ON LOVE; PART MDXXXII
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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).
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We ended the last essay with what we see as some of the most important verses that Paul has written. These verses ARE from our selection from his Epistle to the Romans and depict for us the very nature of our journey through a Life in this world. We DO make some changes to the King James translation and these we have explained numerous times including in the last essay. While much of the church sees Paul’s words here in regard to the ‘fall of man’, a doctrinal theory which they extract from the Book of Genesis, Paul IS actually explaining for us the way that Life in this world works. In a few verses the apostle shows us our condition as men in this world as well as our True salvation from that Life, this however IS NOT recognized by most of the church nor the commentators that tie Paul’s words to their doctrines rather that to the reality in which we exist. The first two of these verses tell us that “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God“.
The idea here IS that we ARE born into vanity by the very Plan of God and to better understand the idea we use Vincent’s commentary on the Greek word mataiotes which IS rendered as vanity. Vincent tells us that this vanity IS: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. Without Vincent’s words we would be hard pressed to understand Paul’s intent here which IS rendered by others as futility, frustration, “God’s curse“, “the power of change“, “condemned to lose its purpose” and “changed to become useless“. Strong’s defines mataiotes as: inutility; figuratively, transientness; morally, depravity:—vanity 9a as they use vanity to sum up the other ideas. Thayer’s tells us that mataiotes IS: what is devoid of truth and appropriateness; perverseness, depravation: frailty, want of vigor 9. Most ALL of these defining ideas show us the carnal effects of mataiotes as DOES today’s dictionary’s view of vanity which IS defined in terms of and pride. The dictionary however DOES include this among its defining ideas: lack of real value; hollowness; worthlessness* which ideas ARE also carnal and perhaps the source for some of the alternate renderings cited above. The inadequacy of these defining ideas leaves us with the word vanity and Vincent’s explanation which begins with saying: Mataiov [mataiotes] expresses aimlessness. All which has not God for the true end of its being is mataiov before stating that this vanity IS: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. Before we continue we should see how that these verses fit into our selection as a whole; we read:
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:15:23).
Paul begins with the idea that “the creature was made subject to vanity” and here we should see that our subjection IS into: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. When we look at this from the perspective of the man in this world it makes little sense but, when we view this spiritually, when we view this as the Soul that IS “made subject to vanity” we can make nearly perfect sense of Paul’s words. The Soul, the True man, IS NOT the body that he IS born into; the Soul, by his presence, IS the giver of Life to the form; at the time of birth however the Soul has NO control over that infant form. The infant form exists in a world and a situation over which neither the form nor the Soul that gave the form Life have any control. This IS the beginning of the vanity which IS the Life of the Soul in form. While the Soul IS in this perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4, he has NO ability to express himself as his form IS inadequate and CAN NOT accept any of the input, the prompting if you will, of the Soul. It IS here that the mortal Life begins. A mortal Life that begins with the nurturing of the child and his indoctrination into the ways of the world and for most ALL this lasts for many years before any True sign of conscience IS exhibited. While one’s indoctrination may include religion, this IS NOT a necessary component and, as we have discussed in the past, religious indoctrination often creates a more difficult situation for the Soul.
In religious indoctrination a person will learn the doctrines of whatever religion his family affiliates with and, because the idea of God IS at the center of this indoctrination, moving away from it can be exceedingly difficult. Most often there IS NO motivation for one to move past his indoctrination until such time as his own ego allows alternative ideas to be entertained. This is a rather universal reality and affects NOT ONLY one’s religious indoctrination but the full gamut of the indoctrinations to which one has been subjected. While religion plays a part, the major emphasis here IS on our indoctrination into the ways of the world. It IS our indoctrination that compounds the vanity into which we ARE born moving us yet further into our perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. We should try to see here that the most important part IS that as men ARE indoctrinated into the ways of the world and religion they ARE, from the perspective of the Soul, pursuing false ends. In the world we pursue more and better in most every aspect of human living; better education, better jobs, more income, bigger houses and a satisfying Love Life ARE among the objectives of most ALL. In religion, if we ARE so inclined, we pursue ‘salvation‘ according to the dictates of the doctrines that we have chosen to follow and it IS in the belief that one IS ‘saved‘ by their doctrines that makes seeking and finding the greater Truth exceedingly difficult.
