ON LOVE; PART MDXLVII
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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 some thoughts on the Power of a disciple, a True disciple that lives in accord with the criteria for discipleship set by the Master. Most ALL of the church denies that men can have such Power as we read about in the lives of Peter and Paul and, to a lesser extent, Stephen and Philip. The actual Power of these men IS shown us in the Book of Acts. We should remember that the Master tells us what it IS that we can DO as men, holy men to be sure, in this world. This idea of Power DOES NOT come easily but as the result of our Repentance and Transformation and we should note that such Power comes to us by measure and begins with revelations of the Truth and the mysteries by which we come to KNOW God. The revelation of the mysteries IS shown to us by the Apostle Paul who tells us that “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27). We should try to see here that Paul IS telling us of the endpoint, that we shall have the mysteries when we ARE hagios which IS rendered as saints. As we have discussed in previous essays this idea of hagios IS much more that the common understanding of saints as it exists in the church today. Hagios IS a much deeper concept than we can gain from understanding the idea from the rendered word saints. While our lexicon and Strong’s tell us that the defining idea for hagios IS most holy one 2, 9a, Thayers offers us additional ideas saying that hagios IS: reverend, worthy of veneration and set apart for God, to be, as it were, exclusively his 9. We should be able to see our idea of the saint in the defining idea that hagios IS as it were, exclusively his. This IS a much higher bar than the idea of the saint carries in the church today.
Vine’s offers us an even deeper view of the idea of hagios in its rendering as Holiness, Holy, Holily which IS the idea that should have been rendered in our verse from Colossians. We should note however that even when the idea IS rendered in terms of holy the idea used IS “his holy people” and the doctrinal construct here IS essentially the same as the saint. The idea of holy IS NOT seen as that one IS exclusively his. Vine’s shows us a view, based in the writings of G.B. Stevens, that actually shows us Paul’s intent in using hagios in our subject verse; they say: “It is evident that hagios and its kindred words… express something more and higher than hieros, sacred, outwardly associated with God;… something more than semnos, worthy, honorable; something more than hagnos, pure, free from defilement. Hagios is… more comprehensive… It is characteristically godlikness” (G.B. Stevens, in Hastings’ Bib. Dic.). 9b. Can we see the point here? This idea of godlikeness IS defined for us as being greater than godliness; Google AI shows us the difference saying: Godliness is living a life reflecting God’s character (love, mercy, holiness) through practice and reverence, while “godlike” often means possessing superhuman qualities like immense power or beauty, directly imitating a god’s attributes **. We should assume that Mr. Stevens uses the idea of godlikeness purposefully to show the dynamic reality of hagios and applying this to Paul’s statement that the mysteries ARE “now….made manifest to his saints“, we should be able to see our point. Again, if we can see that Paul IS showing us the endpoint of our Transformation and the fullness of discipleship we should be able to understand that this IS our full realization of “Christ in you, the hope of glory“, our full realization of the Christ Within.
Our point here IS that while Paul shows us the endpoint, the goal if you will, there IS ever the idea of measure attached to ALL such spiritual achievements, a measure that continually builds in proportion to our individual striving toward the goal. The Master shows us the same endpoint saying that we should “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). While remembering that the very nature of the Master’s words IS ofttimes parabolic, we should look at the way that Jesus uses the idea of measure so that we can get better idea of how this all works out. The Master tells us about measure several times:
- “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2).
- “Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given” (Mark 4:24).
- “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).
These three uses of the idea of measure ARE NOT understood in the church as they should be; they ARE applied ONLY to the context without regard to the separation that we should see, a separation that divides the idea of measure from the rest of the verse in Matthew and Luke. In the first entry from Matthew’s Gospel the idea of measure IS applied ONLY to judgement but should we separate this judgement from the idea of measure we can then see the point more clearly. These two thoughts ARE connected by the conjunction and from the Greek word kai which IS most often rendered as and but IS also rendered as often, even, both, then, so and likewise. In the muddled defining idea for kai we should be able to see that this IS NOT necessarily a single statement, that judgment and measure need NOT be related. We should try to see here that the standalone idea that “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” IS a universal idea and that the measuring IS an individual process that covers much human activity. Relating this to our spiritual journey we should be able to see that the effort that we put forth in keeping His words will be rewarded by our greater access to the Truth which flows from one’s own Soul. To understand this ONLY in terms of judgment requires the addition of ideas to the concept such as: the “measure” refers to the standard of grace, mercy, and fairness you apply; if you use a small, harsh measure, that’s what you’ll receive back***.
