ON LOVE; PART MDXXIII
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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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In the last essay we intended on continuing the theme from the previous one but never did get back to it. This IS where we will start today, on the topic of measure. To begin, let us look again at the ideas we developed at the end of essay number 1912 as we try to get a better understanding of just what measure means in the New Testament. From the four gospels we read:
- 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).
From the synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke we have straightforward messages regarding measure and while they ARE ALL related, each has its own unique twist. Each idea of measure IS shown to us from a different perspective with a different idea either being a part of the saying or leading up to it. In Matthew’s Gospel the idea that leads us to the Master’s words on measure IS judgment and while this IS a part of the idea that Jesus IS presenting, the idea of measure IS also a stand-alone statement that continues into Jesus’ words on the ways that a man condemns the action of another while he himself IS guilty of ‘sinful’ actions. The main idea here IS of course hypocrisy. The link to the subject matter of the verses however IS NOT what we ARE looking at here; we ARE looking at the effect on men of the idea that “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2). Surely this IS True in regard to our sense of judging others, that there IS a karmic effect that will come back to us. This however IS a rather carnal idea but one that IS True. When a man IS measurably critical of others, it becomes a part of his persona and will elicit similar views from others; in this the saying becomes True on a personal level which then connects with the idea of judgment. However, the Master’s words here saying “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” also stand alone and ARE applicable in many human interactions both carnal and spiritual. Our focus here IS on the spiritual aspects of the idea of measure so that we can understand the with whatsoever measure of striving toward the Kingdom that we DO, that same measure will be returned as the success of our striving, our reward if you will. This should be a fundamental understanding of our relationships with our own spiritual selves, our Souls. As we focus more and more upon the things of God we DO perforce focus less and less on the things of the self in this world. This IS the beginning of that idea of selflessness that IS incorporated into the ancient words which Jesus elevates to be one of the two Great Commandments….”Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“. While the idea of selflessness IS NOT understood by many in connection with these words, it IS nonetheless an important component when the idea of selflessness IS rightly understood.
Perhaps in the end selflessness IS an overwhelming lack of self where one stands ONLY as a member of the greater whole but this IS NOT the reality for men in this world at this time. The greater reality of selflessness IS simply that it IS the opposite of selfishness where the view that ALL things revolve around one as the self and that NO one else other than those we allow close matters. At the outer edges of these attitudes of selflessness and selfishness extremes likely DO exist but for most ALL men these attitudes fall somewhat shy of the extremes. So then how DO we properly define selflessness? The common defining ideas come close to the goal of understanding selflessness. Today’s dictionary defines selflessness as: lack of preoccupation with one’s own interests, advancement, desires, etc., and attentiveness to those of others; unselfishness*. Can we see the point here? It IS interesting to note that the words selfless and selflessness DO NOT appear in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary 1; this IS likely because the idea of selflessness was NOT found in the hearts of men in those days nearly 200 years ago. Our understanding here should be on the greater awareness of the neighbor under the auspices of the New Age whose influence began about a 100 years later; we have discussed this idea of the New Age influences in previous posts. Our point here IS that this idea of selflessness has grown in secular society over time and has also influenced the Christian religious world but the effects of this as an attitude have been limited. However limited the idea has been in this world, that the idea exists brings us closer to a world where another of the Master’s sayings can become a reality; He tells us “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12). This attitude IS severely lacking in the world today and we should try to understand that this IS beyond the idea of selflessness versus selfishness. To be sure, some will consider themselves selfless and, like most ALL ideas of virtue, a man generally sees himself in a more favorable light than those that may be observing him. This of course IS vanity at work and we should try to understand that this idea of vanity has a carnal role as well as a spiritual one. While we generally see vanity in spiritual terms, as our personality’ built fence against the influence of selflessness, we should see that the very idea of selfishness IS our vanity when viewed from a carnal perspective. This may be one of the few areas where the spiritual defining ideas ARE easier to understand than the carnal. Spiritually the idea of vanity IS: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4.
