ON LOVE; PART MCCXL
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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).
In the last few posts we have been discussing the words of the Apostle Peter from his Second Epistle where we read of becoming “partakers of the divine nature” and then his continuing words that show us the nature of one who IS such a sharer, as Strong’s defines the Greek word koinonos. We discussed how that the King James translators ARE wrong in their rendering of such ideas as “beside this” and “add to your faith” according to Vincent and we noted how that these errors ARE corrected in most other translations. The apostle’s idea IS to show us that such things as ARE listed must be incorporated into one’s faith, which idea IS rendered from pistis, and which should ever be understood as KNOWING rather that that nebulous doctrinal idea of faith.
Where the King James Bible tells us “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Peter 1:5-7) showing us to add one ‘virtue‘ to another, the original 1885 version of the Revised Standard Bible, Vincent’s reference in his commentary, tells us “Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; and in your knowledge temperance; and in your temperance patience; and in your patience godliness; and in your godliness love of the brethren; and in your love of the brethren love“.
Two more ideas we repeat again from Vincent as they hold for us a KEY to understanding the True relevance of being a sharer in “the divine nature“. Mr. Vincent tells us that: the A. V. exhorts to add one virtue to another; but the Greek, to develop one virtue in the exercise of another: “an increase by growth, not by external junction; each new grace springing out of, attempting, and perfecting the other.” Render, therefore, as Rev. In your faith supply virtue, and in your virtue knowledge, etc 4. We should try to see that being a sharer in “the divine nature” comes by degree and that we grow into the fullness of “the divine nature“. As this IS written, the prerequisite of having a share in “the divine nature” IS that one has “escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4) and here we should try to see that the growth IS NOT to become a sharer but to increase our share as we strive to develop one virtue in the exercise of another 4.
Finally we should remember the the idea of ‘virtue‘ IS NOT the common idea of virtues and this Vincent shows us saying that this is: Not in the sense of moral excellence, but of the energy which Christians are to exhibit, as God exerts his energy upon them. As God calls us by his own virtue (2 Peter 1:3), so Christians are to exhibit virtue or energy in the exercise of their faith, translating it into vigorous action 4. If we can see that this idea of energy IS that spiritual energy that perforce flows through the expression of ALL “partakers of the divine nature“, we can then understand some of the more esoteric ideas presented to us by the Master, ideas like moving the mountain, planting the sycamine tree in the sea and ALL of the “greater works” that can be included in the idea 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). Here again we go to Vincent who shows us that to believe in and believe on the Master IS: to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4.
Believing, like faith, IS become a nebulous doctrinal idea for most ALL Christians and here again we should see that to believe IS to KNOW. This IS apparent in Jesus’ teaching on moving the mountain and planting the sycamine tree in the sea and, in the various ways that these ideas ARE presented by the gospel writers, this IS abundantly clear. Vincent compounds this idea in his saying above and while his intent may NOT be so, the idea IS that if one DOES KNOW that Jesus IS Lord, that the ONLY True outcome IS that one DOES: accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life 4. This IS the essence of keeping His words and we should understand that in so DOING one comes to KNOW more and more of the Truth which IS the privilege of ALL “partakers of the divine nature“.
It IS in keeping His words that one can escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust” and become a sharer in “the divine nature” and we should try to see that these ideas ARE ALL folded into each other for the man who Truly strives to DO these things. In striving to keep His words IS also striving to escape and striving to become a sharer in “the divine nature“; these ideas ARE inseparable. We should understand here that ALL of this begins in the idea of True Repentance which IS the conscious decision to follow the Path of the Soul, the Path of the Good, the Beautiful and the True, and to turn one’s focus off of the self and onto the things of God. This decision, when Truly made, IS one’s decision to channel ALL of his thoughts and attitudes away from the ways of the world and we should understand here that this IS NO easy task. We should understand as well that it IS the decision that moves a man and NOT the immediate results of that decision and this decision IS Repentance.