In Luke’s version the idea of measure IS offered twice; first in regard to “good measure” where the idea IS in giving and receiving. This idea has been converted by much of the church into a carnal one where such giving and receiving IS of carnal things. There IS much wishful thinking in the minds of those that subscribe to this idea of giving and receiving and parts of the church use it to their benefit in asking for the support of their congregants. As we have discussed, the idea that men will give back to the giver IS NOT a scriptural idea but a doctrinal one. The Greek word didomi IS rendered as the phrase “shall men give” but the definition of this word IS simply to give 9a; the idea of men IS a doctrinal addition. Many translations exclude the idea of men and state the idea of the giving IS simply to one’s lap but the idea of men, while not in the text, IS assumed. We must remember that Jesus IS speaking about spiritual things, He IS NOT speaking about the carnal affairs of men. From a spiritual perspective we give the things of God, the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22) if you will, and it IS the same that we receive in greater abundance into our bosom. The idea of bosom here IS perhaps the more difficult idea to understand and we should note that the rendering as bosom or lap seems based on the Old Testament translation of a Hebrew word into Greek in the Septuagint as well as other Greek uses. As bosom, the idea can be better understood than the common idea of the lap, that what IS received IS “pressed down, and shaken together, and running over“. Webster’s and today’s dictionaries, define the bosom as more than it IS presumed to be in the doctrinal understanding of men. Webster’s primary definition of bosom IS: The breast of a human being and the parts adjacent, this IS clearly NOT the lap. Webster’s goes on to say that the bosom IS: The folds or covering of clothes about the breast; again NOT the lap as we understand that idea. Finally we get some clarity or the idea of bosom in the next defining idea that says: The breast, as inclosing the heart; or the interior of the breast, considered as the seat of the passions 1. In these ideas we should be able to see the problem with the idea of the bosom as the lap as this IS commonly understood and which IS aided by the lexicon which tells us that the idea of the Greek word kolpos IS: the bosom of a garment, i.e. the hollow formed by the upper forepart of a rather loose garment bound by a girdle or sash, used for keeping and carrying things (the fold or pocket)2; it IS this idea that IS used by most of the church.
The above should be enough to distract from the idea that men will give to us if we give to them, to the church or wherever. It IS the next part that IS our concern here however and we should try to see that these ARE indeed two separate ideas that ARE found together. The second, while explaining the first when it IS viewed spiritually, IS also a standalone and universal concept which IS the same as we discussed in Matthew’s version. In both of these there IS NO idea of “pressed down, and shaken together, and running over“, there IS ONLY the idea that the proportion, the effort or even the intent with which we measure out, the same will come back to us in spiritual rewards. Both Matthew’s and Luke’s versions of this idea ARE muddied by the context in which they ARE offered and require the reader to separate the ideas, which of course they DO NOT. Mark however offers us the idea in a less burdensome context applying it to hearing and here of course we must understand that the idea of hearing IS NOT ONLY what enters one’s ear. While Mark’s version IS clearer and easier to understand as there IS NO need to separate ideas, it IS still much misunderstood in the church and we should note that the three sayings ARE treated as unrelated and separate ideas by most including the Chronological Harmony of the Gospels text that we use.
In Mark we read the Master’s words as “Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given“. We begin our discussion here with the Greek word akouo which IS rendered as hear. While the idea here IS that we hear, the deeper spiritual meaning seems beyond the ken of most despite the way that the idea IS used in other parts of the New Testament, especially in John’s more spiritually oriented gospel. In Mark’s Gospel this idea that we should “take heed what ye hear” follows the Parable of the Sower with some additional verses in between regarding Light and revelation. To more clearly understand the apostle’s intent in organizing the Master’s words we should read his words in context:
“And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath” (Mark 4:20-25).
