Tag Archives: The Good Shepherd

ON LOVE; PART MCCCLXXXIII

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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 spent much of the last essay discussing the importance that the Great Commandments have in the proper understanding of the Master’s message. While this IS a frequent topic of our blog, we took the opportunity to frame the Great Commandments in a different way as we tied these words to the deepest realities of the law and of the messages of the prophets. We should see here an equivalency between what Jesus calls “the law and the prophets” and the reality of the Great Commandments and understand that the latter IS Jesus’ updated view of the most basic Truths of Judaism. That the Jews DO NOT outwardly see the reality of the Great Commandments in their religious practices, their mitzvah if you will, IS NOT an indication that the Jews ARE NOT aware of the strength of the Master’s words before he uttered them in Palestine 2000 years ago. We can see their knowledge (especially in the religious class) of the importance of the words of the Great Commandments in this exchange between Jesus and a “certain lawyer“; we read that “a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him,What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him,Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live” (Luke 10:25-28). This idea of a lawyer IS NOT related to the common understanding of the term today; the Greek word refers to: pertaining to the law, one learned in the law;
in the NT an interpreter and teacher of the Mosaic law ^2a and we should note here that for the Jews’ in Jesus’ time their religion IS their law. The point here IS that this lawyer, this interpreter and teacher of the Mosaic law, KNOWS the importance of these words that ARE found in separate places in the Old Testament; one from Deuteronomy 6:5 and the other from Leviticus 19:18. Neither of these commandments ARE a direct part of the Ten Commandments but, if we intelligently look at the words, we can see that the deeper meaning of most ALL of the ten can be found in in these two precepts which we repeat here in Jesus’ words from Matthew’s Gospel saying:

“one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 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 22:35-40).

The version of this by the Apostle Mark IS at the top of every essay and this, along with Matthew’s and Luke’s above, should show us the relative consistency of these commandments across the gospels. We should note the role of the scribe in Mark’s version, that he KNOWS the reality of these words; we read that “the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:32-33). While Mark tells us that Jesus refers to these commandments saying that “There is none other commandment greater than these, Matthew tells us Jesus’ words as “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets“. We should understand here that both of these mean the same thing; the Great Commandments ARE the essence of ALL of “all the law“, they ARE the sum total of the teaching of “the prophets” and they ARE both first in importance and the greatest of ALL commandments from the beginning. Most importantly they ARE the reality of agape which word IS rendered as Love in ALL versions. And we should remember here that as we believe that the Golden Rule IS Jesus Way of stating the reality of agape, it IS also shown to us as having the same value as the Great Commandments. Jesus tells us “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” and we should see here that as one complies with this Golden Rule one IS at the same time complying with both of the Great Commandments. John clarifies this saying that “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (John 4:20). Through ALL of this we should be able to see the falsity of any ideas that separate the words of the law from the words of the Master who both uses and enhances them, especially those words regarding agape. Additionally we should be able to see and to understand that ALL ideas of a new covenant based in the words of the Apostle Paul ARE but the machinations of men whose desire IS to live as men in this world. It IS this carnal drive that IS the doctrinal new covenant; a covenant that IS based solely in doctrinal teachings which the Master shows us ARE but men “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7).

We often say that it was NOT Paul’s objective to create a new covenant; that his words ARE ever intended to be a reflection of the Master’s teaching; his words however have been taken totally out of context by the church. Paul IS ever trying to ‘prop up’ the ‘churches’ by emphasizing common sense and spiritually oriented ideas regarding the lives of men and beneath this aspect of his writing lies the most basic Truths of the Master’s teachings. There IS NO end to the similarities between Paul’s words and the Master’s and we should try to see that Paul IS writing according to his own personality filter that yet sees many things from a Jewish perspective. Some of these similarities we covered in the last few essays and we have, as our selection, the most important of these in Paul’s words on Love, his words on agape. This idea of agape IS the essence of the Great Commandments and the Golden rule and it colors as well so much of the Master’s other words which can be directly related to agape and which in turn show us the essence of keeping His words. While we CAN NOT say that any of Paul’s words on Love ARE more important than another, we can say that our selection IS among the most important from the perspective of our understanding of the concept of agape; repeating our selection, we read:

“covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity agape, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity agape, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity agape, it profiteth me nothing. Charity Agape suffereth long, and is kind; charity agape envieth not; charity agape vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity Agape never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (1 Corinthians 12:31, 13:1-13).

