes to them from the God Within through the deeper reality of His Name which IS the Truth of the Christ Within.
The more common idea of the simple phrase ‘in Jesus Name’ IS but the diluted reality of the Truth that the Master IS expressing here. John Gill, in His Exposition of the Bible tells us that this idea of “in my name” should be seen as: The medium of access to the Father is the name of Christ; he is the Mediator between God and man, the way of access unto him; whatever is asked, is to be asked on account of his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, and then there is no doubt of success; whatever is asked will be given; his blood within the vail speaks loud for every blessing; his righteousness, God is always pleased with; his sacrifice is a sweet smelling savour: his mediation is powerful; and his name is always prevalent 8. While this too IS doctrine and references for the Eleven ideas that ARE NOT yet in their thoughts, we can see that it IS the value behind His Name that Mr. Gill sees and NOT merely the utterance of those words ‘in Jesus Name’ as the conclusion of a prayer. Vincent gives us a yet deeper insight as He tells us: Prayer is made in the name of Jesus, “if this name, Jesus Christ, as the full substance of the saving faith and confession of him who prays, is, in his consciousness, the element in which the prayerful activity moves; so that thus that Name, embracing the whole revelation of redemption, is that which specifically measures and defines the disposition, feeling, object, and contents of prayer. The express use of the name of Jesus therein is no specific token; the question is of the spirit and mind of him who prays” (Meyer). Westcott cites Augustine to the effect that the prayer in Christ’s name must be consistent with Christ’s character, and that He fulfills it as Savior, and therefore just so far as it conduces to salvation 4.
Again we should try to see the continuity of thought that the Master IS expressing to the Eleven and understand that much of the True meaning of His words and His intent IS lost as these sayings are interpreted individually. The reality of “At that day” should be seen as consistent throughout Jesus usage of this phrase which we see as the more individual sense of their own realization of Truth and of ours….there IS NO reality to the instant dispensing of the Spirit to the gathered disciples at the Pentecost and the True meaning of the Apostle Luke’s rendition of this event has been lost in the doctrines of men. The realization of the Spirit of God, the Presence of God in one’s Life, IS dependent upon the individual man and his own measure of focus upon the things of God; there can be NO other view of this as we read from the Master’s words on how that His Presence comes to a man. We repeat His words again saying:
“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).
To this Truth of the Presence of God in one’s Life we must add His words on the reality of the Holy Spirit and how that this reality of the Presence of God IS afforded to the Eleven; how that the Master’s physical presence with them inhibits their individual realization of the the Truth, the Spirit of Truth if you will, which IS the practical application of that Presence of God that He shows us above. In the simplicity that “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” IS the True KEY to salvation….the True KEY to our being “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). It IS in this Light that we should try to view Jesus words in our current selection which we repeat:
“These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold , the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:25-33).
In the complete thought that IS separated by the Master’s showing them the parabolic nature of His speaking to them, we have the twofold idea that first says that “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing” (John 16:23) and then tells them that “At that day ye shall ask in my name“. In both of these ideas we find the greater spiritual reality that in their own individual realization of the Christ Within, that they will NO longer ask Jesus but will instead address their asking, which IS their seeking for yet more revelation, to the very Nature of the God Within, and they will DO so in the realized Spirit of the Christ Within. Again there IS NO easy way to describe these ideas, words fail us and the deeper Truths CAN ONLY be Truly understood by the man who IS ready to hear such things. And this IS the very nature of the Master’s speech. It IS in this context that we should try to understand that while “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) IS a great and mysterious Truth, that His saying that “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” (John 14:28) offers us a yet deeper view into the Truth of God.
In the deeper ideas that can be discerned in Jesus words saying “I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you” we should try to understand how that they will be on their own, that they will have their own realization of divinity by measure with which to seek yet more revelations of Truth. And the Master takes this idea back to the reality of the Presence of God; as we previously discussed, the idea that “the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God” should bring to mind His words saying that these Eleven, and we after them, have the Presence of God by way of keeping His words as we read above in His saying that “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“. Can we see the clarity that Jesus brings to them?