We should try to see here, and see IS yet another word which, like hearing, has deeper meanings in both carnal and spiritual contexts, the idea of the “good ground” from the parable. Those that can be understood as the “good ground” hear the word and receive it which IS something that the other stages of the parable fail at. Those equated to the wayside hear but DO NOT receive what they hear as the carnal forces in their lives prevent such reception in the heart. Mark frames the Master’s words here as “when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts” (Mark 4:15). Now we can understand this idea of hearing the word as the literal hearing from a teacher but we should understand that there was NO Christianity in those days save for the Master and His few disciples. Today this IS equated to hearing in the churches or by reading the bible and here again there was NO New Testament in those days. The problem here IS that over the last 2000 years men have heard doctrine and NOT the Truth of scripture. In both these stages, should we try to understand that hearing the word IS hearing the Truth that comes in the prompting of one’s own Soul, we can then better understand the idea behind the Greek word logos. Logos, while rendered as word and presumed to be the written or spoken word, has a deep spiritual meaning including the idea of the Christ and the Godhead. Remember “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Logos, like agape, pistis, pisteuo, charis and others should NOT have been rendered into the words of common language but should have stood alone much like the idea of mammon.
We can address the stage of being equated to being seed sown on “stony ground” and “sown among thorns” in much the same way. Here the word IS heard and received and perhaps one DOES remain in the word for a longer time before “the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). Our point here IS that ALL of these sayings in the three synoptic gospels ARE in regard to our hearing the word and then letting the word slip from our yet carnally focused minds, our hearts if you will, as we revert to being carnal men in this world. These ideas set the stage if you will for the following words on Light and hearing in Marks Gospel. In regard to Light we should remember the Master’s words saying “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14). In this and the following words the same idea that Mark IS presenting IS shown us in Matthew’s Gospel. While the idea in Matthew IS to show that the disciple IS “the light of the world“, the idea here in Mark’s Gospel IS to show the idea of revelation and, to be sure, revelation IS the privy of the disciple. Mark’s words show us the relationship between hearing and revelation and through this we should try to see the relationship between hearing and the prompting of one’s own Soul which IS the source of such revelations. In this sense of hearing we ARE prompted by the Soul which KNOWS ONLY the Good, the Beautiful and the True, if we can use this idea here, and it IS in this hearing that we receive the logos which, as the parable goes, we can either accept or reject.
Other New Testament text on the spiritual reality of hearing from the Greek akouo show us even deeper ideas. In John’s Gospel the Master tells the gathered people and His apostles and disciples that “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me” (John 6:45). While these words ARE a part of a much larger dissertation, we select them to show our point on hearing as it IS presented in the gospels. In the idea that “they shall be all taught of God” we should be able to see how that it IS the Soul, our direct link to the Godhead, that teaches us. Moreso we should see that even in the absence one’s understanding of the Soul as our direct link, these words still tell us that what we come to KNOW of God, comes from God and NOT from the doctrinal presentations of men. This IS an important point as the Master goes on to explain that “Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father“; here everyman that has heard and heeded the prompting of one’s own Soul “hath learned of the Father” and has come to KNOW God. We should remember that KNOWING God IS the ultimate reality of the mysteries “which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints“. As Paul shows us this mystery of which he speaks IS “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26, 27). This again IS the reality of the Soul, the Christ Within, which IS our direct link to the Godhead. The Apostle Peter shows us the deep spiritual reality of KNOWING God. Peter tells us “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 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 1:3-4).
These words from Peter show us that it IS “through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue“, the KNOWLEDGE of God if you will, that we obtain “all things that pertain unto life and godliness“. The apostle goes on to show us that this idea of “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” ARE the “exceeding great and precious promises” which allow us to be “be partakers of the divine nature“; a state in which we ARE essentially “perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect“. We should remember here that this IS an endpoint which comes into the Life of the man who, through his striving, becomes the man that IS the final stage of the parable….”the good ground“. It IS “the good ground” that “hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred“. We should see here that even as we approach the final stages of our journey toward “the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23) there IS the idea of measure which we read as “some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred“.
