IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 978

ON LOVE; PART DLXVII

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GoodWill IS Love in Action

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“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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“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).

In the last essay we began our look at the words of the Apostle James and this after many words on just who this James IS. It would be our view that this James IS among the Twelve, the man cited in the synoptic gospels as the son of Alphaeus, and this only because of an inner sense from the nature of his writings. In the end it does not Truly matter as we see his words regarding the Master’s teaching as the more important part. We discussed how that doctrine DOES NOT seem to hold James’ work in the same way as we do, as a guiding Light much as the Sermon on the Mount and as clarification of the Master’s words on discipleship, on the nature of the disciple in the world as opposed to the tendencies of carnal thought. We see James as addressing the problems of the aspirant and the disciple as they live in the world of men while choosing the Way of God and James sets this course for us in his opening remarks about temptation….how that temptation IS a part of living in this world of form and will be with a man until he can stand with the Master and say “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). While many believe that James’ words are addressed to the believers among the Jews only, and that they speak of things that the Jews would know, we do not agree as we can see the same ideas in Paul’s writings where he addresses His words to the Romans and the Corinthians, etc. but which are intended for ALL, and he too speaks in a way that the Jews would better understand especially as regards the law. Paul, in at least one place, encourages the sharing of his writings. and there are many, and we should assume the same idea here with James.

As we have said, our view is that what we seen in doctrine and read in commentary about James’ work, about the direction and about the lack of ‘Christian ideals’, is used as a cover for their harshness. James words have become less important than those of the other apostles while at the same time we see them of the uttermost importance to the man who would be His disciple and who would strive toward that strait gate which opens into the Kingdom of God. We discussed the first verses on the idea of temptation and how that it should be seen more as a joy than as a burden; in this we read that the temptations will come to a man as this IS the way of the world and that rather that bemoan the occasion, the aspirant and the disciple should work through it with joy, a joy that IS founded in the ability to show forth one’s steadfastness. This idea of steadfastness IS that perseverance that we take from the word that is rendered as patience in our saying from the King James Version and we should understand that this sense accomplishment is shown only to oneself and that this can be and IS a joy. The greater message here in these first few lines IS in the reality that it IS by such trials of temptation that the aspirants and the disciples are built up, that they come to KNOW that they can forebear the desires and the urges to partake of the things of the world which have always served to take their attention away from the things of God. This IS a very important point in the Life of the aspirant. We noted at the end of the last post that these first verses and the next few on Wisdom ARE related and we present them here together:

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:1-4).

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8).

We should see here that it IS this Wisdom that the apostle speaks of that gives a man the ability to persevere. This IS the same Wisdom of which the apostle later speaks, this IS that Wisdom from above, and here we KNOW this as we are asking for this form God. We should ever understand that this is through one’s own God Within; it is from Him that the Wisdom of God flows. It IS this Wisdom that allows a man to see that the temptations of the world are Truly of the world; many are fooled by thinking that some things that they desire are from God when they are NOT and this IS the purpose of the later lesson on Wisdom….how to tell the one from the other. The whole of this dilemma for the aspirant and for the disciple who has NOT yet overcome IS found in that duality of which the Master teaches, that duality of the “treasures upon earth” as opposed to the “treasures in heaven“, which becomes that choice of “God or mammon” (Matthew 6:19-20, 24). As we have said in previous posts, the Wisdom from above has naught to do with the self in the world and this IS the basic dividing line as one faces temptations that come in the face of desire and lust.

And this asking here for Wisdom is the same asking that the Master speaks of in His Sermon as He tells us to: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you“; here, while the Master expands upon the asking to include seeking and knocking, we should see that these are ALL for the things of God, the things from above. We should remember here that these ARE the “good things” which “your Father which is in heave” gives “to them that ask him” (Matthew 7:7) and we should note that this same saying IS framed by Luke as: “how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13).  In this combination of sayings we should have clarity enough to KNOW that the temporal things of the world ARE NOT intended here as so many believe; this IS the spiritual things that we ask, seek and knock for, the things of the Spirit which James qualifies as that Wisdom from above and which offers the better picture of just what IS the Holy Spirit whom the Master also calls the “Spirit of Truth” and the Comforter (John 15:26). Can we see how this ALL works? That the man tempted and needing help can get this Wisdom which IS his comfort in this time of need and becomes the Truth upon which he can act.

