ON LOVE; PART MDXXI
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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 measure and the way that this idea IS employed in the New Testament. To be sure, it IS NOT explained openly by the Master but rather the effects of measure ARE implied in several instances that ARE seldom, if ever, discussed in the doctrinal churches. We left off with our trifecta and our encouragement that the reader would review these three sayings from the Master in order to understand how that measure can affect one’s success as an aspirant to discipleship. We begin here with the idea of aspirant which IS defined today as: a person who aspires, as one who seeks or desires a career, advancement, status, etc.*. From this we should be able to see that being an aspirant covers much ground and IS as important in our spiritual lives as it IS in our carnal lives. Being as aspirant to discipleship should, from this definition, help us to understand that everyone who Truly seeks or desires to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2) IS an aspirant to discipleship. Here of course one should be ever aware of the cost of discipleship which the Master shows us in Luke’s Gospel using examples. Here now we should look at the effect of measure on our trifecta while keeping in mind the idea of our aspirations to become a True disciple. True discipleship IS the ONLY objective for any who Truly seek the Lord and while this track IS NOT for ALL men. Discipleship IS however the True Path to the Lord and any who have been trying to become a True disciple through the use of the various Christian doctrines which, while keeping one’s mind somewhat on the things of God, fail to show the True Way, need to look deeper at the first part of our trifecta. To state this more clearly the Path to discipleship IS NOT to be found in the “commandments of men” which ARE the reality of the doctrines that they teach. We ARE of course warned of this by the Master who tells us rather clearly that “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” (Mark 7:6-7). As we have ofttimes discussed in our blog posts, these words from the Master ARE simply denied by most ALL of the church that has formed the ‘opinion’ that these words were meant ONLY for the Jews. The fact that they too ARE “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” has NOT swayed the churches’ thinking for two thousand years. Many see themselves as teaching the doctrines espoused by the Apostle Paul who NEVER tells us that his words should supplant those of the Master. That Paul’s words should supplant those of the Master, the Christ, IS based solely in the vanity of men who, both individually and corporately, have chosen their doctrinal approach, perhaps for the ease under which they can remain as men in this world while focusing their lives largely on themselves.
Surely they have created some time to set apart for focus upon the things of the Lord but even this measure of focus IS one-sided, concentrating on their nebulous ideas of faith rather than Truth. And even with their use of Paul’s words to establish their doctrines, they fail to see or understand the fullness of the apostles’ writings. Many settle on the fact that two thirds of the New Testament come from the pen of the Apostle Paul but this has little if anything to DO with the Truth of the Master’s words. Perhaps it IS for this reason, the voluminous writings of Paul, that the church has allowed itself to forsake the words of Jesus for the ease of the doctrine that they can extract from the apostle’s words. This IS however NO excuse for ignoring the words of Jesus in favor of the out of context usage and ofttimes capricious interpretations of Paul’s words and here we should look intently at the developed doctrines regarding faith and believing. From the Greek words pistis, faith, and pisteuo, believing, an entire religion was created out of whole cloth, a religion the nearly eliminates the force of the Master’s words on the lives of believers. The Apostle James, whom we rely heavily upon for the content of our blog and our understanding of the role of ALL apostles’ writings, tells us that “these things ought not so to be“. While these words may seem to be spoken in a different context than we ARE citing here, the reality IS that the apostle IS speaking about much the same thing. James’ subject here IS the tongue, the organ of the expression of thoughts and feelings by humanity. It IS in this way that we should try to see the tongue as an instrument in the lives of men. Expressions DO NOT have to be spoken to be uttered and understood by others and this IS the point that we ARE making here. Our writings ARE our expressions and ARE an extension of the tongue; our attitudes, when expressed in most any way ARE also an extension of the tongue. Let’s look here at the fullness of James’ words which end in the idea that “these things ought not so to be“. The apostle tells us:
“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course[of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind[of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (James 3:1-10).
