ON LOVE; PART MDXXXVI
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
As we come upon the last verse of our current selection from Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, we should try to see what it IS that Paul has shown us up to this point. We began studying this eighth chapter several posts back beginning with the first verses that show us Paul’s teachings on the parallel Life of the spiritual man which we refer to as the Soul and the flesh. The apostle IS showing us that there IS ever a choice to be made and while he DOES NOT specifically say so, he DOES allude to the way that it IS the Spirit, the Soul if you will, that must overcome the proclivities of the flesh. Later in this chapter we come to learn that these proclivities ARE our vanity and our “bondage of corruption“. We can see his point most clearly in his words saying “they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5). Without reference to the idea of choice, the apostle shows us that in our state of vanity we DO desire the things of the flesh and that our objective IS to desire the things of the Spirit, the things of God if you will. This IS ever the choice before men and it corresponds with the Master’s teachings on treasure, mammon and indeed Life itself. Jesus tells us in rather clear language what we should DO but men have manipulated His words to suit the ongoing way that men desire “the things of the flesh“. The Master tells us:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also….No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life” (Matthew 6:19-21, 24-25).
We left out the Master’s words regarding the eye, evil and good, which, while they DO add to His intent, are more difficult to understand and the above words DO serve our purpose for today. There ARE two KEYS to our selection; first IS the idea that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also“. These words should have destroyed the doctrinal idea that the treasures that the Master IS speaking about ARE wealth and possessions ONLY; it DID NOT however as this IS still the doctrinal interpretation of Jesus’ words. To be clear, our treasure IS whatsoever takes up our attention as we live in this world. We can pursue “treasures upon earth” which can be anything that we desire or lust after or we can set our focus on the things of God, “treasures in heaven” as Jesus describes this. The Master tells us clearly that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” showing us the reality of our focus. This Paul summarizes in the verse above and the following verse which tells us “to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).
The second KEY from the Master’s words above IS the reality that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon“. Jesus’ point here IS that it CAN NOT be DONE. These words ARE also manipulated by the doctrinal ideas of men and in two ways; first the idea of mammon IS understood ONLY as wealth and possessions, much in the same way as doctrines understand the idea of treasure. The closest idea that we have in our bible dictionaries and commentaries IS that mammon IS: what is trusted in 9 as Thayer’s shows us but they also apply this to riches and treasures. Hence the common understanding has become: riches (where it is personified and opposed to God) 2; a statement that makes little sense carnally and NO sense spiritually. Mammon IS from the Chaldean word māmōnā; which has been converted to the Aramaic word mamonas and then to the English word mammon which IS NOT a translation but a transliteration of the word. What we should take from this word that CAN NOT be the dual focus of anyone who Truly seeks the Lord IS perhaps the sense of gain as some define the idea but even this leaves us wanting. From our perspective we place this idea in the same frame of reference as treasure; neither should be the focus of the man that seeks the Lord and both ARE carnal enterprises when viewed carnally. Perhaps a way to view the idea of mammon IS that it IS the product of our focus upon the things of the self, the product of our desires and lusts for worldly things. Luke tells us that the Master, as part of His Parable of the Unjust Steward, says “Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness” (Luke 16:9) and this should help us to understand that the idea of mammon IS the product of unrighteousness, the product of our carnal focus. We should try to remember that righteousness IS, in simple terms, in right standing with God and in this we should see Paul’s words from earlier in this same epistle saying “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). The second manipulation of this idea that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” should be easily seen in the way that the churches teach men to accumulate wealth and to live as men in this world. This they DO without understanding the Master’s words nor James’ confirming words saying “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). In the end we must come to understand the duality of focus that IS the way of men in this world and this duality CAN NOT be escaped save through our Repentance and Transformation.