We should try to see and to understand that the final idea, that of pursuing false ends, IS the carnal aspect of this vanity which IS ill understood and shown to us ONLY once in the entire New Testament. Regardless that the word IS used but three times in the New Testament, the effects of this state of being IS the whole story of humanity and IS the reality of most ALL of the Master’s negative comments regarding the attitudes of both Jews and ‘gentiles’. We use the word ‘gentiles’ here in the doctrinal sense of the time; as those who ARE NOT Jews, but the reality of the idea IS men in general with NO ideas of separation. Paul shows us that we ARE ALL born into vanity, that we ARE ALL born into a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends 4. He tells us this in words that have little effect upon the doctrinal ideas of men. He tells us this in words that ARE NOT generally a part of any sermon in the churches and, when they may be, they ARE directed toward the idea of the so called ‘fall of man’ because of the doctrinal interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Our vanity however IS more than this idea of the ‘fall of man’, it IS integral to our understanding of Life in this world and this IS especially True for our spiritual understanding. Paul tells us that “the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:19-21). Today we have included an extra verse for our discussion that can perhaps give us some added insight into the apostle’s intent in writing these words. It IS the same creature that waits for “the manifestation of the sons of God” as the creature in the next verse that IS “made subject to vanity“. To be clear, as the text says, this subjection IS at the hands of the Lord, at the hands of the Godhead and IS a part of the Plan of God that governs human Life in this world. So we ARE born, every one of us, into this world in a condition of infancy where we have NO control over and little awareness of how we develop into men and women in this world. We ARE then nurtured and indoctrinated into the ways of the world and should we be born into a family that follows doctrinal religions or one that practices the traditions of their elders DOES NOT alter this fate. We ARE nurtured and indoctrinated into the ways of the world or that idea of the world that our family hold true. Being born into a family that indoctrinates a child into a religious philosophy or tradition DOES NOT help that child to break free of his vanity; it ONLY changes the nature of the perishable and decaying condition one IS in; nor DOES it alter the reality of one’s pursuing false ends.
We should try to understand here that we ARE, individually and corporately, that creature that both “waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” and IS “made subject to vanity“. This IS a difficult idea to understand carnally but when we put ourselves into the idea as the Soul, we can make much sense of the apostle’s words. As Souls we “waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God“, we wait for our own individual Transformation, and, save for the prompting that we as Souls offer to the carnal mind, we ARE rather powerless; nonetheless we wait. In his epistle the Apostle James offers us some ideas which ARE NOT understood from the perspective of the individual Soul but rather as that the Lord, howsoever that may be defined, will come and effect changes in our lives. James tells us to “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:7-8). The idea here IS rather simple but IS cloaked in words that may lead us astray in our thinking. We should try to see that James IS speaking to those that have some foundation in the message of the Christ and NOT to some ordinary person; his words ARE pointed and clearly state this. At the same time we should see that James IS aware of the struggles that must be overcome and much of his epistle concerns our correction of our own thoughts, attitudes and actions which we may undertake despite our individual spiritual bent. If we can understand that the apostle’s intended audience KNOWS some measure of the Truth, we can reconcile the ideas of the carnal mind and the prompting of the Soul. Here we have an important aspect of measure; it IS to the man who has some measure of spiritual Truth working to continue his conversion that James says “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). It IS to this same man with some measure of Truth active in his heart that James offers his ideas on “respect to persons” (James 2:9) and it IS to this man that James offers his thoughts on “the wisdom that is from above” (James 3:17). To be sure it IS ONLY the man with some measure of Truth and agape Love at play in his Life that will properly understand James’ words and perhaps this IS why they play such a small role in most ALL of the church. Our point here IS that our Souls ARE as “the husbandman“, the man who expects “the precious fruit of the earth” which, from the Souls’ perspective, can be understood as his waiting “for the manifestation of the sons of God” which IS his own emergence as such in this world.