Here and later on James is telling us that KNOWING the one from the other is a function of Wisdom and that when a man, an aspirant or disciple for it generally matters not to others who follow the ways of the world, faces uncertainty in his decision to resist such and such a desire, that he should ask God for the Wisdom to choose the right course. Of course we should understand here that the right course IS the righteous course and that for the man to Truly see, he must be committed to his own spiritual pursuits and NOT leaning toward the acceptance of the temptation which is likely the easier and more carnally pleasant way. Here the apostle tells us that while this IS a state of duality, that the man seeking Wisdom must be steadily leaning toward God; if he IS NOT that True Wisdom will not come and he will be acting and responding to the prompting of the carnal mind. Most ALL of us can see this dynamic as it plays out in our own lives and we should try to see that this IS NOT static, that this IS a dynamic that can and does occur from time to time depending on the temptation and a man’s current state of mind. And we should remember here that the range of carnal ideas can stretch from some worldly desire for some thing or some situation all the way up to the ideas of self as we see in the disciples seeking to be the greatest as we read in the gospels; ALL of this IS worldly, carnal, thought.

In the idea here of double minded we should see the ideas reflected above more than that state of duality in which the aspirant lives. The aspirant, if he IS True to himself, IS not double minded but IS focused upon the things of God while still being subjected to the illusion and the glamour offered by Life in this world. The True aspirant would be one who would “ask in faith, nothing wavering“; it IS the man who IS NOT so committed as the aspirant, the man who lives in the world without that True commitment to the things of God, who IS the “double minded man“. For the man who IS Truly committed there IS yet some possibility of slippage if we can use that word and while this man may double minded in some of the more esoteric things, he is likely free from the generality if the ways of the world. While this may seem as doublespeak we should try to understand the nature of the aspirant, he has chosen God, he has chosen the “treasures in heaven” over the “treasures upon earth“; but he has not yet overcome and still lives in the world of duality where he can see both ways and react. He IS the man who has found Repentance and IS in the process of Transformation but the temptations are still with him and the possibility of seeing wrong still exists; the possibility of mistaking a thing of the world as the Wisdom from above. We must remember that there IS NO black and white in this choosing, as choosing IS NOT finished until such time as the aspirant and the disciple can say with the Master that “I have overcome the world“.

Some doctrine DOES NOT understand these ideas as they take a black and white approach. John Gill sees the perfection from the fourth verse as though it IS NOT possible in this Life; he DOES NOT see that the idea of being perfect is a goal of the aspirant and the disciple. This he bases on asking for Wisdom and we can try to see his reasoning in his words saying: If any of you lack wisdom; This shows that the perfection before spoken of is not to be understood as in this life, since the apostle immediately supposes lack of wisdom in them; for this is not said in a form of doubting, whether they wanted it or not, but rather as supposing, and taking it for granted that they did; and in the first, and primary sense of the words, it intends wisdom to behave aright under temptations or afflictions ⁸. These are for us two separate but related statements which combine to say that in resisting temptation one makes progress toward the goal of perfection and that state of being “perfect and entire, wanting nothing“. At the same time, the apostle tells us that if a man needs help in resisting temptation that he should ask God for the Wisdom to do so; this IS the greater reality of James’ words. Many bible translations help this view by rendering this “but if” rather that just if and on this Vincent tells us: But; Omitted in A. V. In pursuing this perfection you will find yourselves lacking in wisdom. One may say, “I know not how to become perfect;” but, if any man, etc. ⁴. The Commentary Critical and Explanatory of the Whole Bible agrees with Vincent over the ideas of Mr. Gill as they tell us that the: English Version omits “But,” which the Greek has, and which is important. “But (as this perfect entireness wanting nothing is no easy attainment) if any” ⁸.