To understand James’ words here as ONLY about the tongue as a physical organ greatly diminishes our understanding of his point. The tongue never acts alone save perhaps in eating and drinking. The tongue IS men’s instrument of expression for their thoughts, the feelings, the anger and the Love expressed by human beings and, as Jesus tells us it IS “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). Here in Jesus’ words the mouth IS used in place of the tongue and this should give us the necessary flavor with with to understand James words. James’ words start out with a caution which we have discussed before; it IS his warning to us that the teacher has much responsibility for what it IS that they teach, for what they express to others from a perspective of authority. The apostle cautions us NOT to offend in word, NOT to allow the tongue to speak in terms that offend but we should be careful here to understand what the idea of offend IS intended to imply. The Greek word here IS ptaio which IS defined by Strong’s as to trip, i.e. (figuratively) to err, sin, fail (of salvation)9a; Thayer’s tells us that the idea of ptaio IS more complex saying that as: transitive, τινα, to cause one to stumble or fall; and as intransitive, to stumble: δίς πρός τόν αὐτόν λίθον, Polybius 31, 19, 5. tropically (cf. English trip, stumble)9. The usage here appears to us to fall into Thayer’s first defining idea but, either way, the intent IS NOT to offend as this word IS commonly understood. In our view the idea IS misapplied in most ALL translations where the idea IS rendered in terms of stumbling from a personal perspective; generally the idea IS rendered as “For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well“. In view of such translations of James words we see that the King James idea of offend IS much closer to the reality of the apostle’s idea as the caution IS NOT about the self but about others; this IS why the idea that ptaio means to cause one to stumble or fall completes the intended thought. So the caution IS that we should be careful in being a master, should be careful in being a didaskalos which idea IS defined by the lexicon saying: a teacher; in the NT one who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man 2. Can we see the point that our concern should be in what we teach, that it IS in accord with the Truth of the Master’s words? Can we see that whensoever we teach what IS NOT the Truth we DO cause one to stumble or fall as we cause them to believe what IS NOT the True Christian message?
Without demeaning those who DO teach doctrines over the Truth of the Master’s words and the amplifying and clarifying words of His apostles, we must call out the way that James’ words saying “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation” DO apply to them. From our perspective this IS a harsh Truth that IS perhaps tempered by the well-meaning attitudes of many who preach and teach doctrinal philosophies over the most basic Truths of Christianity. James goes on to tell us that “ in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man” and while this IS seen in various ways, NONE accurately describe James intent. For example, John Gill tells us that: this is given as a reason why persons should not be anxious of teaching others, since in many instances, in common speech and conversation, men are apt to offend, and much more in a work which requires a multitude of words; or why men should be careful how they charge, censure, and reprove others, in a rash, furious, and unchristian manner; since they themselves are in the body, and may be tempted, and are attended with many infirmities, slips, and falls in common life 8. Mr. Gill misses the entire point as he DOES NOT even include the idea of the clergy in his remarks; he rather seeks to put the idea onto the lay person and offences that ARE made in a rash, furious, and unchristian manner. While Mr. Gill DOES acknowledge that the first part of this caution IS addressed to prospective and perhaps current preachers, he also adds that: this exhortation may have respect to censorious persons, rigid and severe reprovers of others, who take upon them, in a haughty manner, to charge and rebuke others for their faults 8. It IS the latter point that he brings forward along with the idea that the preachers that: perform it negligently, or live not according to the doctrine they teach others adding that such would be judged out of their own mouths, and by their own words 8. We should note here that Mr. Gills commentary DOES NOT agree with the translation ideas that we cite above so that there IS apparent division among the doctrinal views of James’ words. None of this, which IS typical of doctrinal ideas on this matter, seems to see the central matter that their teachings, lay or clerical, surely can cause one to stumble or fall by NOT seeing the Truth coming from those to whom they have given authority over their spiritual lives.
As James goes on, he tells us that it IS the words that can cause one to stumble or fall that define the nature of a man who IS teaching others on spiritual matters, he does this as he introduces the tongue into the equation. James defines the “perfect man” saying that he IS one that “offend not in word” and we should understand the idea of the “perfect man” according to the Master’s admonition that we should “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). It IS the “perfect man” who can “bridle the whole body“. The apostle goes on to show examples of things which ARE bridled or controlled by outside means alluding to the point that such bridling and control ARE easier than a man’s opportunity to control his tongue, to control the expression of his thoughts and attitudes as well as his actions. The complexities of James words here ARE missed by most ALL who understand the whole argument as regarding the actual tongue and those who see his words through the lens of doctrine. Control of the tongue should be understood as self-control and that the idea IS more inclusive than the spoken word alone. James goes on to give us comparisons; he compares the tongue to the effect of fire saying “Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire“. James goes on to show us the power of the tongue, the power of the carnal mind expressing through the tongue, before coming to the conclusion that it IS sore hard to control the tongue which IS the instrument that the Master shows us IS used to express “the abundance of the heart“. Perhaps James chose to give us this information, from being teachers to the words that we may use and actions that we may take, in terms of the tongue because it should have been readily understood that the tongue CAN NOT act alone. Regardless of his motivation, his next words give us the reasoning that we alluded to at the beginning of this essay: That it IS the tongue that utters the contents of the hearts and minds of men and that this content IS NOT restricted to the doctrinal teachings in which men engage in offending or which engage them in causing another to stumble or fall. We should try to understand that his point IS both spiritual and carnal, that the tongue offends in both arenas. James tells us “the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be“. Can we see the complexities of this idea that go unnoticed by most ALL of the church?