Most ALL of the church lays the idea of men’s vanity on the ‘fall of man’ as outlined in their interpretations of the Book of Genesis. The doctrinal idea IS that because Eve succumbed to the wiles of the serpent and ate of the ‘forbidden‘ fruit while encouraging Adam to also partake, the entirety of human civilization IS cursed. These doctrinal ideas were created by men to explain the cryptic and archaic ideas that were intended for a superstitious and barbaric people several millennia ago. The entirety of the creation story in Genesis, while believed as literal fact in most ALL Christian doctrines, IS but a story intended for the people who were on this Earth at the time. We often use a quote from Alexander Maclaren to show what the Book of Genesis should have represented from the beginning. Mr. Maclaren tells us: “We are not to look to Genesis for a scientific cosmogony, and are not to be disturbed by physicists’ criticisms on it as such. Its purpose is quite another, and far more important; namely, to imprint deep and ineffaceable the conviction that the one God created all things. Nor must it be forgotten that this vision of creation was given to people ignorant of natural science, and prone to fall back into surrounding idolatry“12.
So then, while the doctrinal world continues to see creation and the ‘fall of man’ through their interpretation of the Book of Genesis, Paul offers us a more realistic and uncompromised vision of creation and Life in this world. While much of the church focuses upon the idea that men must be ‘saved‘ by the grace of God, the reality IS that there IS NO real thing as salvation as this idea IS understood. There IS NO outside force that can ‘save‘ a man based on a doctrinal formula and there IS NO outside force that can keep a man from his salvation. The reality of True salvation IS found in our Repentance and Transformation which IS the idea that Paul IS offering us. Simply put a man IS trapped in a way, bound to the corruption which IS Life in this world, separate from God, and pursuing false ends. Men’s bondage IS the result of the vanity into which one IS born and which IS then compounded by years of nurturing and indoctrination into the ways of the world. Paul shows us this as our “bondage of corruption” from which we must be freed. The Apostle Peter, in a verse that we often use, shows us a better reality of our corruption and how we can be freed from it. Peter tells us “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). In the combination of these verses from Peter and Paul we have the reality of True salvation, the reality of the ability of the Soul to overcome the idea that we ARE separate from God, and pursuing false ends.
Paul tells us how that we arrived in this position of corruption, of being bound to this corruption, and holds out the promise that we can be freed from it and enter “into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. Peter shows us the Way that we can accomplish this and while their words may be different, the idea IS the same. Paul tells us that we ARE put into this condition of vanity by the Plan of God, by the natural working out of birth into what Peter tells us IS “the corruption that is in the world“. While this idea IS framed rather cryptically as that we ARE in this vanity “by reason of him who hath subjected the same“, it should be clear that this IS at the Will of the Godhead. From the perspective of the Soul, it IS by simply being born that we enter into this state of corruption and, as we say above, the child, and then the indoctrinated man, has NO recourse until he awakens to the prompting of his own Soul. Vincent helps us here in saying that: By reason of Him who hath subjected [δια τον υποταξαντα]. God, not Adam nor Satan. Paul does not use the grammatical form which would express the direct agency of God, by Him who hath subjected, but that which makes God’s will the occasion rather than the worker – on account of Him 4. Vincent DOES go on to cite the idea of the ‘fall of man’ adding that: Adam’s sin and not God ‘s will was the direct and special cause of the subjection to vanity. The supreme will of God is thus removed “to a wider distance from corruption and vanity” citing Alford for the quote. This IS but Vincent’s view of the doctrinal ideas and has NO effect upon the way that God’s will IS the occasion rather than the worker – on account of Him 4. Our point here IS simply that it IS on account of Him that we ARE born into vanity that we ARE born into our “bondage of corruption“.