We should try to see here that the apostle is NOT necessarily speaking about any persons who may be double minded or who may reflect any of the other characteristics of which he speaks, he is speaking generally and cautioning the man to understand that temptation IS NOT ALL bad, that it can help a man to grow as he strives to become perfect and that if a man IS so striving, that He can ask God for the Wisdom needed to persevere. If however one IS not focused upon this striving but IS yet a man in the world and focused in the world, that he IS “like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed“; this man will NOT get that Wisdom which comes ONLY in ones focus upon the things of God. There is much more that can be said here on these ideas but we will leave this here for now as these topics of temptation and Wisdom come to us again in James’ words. Our next verses again seem to be unrelated to these above but again there is a continuity which, while it is a bit obscure, keeps the apostles words on subject as the apostle takes us to see some ideas encompassed in his own ideas of temptation; we read:

“Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways” (James 1:9-11).

In this next saying we should begin by realizing that the apostles reference to the rich man IS NOT that he is rich only by means of wealth and possessions but in every way that one can consider oneself rich. Thinking that this rich is only wealth is akin to thinking that the treasure that the Master speaks of IS ONLY wealth and possessions or that mammon can be seen in this same way. Mammon IS the ways of the world, thoughts and attitudes of the world which a man will serve; this may result for some in riches but this IS NOT the intention of the word; mammon can and DOES take as many carnal forms as things of the world that take up a man’s focus  DO; a man’s attention can be towards sex, or toward drinking on the one side or toward a man’s devotion to a hobby or even a career on the other. Whatsoever takes his attention in this world, anything that a man strives for in this world. Treasures can be see in much the same way except there can be “treasures upon earth” and there can be “treasures in heaven“; again these refer to whatsoever IS important to the man, what he focuses upon. If his attention is given to mammon then his IS “treasures upon earth” and if a man’s focus is upon the things of God then his IS “treasures in heaven” and in this we see that same idea of what IS in one’s heart; God or mammon. In our saying from James we are beyond the idea of “treasures upon earth” and of mammon; the apostle here is speaking not of the seeking for or choosing as we see in the Master’s words from the Sermon, the apostle is speaking about those things that a man actually has.

Again, not wealth and possessions only but every thought and attitude carried by a man in the world, his sense of self-importance, his achievements, his social status, his education; everything that sets him above another in his own mind. Here we should understand that this idea of degree is of the carnal self-worth of a man as expressed in his attitudes and his actions and, in the idea of “low degree“, we should try to see humble and meek and not as some commentary paint this. We should understand here that “the brother of low degree” IS so willingly as regards this idea of carnal self-worth; this man sees the reality perhaps of the Master’s injunction that a man “take no thought” (Matthew 6:25). It IS interesting to note that John Gill sees this in a nearly completely opposite way which we read as: Let the brother of low degree; By “the brother” is meant, not one in a natural, but in a spiritual relation; one of Christ’s brethren, and who is of that family that is named of him; of the household of faith, and is in church communion: and whereas he is said to be of “low degree”, or “humble”, this regards not the affection of his mind, or his conduct and deportment, he being meek and lowly, and clothed with humility, as every brother is, or ought to be; but his outward state and condition, being, as to the things of this world, poor, and mean in his outward circumstances, and so humbled and afflicted ⁸. Mr. Gill is seeing this as that this “low degree” is related to the common idea of the rich man that follows and even more perplexing for us IS his assessment of the idea presented in brother. 

Here James is saying that “the brother of low degree” should “rejoice in that he is exalted“; this exaltation IS his “treasures in heaven” and this rejoicing is of  that same joy as one would have in overcoming temptations.

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

Aspect of God	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

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.

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit (John 3:3-8)

Today’s Quote of the Day is in regard to the new birth which Nicodemus did not understand and which many today do not understand either. The words of the Master tell us of a total commitment to the Lord as the way to the Kingdom and these verses say that as well. This total commitment is being born again. The differences in language aside, we should try to see the relationship between these ideas of being born again which is the essence of discipleship for it is only in discipleship that one can Truly see the Kingdom. These are much misused ideas because they are seen from the perspective of the man in form and no from the perspective of the Soul living through form.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!

• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
• ⁸ Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com