One final point on our hearing IS again from John’s Gospel where we read that the Master Himself relies on such hearing. Jesus tells us “I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him” and “now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God” (John 4:26, 40). Both of these sayings ARE in regard to the Master’s hearing from the Godhead and again we should understand that this IS NOT a verbal hearing but a hearing from His own Inner Self, His Christ Within. While none of this IS made apparent in the doctrines of men and while most ALL of the church will deny that such communication IS True of the Master or possible for everyman, the reality IS clearly painted for us in the New Testament should we choose to see and hear what the words ARE Truly saying.
We return to our words on measure from Mark saying “Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath” with a better understanding of the ideas behind the Greek word akouo. Can we see that the idea here IS that we must be careful with “what ye hear” because it will be multiplied by measure. If our inner thoughts shut out the Soul and our hearing IS ONLY of those carnal ideas that cloud our reality we shall gain in that capacity; conversely if our hearing IS of the Soul, of the Christ Within as our link to the Godhead, it IS our revelation of such thoughts that will be increased by the same measure by which we strive to KNOW God. The second part of the first verse of the Master’s words from Mark’s Gospel IS explanatory of the positive aspect. In the idea of “unto you that hear” we should try to see the man who hears the prompting of his own Soul and while this can work in the other direction as well the positiveness of the idea that “shall more be given” detracts from that idea. The following verse continues in the idea of the man who hears the prompting of his Soul and heeds the call to Repent and Transform as that IS essentially the nature of such prompting at the first. The idea here can be understood as that this man who hears and heeds the call to Repent and Transform shall be given more ability to DO so; this IS “he that hath“. On the contrary, the man whose hearing IS limited to his own carnal thoughts and motivations, the man who CAN NOT hear the prompting of his own Soul over the din of daily living, from him shall be taken even that which he hath”. In this last idea we should NOT see an actual removal of “that which he hath” but rather a loss of whatsoever focus he may have had regarding what he may have heard through the din. This we can equate to the first three stages of the Parable of the Sower through the negative ideas the Master applies to these as we discuss above. We should remember that these words on hearing and heeding ARE offered to us following upon the Parable of the Sower and we should see here that it IS NOT a stretch to see the parable in these words.
Through the three sayings regarding measure cited above we should be able to see the importance of measure in the words of the Master and apply them throughout the New Testament. The Apostle Paul uses the idea of measure as it IS applied to the self as men tend to think that they have a greater measure of Truth than they actually have. First Paul warns against this as he tells us about our Transformation. He tells us to “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” and then continues with a caution saying “through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:2, 3). Paul’s warning here IS twofold. First we should see that the carnal mind, in the course of Transformation, can and likely will, allow his mind to believe that he has greater measure of Truth than he actually has. Second IS Paul’s use of the idea of “the measure of faith” which should be understood as “the measure” of KNOWING as this IS the better understanding of the Greek word pistis. The message IS that the Transforming man should understand that there IS “the measure of faith knowing” and that this should guide his understanding of his personal accomplishments. In his second Epistle to the Corinthians Paul shows us this idea of measure in rather practical terms. Couched in a chapter that the church often uses because its subject seems to be “the weapons of our warfare” (2 Corinthians 10:4) IS another set of ideas regarding measure which ARE NOT seen as being overly meaningful. Paul tells us:
“we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s line[h] of things made ready to our hand” (2 Corinthians 10:12-16).
While there ARE several words added in this text and while there ARE many phrases extracted from a single word, the overall tenor of the ideas seem sound. The message from Paul in these words IS that he IS aware of the reality of measure saying that “we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure” and that they ARE “Not boasting of things without our measure“; this IS the crux of his argument. Paul begins by noting that others ARE “measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves” and these can be equated to those that DO NOT “think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith knowing“. Our point here IS NOT the text nor the meaning of Paul’s words but rather his use of the spiritual idea of measure. Finally we cite Paul’s words from the same epistle saying “lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure” (2 Corinthians 12:7). These words ARE much bandied about in the church in regard to the idea of “a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me” which IS NOT the topic of the apostles words. We should note the personalization of the Greek word satan from the Hebrew satan. The more normal Greek word that IS rendered as Satan IS satanas and why Paul chose to use the Hebrew word here we DO NOT KNOW. However since the meanings of both words ARE the same, it DOES NOT matter for us here. As we discussed previously, the personalization of the word satan is a purely doctrinal thing that likely originates in the superstitions of the Old Testament.