And this IS our point: the Soul IS ever aware of what the flesh IS DOING, aware of the attitudes, thoughts and actions of the man in this world. While the Soul may have little Power to evoke change, the Soul can and DOES continue to prompt the carnal mind and emotions as he waits. It IS in our understanding of this that we can better understand James words saying “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” and this coming of the Lord IS the True emergence of a son of God in this world. While it seems that we have again wandered away from our topic of measure, we have NOT. It IS by measure that we can be patient and “stablish your hearts“; it IS by measure that ARE “the manifestation of the sons of God“. Our success IS based in the Master’s words saying “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again“; it IS by the measure of our effort that “the creature itself also shall be delivered made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. We should add here that the husbandman IS our model; his patience IS based upon his expectation that “the precious fruit of the earth” will come to fruition and while there may be roadblocks to his realization of this expectation, he expects it nonetheless. Similarly we, as Souls, expect that we “shall be delivered made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” as we actively prompt our carnal selves, our personalities, to Repent and Transform. We should note one other thing in our view of these words from Paul. The text tells us that it IS at the hands of the Godhead that we ARE “made subject to vanity“, it IS the very Plan of God for this Earth that makes us human and “subject to vanity“. While this IS True, it IS also True that the Soul, our individual Souls, ARE a part of the Godhead and that the same expectation that we “shall be delivered made free” IS also the expectation of the Soul. In these words from the Apostle Paul lies the entirety of the human experience but this IS neither seen nor understood by most whose doctrines attribute Paul’s words to the ‘fall of man’ according to Genesis. This view however matters little in the overall scheme of Life.
While Matthew’s view of measure IS straightforward and clear, it IS most often seen in conjunction with judgment but this should NOT be the case. When however it IS understood as a separate proverb, it IS seen in a totally carnal way; John Gill for example shows such things as: Samson walked after his eyes, and therefore the Philistines plucked out his eyes. Absalom was lifted up in his mind, with his hair, and therefore he was hanged by it 8. Such ideas of measure for measure ARE perhaps best seen in terms of karma which, in the end, IS NOT the same as “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again“. The Apostle Mark gives us a different view of this idea of measure as he puts the idea in combination with hearing. We should try to see that Mark IS combining these ideas of hearing and measure to show both their interrelationship and their use as separate ideas. To begin here we should understand that despite the way that the Greek word akouo DOES NOT ONLY refer to the ear and what enters through the ear; that the idea IS far more complex. Strong’s defines akouo as: a primary verb; to hear (in various senses):—give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), (shall) hear(-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand 9a. These defining ideas ARE NOT solely related to the ear, we can hear things, give audience to, through reading (seeing) and in today’s society we can see things through a variety of different medias. Perhaps the lynchpin here IS the final defining idea of understanding what it IS that we see and hear as without this our akouo can be but noise. We could rephrase Mark’s words then to say “Take heed what ye hear understand“, “take heed” what it IS that we take from ALL that enters into the psyche either by actual hearing, seeing or having realization of. This IS the first part of Mark’s message. Next comes what we see as a standalone idea saying “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you“; this IS the actual message on measure which we should understand in the same way as we DO Matthew’s words above. Finally,, as Mark puts these ideas together, we should see the idea of understanding as the primary point and NOT just the ‘noise’ that DOES enter into the psyches of men. The final words ARE NOT for ALL as the apostle addresses “you that hear” in saying that if we DO hear, if we DO have understanding of the Truth, “shall more be given“. We should also try to see that the apostle IS speaking about the Truth; this we take from the previous verse verses 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). Can we see the point? Can we see the dual nature of the apostle’s words. John Gill seems to capture this for us saying:
“with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you; a common proverb among the Jews, used on various occasions, and to different purposes; (See Gill on Matthew 7:2). Here it seems to intimate, that if the disciples carefully hearkened to what they heard from Christ, and studiously laboured to understand it, and faithfully dispensed it to others, in return, a larger measure, and greater degree of spiritual knowledge, would be bestowed upon them: for it follows, and unto you that hear, shall more be given; that is, that hear so as to understand, keep, and make a good use of what they hear, more shall be communicated to them; they shall have an increase of knowledge in the doctrines of grace, and mysteries of the Gospel” 8.
