ON LOVE; PART MDXVI
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ
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).
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ
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.
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ
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).
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ
We ended the last essay with the Master’s words that epitomize the reality of our expression of agape in this world. The Master tells us “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). We came to this saying through the last part of our trifecta against which we were showing the equality of keeping His words and expressing agape. This saying captures two points from Jesus’ 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, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). The first point IS simply that if we believe that we Love the Lord and DO NOT keep His words we ARE at best showing an emotional idea that, while promoted by much of the church, DOES NOT satisfy the criteria of Love for the Lord which IS clearly stated. The clarity of the Master’s words IS NOT interpretable; nor IS the reality that keeping His words requires that we answer in the positive Jesus’ rhetorical question “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). While there ARE two approaches to satisfying this criteria, actually DOING “the things which I say” and expressing agape Love to ALL as state of mind. The former idea IS largely responsible for the state of the church today as most ALL see the improbability of their being able to follow the ‘letter’ of the law let alone following the spirit of the law. The latter idea, expressing agape then as the Way par excellence to keep His words, seems to be a hidden factor in the spiritual uplifting of the masses and we should note that much of the problem here IS the misunderstanding of the doctrinal ideas of faith versus works. This we discussed briefly in the last essay as we use Paul’s own words to establish the idea that “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14). While the idea that our expression of agape Love IS the Way to keeping His words remains a hidden factor, the Master’s words from His Parable of the Sheep and the Goats should have been able to reach out to men and allow them to see the idea that our Love for the Master and for the Godhead IS intimately tied to our expression of agape Love to ALL. Perhaps, as we alluded to in the last post, the reason here IS that this parable IS viewed ONLY for its eschatological value which, from our perspective, IS a totally wrong approach to understanding His words.
The very idea of the parable IS agape Love and we should apply the same comparison to this parable as we DO to the Master’s words to His disciples that ARE the third part of our trifecta. While the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats IS told from the perspective of the king, we should try to understand this king as the lord of his domain much like the Master’s IS the Lord of His domain. As to the sheep and the goats, these ideas have NOT been completely explained by the church which sees the separation as between the good and the evil or, in more doctrinal terms, those that ‘believe‘ and those that DO NOT. There IS a reality to His words which we should try to uncover as to better comprehend the overall message but the specific message remains as you express agape to your neighbor, your fellow man with NO “respect to persons” (James 2:9), you ARE showing forth your Love for the Master. To be clearer, let us look again at the full Parable of the Sheep and the Goats; the Master tells us:
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:31-46).
There IS much going on here in Jesus’ words and we should begin at the beginning where the stage IS set. While most believe that the reference of “When the Son of man shall come in his glory” IS to the ‘second coming’ this need NOT be the way that the idea IS understood….we must remember that this IS a parable. One of the definitions of a parable in the lexicon IS that a parable IS: an earthly story with a heavenly meaning 2 and this IS the way that we will begin as we remember the Master’s words saying “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand” (Luke 8:10). Two things here; first the you in the Master’s statement ARE His disciples and, for us, the idea applies by extension to ALL who Truly strive to keep His words and live in accord with His dictates. Remember here also Jesus’ words saying “Go ye therefore, and teach make disciples of all nations persons” (Matthew 28:19) which we interpret into acceptable changes from the King James text through the definitions of the Greek words and the use of them in other translations. The idea here IS to “make disciples of all nations persons” and while this has ever been a lofty goal, it IS the goal of True religion. The second thought regarding Jesus’ words regarding His use of parables IS simply that so many Christians believe that they have this KEY to the mysteries while the fail to understand the perplexities of and the criteria for being His disciple. Here again we have deception, the same self-deception that James shows us saying “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). We have often discussed the Master’s criteria for discipleship and here we will rely ONLY upon the first part of our trifecta where the reality IS that we must keep His words in order to be His “disciples indeed“. For clarity we repeat our trifecta of the Master’s words saying:
- “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).
