IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 1197

ON LOVE; PART DCCLXXXVI

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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.

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PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12)

We ended the last essay in the same way as we began it as we emphasized the idea of the misunderstanding in the Christian world and its teachings regarding the reality intended by the Master and His apostles. Certain ideas have been diluted and changed as the ancient Greek ideas are translated into languages that may NOT have words suitable to their True intent and where the common understanding of the translated words used DOES NOT reach the needed depth. There ARE many such words and there ARE some Christian scholars who DO see the deeper meanings intended regarding some of them but few put ALL of this together to discern the Truth of the message. We have long spoken about the reality of Love and the way that the common idea of this is seen apart from the Truth that the Master shows us; how that the combined force of His usage of agape, as well as the usage of this idea by His apostles, DOES NOT show in the doctrines that ARE promulgated from their words. The idea of Love used in the whole bible IS NOT that mental and emotional attraction and attachment that men may have for others and for things in this world, both animate and inanimate; the idea of the Love taught in the words of the Old and the New Testaments IS much different. First this Love is for everyman and NOT for those to whom one IS attracted or attached and second this Love IS not a mental nor an emotional thing. We see this in the usage of the word agape in the Master’s repeating of the Great Commandments from the laws found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, which we have again at the top of our essay, and we see this in the reality of the Golden Rule. Although the word agape IS NOT used here by the Master, the intent of His words should be seen as the confirming idea of Love.

We have long used our own ideas on this Love as we DO above as we answer the question of what IS Love from a dictionary definition of Charity; and when we understand that the King James rendering of Charity IS from the same Greek word agape, we can begin to see deeper into the way that this idea should be understood. In Charity we again have a word whose common usage IS NOT the deeper aspects of the idea intended and used by the King James Translators nor the intent of the Greek word agape. Our definition of Love above IS from an 1828 version of Webster’s dictionary definition of Charity, a definition that is buried in the more modern view of this word as its meaning has eroded over the centuries. We should try to see that it IS the right discernment of this idea of Love that IS of paramount importance as we try to understand the Truth of the Master’s message, a Truth the IS lost in the doctrines that DO NOT teach the reality of Jesus intent. When we can see Love in the reality that we should accord to ALL men the same rights and privileges as we accord to ourselves, we can then see Truth embedded in the Golden Rule and the reality that everyman IS one’s neighbor and that everyman IS included in the Apostle John’s choice of framing this as that we “love one another“. In the fullness of the context of the gospels and the epistles, this Truth CAN NOT be denied, yet the doctrinal approach to this IS lacking yet today. We should note here again how that many interpret and understand this sense of Love as that it IS intended for fellow Christians and even if were the intent of His words, this idea IS NOT followed either and this is compounded by the individual doctrinal views of other denominations and sects. As our ideas on Love from the definition of Charity ARE yet valid, our added ideas regarding Love ARE even more revealing as they include the idea of one’s self in the equation; just as the Master DOES in both the Great Commandment and the Golden Rule. It IS in this Light that we should amend our definition 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 the One God.

In this IS the reality of having NO “respect to persons” (James 2:9) and while we may have an emotional or mental bond to family and such, we should see them in the same way as we see ALL men. In this view there IS much difficulty in the minds and the emotions of men in the world; it IS seemingly against the nature of the personality to see others as one sees himself and in this we can find the reasons why that men have created such doctrines that cover and hide this Truth of Love. These Truths ARE NOT hidden in the teachings of the Old nor the New Testaments but, as they are contrary to the ways of men and are embedded in the illusion and the glamour of Life, the vanity according to the Apostle Paul, they ARE NOT seen clearly by the carnal man. At the same time however this sense of Love for ALL men is the KEY to the spiritual Truths that the Master and His apostles teach us and which “are spiritually discerned“. It IS this simple reality of Love that leads the list of things that ARE foolishness to the carnal man and this should be a primary consideration in our view of Paul’s words saying “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”  (1 Corinthians 2:14). Were this NOT True, the reality of Jesus’ words that we have been discussing from John’s Gospel would be resounding Christian ideals and the objective goal of ALL who Truly follow Him; we read Jesus words again:

“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).

It IS in the reality of these words from the Master that we should see the ultimate reality of Love and the defining quality of Love as it relates to humanity as a whole. In the question here from the Apostle Judas we should see the aura of uncertainty that plagues even the apostles and, when combined with the questions of the Apostles Philip and Thomas, we should see the greater perplexities of the Master’s words. In this we should understand that the fullness of one’s spiritual discernment IS reliant upon the fullness of the Presence of “the Spirit of God” and that this fullness IS yet lacking in these apostles as they question the ideas of His Presence, His Oneness with the Father and the very nature of the Kingdom of God. Here again we must try to understand the intentionally parabolic language the the Master uses and that this reality reaches into His discourse with His apostles.. We should understand as well that in these words above to the Eleven, and then in answer to Judas question, there IS a clarity added to the answers that He previously offered to Thomas and Philip. In Jesus words that “we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” we can see this Oneness and we should see the Presence of the Kingdom in His Presence, His abode, as well. But more than reaffirming the ideas of His Presence, His Oneness with God and the reality of the Kingdom, we should see how that these are painted for us, how that these things are the realization of the man who keeps His words. We should see as well the Trinity of Love; how that the Love of God, His grace, IS afforded to men as His Presence and how that one’s Love for God IS determined by his ability to keep His words. Here we can define His Love as His Presence or, better, one’s realization of His Presence, we can define our Love for Him as keeping His words and we can define Love for ALL men as the central point of both. Love, as we read in the Great Commandments, IS His word that we must keep and, if one has the realization of His Presence in his Life then he will be acting as the man whose expression IS this Love, this grace of God which IS manifest in him.