While we DO NOT often agree with Mr. Gills assessments of New Testament ideas, here he DOES capture the idea that “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you” as well as the Master’s words regarding “you that hear“. The more common view of these ideas IS more restrictive however; Google’s AI summary of the ideas tells us that it ‘emphasizes the principle of reciprocity in judgment and treatment. It means that the way you treat others will be the way you are treated in return, either in judgment or in receiving blessings‘ 7. As we say above, this interpretation IS the definition of karma as this IS commonly understood. As a summary of current thought it disregards the greater spiritual Truth that we have been highlighting and that IS the spiritual importance of measure and effort, our striving if you will, which IS at play in both the spiritual and carnal arenas. The problem with the doctrinal ideas that feed the common understanding of the idea that “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you” IS that most ALL fail to separate these words from the rest of the Master’s words whether they be on judgment, on hearing or on giving as we see in the text above from Matthew, Mark and Luke respectively. As we have said, there IS a connection to these ideas but that the words themselves, the idea that “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you” also stands alone as our promise of spiritual growth and, on a carnal level, our realization of success.
Next IS the Apostle Luke’s version of the Master’s words and the interesting place that he puts this idea. The preceding verses ARE in regard to agape and its effects in this world and these lead into the subject verse from Luke. The totality of the idea should be seen through the fullness of the verses before it as well as the parable that follows. The Master tells us “love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 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 6:35-38). We should see that the whole of the apostle’s version of Jesus’ words IS in regard to agape; that the doctrinal authorities have chosen to separate these idea IS unfortunate. It IS the first statement that sets the tone for the entire entry; in the idea that we should “love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again” IS the measure that we should mete and, in return, measure IS returned to us through the idea that should we DO this “your reward shall be great“. This reward IS our reciprocal measure as promised by the saying that “with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” As we have discussed several times over the course of our blog posts, there IS NOTHING here in regard to things of this world as the idea IS made to be understood by the doctrinal church. There IS ONLY agape and the effects of agape which IS given as “good measure” and there IS NO reality to the idea that anything IS given back to us by men; this IS a wholly fabricated idea and one that IS used often in relation to tithing and giving in general. It IS interesting to note that our bible source, biblestudytools.com, relates the Master’s words that end this segment, our subject verse, to Christmas and while they DO NOT give specifics, this IS likely because of the ideas of giving and receiving. And giving IS our next topic here; the idea IS taken to mean giving in the traditional sense which the church has expanded into tithing and other similar ideas. The word rendered as give here IS didomi which has a broad range of meanings that can be tied to the idea of giving. Strong’s offers us this as the defining idea for didomi: a prolonged form of a primary verb (which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses); to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection):—adventure, bestow, bring forth, commit, deliver (up), give, grant, hinder, make, minister, number, offer, have power, put, receive, set, shew, smite (+ with the hand), strike (+ with the palm of the hand), suffer, take, utter, yield 9a. We should try to see that the ordinary idea of giving things IS taken from this list of defining and this can be Truly misleading; the reality IS much more complex. We should also remember that the words “shall men” in this verse IS NOT in the text but rather added by the translators to fill in the doctrinal idea based in their carnal view of the idea; the idea IS rendered as they by some but this has the same effect. It IS NOT things however that ARE spoken about here, it IS the idea of “good measure“, related to the preceding verses which ARE in regard to agape, that we should receive. Regardless of how we should view the preceding words, carnally or spiritually, the final point also stands alone in saying of ALL things that “with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again“.