While we have gone over many of the points that Paul makes above, there IS a seemingly infinite depth to the common sense spiritually oriented ideas that the apostle presents. We should note that the doctrinal church has grasped ONLY the more carnal aspects of Love as they have created a sort of mantra that has spread also to much of the secular world. While the ideas that Love IS patient, Love IS kind can form a basis for the common understanding of Love, these ideas fade against the deeper meanings of the ideas presented. Untold millions of plaques can be found in homes around the world that show these ideas of Love yet they ARE rather meaningless and have become but trite sayings with little True spiritual force. The common understanding of Love IS that Love IS men’s emotional and mental attachment and attraction to others; attractions and attachments that have come to include most everything that one favors in Life. From this perspective men Love ALL kinds of things from persons to family to homes to pets to careers, etc.; and the list can go on nearly ad infinitum. This however IS NOT the essence of the reality of agape as this sense of Love is intended to be understood. There IS perhaps a single idea that can show us if we ARE expressing the common ideas of Love or the deeper Truths of agape and we should note here that there ARE many stages to these deeper Truths. This single idea IS found in the very nature of God which IS presented to us by the apostles in such sayings as “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11) from Paul and “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34) from the Apostle Peter. While Jesus DOES NOT use this phraseology, He too shows us this nature of the Lord as He teaches us on agape and our expression of it. The Master says “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45). In the simplicity of these words we have a great KEY for our understanding of agape and it IS this KEY that the apostles clarify and amplify for us in terms of respect. The Apostle Luke offers us a slightly different view but one that IS still attached to agape; Luke shows this Love as the nature of God that should become the nature of men saying: “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” (Luke 6:35). The Apostle John tells us that “God is love agape” (1 John 8, 16) and this statement IS widely accepted as a defining quality of God while the entries from Matthew and Luke ARE scarcely noted. These ARE however clear notations regarding the Love of God and His expression of it equally toward ALL with NO “respect to persons“. There ARE NO favorites, NO preferred classes of persons, NO preferred religious affiliation; in God there IS NO preference based on any human criteria; ALL ARE equal as Paul shows us saying that, “he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons” (Colossians 3:25). This IS the simple reality of agape: that in the mind of God there IS NO difference among men and NO preference for any one over any other. Following the Master’s words to this end we should try to see that He IS telling us to be as IS the Lord; He IS telling us that we too should have NO “respect to persons” but should treat ALL men equally and should we conflate Jesus ideas with His words on discipleship and on our being worthy of Him we will see that this includes family. We see this in Jesus words saying “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). We should NOT think that fathers, mothers, sons and daughters ARE the limit to this Way of agape however as Luke’s version of these words IS more inclusive; we read this as “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). The point here IS that the reality of agape from the perspective of the Lord IS NOT ONLY universal toward ALL persons but IS also Universally equal regardless of relationships.