And in many ways this decision IS one’s escape from “the corruption that is in the world through lust” and this although the result may NOT yet be discernable. We ARE dealing here with the complexities of the human psyche which must be overcome by the Truth and it IS here that we should understand the intent of Apostle Paul’s words saying “that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). There IS NO difference between this idea and that presented by Peter; to “present your bodies a living sacrifice” IS NO different than having “escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust“. We should also try to see how that to “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” has the same effect as “in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; and in your knowledge temperance; and in your temperance patience; and in your patience godliness; and in your godliness love of the brethren; and in your love of the brethren love“.
The Life of the disciple and the aspirant to discipleship IS a struggle to overcome “the corruption that is in the world through lust” but this must be understood from the perspective of ALL carnal desires….ALL of the desires for the things of the self and for the self in this world. It IS against such desires that the apostles write and it IS theses ideas of lust and desire that have been turned into the idea that it IS ONLY the egregious sins and sexual sins by the doctrines of men. This doctrinal view IS contrary to the Truth which the Apostle James shows us saying that “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). And this “one point” IS any and ALL ‘offences’ that ARE contrary to His words, any and ALL that ARE contrary to the Truth of the Great Commandments. This then IS the great separation: focus.
And this IS NOT an alien concept for the Christian religions; this IS clearly spoken of by the Master and clarified and amplified by His apostles but the Christian world has been deaf from the beginning. The prophet says “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1) and in this we should see two things: first that while they presume that they DO KNOW the Truth by their doctrines, they DO NOT heed the Truth of His words placing ALL of their ‘faith and believing‘ upon their various theories of atonement rather than the Truth of at-one-ment and True adoption. And second that the “the arm of the LORD revealed” has been revealed as Paul tells us repeating the idea offered by Moses 3500 years ago.
Paul tells us that “I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach” (Romans 10:2-8). While the original words spoken by Moses ARE spoken in regard to the salvation of Israel, Paul’s ARE intended to be understood in more individual terms. Doctrines however DO NOT see the basic repetition of Moses idea as they insert their doctrinal ideas regarding Christ….ideas of righteousness, salvation, and Christ descending “into the deep“.
Both Moses and Paul ARE speaking of the same thing….the word which IS “nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart“. It IS the nebulous idea of faith that IS promoted by the doctrinal church that has caused men to NOT see the similarity of their messages which Moses offers saying “the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” (Deuteronomy 30:14). In their nebulous approach to the ideas of pistis and pisteuo the doctrines of men have replaced “that thou mayest do it” with Paul’s words from the next verses where affirmation and confession become adequate substitutes for “thou mayest do it” which IS keeping His words. There IS NO real trade intended in Paul’s words around which the doctrinal authorities over the centuries have created their various ideas of atonement and salvation.
Paul DID NOT intend to deflate the Master’s words while inflating his own nor did the apostle seek for his words to be the central point of the doctrines of men which ignore the Master’s own words saying “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:31)….words which ARE repeated in ALL three synoptic gospels. It IS the ideas given to the Greek words pistis and pisteuo that have allowed men to create their doctrines of faith where, in a most nebulous way, this becomes the source of one’s salvation and, in an equally nebulous way, the cause for the failures of men who did NOT have sufficient faith to attain their goal. The True exchange that Paul IS making here IS NO change at ALL; it IS rather a change ONLY of perspective. Paul IS taking the Jews from the concrete commandments of the Lord which ARE supplemented by Moses ceremonial ideas that were intended to somewhat control the people and channel them into the commandments, into the more willful Way of KNOWING which IS the reality of pistis.
Paul’s point IS that when one KNOWS God and understands the concept embodied in Jesus’ rhetorical question that asks “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46), one will, without hesitation, keep His words. Paul DOES NOT deflate this idea but enhances it, clarifies it and amplifies it throughout his writings that show us the Way of the man who IS Truly ‘saved‘. While there IS much difficulty in achieving this goal of KNOWING as one traverses that terrain between being purely human and being the ‘saint’, this difficulty has been painted as impossible by the doctrines of men who DO NOT Truly see the end point. It IS the purveyors of such ideas of impossibility that have taken their selected points from the apostle’s writings, added some ‘faith‘ ideas from the Old Testament so as to support this position, and created such doctrines as will free them from the need to “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24).