That many Christians believe that they ARE disciples IS based in the doctrinal instructions that they receive and the diluted ideas of discipleship that such doctrines teach. And, this idea of discipleship, like other spiritual ideas, IS defined by the lexicons and the commentaries in carnal terms that ignore the Master’s words and the intent of them. Regarding the Greek word mathetes which IS rendered as disciple, the lexicon offers ONLY that a mathetes IS: a learner, pupil, disciple 2 equating the three terms. Strong’s 9a and Thayer’s offer us the same ideas while Thayer’s goes on to discuss the twelve disciples, singling them out as beyond the scope of their defining statement adding that: in a wide sense, in the Gospels, those among the Jews who favored him, joined his party, became his adherents 9. Our point here IS simply that while so many believe that they understand the gist of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, they Truly ONLY understand what their doctrines have shown them regarding it. Understanding that the subject parable IS NOT as it IS perceived by many, as an eschatological statement, IS our starting point for understanding the final idea that the Master brings forth to us which IS that “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me“. We must try to understand here that the church as a whole has taken the ideas of this parable into their doctrines but in a largely superficial way and, for most, without seeing the spiritual import. Nor DO they see its effect on the Great Commandment saying “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” plus the defining idea offered by the Master in our trifecta that shows us how it IS that we can Truly Love Him through our expressions of agape. Let us begin here with the idea of the separation of the sheep and the goats, a subject that we have broached in at least one past essay. First we must remember that this IS a parable and that the totality of the ideas presented DO NOT have to be as an earthly story but can be a mixture of earthly and spiritual ideas. We begin with the “Son of man” which IS a largely undefined term used by the Master. Vincent tells us that the idea did have some Messianic value in the Old Testament citing the Book of Daniel and to show us: a circumlocution for man, with special reference to his frailty as contrasted with God 4. Vincent goes on to tell us that the Master’s use of the term IS at times used when: acquiescing in the title “Son of God,” addressed to himself, he sometimes immediately after substitutes “Son of Man”4. Cited examples of this ARE in the Master’s introduction to Nathanael in the first chapter of John’s Gospel and in His questioning by the high priest as He IS asked to “tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). Vincent goes on to tell us that: The title asserts Christ’s humanity – his absolute identification with our race and that it also exalts him as the representative ideal man 4. Finally Vincent adds that: Christ’s humanity can be explained only by his divinity. A humanity so unique demands a solution. Divested of all that is popularly called miraculous, viewed simply as a man, under the historical conditions of his life, he is a greater miracle than all his miracles combined 4. These selections from Vincent’s commentary on the “Son of man” appellation that IS self applied by Jesus ARE part of his larger commentary which also contains purely doctrinal ideas.
With ALL this the idea of “Son of man” IS yet largely undefined and searches for additional ideas lead us ONLY to doctrinal theories of which there ARE many. For us the commentary from Vincent can form a basis for our understanding that the idea IS to assert the Master’s humanity and his absolute identification with our race, the human race as a whole. Our own position IS that this self identification of Himself as a man should have served to impress upon us that Jesus IS just that, a man; born of a woman, nurtured and indoctrinated, and set loose on the world. The difference IS that the Master IS born as an advanced Soul and here we should NOT try to see that there IS a difference in Souls as ALL are alike in nature. The Master’s advanced state IS based in His own progress as a Soul in this world of men where He had excelled in being able to express the qualities of the Godhead through His form and here we should try to accept the idea that He DID so in previous lives. Jesus, the “Son of man” IS our example of our own Divine Nature and what can be accomplished by the fully awakened Soul in this world. We should remember here that some of His apostles, specifically Peter and Paul, ARE also examples of this same destiny and while there may be others who approached the Power of the Master in this world, we DO NOT have enough historical writings on their behalf. So it IS the “Son of man“, the human with divine qualities that shall “sit upon the throne of his glory” which IS but an idea that IS applicable to the times and one that embraces His divine Power. It DOES NOT mean that he IS sitting on an actual throne and the Greek word thronos has a wide meaning aside from its being such a seat. As we continue here we should remember that this IS a parable and that we ARE attempting to both dissect it and analyze it so that we can better understand the mysteries that ARE at its core.