Understanding the tongue as both the symbol and the actual organ of the expression of the thoughts and feelings held by men IS a great step in understanding James’ message as well as the reality that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh“. Again, the tongue DOES NOT act alone; the tongue IS controlled by the mind and the emotions which themselves ARE either controlled by the carnal sense of a man or by his Soul. While there can be an admixture of these controlling sources, such duplicity IS NOT the Way to the Lord. James speaks on this as well saying that “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8) which should be seen as an amplification of Jesus’ words saying that “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” (Matthew 6:24). Here of course we should see mammon as the self in this world which IS what most ALL men Truly serve; that the idea IS taught in doctrines as treasure and riches (where it is personified and opposed to God)2 IS Truly unfortunate and the parenthetical idea from the lexicon IS rather meaningless. So while there can be an admixture of the controlling sources of the tongue, the carnal mind and one’s True spiritual impulses, the latter IS of little value in the Life of the “double minded man“. This brings us back to James’ words telling us that “these things ought not so to be“, an idea that we have here expanded to cover the idea of the teacher and what he teaches….doctrines or the Truth of the Master’s words. We should try to look at this most common reality in the Christian world, both past and present, from the Master’s perspective. It IS the doctrines of the churches which ARE today’s “commandments of men” in Christianity while in Judaism things ARE much the same as when Jesus repeated the words of the Prophet Isaiah as a prophecy saying “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9). That the church DOES NOT see that these words ARE directed as ALL that ARE “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” IS to their peril; the Master’s words ARE exceedingly clear.
This denial IS a part of the doctrinal church’s ethos which also includes the diluting and changing of the words of the Master as well as their ignoring many of Jesus’ sayings which cause the church discomfort. Here again we cite our trifecta of the Masters’ words to show how that His clearly stated sayings ARE generally ignored by most ALL of the church which takes to themselves the rewards cited while NOT performing that which reveals the rewards. Jesus tells us:
- “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).
While we have discussed our trifecta several times over the course of our blog posts, the Master’s words here never get old and ARE served well by our continued efforts to expand our knowledge of His words. To begin, we should understand that it IS the idea of discipleship that should be the objective of ALL who Truly pursue the Truth and desire the revelation of the mysteries of Life itself. Of course this IS NOT for ALL men but it IS for ALL men to strive toward keeping His words and we should understand that it IS just that, keeping His words, that propel us toward discipleship. While the church has built for itself an idea of a heaven and a hell based upon their interpretation of the Master’s words coupled with ideas left over from the Old Testament, the reality IS quite far from their ideas. Heaven however IS perhaps the single largest draw that Christianity has to attract and keep membership and, to be sure, membership IS the motivation of many. It IS the promise of heaven that IS the mainstay of doctrinal Christianity and we must understand that this centuries old idea likely CAN NOT be broken. People that believe what their doctrines tell them about heaven and hell ARE NOT the ones that need to change, it IS rather their teachers and, from our perspective, this IS a doable thing. We should understand that most ALL that attend seminary in any denomination, or those that attend seminary like schools, ARE learning ONLY what their denominations or sects believe. We should try to see that the depth of the belief of those that move on from learning to teaching can ONLY be tested according to the Master’s words saying that “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). Even this test however IS subject to the willingness of the observer to understand what the idea means against the teaching of the one being tested. Let men explain. There ARE several ‘megachurch’ pastors today in this country that teach their doctrinal ideas and, from the perspective of this observer, they ALL seem to be in tune with each other on a variety of issues. Such pastors encourage and even demand that the congregation support the church through tithes and donations, many with the promise that what one gives will be returned multifold. Many erroneously claim this through their interpretation of Luke’s version of the Master’s words saying “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). We discussed these words in some detail in the last post. As we said, the use of the Master’s words here IS misplaced as the subject IS NOT giving of carnal things and has NO relationship to tithing or donations. The context IS much different and involves such ideas as judgement, condemnation, forgiveness and mercy. Much of the church however chooses to understand these words in carnal terms promising carnal rewards.