And this IS the same Love that John speaks about below in our current selection from his epistle where he tells us that we should give to ALL men whatsoever we have and this IS the same message that we get from the Master. This IS however convoluted by doctrines and NOT accorded as a precept of the Master who tells us:

“Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:27-35).

In these words from the Master IS the whole of our intended attitude of Love explained and in this we should see the simplicity that the reward IS His grace, His Presence in the Life of the man who keeps these precepts, the man who keeps His words. John’s message IS also the same reality as we read in James words saying that we should “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22); this reality IS found in John’s idea that we “not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth“. In the last post we discussed some of the additional points that the apostle brings to us in his words below and we left open the greater Truth behind the words rendered as confession and as believing as the apostle uses them here, words that we said disrupt the Truth based upon the common carnal view of them. When we see this idea of confession and as believing simply as acknowledgement of the Truth that Christ IS the Son of God, we miss the reality of the intent of His words as well as the implications that these ideas should bring to the mind of a man who Truly seeks God. And this IS the point, that if we Truly seek God and we confess Him as Lord and believe that He IS God then we must per force be “doers of the word, and not hearers only“. This can be seen in John’s expanded view of this which we read again saying:

“whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come ; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 John 3:17-24, 4:1-6).

In the sequence of his words the apostle shows us that Love must be in “deed and in truth“; that in our heart of hearts, our True consciousness as opposed to our mind and emotions, we KNOW that we DO or that we DO NOT Love as IS His commandment. And John shows us that to keep His words, to “love one another, as he gave us commandment” IS tantamount to the idea that “we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ“. The apostle also reinforces the Master’s words that it IS in keeping His words that we attain the realization of His Presence which he frames as “he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him“. It IS this Truth that brings us to the expanded idea that one’s realization of the Presence of God IS the reality of “the Spirit which he hath given us” and here we find John’s play on the idea the Presence of God, that this IS His Spirit within us as opposed to the spirit of the carnal man found in the personality, in the mind and the emotions. It IS this carnal spirit that the apostle warns against and this can be seen in the the world as the authoritative dictates of doctrines which DO NOT recognize the Truth of Love and of keeping His words. It IS teachings that ARE contrary to the Truth of Love and contrary to the reality of His Presence found in keeping His words that ARE the reality of the antichrist, a word which should be understood as it is offered, as things, as ideas and attitudes, that ARE against the Truth of the teachings of the Christ.

In addition to his warning the apostle shows us that there IS a way of KNOWING the carnal spirit of men from the Spirit that IS of God; the one IS focused upon the world and the things of the world and the other IS focused upon the things of God, the realization of His Presence and the Truth of Love. In this John uses the idea of homologeo which IS rendered as confession, a word that IS intended to show the same reality as we see in his use of the word rendered as believing. On this Greek word rendered confession we should take the understanding that to confess Him IS to KNOW and admit that Christ IS Lord as doctrines DO say. But this idea must also include the reality of acting upon His words as the words of the Lord, to be DOERS. And this IS how that we should see the “ false prophets” and the reality of antichrist: that they neither DO nor teach the Truth of the word of God; we should see the reality that “They are of the world” regardless of what they say if their teachings detract from the Truth of keeping His words and the expression of Love to ALL. We should understand here that this IS NOT a condemnation of doctrines nor the teachers of doctrines; this IS only the reality of the ways of men in this world, men whose attention IS yet upon the things of the world instead of the things of God. When we can remember that the apostles’ words ARE written to followers, to disciples of the Christ and to aspirants to the higher spiritual Life, we can make better sense of John’s cautions and his teaching on Love.

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

Note on the Quote of the Day

This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.

We repeat here again a saying that is from the Bhagavad Gita, which goes well with our theme of the God Within, the Soul, which we see as the Christ Within and while this is good in the Christian world and is True based upon our understanding of the Christ as the manifestation of God, we should also see in these words below that it does not matter what these divine ideas are called; that it matters not what we call this Inner Man, that he is the same in ALL, he is the Soul.

Thou carriest within thee a sublime Friend whom thou knowest not. For God dwells in the inner part of every man, but few know how to find Him. The man who sacrifices his desires and his works to the Beings from whom the principles of everything stem, and by whom the Universe was formed, through this sacrifice attains perfection. For one who finds his happiness and joy within himself, and also his wisdom within himself is one with God. And, mark well, the soul which has found God is freed from rebirth and death, from old age and pain, and drinks the water of Immortality.—Bhagavad-Gita

It is difficult to tell just what verses of the Bhagavad Gita the above is from; whether it is a paraphrase or a combination. It is from the book “The Great Initiates” by Édouard Schuré which was originally published in French in 1889 and perhaps it is in the translation of the verses that they become hard to recognize. However, the sheer beauty of the presentation caught my attention and so I share it with you. The Path to the Kingdom is the same no matter what religion one professes.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts