{"id":11507,"date":"2015-09-13T16:47:44","date_gmt":"2015-09-13T22:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/?p=11507"},"modified":"2015-09-13T16:47:44","modified_gmt":"2015-09-13T22:47:44","slug":"in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1300","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/2015\/09\/13\/in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1300\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE WORDS OF JESUS\u2013Part 1300"},"content":{"rendered":"

ON LOVE; PART\u00a0CMXXXIX<\/span><\/h2>\n
\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391<\/span><\/h6>\n

GoodWill\u00a0IS Love in Action<\/span><\/h2>\n
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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<\/em>” (Mark 12:29-31).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/em> which IS generally rendered as Love,\u00a0we 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\u00a0of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our\u00a0One God<\/span><\/p>\n

\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/em>” (Matthew 7:12).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We ended the last essay with the Apostle Paul’ s words from his Epistle to the Galatians. While we generally use the apostle’s ideas there for their value in showing us what IS the “fruit of the spirit<\/em>“, that IS, what a man can express<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0in this world that can be seen as the product of his spiritual realizations<\/em><\/strong>, as well as\u00a0those things that ARE contrary to this fruit<\/em>, we ARE at this today looking to show\u00a0how Paul\u00a0reflects the same ideas that we have been discussing from our selection from\u00a0the\u00a0Apostle Peter. Peter speaks to us about those things that flow in the “knowledge of God<\/em>“, those things that make men who “have obtained a like precious faith<\/em>”\u00a0become “partakers of the divine nature<\/em>“; he shows us how that this faith<\/em>, this KNOWING, IS to be used. It IS in the idea of supplying<\/em>, which we should see as DOING, that we find the greater Truth of His words that tell us to have and to express<\/em><\/strong> such virtues<\/em> as ARE in his list. \u00a0The King James Bible offers us this rendering of Peter’s words which we list with our comments from a previous post:\u00a0virtue<\/em>, which we should see AS goodness<\/em> or as the activity of keeping His words<\/em>, and knowledge<\/em> and temperance<\/em> and patience<\/em> and, brotherly kindness<\/em>, which IS from the Greek philadelphia<\/em> and IS generally understood as Love, and charity<\/em> which IS from agape<\/em> which IS Love….and of course godliness<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this we see the idea of brotherly Love which, while this IS a noble expression<\/strong><\/em>, DOES NOT show the emphasis that we see in Jesus’ own words on Love and this IS especially True when the final idea of Love IS rendered as charity<\/em> and when it IS understood in the common way rather than\u00a0as we see it in our definition of Love that we have again at the top of our essay. It IS in the way that the Revised Version (RV) renders Peter’s words that we find a greater degree of Truth; first in the idea of supplying in<\/em> as opposed to adding to<\/em> as the King James shows us and second in the compound idea of Love which the RV shows us as “love of the brethren<\/em>” and Love in general as well. It IS the general sense of Love as agape<\/em> that IS the Master’s intent and it IS this sense of Love that Peter is presenting. We read Peter’s words from the Revised Version again:<\/span><\/p>\n

“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; and in your knowledge temperance; and in your temperance patience; and in your patience godliness; and in your godliness love of the brethren; and in your love of the brethren love. For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins.\u00a0Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ<\/em>” (2 Peter 1:1-11). **<\/span><\/p>\n

It IS in one’s expression<\/em><\/strong> of these virtues<\/em> that one IS as well expressing<\/em><\/strong> what Paul calls the\u00a0“fruit of the spirit<\/em>“; there IS NO difference between Peter’s ideas above and Paul’s who tells\u00a0us that the man of “like precious faith<\/em>” will have such fruit<\/em> in his Life as: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,\u00a0Meekness, temperance<\/em>“….that these will be his expression<\/em><\/strong> to the world of men. And while Peter’s words offer us a rather blanket statement about the reality of those things that ARE contrary to the virtues<\/em>, that these ARE “the corruption that is in the world by lust<\/em>“, Paul offers us a list of these things albeit a list that IS NOT properly rendered from the Greek. It IS in the way that men interpret the idea of corruption<\/em> as this IS used by both apostles that they fail to see and to understand the reality of Paul’s words that show us what\u00a0ARE “the works of the flesh<\/em>“. The works of the flesh ARE just that….they ARE the thoughts, the attitudes and the actions of men whensoever these ARE NOT in accord with the Master’s words and in this we should see EVERY thought, EVERY\u00a0attitude and EVERY action that has the self in this world or the things of this world at or even near its center. we read Paul’s words to the Galatians again:<\/span><\/p>\n

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.\u00a0But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.\u00a0Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,\u00a0Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,\u00a0Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.\u00a0But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,\u00a0Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.\u00a0And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts<\/em>” (Galatians 5:17-24).<\/span><\/p>\n

It IS in this idea of flesh<\/em> versus Spirit,<\/em> which IS the same as Jesus’ ideas on “God and mammon<\/em>” (Matthew 6:24), and yet another place where the dichotomy between the carnal and the spiritual can be seen in the apostles’ writings, that we have the crux of\u00a0Paul’s argument. Here again we find that sense of illusion<\/strong> and glamour<\/strong>, here again we have men’s ideas regarding themselves:\u00a0that they ARE NOT among those to whom the apostle says that “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God<\/em>“. The reality of\u00a0“works of the flesh<\/em>” being that\u00a0“corruption that is in the world by lust<\/em>” can be more clearly seen in Paul’s words from the next chapter of his Epistle to the Galatians which we read as: “he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting<\/em>” (Galatians 6:8).<\/span><\/p>\n

If we can rightly measure Paul’s words we can see how that this idea of corruption<\/em> IS the way of men in this world and when we view his list of those things that one would sow<\/em>, “the works of the flesh<\/em>” if you will, and understand their True meaning, we could then more clearly see the whole of the message of the Master and His apostles. And the deeper reality of Paul’s words here IS found in the previous verse that tells us “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap<\/em>”\u00a0(Galatians 6:9). Here, if we can see the Apostle James’ words on deception<\/em><\/strong> as he tells us to “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves<\/em>” (James 1:22), relate this DOING to one’s sowing<\/em> and relate Paul’s list of the\u00a0“fruit of the spirit<\/em>” to this DOING as well, we can then better understand the Master’s teaching that to keep His words<\/em> IS the way to our idea of that trifecta<\/em><\/strong> of spiritual reality. In this we can better\u00a0understand as well that this IS, by keeping His words<\/em>, the Way that we “become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust<\/em>” as we have been reading in Peter’s words. We repeat Jesus’ words on this trifecta<\/strong> <\/em>again:<\/span><\/p>\n