Standing alone as phrases hidden within other ideas IS a part of the way that the Truths ARE hidden in plain sight for those that can see them (hear according to Mark’s version) and perhaps it IS this reality that led Mark to hide Jesus words within the idea of hearing. We have three ideas here from the three synoptic gospels that tell us a great Truth that remains hidden and misunderstood by most ALL of the church. Matthew tells us that “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again“; Mark tells us “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you” and Luke tells us “with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again“. Perhaps the doctrinal fault here IS that they leave the entirety of the idea of measure in the context of the specific saying without looking at the way that the idea can and DOES stand alone. At the same time they remove the ‘whole’ idea from the context of what precedes and follows the verses. Our most common complaint against the way of the doctrinal churches IS the way that they often take words and sayings out of context and use them to their advantage. It IS perhaps because there IS NO doctrinal advantage that they DO NOT take the ideas of measure out of context. Most ALL of the most specific ideas bandied about in the doctrinal churches ARE taken from out of context sayings from Paul.
Our final point on measure comes from John the Baptist’s words as reported by John. While the Baptist’s words ARE NOT at ALL related to the ideas above, they DO show us the reality of the idea of measure from a purely spiritual perspective. We begin with the opening line saying that “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“. These words from the Baptist attest to the divinity of the Master but NOT in the way that the idea IS understood doctrinally. The idea here IS that Jesus IS from above and this we should see in the same way as we understand James’ words on “the wisdom that is from above” (James 3:17) so that we can better understand that this IS NOT speaking of the Master’s physical presence but rather His realization of the Christ Within. Perhaps the Baptist IS trying to show the idea that while Jesus IS a man that “is of the earth“, He IS at the same time imbued with the fullness of Christ separating Him from those that ARE “earthly, and speaketh of the earth“. Next the Baptist tells us of Jesus that “what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony“. The first part here IS rather clearly written so that we can understand that “what he hath seen and heard” IS the reality of “the wisdom that is from above“; it IS perhaps what we can understand as the Plan of God. It IS this that the Master teaches us, it IS this that He testifieth to. The next part IS NOT so clear and many see the idea that “no man receiveth his testimony” as that “no man” received what the Master had “seen and heard” but this IS nonsensical as the Master had NOT yet begun His testimony. The better idea IS that “no man” had received “what he hath seen and heard” as this was the sole Providence of Jesus. While this changes through the apostles spiritual advancement, it IS True at the time of the Baptist’s words. Next we read that “He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true” and this somewhat explains the previous verse. In the preceding verse we should try to understand that the word his refers to the Father, the Godhead, while in this verse the word his refers to the Master. Jesus, the sole receiver of “his testimony“, “the wisdom that is from above” if you will, “hath set to his seal that God is true“; this IS His testimony based in “what he hath seen and heard“.
Finally we get to the idea of measure in the Baptist’s words saying “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him“. In these words our analysis above comes to fruition “he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God“. This IS Jesus who “cometh from above is above all” and what He speaketh IS again “what he hath seen and heard“, it IS His testimony which we should see in ALL His words from the gospels. Then the crux of them matter IS shown us in the Baptist’s words saying that “God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him” which IS to say that the Master has the fullness of the Spirit beyond the measure afforded to men. Finally our point, the Master has the fullness of the Spirit, the fullness of the very nature of the Godhead, and it IS from this that He teaches us that we too can have some measure of this nature based solely upon our individual efforts, our individual striving to DO as the Master instructs us to. It IS in this that the “measure ye mete” will “be measured to you again“. As we conclude our thoughts on measure and the way that it IS by measure that we can advance spiritually as men in this world, we should keep in mind that our measure itself IS measured by our willingness to keep His words and to make that willingness the cornerstone of our lives going forward. This whole idea of measure IS a part of the promises of scripture, the “exceeding great and precious promises” as the Apostle Peter frames this as he tells us that “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 1:4). Peter here shows us the Way and we should try to understand that our escape from “the corruption that is in the world through lust” lies in keeping His words as our measure of effort for which IS returned an equal measure of being “partakers of the divine nature“. While we DID NOT get to our trifecta above, we DO so now; it IS the Master’s words here that show to us the reality of our individual measure of striving to keep His words and the measurable rewards. We read:
- “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/
- 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 “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you“
- 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