While this IS DONE purposefully, it IS NOT DONE maliciously; this IS DONE in the vanity of men; it IS in the trap of their illusion and glamour that they seek out the words and phrases that will enable them to feel ‘saved‘ and which will put them onto an emotional high which IS then mistaken for a relationship with the Lord. In this many believe that they KNOW God and that they hear the Lord leading them and, while there ARE some for whom this IS somewhat True, some who have a measure of revelation and realization, for the most part their leading IS from their own personalities….their minds and their emotions reacting to the world. There IS a test however, a way that men can Truly ascertain that they KNOW the Lord. This IS painted for us in Jesus’ words and in the words of His apostles but the idea IS NOT so clearly stated except by the Apostle John who tells us that “hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4).
But the doctrines of men DO NOT see this Truth because it IS NOT in accord with their own doctrinal approach and while some parts of the church may recognize the need to keep His words, they place this secondary to their doctrinal precepts. Most ALL however believe that they KNOW God and try to lead others to KNOW Him without they themselves understanding the Truth that John presents and, while they DO NOT see this Truth as the Way, they will entertain other words from the apostle that ARE more in accord with their doctrinal approach to the Lord. Doctrines will accept the apostle’s words saying that “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15) rather than understand that “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” and this despite the Master’s own words regarding the Presence of God which we show 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).
Here in our trifecta we see Jesus’ own Truth regarding a man’s being able to say that “God dwelleth in him“; it IS clear here that that such requires far more than merely saying such words or even believing that such words ARE True. Jesus tells us that it IS “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them” who will have the Presence of God and it IS this that He explains to Judas who asks for clarification of this Truth saying that it IS to this man who “will keep my words” that “we will come unto him, and make our abode with him“; this IS the True salvation. The doctrinal view, based in the idea of confession, require that one merely say the words, perhaps with some conviction. It IS this same view that IS applied to Paul’s words which follow his ‘updated’ version of Moses words which we discuss above; words that have become the way of ‘salvation‘ in the doctrines of men. Paul says “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
For a clearer look at the idea behind the Greek word homologeo which IS rendered as confess(ion) we look to the Master’s words saying “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). Vincent gives us an deeper interpretation of the idea which, while specific to Jesus’ words, can be carried forward to the other uses of homologeo cited above. Mr. Vincent tells us of the words rendered “confess me” that: A peculiar but very significant expression. Lit., “Confess in me.” The idea is that of confessing Christ out of a state of oneness with him. “Abide in me, and being in me, confess me.” It implies identification of the confessor with the confessed, and thus takes confession out of the category of mere formal or verbal acknowledgment. “Not every one that saith unto me, ‘ Lord! Lord!’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The true confessor of Christ is one whose faith rests in him. Observe that this gives great force to the corresponding clause, in which Christ places himself in a similar relation with those whom he confesses. “I will confess in him.” It shall be as if I spoke abiding in him. “I in them and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me” (John 17:23) 4.
Our point here IS that the doctrinal approach to the Lord IS ever willing to accept their interpreted idea of confession regarding the Master, interpreted into mere formal or verbal acknowledgment, which DOES NOT see the depth of the idea as this IS presented by Vincent, that of confessing Christ out of a state of oneness with him. This Oneness IS that which comes according to John’s words on KNOWING God and the Master’s words from our trifecta. We should understand that this sense of KNOWING IS based in the reality of pistis and pisteuo; this sense of KNOWING is absolute in the same way as Jesus tells us that “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. To KNOW God IS to KNOW the Truth; these ideas ARE inseparable.
Our greater point here IS found in the misinterpretation of the Greek words used in the New Testament, a misinterpretation that IS both a purposeful and a convenient tool used from the beginning as men search for their own nebulous idea of ‘salvation‘. It IS in one’s measure of KNOWING the Truth that IS God that one can begin to properly discern the Master’s words and the words of His apostles and this measure ONLY comes according to such ideas as we find in our trifecta. It IS in one’s individual measure of revelation from the Christ Within that he can KNOW and it IS in one’s realization, one’s understanding and use of this revelation, that one can begin to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind“. It IS this renewing “that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” and here the idea rendered as prove should be understood as discern which IS yet another way that such KNOWING can be absolute.