Perhaps it IS the Master’s simple statement that “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father” that elicits their response that they now understand. From our perspective, it IS ONLY when they can see this through the prism of Truth that reveals the God and the Christ Within in the context of the Christ coming into this world as Jesus and then leaving this world in Unity with the Spirit that IS God, that they DO Truly see. And this IS the reality that the Master IS steadily teaching them as He shows them the great KEY of keeping His words and the Truth of Love throughout His ministry. This IS the reality that HE shows them as He tells them of the Truth of of the Kingdom of God, that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21), and shows them NOT ONLY the Power of the Spirit in the man of God but also tells them that “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). It IS in the totality of His words that we should be able to see how that this IS ALL accomplished by Jesus because of the Christ and the Father that IS Present in Him….the Christ as His own Soul and the Presence of the Father because of His own focus upon the things of God. And it IS the Presence of God in the Life of Jesus in this world that we should read in His own words saying: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10).
Perhaps we should try to see here that each of them DOES have some measure of understanding and realization of the Truths that the Master IS presenting to them in this rather lengthy and deeply spiritual teaching that began at the Supper with Jesus example of Love and service, and with His words regarding the Apostle Judas who was to betray Him, a betrayal that IS little understood by the gospel writers even after the resurrection of the Lord. And perhaps in His many words about the Presence of God, the reality of the Holy Spirit and the Truth that He IS leaving them as a physical presence while assuring them that “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18) that they have some degree of understanding of His revelations to them. We must try to see here that Jesus words ARE intentionally obscured by His parabolic tone and by the reality that there are NOT words yet today to Truly show the spiritual realities that He IS presenting. While the Eleven now claim to have the necessary understanding to KNOW that He “camest forth from God“, we can see from the events that follow that they DO NOT yet fully realize the deeper Truths.
We should try to see here the greater realities of the Presence of God in the lives of the Eleven and of ALL of His disciples; we should try to see how that this Presence IS by measure and that the Presence of God in one’s Life brings with it the Power that IS associated with that Presence, the Power to DO such “greater works” as the Master shows us. There IS NO instant formula that brings this upon a man, nor can there be such in regard to a group of men who ALL have different degrees of realization and grace. As we close today we should look at the words of the Master according to Luke in the Book of Acts and understand how that Jesus shows them that the Holy Spirit, the Presence of God, will come to them as their realization of Truth; we read: “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence” and then His words saying “ye shall receive power,a after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:5, 8).
In these ideas we should still be able to see the individual aspect of Jesus words and how that there IS NO intent in these words to show this as either an instant event or as one that affects them en masse as many doctrines prescribe, doctrines that DO NOT yet see the reality of the Presence of God in the Life of the man who will keep His words.
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.
Repeating a Quote of the Day from the past that has some significance in relation to what we are discussing here, that the Kingdom of God and therefore God is within us ALL and that it IS His Presence which a man realizes by measure as he begins his journey to the Kingdom of God. Here Lord Tennyson poetically tells us just how close God Truly IS and how it is that we touch Him
Speak to Him, thou, for He hears,
and Spirit with Spirit can meet
Closer is He than breathing,
and nearer than hands and feet.
(Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809–1892)
From the poem The Higher Pantheism which puts forth the authors spiritual belief. Whether we agree with him or not, the quote if spiritually perfect for all of Christianity as well as any other world religion.
The thought behind the idea above IS NOT unlike that which we have been carrying as our Quote of the Day for many essays; It IS in the closeness that Lord Tennyson shows us that we should see the idea that “God dwells in the inner part of every man” which we read in the previous Quote of the Day. For us this saying and the previous one show us the closeness of the spiritual self to the Father and then too the closeness of the spiritual self with the personality of man. Men may like to think of God as something outside and above but the reality, as we have seen in so many of the sayings of the Master, is that God is with us and in us and we need only to let ourselves be drawn and to focus upon Him. And, if we can use these words from the Gospel of Thomas here we can perhaps see much: “When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father“
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