While there IS NOT single place where this IS stated clearly, where the idea that the stranger IS equally entitled to our Love with our relatives and friends, the precept IS in His words for us to discover. While we can see it in Jesus’ sayings above, we can see it ever more clearly in such teachings as this from Matthew’s Gospel where we read that “While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:46-50). Can we see the point here? Can we see how that the Master equates His disciples with His close relations. Here we should take these words along with the ideas above regarding expressing Love to “the unthankful and to the evil” and “the just and on the unjust” and try to see that while DOING “the will of my Father which is in heaven” IS an important aspect, it DOES NOT affect the universality of His Love; it ONLY affects our own individual ability to have realization of that Love. We should remember here that James takes this defining quality of the Lord and applies it to men and we should note that this application IS in accord with the Master’s instructions on Love. Jesus teaches us to Love universally: that we should “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” in the same way as we Love “them which love you” (Matthew 5:46). More importantly, it IS in this context that the Master teaches us that we should emulate this nature of God; Luke frames this in terms of mercy saying “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36) while Matthew shows us this same idea in terms of perfection saying “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). It IS this sense of agape that IS missing in the Christian world that has never Truly understood its force despite the most clear words from James who tell us “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 2:8-9). When we can understand that this sense of “respect to persons” IS a defining quality of the Godhead and that it IS in letting this quality flow from the Soul into our personality as our expression in this world as the Master instructs us, we can then say with confidence that we have Repented and ARE being Transformed. It IS our expression of agape that IS the dividing line between being carnally oriented and being spiritually “rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17). We should remember here that Paul IS showing us through our selection that it IS agape that IS the KEY to Life and that any and ALL churchy ideas of “spiritual gifts” ARE in Truth worthless in the absence of agape. Through his words on agape we should KNOW that speaking in tongues IS of NO value but merely noise as “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal“. While parts of the church rely upon tongues as evidence of spirituality the unheeded reality IS that in the absence of agape as Jesus teaches us such sounds ARE of NO use, they ARE but noise. And each of us KNOWS in his deepest sense of being his own Life position regarding the expression of agape as we discuss above; each KNOWS that he IS or IS NOT free from prejudices and hatreds; each KNOWS that he IS seeing ALL men equally and that he DOES “love thy neighbour as thyself“. This sense of KNOWING IS Paul’s point as he shows us the True minister of the gospel saying:

“in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2 Corinthians 4-10).

Our point here IS “love unfeigned” and the reality that many can say that they DO Love as the Master teaches but few there ARE that actually DO; it IS these few that “do the will of my Father which is in heaven” which will IS ever the expression of agape to ALL. This expression IS the reality of our “good works” which Paul shows us saying “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Such “good works” ARE our fruit and it IS in our view of Life and our own expression of Love and Truth that we can discern the reality of others’ expression of this Love and Truth according to Jesus’ words saying “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). We should remember here that Paul teaches us that without agape ALL that we may DO religiously IS worthless and here we can see that even in our carnal giving and sacrificing there IS the need for our expression of agape as it IS defined by the Lord. Paul shows us this saying “though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity agape, it profiteth me nothing“. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us that in prayer, in giving and in fasting we should NOT be doing so to please men or to appear as righteous to men; He tells us of such who DO that “They have their reward” (Matthew 6:2) and we should understand here that this reward can ONLY be the reverence of men. To Paul’s words from our selection we can add the idea of feigned Love which IS NOT agape but ONLY a carnal attitude that has NO depth as the “stony ground” in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower. We can convince ourselves of most any virtue but we CAN NOT feign the Truth of agape.