Now we say above that it IS in our Repentance and Transformation that we can overcome our vanity and our corruption and here we should try to understand that it IS ONLY in our Transformation that we can remove ourselves from the way that we have been “conformed to this world“. This idea of being conformed IS the result of our vanity plus our nurturing and indoctrination into the ways of the world and, as Paul tells us, the way out IS to be Transformed. Paul tells us “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 12:2). We should remember here that it IS our Repentance, rightly understood, that puts us in a position to be Transformed; it IS our Repentance that allows for our: virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice 4 as Vincent describes the reality of Repentance for us. Peter shows us in more practical and human terms how that this can work. Peter tells us that we must escape, that we must flee from as Thayers defines the Greek word apopheugō. Both ideas put the onus on us as men to move past our vanity and our corruption; Peter tells us that we must escape by showing us that we ARE NO longer bound to our corruption because we have escaped, “escaped the corruption that is in the world“. We should understand two things here; first that the agency of our escape IS our Repentance and our Transformation. In Repentance we embark upon a new chapter where we have that virtuous change in the life and practice which IS of course the beginning of our Transformation. What we must note here IS that our Transformation relies upon our Repentance which IS that we have made the decision to change our life and practice off of the self and onto the things of God. It IS this decision that allows for our Transformation as we aspire to become His True disciples.
The second IS a most important idea that coincides with our decision to change our focus. Peter frames the idea as that we must have “escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” and the KEY word here IS lust. Lust IS a word that has been manipulated by the church for centuries in order to tear it away from the idea of human desires but this only serves to confuse the whole issue of our vanity. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines lust as: Longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoy; as the lust of gain1 and this IS the way that the idea should be understood. They add however several ideas that ARE doctrinally related to particular verses of the bible; they add that lust IS: Concupiscence; carnal appetite; unlawful desire of carnal pleasure 1 and To have carnal desire; to desire eagerly the gratification of carnal appetite 1. Today’s dictionary takes on the same doctrinal ideas in their defining of lust and this IS likely the result of centuries of tying the idea to sexual sins; we read that lust IS: intense sexual desire or appetite and uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite; lecherousness*. While Webster’s cited the True idea of lust as longing desire as the first definition, today’s dictionary places this third after those cited above where they say that lust IS: a passionate or overmastering desire or craving. Google’s AI summarizes the idea saying that: Lust is an intense, often selfish desire or craving, most commonly understood as a powerful, uncontrolled sexual appetite, but it can also refer to a strong longing for other things like money, power, or even life itself 7. Google’s summary IS of the totality of ideas that ARE applied to lust and, if we read scripture properly we can see that lust IS much more than intense sexual desire or appetite.
In regard to lust, Vincent points us to the Master’s words from Mark’s Gospel; as part of His teaching on the Parable of the Sower we read “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). Vincent’s commentary here IS: The lusts of other things entering in [αι περι τα λοιπα επιθυμιαι]. Lusts not in the limited sense of mere sexual desire, but in the general sense of longing. The word is also used of desire for good and lawful things 4. Can we see the point here? Can we see that the Greek word epithymia which iS rendered most often as lust has a more expansive defining idea than intense sexual desire or appetite or: desire for what is forbidden 9 which IS part of Thayer’s definitions for epithymia. While Thayer’s begins their commentary by defining the idea as: desire, craving, longing, this IS NOT the tone of the commentary which drifts off into the idea that it IS desire for what is forbidden. While forbidden things ARE a part of our desires and lusts, they should NOT define the idea of lust as the general understanding when the word IS used biblically. Strong’s follows this same idea saying that epithymia IS: a longing (especially for what is forbidden)9a. While the idea of epithymia may be a more intense desire, it IS desire nonetheless and this IS how the idea should be understood. The Master uses epithymia in saying to His disciples “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). Here the first desire IS from epithymia and while this may be a strong desire, it IS definitively desire; the second, desired, is a kindred word with similar meaning sans the sexual ideas.
Our point here IS that the idea of lust, when this IS the translation of epithymia, should NOT be restricted to sexual ideas; it should be understood simply as desire. While we posit that the idea of lust IS related to sex because the church DID NOT want to imply that to have “escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” DOES NOT mean escaping ALL desire, this IS nonetheless the meaning. Here we should remember that the goal IS that “ye might be partakers of the divine nature” which IS a deeply spiritual idea that requires our full focus on the things of God. Regarding the idea that “ye might be“, Vincent tells us that in the Revised Version the idea IS: more correctly, may become, conveying the idea of a growth 4. This IS an important distinction because it includes the idea of measure whereby we can become partakers by measure, this puts our being partakers in proportion to our striving to escape. The point to remember here IS that to “be partakers of the divine nature” and to be in “the glorious liberty of the children of God” ARE much the same. In the first we must escape which idea puts the onus on everyman while in the second we must be “delivered made free from the bondage of corruption” and to understand this we need ONLY to look at our trifecta where the same Greek word eleutheroo is used. Repeating our trifecta, we read:
- “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).