Paul’s reference here can be understood as a part of the struggle between the carnal and the spiritual with the idea of satan being his reference to the adversarial relationship between these two opposing poles. The definition of both the Hebrew satan and the Greek satanas IS just that, adversary, one who withstands; adversary (in general – personal or national)2. The word messenger IS rendered from the Greek angelos which IS most often rendered as angel and in the combination of these ideas we should be able to get a glimpse of Paul’s point: that he must control himself and NOT “be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations“. Here that which would be exalted IS the carnal mind and the adversary to this would be the Soul, the angel or the messenger of Truth, and it IS this struggle that Paul calls “a thorn in the flesh“. To finish this thought, Paul goes on to say “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me” (2 Corinthians 12:8). While the common understanding here IS that “this thing” IS the “thorn in the flesh” and that this IS a physical ailment, the whole idea IS much more understandable when seen in terms of the apostle’s struggle, a sense of struggle that he goes more deeply into in (Romans 7:14-25); this we have discussed in previous essays. While many ARE distracted by the ideas of Satan and Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” the reality of Paul’s words DO NOT highlight these. His words ARE meant to enlarge the idea that he KNOWS that he should NOT “be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations” and we should be able to see several of our points on measure in these words. While the idea of measure IS NOT shown us through the use of the Greek word metron, the gist of the idea IS fully apparent and IS used in the King James and several others to say that Paul IS calling on himself “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think“.
The message of measure IS on full display in the New Testament and this from the personal perspective as we read in Paul’s words to the Universal message of “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again“. The message has never taken root in the church however as men DO NOT see the importance of the idea that the Truth comes to us by measure and that this measure IS in proportion to the effort, the striving if you will, that we exert to gain the Truth. This should be a fundamental teaching note for the aspirant to discipleship and should be understood as a Truth in most ALL areas of human endeavor.
We began this essay with some thoughts on our last essay where we discussed the Power of the disciple, a Power that comes upon men in direct proportion of the effort put forth in the KEY reality of KNOWING. Our KNOWING comes from the Godhead through our Souls and even the most intent aspirant can be easily distracted by what IS happening in the world. Perhaps the greatest view of the ultimate effort IS found in our ability to NOT let the carnal mind have any say in our spiritual understanding; a difficult endeavor to be sure. We can achieve the fullness of discipleship however and we DO so by measure. We must understand here that the journey out of our vanity IS NOT done in an instant; despite the church’s ideas that men ARE ‘saved‘ in a instant by declaring their faith; our journey to Truth IS NOT easily accomplished. There IS the constant struggle that Paul shows us and the tendency for us to “think of himself more highly than he ought to think“, to exalt oneself “above measure through the abundance of the revelations“. We must realize that our revelations of the Truth come by measure and wheresoever we may believe we ARE can be tested in the simplicity of the Master’s words saying “If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done” (Matthew 21:21). To “have faith, and doubt not” IS an extremely high bar and necessarily so and while this idea can be seen in carnal terms, in the idea that ‘I know I can’, the spiritual bar IS much higher. We must NOT be fooled by the current day religious ideas bandied about by many in such denominational movements as those that embrace such ideas as ‘name it and claim it’ and channel their ‘spiritual’ energies to obtaining wealth and possessions. To “have faith, and doubt not” IS to KNOW that the outcome one wants will come to pass and, should we try to channel such Power to carnal ends we effectively cut off the Power which flows from the Godhead through the Soul and into the Transformed and perhaps Redeemed mind. We DID NOT work the ideas from our trifecta into our writing so again we leave with 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).
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
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- 9b Vine’s Expository Dictionary on blueletterbible.org
- ** Google AI on godliness vs. godlikeness
- *** Google AI on Matthew 7:2
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