With this in mind we should note that the next parts ARE extremely difficult to interpret and understand but we will nonetheless continue. The Master goes on to say that “before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats“. This implies the idea of the king which becomes the subject as the parable proceeds and we should remember here that the Greek word ethnos which IS rendered here as nations IS more concerned with persons. This rendering as nations prevails throughout most ALL translations in our library save for the Wycliffe translation which renders the idea as “all folks“. Essentially the idea behind ethnos IS the human race4 as Vincent shows us and we should note here that as nations, few existed at the time, and fewer still ARE mentioned in the Bible. We could say at this point that the Divine Human, the “Son of man” in His glory, DOES NOT gather the people; they ARE however gathered and we should try to understand here that this IS NOT necessarily a convergence of millions of persons but rather a allegorical event, a figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another*. Can we see that from a Divine perspective that this would be the Way to view humanity? The next verses tell us about the separation saying “he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats“. This IS perhaps a parabolic idea within the parable as the Master likens this separation to how “a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” and we should understand here that it IS the human race that IS being divided. We could go into the differences between sheep and goats as we have in the past but this seems an unnecessary exercise other than to say that whensoever the followers of the Lord are mentioned in terms of livestock, it IS sheep that ARE used show them; for example, the Master says “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
The differences between the sheep and the goats ARE defined for us through the remainder of the parable with “on his right hand“, and “the goats on the left” which then follows into ideas of good and evil to use doctrinal terminology. The separation IS NOT a physical reality however which follows in the ways that each group DOES or DOES NOT express the qualities of agape as men in this world. The sheep ARE rewarded for their expression of such qualities while the goats ARE denied such rewards and seemingly condemned. While we can see the whole idea here as either expressing the qualities of agape or NOT DOING so, much of the church has taken the individual ideas and has tried to use them as a way to accomplish the letter rather than the spirit of the Master’s words. Entire ministries have been constructed to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, visit the sick and attend to the prisoner but these ARE but superficial attempts that ARE often used as a shield against men’s failure to express agape to ALL. Granted that the church’s efforts ARE virtuous and ARE welcomed in this world but these ministerial efforts ARE NO replacement for the expression of agape to ALL with NO “respect to persons“. We should here be able to understand that the Master was NOT implying that the church should start such ministries but rather that the whole of humanity should be an expression of agape with the understanding that whensoever we express agape to any, we ARE expressing it to the Lord. This IS the concept of the entire parable yet it IS is ill-understood by most of the doctrinal church. While most ALL of the doctrinal analysis of this parable call out doctrinal theologies, they ALL ARE seen as error when we can see that the whole of the message of this parable, and of the entire New Testament, IS that we must become expressions of agape and Truth. We must DO so if we ARE to receive the promised rewards which the Apostle Peter shows us as “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).
We have often discussed these words from Peter as we try to understand just what the promises ARE. We ARE told that they ARE “great and precious promises” and while commentary on these promises seems to be generally nebulous, some DO point to an end. The Mormons however break out of the general Christian doctrinal mold by saying that: God promises His children that if they follow the precepts of His plan and the example of His Beloved Son, keep the commandments, and endure in faith to the end, then by virtue of the Savior’s Redemption, they “shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.” Eternal life is the ultimate exceeding great and precious promise**. Here the idea that we should be responsible for our own destiny IS made rather clear as they tell us that it IS if they follow the precepts of His plan and the example of His Beloved Son, keep the commandments, and endure in faith to the end that they will be ‘saved‘. While this IS an important idea that IS missing from other commentary on this subject, they DO yet cite that the reward IS Eternal life which IS something that men already possess with the ONLY question being how will we spend that ‘time’ in eternity. The idea of ‘works’, keeping His words and following His Plan, IS discounted by most mainstream Christian commentators; John Gill for example tell us that these nebulous promises ARE: better promises than those of the covenant of works; they are not merely temporal ones, nor are they conditional and legal; but as they relate to things spiritual and eternal, to grace here and glory hereafter 8. In the general tone of doctrinal Christianity there IS NO requirement for attaining these promises as Mr Gill tells us: so they are absolute, free, and unconditional, and are irreversible and unchangeable; and they answer great ends and purposes, the glory of God 8. But Peter, without defining the promises specifically in this verse, tells us that we can have these “exceeding great and precious promises” ONLY after “having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust“. And, while Peter DOES NOT tell us the specifics of the promises, he DOES tell us that they allow for us to become “partakers of the divine nature” which IS yet another idea that IS tormented by the doctrinal church. Here John Gill tells us to be such a partaker IS: not essentially, or of the essence of God, so as to be deified, this is impossible, for the nature, perfections, and glory of God, are incommunicable to creatures 8.
