{"id":11525,"date":"2015-09-28T17:19:48","date_gmt":"2015-09-28T23:19:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/?p=11525"},"modified":"2015-09-28T17:19:48","modified_gmt":"2015-09-28T23:19:48","slug":"in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1302","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/2015\/09\/28\/in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1302\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE WORDS OF JESUS\u2013Part 1302"},"content":{"rendered":"

ON LOVE; PART\u00a0CMXLI<\/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
\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
\n

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

In the last essay we continued with our discussion of the words of the Apostles Peter and Paul that define for us the reality of “the fruit of the Spirit<\/em>”\u00a0and\u00a0the Way by which men become\u00a0“partakers of the divine nature<\/em>“. It IS in the reality that these ARE both the greater Truth of our expression<\/em><\/strong> Love, our keeping His words<\/em> if you will, that we can come to understand the True dynamics that ARE behind the apostles’ words. Paul shows us the\u00a0“the fruit of the Spirit<\/em>” in words while Peter relies upon our understanding that to be “partakers of the divine nature<\/em>” IS to be as God in this world which idea IS encompassed in Paul’s words that say that we “shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God<\/em>” (Romans 8:21). <\/span><\/p>\n

While doctrines DO NOT acknowledge the Truth of Paul’s words here as that this being delivered<\/em><\/strong>, this being freed<\/em>, IS the reality of being\u00a0“partakers of the divine nature<\/em>“, the apostle shows us this in another way as well.\u00a0We should try to see how that it IS our realization<\/em><\/strong> of the fact that we ARE “the children of God<\/em>“, a realization<\/strong><\/em> that comes in our expression<\/em><\/strong> of “the fruit of the Spirit<\/em>“, that we can Truly understand the Paul’s other\u00a0words saying: <\/span><\/p>\n

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.\u00a0For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.\u00a0For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.\u00a0The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:\u00a0And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ<\/em>” (Romans 8:13-17).<\/span><\/p>\n

In these words we should see that to be “the children of God<\/em>” one must be “led by the Spirit of God<\/em>” and in the reality of this idea we should see how that one IS then a partaker<\/em>\u00a0“of the divine nature<\/em>“. Here in these words Paul shows us how that we ARE “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ<\/em>”\u00a0and this alone should show us our future and our potential. We can find great meaning in the apostle’s use of the idea of adoption<\/em><\/strong> when we can see this in the way that Vincent presents this this idea; we read Vincent’s understanding through his writing\u00a0that Mr.\u00a0Merivale,\u00a0illustrating Paul’s acquaintance with Roman law, says: \u201cThe process of legal adoption by which the chosen heir became entitled not only to the reversion of the property but to the civil status, to the burdens as well as the rights of the adopter – became, as it were, his other self, one with him \u2026 this too is a Roman principle, peculiar at this time to the Romans, unknown, I believe, to the Greeks, unknown, to all appearance, to the Jews, as it certainly is not found in the legislation of Moses, nor mentioned anywhere as a usage among the children of the covenant. We have but a faint conception of the force with which such an illustration would speak to one familiar with the Roman practice; how it would serve to impress upon him the assurance that the adopted son of God becomes, in a peculiar and intimate sense, one with the heavenly Father\u201d (\u201cConversion of the Roman Empire\u201d)<\/em>4<\/span><\/sup>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We should be able to see here that this Oneness “with the heavenly Father\u201d\u00a0<\/em>IS the same reality as being “partakers of the divine nature<\/em>” and we should try to see the same Oneness in both ideas. In these ideas from\u00a0the apostle regarding\u00a0adoption<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0being\u00a0heirs<\/em>, we should see that the precursor and the result IS that one IS “led by the Spirit of God<\/em>” and it IS in this sense that we should see the Way that this becomes one’s realization<\/em><\/strong> which IS that we keep His words<\/em>. In similar fashion, Paul shows us that which IS contrary to men’s expression<\/em><\/strong> of\u00a0“the fruit of the Spirit<\/em>“, and that IS one’s expression<\/em><\/strong> of “the works of the flesh<\/em>“. Again Paul gives us these ideas in words which, while misunderstood by men and their doctrines, convey to us the reality of Life in this world for those\u00a0whose focus<\/em> IS NOT upon the things of God. Peter on the other hand DOES NOT as he tells us that the way to become\u00a0“partakers of the divine nature<\/em>” IS to have “escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust<\/em>“. (2 Peter 1:3-4). We should see how that this escape<\/em> IS to leave off from expressing<\/em><\/strong> “the works of the flesh<\/em>” which Paul lists for us in his words to the Galatians that\u00a0we repeat here 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

