ON LOVE; PART MXXXVI
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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 were reminded of yet another use of the Greek idea of meno, which took up much of our last essay, by the Master , a use that IS also found in our trifecta where it IS rendered as continue. According to the other renderings of that word as abide, Jesus words can be seen as “If ye continue abide in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free“. While it IS easy to see the idea of keeping His word in the rendering of continue, it IS perhaps more meaningful to see the Master’s intent as that men should abide, that they should live in His words. We should try to remember here that each of the gospel writers frames Jesus’ words according to the working of their own personality and that personalities in general can lean toward the emotional, which can be seen as toward the mystical or they can also take a more reasoned and mental approach to Jesus ideas or they may come in a combination of these varied ideas.
The Apostle John’s presentation IS for us a more heartfelt, emotional and even mystical approach to Jesus intent and this idea of meno IS used more often by him than by ALL the others writers combined. John sees the value of this abiding and uses it to show how that a man can ‘live’ in Christ and how that Christ can ‘live’ in man. While we use this idea of abiding and of abode, as this IS rendered from the kindred word meno which IS ONLY used by John, to show how that the deeper idea of anointing IS reference to the Presence of God through this abiding, these words ARE NOT seen by most in these terms. It IS in our own more reasoned and mental approach to the Master’s words that we put the varied ways that His ideas are given to us together and our example from the last post, our example of teaching, DOES clearly show how that this anointing IS the Christ Within and IS the Holy Ghost in the Life of a man and that this IS His Presence as we read again in our trifecta:
- “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free“ (John 8:31-32).
- “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
- “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 idea of abiding in His words we find the Truth and a part of this Truth IS that for the man who will keep His words the Father and the Son will “make our abode with him” In these ideas the man, the Soul which IS the True man in this Earth, and the Words of the Lord become One; the word becomes the Life of the man and the wholeness of the Truth becomes his expression. When we can see this idea of abiding in His words as that this IS the same as abiding in Him, we will more clearly see the deeper aspects of His words on the vine and the branches as well as His words on the Comforter which He tells us “may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16).
It IS in this light also that we should see John’s words on the anointing, the unction; that this IS the teacher and that this teaching IS based in our abiding. The apostle tells us “the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:27). Here again is a duality of abiding, a duality of meno in which the anointing abides in the man and the man abides in Him. It IS this anointing that John shows us our True spiritual teacher and it IS this same message that we get from the Apostle Paul who tells us that “the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual“. In our reasoned approach to this idea of the God Within as the anointing and the Holy Spirit we should also see how that the idea of mystery shows us that this IS also the Christ Within. In Paul’s words that precede our selection from his Epistle to the Corinthians he tells us of the “mystery, even the hidden wisdom” that IS the Holy Ghost; in the more full view of his words we read that:
“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 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 2:9-14).
Here we should see how that this mystery, this “hidden wisdom“, IS “the things which God hath prepared for them that love him“. We should see as well that these things ARE “the deep things of God” and we should be able to understand how that it IS these that ARE the “things that are freely given to us of God“….and it IS these things “which the Holy Ghost teacheth“. And we should remember the KEY here in receiving these things which IS our KNOWING of the Truth: that we must Love Him. This Paul says above and the Master tells us the same in regard to His abiding with us; Jesus says that “If a man love me, he will keep my words” and it IS in DOING so that we gain the Truth. Can we see here how that ALL of this works together and how that these seemingly varied ideas ARE One.
Here then we can add another component of our reasoned approach which IS the reality of the mystery that Paul gives us in different terms but with the same meaning. The apostle tells us that to the man who keeps His words, to the True saint, that “God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory“. This IS “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints” (Colossians 1:27, 26). In these ideas we have the Christ Within, the Holy Spirit, and the anointing or unction and ALL of these ARE the Presence of God which teaches, the same Presence that allowed Paul to KNOW those things that the Master taught His apostles without his being with Him. And it IS the same for us; it IS in keeping His words that we Love Him and that we come to have the realization of Truth; it IS in this that we abide in Him which He shows us as “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).
And we should see the words of John and Paul here as clarifying and amplifying the Master’s words; we should understand that the doctrinal misinterpretations of these ideas ARE founded in Jesus most misunderstood words on the Holy Spirit which He also calls the Comforter and the Spirit of Truth. It IS this teacher, this anointing, this Christ Within, which IS the Soul that Jesus shows us saying “when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13). It IS when we can see these words through His sayings that ARE our trifecta that we can understand the very source of the Truth that we can come to KNOW if we will abide in His words.
While the doctrinal approach IS that this Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ARE singular and individual ‘persons’, the reality IS that the Trinity IS ONE; that the Truth of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit IS that they ARE aspects of the ONE God as we show in the chart that we repeat in every essay. And this Oneness extends beyond the Godhead as each individual Soul, each man as an expression Life here in this world and each that has passed this way but IS NO longer here, IS ONE with this singular God which Paul tells us of saying that “in him we live, and move, and have our being“….and this IS True on every level of existence. The whole of the apostle’s thought as he speaks to the Stoicks and the Epicureans, non-believers if you will, IS yet more far reaching; Paul tells them “in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring” (Acts 17:28).
While many, including Vincent, see Paul’s words as that he is showing that some Greek poets were saying the same thing, a greater reality can be found in alternate renderings of the Greek word genos. While offspring shows us the idea of child, the more frequent rendering IS as kind and if we can see Paul’s words in this context, we can get a glimpse of our spiritual unity and perhaps see how that man, as the Soul, the Christ Within, IS the microcosm to the One God who IS the macrocosm. In this we can see the spiritual relevance of “in him we live, and move, and have our being” and it IS this reality that underlies the entire sense of the mysteries which CAN NOT be grasped in the natural and carnal mind “because they are spiritually discerned“. And we should try to see that this discernment IS that KNOWING, IS that faith, “which the Holy Ghost teacheth“.
When we can see past doctrines and strive to KNOW the Truth by striving to keep His words, the mysteries come to NOT be mysteries at ALL and this because we have found the KEY. When we can understand the dichotomy between the spiritual and the carnal which Paul shows us in our selection from Galatians and when we can come to KNOW how that it IS the man whose focus IS upon God that IS “led of the Spirit“. We can then understand that this leading IS by the Christ Within which IS the anointing, the unction and the Holy Ghost….which IS the Soul which IS the spiritual man in manifestation. It IS here in this sense of KNOWING that we can understand the deeper meanings of the words that Paul offers us as “the works of the flesh” and can see how that the translations and the interpretations have ever been of a carnal nature and have missed the the True spiritual implications because they “they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them“. Repeating the apostles words again we read:
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Galatians 5:17-24).
That doctrines DO NOT see the ideas embedded in the apostle’s list of “the works of the flesh” IS but a part of the illusion in which men live and this IS an illusion that IS clearly depicted for us by the Master as He tells us the role that the spiritual man must play which IS the role of Love as agape. Paul’s list IS of those things that ARE contrary to this role and which ARE contrary to the Great Commandments whose words ARE NOT parabolic but ARE rather centered on the True Way of the man who Truly seeks God. It has been the minds and the emotions of men that have sought out safe harbors in the words of the Master and His apostles and it IS in the minds of men that the self deception, the illusion and the glamour, exist.
There IS however the Truth, the One Truth that pulses throughout this created universe and the whole of this Truth can be found in the reality of Love. It IS this Love, this agape, that IS the expression of men who Truly seek God and it IS this Love that enables one’s expression of “the fruit of the Spirit“, and this despite what appears to be True in carnal terms. As we have discussed, it IS Love that IS the essence of Paul’s entire list….ALL of the other fruits ARE incorporated in this fruit that IS Love. And this Love IS NOT a feeling, it IS NOT an emotional and mental attraction or attachment to any one or any thing in this world; this Love IS a man’s expression of Truth which comes in that faith, that KNOWING which Love unlocks, and here we should see that through Love one comes to KNOW and through KNOWING ones expression of Love IS increased.
Through these ideas we should try to see how that to Love God, which Jesus tells us IS to keep His words, IS to Love the True man, the Inner man who IS the Soul, and in this sense of Love IS the reality of putting the things of God ahead of ALL other things in Life. In the final analysis this Love IS seen in the reality that every thought, every attitude and every action that IS done by the disciple IS in accord with His words and IS directed through His words. And when we read His words without the bias that doctrines engender, we can see how that this IS so.
The Truth of ALL of the Master’s words and the words of His apostles has been substituted with the most common understanding of believing and of faith, understandings that ARE NOT in accord with Jesus own use of these ideas that ARE the Greek words pistis and pisteuo. Pisteuo, believing, has become mere assent while pistis, faith, has become that nebulous character of the man who believes. And it IS easy to see the True intent of pistis from Jesus words which we have discussed several times over this long look at this idea as it IS presented to us in the New Testament. It IS Jesus’ words on having “faith as a grain of mustard seed” (Matthew 17:20) that should give us the clue and it IS His confirming words that set the idea in Truth. This “faith as a grain of mustard seed” IS the the same as to “have faith, and doubt not” (Matthew 21:21) which IS the same as for a man to “not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23).
These three ideas ALL have the same outcome and by reason and logic they ARE ALL the same; and the very idea of having NO doubt IS the reality of KNOWING. We should understand here that this Power of KNOWING IS the privilege of the disciple according to the Master’s words from our trifecta above. Can we see here how that to “know the truth” unleashes the Power of the spiritual man in this world of men and that this Power IS the Power of Christ through one’s expression of the Christ Within through which this KNOWING flows? And the Master gives us His clue regarding the idea of believing as well and while His words ARE NOT accepted at face value by the doctrines of men, the evidence IS found in the Life of both the Apostle Peter and Paul.
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.
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 a Quote of the Day that we spent much time with over the course of our essays. In this affirmation we find the Truth of discipleship as we have been ever been expressing and here we can relate our themes of the last few days; “take no thought” for the things of the world and that we approach the Kingdom and discipleship in the nature of the little child, in humbleness, meekness, unashamed in any way and unassuming. The message that this imparts for us today IS that it IS the Soul that is at work in the world of men as it expresses to some degree the purpose, power and the will through Life in this world. These words are from a meditation offered to his students by our Tibetan brother and in which we find greater understanding of the message of the Master. This IS Truly the way of the disciple.
My Soul has purpose, power and will; these three are needed on the Way of Liberation.
My Soul must foster love among the sons of men; this is its major purpose.
I, therefore, will to love and tread the Way of Love. All that hinders and obstructs the showing of the Light must disappear before the purposes of the Soul.
My will is one with the great Will of God;. that Holy Will requires that all men serve. And unto the purposes of the Plan I lend my little will.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