As Paul continues we learn about the choices that we face, unrealized choices for most ALL of humanity, that “they that are in the flesh cannot please God“. When we addressed these words we tried to show that the idea of pleasing God IS NOT the apostle’s intent in this verse. Strong’s tells us that the Greek word aresko IS: probably from G142 (through the idea of exciting emotion); to be agreeable (or by implication, to seek to be so):—please 9a and from this the simple idea IS “to be agreeable“. Here then we can say that Paul’s words ARE that “they that are in the flesh cannot please be agreeable with God“, with His commandments and precepts. These words follow upon Paul’s telling us about our carnality saying that “the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:8, 7). Aside from the duality that we face as men in this world, there IS also this sense of enmity, this sense that living our carnal lives IS living opposed to God. This idea IS one that perhaps led Vincent to define vanity as our: perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. Can we see the point here? Can we see that ALL men who focus upon their carnal lives plus ALL that try to live in the duality through what they believe IS Godliness through doctrine, ARE essentially living in “enmity against God“? James shows us that this IS a result of living in this world as men and he calls men “adulterers and adulteresses” because of their focus on the self rather than focusing on God and the things of God. James tells us “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). While this should be a clear idea from both Paul and James, it IS NOT so clear in the churches which deflect the idea onto those who ARE NOT in the church. This despite the way that most ALL of the church acts as they ARE “a friend of the world” as they live in their “carnal mind” and pursue worldly pleasures.
Paul goes on to explain that “ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you” (Romans 8:9) and in this we have yet another doctrinal boondoggle. Most of the church teaches that those who follow their doctrinal approach to the Lord ARE “in the Spirit” and the idea that “the Spirit of God dwell in you” IS become a doctrinal Truth. They fail however to incorporate the Master’s words here that tell us that this IS ONLY possible for those that keep His words. This Truth comes from the third part of our trifecta which we repeat here 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).
The reality that “the Spirit of God dwell in you” IS the reality of those that “hath my commandments, and keepeth them” and here we should remember the idea of measure and apply it both here and to our words above, words that seem to show that ALL men ARE carnal, that “There is none righteous, no, not one“, and that ALL men ARE afflicted with duality. While ALL of this IS True, those that DO strive to keep His words DO gain some measure of righteousness, some measure of being “agreeable with God” as they strive to move their focus off of the self and onto the things of God. Paul’s greater point however IS NOT ONLY to show us the dichotomy between the carnal and the spiritual, the difference between the carnal man focused upon the self and the things of the self and one Truly having “the Spirit of God dwell in you” according to the Master’s words from our trifecta. He shows us also the Way out of this dichotomy. Men’s dichotomy IS fully apparent through Paul’s words saying “if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11). Paul shows us here the distinction of having “the Spirit of God dwell in you” as he tells us that to have this, the Spirit wil “quicken your mortal bodies“. While this can be a bit confusing through the idea of quickening, the reality IS much more simple. The Greek word here IS zoopooio which IS defined as vitalize 9a by Strong’s while Thayer’s tells us the idea IS: to produce alive, beget or bear living young, (Aristotle, Theophrastus) and to cause to live, make alive, give life 9. It IS the second defining idea that should allow us to relate this idea to Paul’s words saying “if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13), words that complete the apostles point and which we will discuss next. Here the purpose of citing his words IS in the idea that “ye shall live“; it IS this idea that should be seen through Paul’s use of zoopooio. This idea of quickening IS living spiritually; it IS living as the Soul through form which we must understand comes upon us by measure.