The relationship between KNOWING and discerning IS NOT obscure and here we should try to see that in discernment we have the ability to KNOW the difference and then to KNOW the Truth. To discern “what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” IS to KNOW this from what IS NOT and if we apply this idea to Jesus’ words we can then see that to “know the truth” also includes one’s ability to KNOW what IS NOT the Truth. In Paul’s words there IS NO thing to prove but there IS much to discern and while the bible dictionaries show us dokimazo in terms of testing 9, 9a, we should try to see that this IS accomplished in that ability to discern which comes as one IS being “transformed by the renewing of your mind“. But this Transformation and renewing ARE NOT automatic in the Life of the man who sees himself as “born again” according to his doctrines, this Transformation and renewing come as the result of one’s DOING as the apostle beseeches us to saying that we should “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
It IS in our realization of the Truth that we can begin to discern and to KNOW; such realization comes through the Presence of God in one’s Life which, according to the trifecta, comes through keeping His words. And so it IS in the reality of confession from the Greek word homologeo; this IS NOT mere formal or verbal acknowledgment but IS rather an expression of that Oneness of the confessor with the confessed and we should try to see here how that ALL these ideas of Oneness with the Lord ARE connected through the idea of keeping His words. Such Oneness, such adoption and such at-one-ment ARE NOT possible through doctrinal precepts alone; such Oneness must perforce incorporate the Truth.
In coming back then to our earlier discussion on sin and evil we should be able to understand the doctrinal failure IS that most ALL DO NOT incorporate the Truth. That much of the ideas in the doctrinal view ARE sinful IS NOT in dispute, it IS the doctrinal understanding of the True depth of this idea of sin that IS; it IS this doctrinal understanding which fails to discern the Truth as this IS expressed in the New Testament. Again this IS shown us by the Master in such ideas as that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24) but this idea IS also diluted by the doctrinal approach to the Lord and made to be ONLY about money and wealth. Mammon here IS an untranslated word which most tell us IS of Chaldean origin; Thayer’s shows us the uncertainty of the term saying that: mammon (Chaldean מָאמונָא, to be derived, apparently, from אָמַן; hence, what is trusted in (cf. Buxtof, Lex. chald. talmud. et rabbin. col. 1217f (especially Fischer edition, p. 613f) 9. While we have no idea what these Hebrew words ARE, we ARE attracted to the meaning given for mammon: what is trusted in; this IS offered before and in addition to the ideas of treasure and riches where it is personified and opposed to God 9.
If we can see mammon as ALL that IS trusted in we can then perhaps glimpse the idea of the self in this world and understand this as that it IS this sense of self that IS opposed to God and here we have that choice of serving either God or mammon. Doctrinally, even under the idea of riches, most ALL men ARE NOT in accord with this idea as most ALL men DO strive for riches and wealth in this Life, some even encouraged on that path by their doctrines, yet they maintain their own sense that they KNOW “what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God“. The True idea of mammon IS concealed behind the hypocritical doctrinal ideas on wealth and riches; the hypocrisy here IS found in the human condition which most always IS focused upon the self contrary to the Master’s teaching that one’s focus should be on the Lord….He should be the treasure.
The Master’s message here in Matthew’s Gospel IS that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21); it IS this that leads us into Jesus’ words on mammon and the choice of which to serve. We should try to see what IS readily apparent but unadmitted by the doctrinal thinker and that IS that mammon IS sin; that ALL that IS opposed to God, ALL that IS opposed to Truth and the goals of the Great Commandments, IS equally sin. We close to day repeating James words above in their context through which we should see that the subject IS Love and the expression of it; he says: “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” (James 2:8-10). This brings us then to the final idea of sin, that hamartia IS ALL thoughts, attitudes and actions that ARE contrary to His words which ARE tied to the Truth of agape by Paul who tells us:
“Owe no man any thing, but agapao one another: for he that agapao 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 agape thy neighbour as thyself. Agape worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore agape is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:8-11).
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 |
Quote of the Day:
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts
- 1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913 from https://1828.mshaffer.com/
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