There IS a deep reality to that defining quality of God that we find in the words of the apostles saying that “there is no respect of persons with God“. When we look at this idea from the perspective of the God Within we can than better understand that this IS True as well of the Spirit, manifest as the Soul, which IS the True man in this world. In the reality of our Repentance and Transformation this quality of our spiritual self becomes perforce the quality of our Life here in this Earth and, to be sure, the Transforming man must express some measure the Light and the Love that IS the Soul. This IS the evidence of our Transformation and this IS the fruit of which the Master tells us that it IS “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). While James makes this a personal objective for ALL men whose focus IS upon the Lord, his words ARE NOT taken to heart by most ALL doctrinal Christians. Many paint this idea through the apostle’s example that measures the rich against the poor which he frames as “a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel” against “a poor man in vile raiment” (James 2:2). This IS however but an example and one which IS hardly used by the doctrinal church in regard to their view of men; the “poor man in vile raiment” IS ever looked down upon and this IS a great hinderance to the idea of “love unfeigned“. We must understand that the proclivities of the personality DO lead most men to view others according to ideas of rich and poor and such views can vary greatly based upon the social class of the observer. It IS these same proclivities that lean men toward the many prejudices held by carnal men and we should understand here that it IS in the Light and Love that flows from the Soul into the heart of the man who IS focused upon the Lord that diminishes and eliminates such proclivities. Again, while James shows us that to have “respect to persons” IS sin, this reality IS NOT understood despite the apostle clearly telling us that “if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin“. He tells us also that this sense of sin IS equal to any other sin and this again IS a precept that IS NOT understood nor taught; James tells us “if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:9-10). This IS a major failure in most ALL Christian teaching; it IS a concept that IS as little understood as ARE the Master’s words that lead us to this, that “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“, as well as ALL of His commandments regarding the nature of that Love which IS the Truth of agape.

While few see the force and the impact of agape on their own spiritual lives IS a matter of fact that can be easily discerned by an intelligent look at world affairs, the spiritual reality of agape IS forever embedded in the scriptures that Christian’s hold dear. The same ideas ARE also embedded in the deeper realities of most every world religion, albeit from different perspectives, realities that can and will produce the same result when such perspectives become the focus of the follower. The doctrines of men in every religion ARE a far cry from the actual teachings of the Avatars that brought them to men as revelations of Truth in particular times and places. Perhaps the single common thread in ALL religions IS the carnal idea of self and selfishness; ALL religions teach men to look away from the self but these deeper Truths are obnubilated by their doctrinal approaches and this IS especially True in most ALL of Christianity. Christian denominations and sects have chosen to ignore the Master’s words on the Way to the Truth and have concentrated their efforts on the seemingly easier Path of grace through faith. They have adopted out of context and misapplied ideas from the apostles, especially Paul, to support and justify their beliefs. Most hold such ideas as “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8) above the teaching of the Master regarding NOT ONLY agape but also those teachings on the deemphasizing of the self and the elimination of covetousness which ideas ARE from the beginning. Most have plotted out their sense of Truth based in nebulous ideas of faith and believing as they have misunderstood the deeper realities of so many Greek words and especially of pistis and pisteuo. Most either DO NOT understand the Master’s words and intent or have purposely chosen to render them moot based in their own doctrinal teachings and beliefs. Such teachings ARE the Master’s word on treasure and the deep Truth that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). Others include Jesus’ teaching on God and mammon where the whole idea of mammon IS first misunderstood as riches and then ignored as most ALL men seek after those riches, ofttimes with guidance from the church. Perhaps the single most important spiritual precept, the one that ultimately ties Christianity to the True teachings of other religions, IS the Master’s words saying “Take no thought for your life” (Matthew 6:25) which idea IS contrary to men’s’ sense of self and selfishness. While most ALL Christian doctrines teach this in terms of worry and anxiety, most then ignore those defining terms as well. As we often say, the crux of the doctrinal issue IS founded in the way that men have never been able to look past the self and the things of the self; this IS their starting point based in the sense of vanity into which they ARE born, nurtured and then indoctrinated into a focus upon their Life in this world. The world view of most ALL doctrinal thinkers IS NOT spiritual but carnal and while few will admit this the reality of the situation can be found in two New Testament ideas. First there ARE the Master’s words saying that “by their fruits ye shall know them“; and secondly there ARE Paul’s words on Love that paint ALL presumed “spiritual gifts” as worthless in the absence of one’s expression of agape. To understand the first IS to understand the clarifying and amplifying words of Paul and James who define for us the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22) and that “wisdom that IS from above” (James 3:17) respectively. Understanding the depth of the Greek words used in these verses IS important in understanding the reality of the precepts involved and, much like the carnal interpretations that have become Love IS patient, Love IS kind ARE but a shadow of Paul’s intended message, the rendered words for these ARE but a shadow as well. Again, while we will NOT discuss these ideas in depth here today, there IS much information in our posts that can be accessed by searching for the Greek words from the front page of any essay. When we can understand the idea of “spiritual gifts” as the flow of the nature and the qualities of the Soul into the heretofore carnal mind, we can then see the synonymous nature of fruit and Love and Wisdom and thereby understand that the objective of ALL such words IS to bring men closer to the Great Commandments where we find the Truth of righteousness. We must also understand that despite the proclamations of the churches regarding affirmations and confessions and rites and rituals as the way to ‘salvation‘, it IS in the Master’s words that True salvation IS found. Understanding the Master’s words IS NOT so difficult and it IS because that men who would see His words as their doctrine CAN NOT fathom living according to them, that the church continues yet today to be “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” while denying that they ARE DOING so. There IS a clarity to Jesus’ words which IS extremely clear throughout the gospels and especially the words that ARE our trifecta which we repeat saying:

• “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
• “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
• “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:21-24).

Clearly the message here IS the greater reality of salvation which comes from the Greek word soteria which Strong’s defines for us as: rescue or safety (physically or morally) before they go on to apply it into ideas as: deliver, health, salvation, save, saving ^9a. Other than the word salvation there IS NO real link between Strong’s definition and the way that the idea IS applied in Christianity. Thayer’s definitions ARE similar saying that soteria IS : deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation: deliverance from the molestation of enemies, Acts 7:25; with ἐξ ἐχθρῶν added, Luke 1:71; preservation (of physical life), safety ⁹. Again there IS naught that implies the doctrinal Christian ideas of salvation which, for many, implies the idea of being saved from one’s sins and able to go to heaven at death. Modern dictionaries apply the defining ideas of soteria in their definitions of salvation but add a theological definition such as deliverance from the power and penalty of sin; redemption*. The Oxford Dictionary gives us more in theological ideas saying: deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ. This deliverance from sin IS the most basic Christian understanding of salvation but this idea IS NOT directly implied in scripture; it IS rather taken from isolated and out of context ideas from the New Testament. To understand this doctrinally we must see salvation as the product of the atoning quality of the Master’s death; in theological terms this means that by His death we find atonement for our sins. The Apostle John IS the source of many of the scriptures that feed into the Christian belief; in the prologue to his gospel we read of the Baptist’s words saying “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) and while this idea IS undefined in the gospel, it IS taken literally by the church and IS compounded with other sayings with similar implications. There IS a depth here that goes unseen for the same basic reason as we cite above regarding men’s willingness to see the fullness of the Master’s words as their doctrine. And while the implication here IS universal, that He “taketh away” ALL sin, the church has modified this to include ONLY whom they consider to be believers. Most DO NOT understand that the Way that “the sin of the world” IS taken away IS found in following in His precepts and His example which IS the reality of such believing as Vincent show us saying that believing in or on Jesus IS to: to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life ⁴. The doctrines of men however have taught for centuries that this IS NOT necessary for doctrinal salvation as they seize such ideas as the Baptist’s above and such sayings from John that tell us that Jesus “is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). This idea of propitiation IS defined in terms of appeasing by Thayer’s while Strong’s defines hilasmos, which IS rendered as propitiation, simply as atonement ^9a. It IS based in such biblical ideas as these that the whole atonement theology IS build despite the scarcity of words that that actually lean toward the doctrinal ideas of men. In the doctrinal sense the death of the Master IS to appease God but when we see that according to the doctrinal precept that Jesus IS God we should ask what the purpose of such appeasing would be save for tying the whole to the sacrificing rituals of the Jews. It IS in men’s convoluted view of these sayings which ARE then tied to Paul’s words on faith and grace that the doctrines of men have evolved, doctrines that render moot Jesus’ words in favor of the seemingly easier path carved out by those doctrines.

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
• ⁹ Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
• ^9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
• * 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