This idea of Life should be understood through the Master’s words that we have frequently addressed. While His words appear to be complex and while they ARE misunderstood by most ALL of the church, the reality IS the same as we find in Paul’s words above. Jesus tells us “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it” (Luke 17:33). Here the idea IS that whensoever one’s focus IS upon his carnal existence he will lose his ability to gain spiritual existence and, whosoever shall forgo his focus on the carnal and mundane, he shall be positioned to gain, by measure, his spiritual existence. This spiritual existence IS Life in this world under the leadership of the Soul through the Transformed mind that NO longer conforms to the ideas and things of the world. Paul shows us this later in Romans 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 12:2). ALL of this IS a part of the larger idea of the duality of Life where on the one hand we live as men and on the other we strive to live as the Master instructs us by allowing the Soul to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Paul summarizes these ideas in our next verse, the one that we use above for the idea that “ye shall live“. The apostle tells us “if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” and we should see this as a summary of ALL that Paul has shown us thus far. As we discussed in previous essays, the idea of mortify IS from the Greek word thanatoo which Strong’s tells us means: to kill (literally or figuratively) 9a; of course it IS figuratively that Paul IS showing us but this DOES NOT help us to understand the deeper meaning. An idea we seem to have previously missed comes from Thayer’s who tells us of thanatoo that the idea IS: by death to be liberated from the bond of anything; literally, to be made dead in relation to 9 and here we have that last idea. To “mortify the deeds of the body” IS to make those deeds dead; to kill our carnal desires and lusts IS the better understanding. If we can see this through Paul’s words above we can likely see that to “mortify the deeds of the body” IS to stop our conformance to this world, to the things of the world and our ofttimes overwhelming carnal thoughts.
As we follow Paul’s words here we should try to see that the next verse IS the result of our positive action in this last one. When we can “mortify the deeds of the body” we Truly “shall live” spiritually in this world and it IS here in this condition that we “are led by the Spirit of God“. We should understand that the implication here IS totality, the end result if you will of our ability to fully “mortify the deeds of the body” which IS effectively DONE by keeping His words. It IS here that we can be understood to be “sons of God” according to the full verse that says “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). Few if any today ARE at this point of fulfillment but there ARE those that ARE striving towards this goal through keeping His words by their expressions of agape and one need NOT be a Christian to experience this. Those that ARE striving, Truly striving to “Enter ye in at the strait gate” (Matthew 7:13) ARE accomplishing this goal by measure, a measure proportionate to the effort that we exert in our striving. It IS by measure that we move from a man caught up in the vanity of Life, the “bondage of corruption” as Paul shows us, to a man somewhat awakened to the Truth by the prompting of his own Soul, to the Repentant man and finally to his Transformation as he recognizes that he need to NO longer conform to the world. This IS the journey that Paul lays out for us in his writings which IS unfortunately NOT recognized as such by most ALL of the church. Paul next lays out for us the spiritual benefits of striving before he goes into the reason that we ARE in this state of vanity and confusion.
Paul goes on to tell us that “ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). To properly understand this we must first understand the idea of the previous verses. Paul IS speaking positively about those that “do mortify the deeds of the body“; those that ARE at least by measure “led by the Spirit of God“. It IS such that “have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear” simply because they “are led by the Spirit of God“; the “spirit of bondage” IS for them a thing of the past. We should try to understand that the “Spirit of adoption” replaces the “spirit of bondage” through our Repentance and Transformation and while many dwell on the idea that “we cry, Abba, Father“, this IS just his view of the outward reaction of being “led by the Spirit of God“. The KEY point in this verse IS the adoption; this IS the crux of what Paul IS showing us. It IS in the adoption that we become “sons of God“. We discussed the idea of the adoption in previous posts; here we have the “Spirit of adoption” which IS an important progression in our journey on the Path. However, as we discover in later verses, we ARE waiting for the reality of adoption and we should try to understand this as being an adopted son which will culminate in the finality of our journey. While Paul’s language, which is complicated by translation, IS NOT crystal clear, this IS likely intentional as what he IS speaking about IS a part of “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations” (Colossians 1:27). To be sure, even our explanations of the apostle’s words leave a cloud of uncertainty for the many who CAN NOT see spiritual ideas through a carnal mind.