Our attention here is on the first part were the idea of eleutheroo IS shown to us as the result of keeping His words and here we should try to see that it IS the Truth that will free us from our “bondage of corruption“. Again, eleutheroo IS the same word that IS rendered as delivered in our subject verse, a rendering that we change to “made free“. It IS in this combination of ideas that we can conclude that we can be “made free from the bondage of corruption” according to the Master’s words from our trifecta, that we “continue in” His word. We should try to see here that as we can escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust” by our own volition, we can be “made free from the bondage of corruption” in the same way which IS that we keep His words. It IS here that the ideas of Repentance and Transformation take on the ultimate goal of humanity, the goal of becoming “partakers of the divine nature” as men in this world and entering “into the glorious liberty of the children of God” as men in this world. It IS in accomplishing these synonymous goals that we can stand and say with the Master “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). While this is our ultimate goal, it IS one that IS NOT likely reached in a single Lifetime. We can however approach this goal by measure according to the Master’s words saying “with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). This IS our promise: that by the same measure that we give in keeping His words, the rewards of DOING so will be measured to us as men in this world. These rewards include those that ARE shown us in our trifecta: discipleship, the Truth, the freedom that the Truth brings, access to the Kingdom and the reality, the realization if you will, of the Presence of God in our mortal lives. Again, we must understand that we gain these things by measure, that there IS NO outside Force of God that bestows such rewards; there IS only the ability of the Soul to ever more influence and control the carnal mind.
It IS here that we again go to Paul’s words saying “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind“. Our conformance “to this world” IS the work of the carnal mind and it IS this carnal mind that we renew through our Transformation as we progress in our ability to keep His words. Before we continue with our selection we should take some time here to review the idea of keeping His words and just what this entails in the Life of a man trying to Transform, trying to accomplish “the renewing of your mind“. There IS no secret here, there IS no mystery that must be decoded by discipleship or our measure thereof; the idea of keeping His words IS laid out for us in clear language as IS our instruction for DOING so. We again go to Paul who outlines the idea for us; we begin with his words from this same Epistle to the Romans where we read “Owe no man any thing, but to love agapao one another: for he that loveth 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 love agapao thy neighbour as thyself. love agape worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love agape is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8-10). While the idea here IS crystal clear, we should understand that it IS muddied by the doctrines of men and by the common understanding of Love. As we have discussed many times over the course of our blog, agape IS NOT the common understanding of Love and men should not be expected to offer this common idea of Love to ALL. Love IS defined by us as the mental and emotional attachment and attraction that we have for others or for the things of this world; this IS a carnal idea that IS NOT related to the reality of agape. Agape IS a different form of Love that IS even confused with the carnal idea of Love by the church; the defining ideas from the lexicon and our bible dictionaries DO NOT define agape at ALL nor do they tell us how agape should work out in Life.
Simply put, the idea of agape toward one’s neighbor, toward everyman as the Master shows us, IS to see everyman as we see ourselves; as Souls living through a form in this world with varying levels of success according to our goal. In this we ARE ALL the same and while we may make our appearance in different colors, shapes and sizes with different customs and heritages, we ARE yet ALL the same. We ARE Souls living through a form in this world and, in a phrase, we can call this idea of agape and the oneness that it should show Unity in Diversity. While the idea of Unity in Diversity IS generally applied to religions, there IS so much more that should be considered and understood. Diversity IS a part of Life as men in this world; why there ARE different colors, shapes and characteristics IS more that heredity, it IS a part of the very fabric of the vanity into which ALL men are cast at birth. We should notice that as a general rule men ARE more comfortable with others that have the same appearance; this IS a psychological phenomenon. We should note as well that this phenomenon IS dissipating as IS evidenced by the ‘surge’ of interracial marriages and relationships which carries with it the dissipation of those traits that have heretofore separated men in the children of these marriages. While we can likely apply societal influences to this surge, the greater reality IS that it IS just the natural way of evolution, some of which IS brought about by the changes effected by the incoming New Age. This should be seen as a positive thing that IS an outgrowth of the Power of agape as a Universal Power that will eventually bring an end to the prejudices and hatreds of the past.