Of course we should look at this from the idea of the Christ which we ARE pursuing regarding the Master’s self-appellation that He IS the “Son of man“. We should remember here what Vincent tells us above regarding this appellation which the Master takes upon Himself; Vincent tells us that the idea IS that: The title asserts Christ’s humanity – his absolute identification with our race and that it also exalts him as the representative ideal man 4. In Vincent’s terms the idea of the “Son of man” as a self-appellation shows us the Master’s humanity along with His divinity in the picture as the representative ideal man. While the church at large has decided through their doctrines that the Master IS alone in this picture, that man should NOT be deified, the Apostle John tells us something different saying that “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). That this simple statement IS made out to be selective by the doctrinal church, that it may apply ONLY to the saints….and such who are born again, as those who love the brethren 8 IS ONLY partly a True representation of the apostle’s words. ALL ARE “as he is” but few there ARE that realize that Truth. In the gospels and the Book of Acts we ARE rather clearly shown the possibilities that lie before humanity but as such ideas ARE discounted and considered heretical, most ALL men will never see what lies before us as men. It can be understood as True that few will ever have realization of this Truth that “as he is, so are we in this world” and this should NOT be a surprise as we ARE also clearly told that “wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). We should try to see that those that DO keep His words ARE those that DO find that “strait gate” and this idea should be apparent to ALL as the criteria for such ‘glory‘ IS shown us throughout the New Testament and especially in such sayings as our trifecta. The simple point here IS that we can ALL become “partakers of the divine nature“, we can ALL receive those “exceeding great and precious promises“, and that we can ALL become, in Truth NOT theory, “as he is“. ALL can accomplish this as we Repent and Transform our lives out of our conformity “to this world” as Paul shows us saying “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).
We should try to understand that most ALL men ARE “conformed to this world“; we ARE ALL born into vanity and then nourished and indoctrinated into the ways of the world by most ALL that we come into contact with; parents, teachers, pastors and priests ALL show us the ways of the world and religion has little or no effect on this dynamic. The Master tells us of that “wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction” and we should try to understand just what this means. While the church believes that they have found the “strait gate” and that those that ARE heading toward the wide gate ARE the irreligious and the non-Christian, this IS but a doctrinal idea with NO real basis in the Master’s words. First we should understand that the Greek word oligos which IS rendered as few means exactly that; Strong’s tells us that oligos IS: of uncertain affinity; puny (in extent, degree, number, duration or value) and it IS the idea of puny that should deflect the doctrinal ideas regarding the “strait gate“. This IS the same idea that we should take from Jesus’ words saying “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14), yet another idea that IS mis-framed by much of the church. We should try to see that most ALL men ARE headed toward the wide gate and we should understand here that the idea of destruction from the Greek word apoleia IS NOT as some frame this idea. While most render the word as destruction some ARE more graphic using such language as “The highway to hell” and “the gate to hell” but, to be sure, the idea of hell IS a part of the idea of destruction for most. The reality of the idea of apoleia according to Strong’s is: ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal) 9a and a perishing, ruin, destruction 9 according to Thayer’s. The doctrinal ideas concerning this destruction ARE exactly that, doctrinal ideas as the word IS NOT defined in scripture except by the use of apoleia as waste, ruin and perdition which IS yet another doctrinal idea. For us the idea IS simply that those that ARE entering in at the wide gate ARE those that ARE choosing to remain in their vanity, to remain “conformed to this world” which idea IS a passive choice for most ALL men. It IS the idea of vanity that plays the larger part in this idea of destruction as it IS in vanity that most ALL men live. Here we should remember the defining idea that Vincent applies to vanity; that it IS: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4. The fate of those choosing the wide gate IS that they remain in this state of vanity while the fate of those choosing the “strait gate” IS just the opposite. In the end we should understand that it IS a choice that men make and that it IS one that IS changeable throughout the course of one’s Life in this world.