Paul goes on to tell us that when our journey brings us to the point where we ARE “sons of God” that our own Souls will “beareth witness with our spirit” that we have arrived if we can say it this way. This IS a place where we must be careful NOT to presume our status based upon the wranglings of our own personalities; we must understand that the Master’s words saying that “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16) weigh heavily here. It IS in the changed Life which IS expressive of agape that we can begin to presume our status and without this, we become like the many who believe that they are being instructed by God while their lives ARE fruitless in regard to keeping His words. It IS the Truly Repentant man, the Transforming man, that has experienced that virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose which in turn begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice 4 that can sense his own arrival on and perhaps his place upon the Path. We should understand here that we alone can interpret our own lives and see into our own hearts. While we may have previously alluded to the idea of the “Spirit of adoption“, this IS NOT what we should see in this verse. The reality here IS that Paul IS telling us that we “have not received the spirit of bondage again” and again IS a KEY word here. As we KNOW from later verses we ARE born into vanity which IS our “bondage of corruption” and, through our mortifying of “the deeds of the body“, we can shed this bondage. It IS important to remember here that we should understand this ALL as happening by measure; we DO NOT slip out of the bondage and become adopted in an instant, it IS the result of much work, much striving toward the goal. We have the “Spirit of adoption” whensoever we have crossed over the line of Repentance and begin our Transformation but this IS NOT the actual adoption. It IS here that we should try to see the idea that “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16) which IS to say that we will KNOW. Paul shows us this in his Epistle to the Ephesians saying that the Master DID “make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace” (Ephesians 2:15) and it IS this that IS our objective: to bring the Soul, the Spirit if you will, together with the mortal man making “in himself of twain one new man“….a Soul infused personality.
While these ideas may be difficult to comprehend, this IS necessarily so based upon the reality of the way the the mysteries of Life work and how that things spiritual are NOT readily visible to the carnal mind. ALL of this IS in regard to matters of Life, our lives here in this world and perhaps here Jesus’ words to Nicodemus can help to explain the difficulty in understanding spiritual ideas, even those at work in this world. Jesus says to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a religiously learned man, that “I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12). The point here IS that we DO NOT fully understand what our lives ARE intended to be until we step out and experience some measure of the Truth and, to be sure, this stepping out begins with our Repentance. The importance of Repentance and Transformation CAN NOT be minimized and their importance IS furthered by the rest of Paul’s words which culminate in our Redemption. In the next verses we see the idea of the adoption coming into clearer focus as Paul tell us “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ“. In these words we should try to see that if we ARE among “the children of God“, we ARE also among the adopted and this should be seen through the lens of Vincent’s quotation from Mr. Merivale saying: the adopted son of God becomes, in a peculiar and intimate sense, one with the heavenly Father 4. The KEY word to understanding this IS if, and Paul uses this word frequently in our selection. If “we ARE among “the children of God“, and “if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body“, and “if so be that we suffer with him” show us that there IS prerequisite to having the “glory which shall be revealed in us“. Paul’s complete saying here IS “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” (Romans 8:17) where another if idea IS added regarding His suffering and ours.
While many believe that this idea of suffering IS related to Jesus’ crucifixion, Paul IS NOT speaking about physical suffering. He IS speaking of our suffering as Souls striving to overcome the vanity into which we ARE born as we watch the world’s vanity serve the purpose of causing men to be separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. Paul continues to tell us that “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” (Romans 8:18-19). The idea that our suffering IS NOT physical but mental and emotional comes from Strong’s definition for the Greek word pathema which tells us: something undergone, i.e. hardship or pain; subjectively, an emotion or influence 9a. It IS the subjective ideas that help us to understand Paul’s point of “the sufferings of this present time“, sufferings that, as Souls, make us ever more aware of our striving to overcome the vanity into which we ARE born as we watch the world’s vanity serve the purpose of causing men to be separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. This IS the suffering of ALL who Truly seek the Lord and we should try to see it as our frustration with the difficulty that we may face in DOING what must be DONE to be Truly “led by the Spirit of God“. To counter this we should try to see Paul’s point that whatsoever suffering we endure IS “not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us“. Can we see the point here? Perhaps to encapsulate this idea of suffering for us Paul goes on to tell us that when we ARE by measure “led by the Spirit of God“, when we have some measure of awareness of the Truth, we come to expect “the manifestation of the sons of God” in both our own lives and the lives of others. We begin to see ever more clearly the task that remains ahead. Paul tells us that there IS an “earnest expectation” and here we can see this in ourselves as the creature or we can see this as the whole creation; both can be equally True. We should note however that to have such “earnest expectation” individually as the creature, that it IS the Soul infused creature that awaits his own manifestation while it IS the Godhead itself that has such “earnest expectation” for the whole.