This idea IS aligned with the words from Paul that we are studying; we read that the creation “was made subject to vanity” and while we have applied this to the individual, it IS also True of the whole. The Greek word here IS ktisis which Strong’s defines for us as a: original formation (properly, the act; by implication, the thing, literally or figuratively):—building, creation, creature, ordinance 9a. The point IS that the idea pertains to both the individual and the whole. It IS the whole that we reference here as having the same goal of being “delivered made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” and we should try to see that the incoming New Age provides much impetus for this according to the Plan of God, the Plan “of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered“. We should try to see that the idea of Unity in Diversity IS coming to pass through the natural influence of the Godhead on His creation; this DOES NOT contradict our view that the Godhead has naught to DO with what IS transpiring on this Earth as this natural influence IS a Cosmic event that portrays a natural point in Cosmic evolution. However we see these unknown factors, the reality remains that the world IS growing more attuned to agape that ever before and it IS here that mankind has great opportunity as individuals in this world. In the past the idea of ‘salvation‘ was tuned to keeping the law, the law of Moses in particular for the Judeo- Christian world, and the laws of other religions for other religions. Jesus was the harbinger of agape and because He IS the last Avatar to grace the Earth, NO slight to Mohammed IS intended here, His words should have taken on worldwide influence and instruction on the use of agape to accomplish ALL.
And this IS what Paul IS telling us as he says “therefore love agape is the fulfilling of the law”; an idea which he repeats in his Epistle to the Galatians where we read “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14). In our parlance we should see this idea as that agape IS equivalent to the idea that we “keep his words” so that the idea becomes keeping His words “is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself“. There IS NO difference between keeping His words and keeping the law and we can conclude this by the the Master’s words. First His words that expand upon the ideas of the law in a series of statements from His Sermon on the Mount, words that we frequently cover. At the same time we should see how that the Master also discounts certain parts of the law of Moses, mainly regarding such things as the sabbath, sacrifice and and the numerous laws regarding food. Of ALL the expansions however the most important IS the law that “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself” which Jesus expands upon by saying “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:43-45). In Luke’s Gospel there IS a greater expansion which we will address in the next post.
Here the point should be understood simply as that this idea that we express agape to ALL satisfies ALL of the law and the edicts that result in our True salvation. There ARE those that will dispute our conclusions here and even maintain that Jesus’ words, His commandments, ARE NOT the same as the law of Moses. To these we cite several bible verses that show us that Jesus words and the commandments of God are the same. We start with the idea at the end of our trifecta where we read Jesus words saying “the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:24). Here we should see that the source of Jesus commandments IS the Father and while this may be framed in archaic ideas that help men understand, the reality IS that the Word IS One. Similarly we should see Jesus’ words saying “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things” (John 8:28). In both these sayings we should understand the idea of the Father as the Godhead. Finally we have Jesus’ words saying “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19). Here we should see that Jesus, in ALL that He DOES, IS DOING what He sees in the Godhead itself and we should understand the intimate relationship that exists between Jesus and God.
Our point IS simply that regardless of where the words ARE, in the laws of Moses or in the words and commandments of the Master, they ARE essentially the same. So then when Jesus expands upon the law by invoking the Power of agape, He IS speaking for and as the Godhead. As we see in our trifecta, most ALL things, ALL rewards, ARE tied to keeping His words which IS keeping the law and ALL ARE accomplished by our expression of agape. This commandment that says “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself” is from the text of Leviticus, it IS NOT among the Ten Commandments, and it IS this that the Master raises up to be one of the two parts of the Great Commandments making agape chief among ALL biblical precepts.
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 |
- 1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913 from https://1828.mshaffer.com/
- 2 New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 7 Google’s AI summary of lust
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
- 12 Expositions of Holy Scripture–Project Gutenberg’s and Baker Book House’ Expositions of Holy Scripture, by Alexander Maclaren–(1826-1910)
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