So these ‘megachurch’ pastors accumulate mega tithes and mega donations much of which IS taken from those who DO NOT have the resources to give much but DO so in anticipation of the promised rewards and, to be sure, some DO receive what they pray for. It IS the ‘testimony’ of these few who may receive that offer the encouragement to others to continue to give even when such giving IS beyond their means. These same pastors ARE getting their rewards however on the backs of those that they entice to give as they live in luxurious mansions, drive expensive cars and proudly own jet planes. Such things they often hold out as the possibility for their followers as their reward for giving. This of course IS NOT the fruits that the Master IS speaking about as He tells us that “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). Of course NOT ALL pastors and church leaders ARE of this ilk but there ARE enough of the ‘bad actors’ to poison pool for others who DO NOT treat their churches and congregations as businesses. And perhaps this IS the point, for many around the world religion has become a business, big business for some, with estimates ranging from $75 billion to $135 billion depending on the source of the data. This of course IS far in excess of what they need to operate and it IS estimated that ONLY an average of 3% of the intake IS distributed to other charitable causes. Now we DO NOT advocate for non-support of the local church; there ARE costs and expenses that must be paid. Our issue IS with the few that we call mega and, to be sure, these ARE the most visible and the more influential as many in the local churches also participate in the television broadcasts and the seminars that ARE held around the country. Aside from making many rich and some multimillionaires we DO NOT KNOW what they do with a large portion of the money they take in and we should try to understand here that this IS NOT the way things were intended to be based in the Master’s words and the words of His apostles. So then, in the end there ARE some few persons that will receive what they believe IS the result of their own giving but these ARE an anomaly; such carnal rewards ARE NOT a part of the Plan save for in the teaching of some who align with the ideas of the ‘prosperity gospel’ and word of faith movement. And one more point before we move on: many who continually ask for tithes and donations cite a particular passage in the bible. We read in Mark’s Gospel that:
“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (Mark 12:41-44).
The lesson here in Jesus’ words IS NOT that the widow “threw in two mites” and therefore others with little means should contribute generously. The lesson here IS that those with abundance, those that “cast in of their abundance” should be ever more generous in their giving because the have so much. The more common view however IS that the story somehow highlights the importance of sacrificial giving and IS used by some in the church to encourage members to DO the same. We should note here that the widow required no encouragement; what she gave she gave willingly and it IS this willingness that IS likely the KEY to this story. Many there ARE in the church that preach about tithing and how that the idea IS that everyone should give 10% to the church; many teach also that this 10% IS based upon one’s gross income and should not include whatsoever one donates to other causes. Surely congregants should support their church according to their means and their willingness to give and it IS important to note that the idea of tithing IS scantily used in the New Testament. In fact, it IS used ONLY twice and in both instances the idea IS to show the inadequacy of the Jews’ tithing. Jesus says, among his list of woes, that “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23). Can we see how that the ideas of “judgment, mercy, and faith“, the “weightier matters of the law” have prominence over what one gives to the church? We should try to see that when “the weightier matters of the law” become a part of the ways of men in the church, the idea of giving will follow on its own. From our perspective ALL that encourage the congregant to give, to tithe if you will, and DO so while using such New Testament phrases as the idea above from Luke’s Gospel and the equally manipulated words from Mark’s Gospel, should be examined for the fruits of their lives and the spiritual reality of their teaching.