This same expectation IS shown us again in the next verses which outline the very nature of our vanity as our individual and corporate “bondage of corruption“. Paul tells us “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” (Romans 8:20-21). It IS with these words that we ended our last essay, words which we have always used to point out their extreme value in trying to understand the nature of Life here in this world as well as the end to which this Life existes. While the Greek word mataiotes IS used ONLY three times in the New Testament, it has become for us a very powerful and revealing word. The King James Bible renders mataiotes as vanity in each of its three appearances while others render using a variety of different carnal ideas. Paul uses mataiotes in his Epistle to the Ephesians saying “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind” (Ephesians 4:17). Others render this idea as futility, as being “hopelessly confused“, “pointless thinking” and other similar ideas. The point here IS men, men in general, and NOT the idea of non-christians as the idea of gentiles IS generally understood. Paul addresses this epistle to “to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1) so that we should understand that his audience IS those who by measure ARE striving to keep His words. It IS to such men that Paul IS saying that the True follower of the Lord should NOT “henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind“. Here the defining idea that we use for vanity works to help us understand the apostle’s point. He IS saying that we should NOT remain in our: perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4 which IS the state from which we left and should henceforth NOT return.
Peter also uses mataiotes once in his second epistle where, speaking of the ungodly, he says “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean [for a little, or, a while] escaped from them who live in error” (2 Peter 2:18). We added here the alternate ideas for the Greek word ontos to make better sense of the whole phrase so that the “swelling words of vanity” allure “those that were clean for a while escaped from them who live in error“. The idea is that those that had escaped ARE being allured by those that Peter sees as “wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest” the reference being those that speak “swelling words of vanity“. Here, those that Peter IS referencing ARE those that use their worldly mindset and influence to allure others back into the perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4 from which they had, at least by measure, escaped. For the man who has yet to Transform his Life the ways of the world remain attractive and perhaps men ARE easily drawn back into vanity by others who have chosen to remain in their vanity as much of the world DOES.
Our point here IS to better establish both the idea of vanity and Vincent’s defining ideas which we have accepted as a valid representation of the idea. It IS vanity in which we live until we ARE measurably Transformed according to Paul’s words 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 12:2). These words depict a state of being that IS free from vanity, free from our heretofore perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends.
In our subject saying from Paul we should see the very nature of Life in this world, that the nature IS vanity and that this nature IS the natural way of men born into this world. We should try to see how that it IS this vanity that forms our individual and corporate “bondage of corruption” and how that this IS ALL according to the Plan of God; a Plan that casts Souls into form in this world with a specific purpose. This purpose IS the reality of the next verses from Paul that tell us “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 8:22-23). Here we should try to grasp the idea that the “whole creation“, from the perspective of the Soul and Spirit that gave it being, IS the Godhead. We should try to see that the idea that the Godhead “groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” IS: to have (parturition) pangs in company (concert, simultaneously) with 9a. This defining idea from Strong’s along with today’s dictionary enable us to see this idea of travailing “in pain together” as the whole creation IS feeling the distress of living as men in this world. As we said in the last essay, these words should take us back to previous verses that tell us “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” (Romans 8:18-19). The final verse from our second selection from the eighth chapter of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans IS among the most important ideas offered to us by the apostle. In the words above we see the plight of humanity and the cause of this plight; in the final verse we will see the resolution of our subjection to vanity and our lives in this world as Souls striving to overcome the carnal nature so to “make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace” following in the Way of the Master who tells us “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
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
- 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