ALL spiritual pursuits and worldly pursuits ARE the choices of men. The former IS one’s choice based upon the prompting of one’s own Soul while the latter choice IS the natural way of men in this world and it IS for this reason that “few there be that find it“; “few there be that find” the “strait gate” that opens into the Kingdom of God. The Apostle Luke offers us these same ideas from a different perspective saying “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). Luke IS showing us that those that DO NOT “Strive to enter….will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” and this IS a very important point. While millions of Christians DO “seek to enter in“, they ARE NOT striving to DO those things which make one’s entry possible and their doctrinal allegiances DO NOT alter this. To “Strive to enter” IS a simple but complex idea; the word means: to exert oneself vigorously; try hard and to make strenuous efforts toward any goal* and of course the goal here IS to “Enter ye in at the strait gate“. Here we should look again at the criteria for such and entering in and for this we go again to our trifecta where the second part tells us “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). Can we see the point? Can we see that ALL True spiritual accomplishments require that we keep His words and that the Way to accomplish this IS in our expression of agape to ALL with NO “respect to persons“. This IS the message from Paul who tells us “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14). These ARE NOT idle words; the apostle repeats them for us in greater detail saying “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).
While it IS unfortunate that the message that “Thou shalt love agapao thy neighbour as thyself” has never Truly resonated with most of the Christian world and has become but a trite bible saying, the effects of this edict can still be seen in the world of men. What we see however IS seldom related to men’s religious ideals but IS rather related to the reality of a changing world, a woke world if you will. That the idea of being woke IS condemned by some who are blinded by their own vanity IS a Truth and a shame as the seemingly sudden movement toward ‘wokeism‘ IS a part of the overall sense of brotherhood that has emerged as the great sign of a New Age. Those who DO condemn ‘wokeism‘ have missed both the meaning behind this idea and the opportunity to move closer to the deeper reality of what it Truly means to be a Christian; and we should note here that parts of the church rank among the greatest of those who criticize the general idea of being woke. As we have ofttimes stated, there IS NO one person who was more woke that was the Master and we should try to see that Jesus promoted such ideas long before our New Age was on the horizon. This should have sparked a like response in the church and perhaps for a time it DID. However this has severely waned as vanity has continued to grasp most ALL of humanity. Undoing that grasp IS the True Christian objective which Peter shows us saying that the Way IS found in our “having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust“. So again here we should refresh our understanding of just what woke IS and perhaps compare being woke to the Way that the Master and His apostles comported their lives 2000 years ago. As an adjective our dictionary today tells us that woke IS: having or marked by an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those involving the treatment of ethnic, racial, or sexual minorities before showing us that the idea IS disparaging as used by political opponents, of or relating to a liberal progressive orthodoxy*.
We should try to understand here that this defining idea for ‘wokism‘ DOES NOT tell the whole story but rather captures by the current political climate in America and other places around the world. We should note that even under this less than adequate definition, the ideas and ideals involved ARE pertinent to our overall expression of agape. Google’s AI tells us that: “Woke” is a term used in African American English that has evolved to mean aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues, especially issues of racial and social justice. It suggests a conscious understanding of societal inequalities and a willingness to address them 7. While this is closer to what we should try to see as the overall idea of ‘wokism‘, the idea seems stuck in the same realm of issues of racial and social justice which should be understood more as an effect of being woke than a definition. The idea of woke IS more that just being aware of societal inequalities and a willingness to address them. From a spiritual perspective, which even the mundane definitions have their roots in, the idea of being woke should be related to the awakening of a man and NOT only to the many injustices that abound but also to a sense of Truth regarding his very existence. Perhaps a good start to understanding ‘wokism’ can be found in the words of the Buddha from the Dhammapada*** where we read:
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with a pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unshakable.
These words ARE from the section called choices and we should try to see that whensoever we DO Speak or act with a pure mind, we ARE expressing both agape and a spiritual version of being woke.
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 |
- 2 New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
- 7 Google generative AI on woke
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.or
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
- ** https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/10/exceeding-great-and-precious-promises?lang=eng
- *** https://www.angelfire.com/ca/SHALOM/dhammapada.html; translation by Thomas Byrom
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