In Mark’s Gospel the Master words that ARE manipulated to a carnal end tell us “whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:23-24). The whole idea here has been converted by most ALL of the church from a deeply spiritual lesson to a carnal idea that IS become a highlight of the doctrines of men, the “commandments of men” if you will. The whole of the dialogue IS in regard to a deeply spiritual matter. The Apostle Peter asks the Master about “the fig tree dried up from the roots” which the Master has previously ‘cursed‘. Jesus’ response says naught about “the fig tree” as He rather responds saying “Have faith in God” before going on to discuss the mountain. Several bible translations render the Master’s words as “Have the faith of God” and we should note that the source text simply says have faith God. Since we define pistis, which IS always rendered in terms of faith and believing, as KNOWING rather that the nebulous ideas of faith and believing, either version works but the rendering as “Have the faith of God” offers us the clearer picture. Our point here IS simply that the church has chosen a carnal interpretation of the words from Mark’s Gospel which they CAN NOT do with the versions of the Master’s words in the other gospels. Many, especially those that preach the ‘prosperity gospel‘, use these words in a so-called ‘name it and claim it’ theology. Google’s AI explains the ‘name it and claim it’ philosophy saying: “Name it and claim it” refers to the belief that by declaring something with faith, one can bring it into existence or make it happen. This idea is often associated with the prosperity gospel and the law of attraction, suggesting that positive confession and strong belief can lead to desired outcomes, including wealth and success 7. This of course IS far afield from the Truth of the teachings of the Master. In the actual text from ALL three synoptic gospels, two where the idea of the mountain IS used and one where the idea IS a sycamine tree, the message IS purely spiritual and while the ideas of pitis and pisteuo ARE integral to ALL, the Truth of Jesus’ words IS made clearer when they ARE rendered in terms of KNOWING.
The idea of moment IS that one “shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass” but this has NO bearing on carnal matters. The spiritual Force and Power that would be required to move the mountain IS based in one’s KNOWING as outlined in the first part of our trifecta and we should understand that this KNOWING IS our KNOWING God as DID Jesus and His apostles. Of course the ideas of the mountain and the “sycamine tree” ARE intended to show extreme examples of the Power of this KNOWING and the statement from Mark’s version that “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” concerns ONLY spiritual matters like the Wisdom that we have been discussing from James’ epistle. There we read that “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” (James 1:5-6). This brings us back to our original theme for this essay which IS measure and while we have not used this idea for most of this post, it IS an integral part of the entire discussion. It IS in our measure of KNOWING God that we can have the successes that the Master speaks of. We should understand here that there IS a level of KNOWING that IS required to believe, to KNOW, “that ye receive them” and here a doctrinal reality comes into play. Some teach, according to doctrinal philosophy, that one CAN NOT pray for a million dollars when ones faith IS ONLY strong enough for receiving a hundred dollars and while the money which IS prayed for is NOT the Truth of the idea, the idea shows our point which IS measure.
We should understand that we ARE NOT left in darkness regarding these matters as Jesus clearly tells us “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). This IS the source of our KNOWING and its growth in our lives: that we keep His words. The same proportion that we exercise in keeping His words IS the proportion, the measure if you will, of KNOWING and Truth that will come into our lives. This IS an unspoken eternal rule. As we have discussed in previous essays, the idea of measure as we use it here IS shown to us in each of the synoptic gospels and highlighted for us in the Gospel of John. We close today with a review of these gospel entries:
- In Matthew we read: “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). We should try to see that these ARE two different points; the first, judgment, IS the completion of the Master’s words from the previous verse and while the second point may also bear on our judging, it DOES at the same time stand alone. We should understand that “with what measure ye mete” IS in regard to our proportion of keeping His words and while this can be understood in many, many contexts, it IS the spiritual ideas that Jesus teaches us. It IS the proportion of our effort that “shall be measured to you again“,
- In Mark’s Gospel we read: “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). We should understand that this hearing IS carried over from the previous verses which include the Master’s words saying “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” (Mark 4:22-23). So what then ARE we hearing but the secrets and the mysteries which ARE revealed in our ability to “know the truth“; it IS this ability to KNOW that comes from keeping His words that IS the “measure ye mete” and it IS in the same proportion that this ability to KNOW “shall be measured to you“. It IS in this hearing from one’s own Soul that the Master says “unto you that hear shall more be given“.
- In Luke’s Gospel we read “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). As we discussed above, these words ARE manipulated and misapplied by much of the church today but here our concern IS simply the measure and the simply unrelated idea that “with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” and the subject here IS “good measure” and NOT Earthly things.
- Finally we have the words from John’s Gospel; these ARE NOT the words of the Master but the words of the apostle who after discussing John the Baptist says “He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him” (John 3:31-34).
We will explain our view on these words 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 |
- 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
- 7 Google generative AI on ‘name it and claim it’
- 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
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
