IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 228

Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

ON GOD; Part XV

The ideas from yesterday regarding our saying that “God is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:9, 10:13) were intended to help us to understand that this is a Truth and that, at the same time, man has a responsibility in this action of God. Though unstated in this way, this can be seen in the Light of the Old Testament covenants of which we presented a part from one the Book of Deuteronomy. Here, there is a list of Blessings and of curses on the part of God and a statement of the responsibility of man before each. There are occasions early on in the Old Testament where there appears to be a free offering of a blessing from God; this is apparent in God’s dealing with Noah after the Flood and, in a way, the first promises made to Abraham are free as well as his only requirement was to go to the place that was promised as it was already given to him. From Abraham to Isaac to Jacob there appears to be a rather consistent understanding between the patriarchs and Jehovah. These were personal relationships that culminate in the predicted time in Egypt where Joseph has been sold into slavery by his brothers who then come to join him in his good fortune along with their father Jacob. This is a strange turn of events as the prediction of their bondage has no precedent and, except that they have left their promised land to go to Egypt in a time of famine, there is little other calculable reason. We should remember here that this is all before the Law which starts in the next bible dialogue which is after nearly three hundred years in bondage. Without going too far into this history of the Jews we now find Moses, the Exodus and the giving of the Law; then the wars that allow the Jews to occupy their promised land and the beginnings of a long period where they would do and then not do what pleased Jehovah.

For these early Jews the rewards of doing the Will of God as outlined by the law seem to be in Peace and in Plenty and the rewards for not being obedient were in War and Famine. In between the varied stories of the Judges and the Kings that follow the establishment of the Nation of Israel can be found the steady stream of Peace and Plenty leading to War and Famine; an alternating sequence in a split country after the death of David the King. The message here is that the Blessing is reward for doing the Law and in that day it was for doing the Law as a nation;  the rewards for the curses are for the nation as well. There is little mention of any personal blessing and cursing except as relates to the Kings and other immediate rulers who generally cause the rise and fall of the nation. In a large way the covenants and the measures of compliance were national and not personal and the result is the captivity, first of Israel and then of Judah and, through the changing of the captors from the Babylonians through to the Romans, there is little interaction between the Lord and the Jewish Nation. This brings us to the time of the Christ and to His teaching which comes some four hundred years after the last recorded prophet of God.

Now Christ is teaching and is speaking to the individual and He is doing so directly as did the Baptist. The prophets prophesied to nations and spoke to rulers trying to move the whole through the leader; with the Master we have a direct to the people teaching and an explaining of the Nature of the Father and the way to His Kingdom. Can we see the change in approach of God to man and the resultant change in mans ability to approach God; heretofore there was an intermediary, a priest, between a man and God and this wall was removed by the Christ? Can we see how the whole of the situation languished for many years and became what it was under Roman rule when the Christ appeared and can we see the sudden and swift change that the Master offered? Can we understand the resistance offered by the rulers and the Pharisees to this sudden change and can we see the hunger of the people who were desperate and in need of more. Can we understand the predictability of this all leading to the many prophesies of the coming of the Christ, the outcome of His appearance and resistance and the attitudes of the rulers of the day? It was a much simpler day when the Christ came among us and His Life and the outcome of it were set in motion by the Souls that came into incarnation to ensure the result would be as the Plan of God. Two thousand years later who could He come to that will accept Him and His True teaching which we should understand would be a far cry from today’s professions of Christianity; how could He overcome the resistance of today’s ever shrinking world and its multiplicity of RIGHT doctrines. For a start let us suggest that He can come in the form of many people of GoodWill throughout the world echoing the Love and the Right Human Relations that He taught to us; people who are willing 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) which is likely what He would do if He were to come in person.

We have gotten a bit off track on our topi. We should see in the above the idea of covenant and the ideas of blessings and cursings as they effect a nation. The church today tries to personalize this and this may be a workable thing but it will only be workable in compliance with the commandments of the Christ and not with the shortcut approach that they believe they read in the writings of the Apostle Paul. Paul created for us a muddy area between Faith and works and Righteousness in some of his writings to specific people and groups but, at the same time, he resolves them into a coherent approach in other sayings should we take the time to read and apply them instead of trying to stand on some single saying for  salvation. The Quote of the Day for the last two days is an example of this as is this next saying which we should understand as our full compliance with the law should we fulfill it. It is in fulfillment of these words that we do our part in the covenant and position ourselves for the reward that He promises and is faithful to deliver; Paul tells us that: “….but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law“(Romans 13:8-10). Can we see how all these things can work together in direction and instruction to a spiritual Life and to His Kingdom and this understanding works out in yet another rather universal saying by Paul who tells us: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Continuing on to our next point we have “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Paul here is speaking to followers of Christ in relation to the way that they are acting and reacting in the churches at Corinth and most specifically regarding speaking in tongues which was apparently creating a confusing atmosphere. Part of Paul’s response to this is our saying and we have picked this out to amplify upon his words that “God is not the author of confusion”. One cannot look across the Christian landscape without becoming confused by what it is that we see; hundreds upon hundreds of different denominations all offering some tidbit of difference from the others. Whether it be differences in approach to eschatology, sacraments, the Trinity or the form of church government, there are dividing lines that create a definite confusion among the people. Paul is here telling us that it is NOT GOD that is offering the confusion but the interpretations of men. There is ONE GOD, ONE JESUS CHRIST and ONE GOSPEL and from this ONENESS man has created a multiplicity of differences in beliefs. The Master spoke about this in relation the the practice of the Jews saying that: “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:6-10). We used part of this same passage in the last post to show the Master’s dismay at the state of the religion of the Jews who had not yet gotten the idea that to obey the law was a thing of the heart; here we use is again to show the age old issue of the commandments of men, the church authority, taking precedence over the words of God and here for us, the Master.

Paul is telling these men at Corinth and he is telling us that if there is confusion as there was for them and there is for us today, that this confusion does not come from God…..from God we get only Peace. And in this Peace is harmony and concord; and from this Peace can come much understanding. It may be a stretch to call this an attribute of God in that it is a negative statement of what He is not.  On the other end however we can adapt this saying and adopt it as God is the author of Peace and in this we should see an affirmation of His Aspect of Love.

Peace is little spoken about in scripture but it is an important part of the teaching of the Christ as it is inherent in the Love and in the Brotherhood that He brought to is in His message. It is also the heralding call of the angel who announces the Master’s arrival over 2000 years ago as we are told that: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:13). We also find Peace in the sayings of Zacharias the father of the Baptist who, presumably speaking of the Christ, says that: “To give light to them that sitin darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). Peace is an attitude of mind more than it is the lack of war and of strife. Man can be in Peace on certain aspects of Life and at odds on others. The idea we should get here from Paul is that if we are attuned to God, if God is our focus then we will have Peace because, as we have now said, God is the author of Peace. In this same context Paul says of the Lord that He is the God of Peace several times as in this closing to his letter to the Romans saying: “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen” (Romans 15:33).

We close today with this final thought from Paul on Peace of which our thought above is a reflection: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). We leave the rest of our list for the next post

• God is one (Galatians 3:20)
• For our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. (Deuteronomy 4:24)
• God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5)
• God is love (1 John 4:8)
• God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1)

Note on the Quote of the Day