While “the fruit of the Spirit<\/em>” IS the personal expression<\/em><\/strong> of the disciple and, by measure, the aspirant to discipleship, “the works of the flesh<\/em>” ARE the ways of men in this world. Not the ways of the grossly carnal man ONLY, but the way of ALL men who DO NOT have such measure as to be the aspirant. We should try to see how that it IS the aspirant about whom we speak when we apply the words of the Tibetan that we often repeat. In the closing of his statement IS the very nature of the struggle<\/em> that IS the reality of striving<\/em>\u00a0which\u00a0we recently discussed. The Tibetan tells us of the aspirant that: He\u00a0is vibrating between the condition of soul awareness and form awareness. \u00a0He is \u201cseeing double\u201d **. <\/em>In this we should try to see how that these\u00a0“works of the flesh<\/em>” ARE the problems of ALL who strive<\/em>, ALL who\u00a0struggle vigorously, as in opposition or resistance<\/em> 7\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>as the dictionary defines striving<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n

The struggle<\/em> IS against the lower carnal self and the thoughts and the attitudes that each man holds; it IS when these ARE crucified<\/em> that one IS Truly free<\/em>. And we can see\u00a0Paul’s point when we can see how that to be Christ’s one must leave off of ALL worldly attachments and attractions which ARE the sum-total of ALL that IS referenced by the apostles’ as lust.<\/em>\u00a0This IS the greater Truth of Paul’s words and this IS the greater reality of Peter’s saying that the man who IS free<\/em>, the man who can be\u00a0Truly among the “partakers of the divine nature<\/em>“, IS the one who has\u00a0“escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust<\/em>“. What IS this escape<\/em> but the result of one’s struggle<\/em> against his own carnal self.<\/span><\/p>\n

We should understand that Paul’s words to both the Romans and the Galatians ARE in regard to the same topic of\u00a0“works of the flesh<\/em>” and while he shows us this as to “live after the flesh<\/em>” in Romans, he gives us a rather graphic list in Galatians. In these ideas we should see that\u00a0“ye shall die<\/em>” IS the same effect as IS to “not inherit the kingdom of God<\/em>“; it IS in the Kingdom of God that one IS freed<\/em> from the death that IS one’s living in the corruption<\/em> that IS found in his focus<\/em> upon the carnal things of Life. The same ideas ARE True on the other side of Paul’s words: to be Christ’s IS NO different from being “led by the Spirit of God<\/em>” and this IS of course the same as we read from Peter\u00a0as he tells us of\u00a0being\u00a0“partakers of the divine nature<\/em>“.<\/span><\/p>\n

It IS in the convenient interpretation of the Master’s words and the words of His apostles that so much of the Truth IS lost. Here again we should see that the misunderstanding of the whole idea of sin and evil and of lust<\/em> and corruption<\/em> has been contorted by those who promulgate doctrines and it IS this same human effect that the Master Himself rails against in His words against the ways of the Jews. While men DO NOT see themselves within the context of Jesus’ words that call forth the hypocritical nature of the religious Jew in that day, the same ideas could be ranged against the religious Christian today. It IS in the reality of the striving<\/em> and the escape<\/em> that men Truly achieve, that they Truly attain what IS the grace<\/em> of God; and it IS this reality that IS embedded in the Master’s rhetorical question that asks “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?<\/em>” (Luke 6:46).<\/span><\/p>\n

It IS those things that ARE contrary to what Jesus says that Paul lists for us as “Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,\u00a0Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,\u00a0Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like<\/em>” and could we but understand the True intent of his words we would better understand the Truth of the Way and understand how that it IS in keeping His words<\/em> that we achieve and attain. While there IS NO doubt what Jesus means as He gives us the Way through what we call the trifecta,<\/em><\/strong> most men DO NOT see how that it IS ONLY in keeping His words<\/em> that they ARE Truly free<\/em>. We read the Master’s words on His Presence, the Kingdom of God and that freedom<\/em> that comes in KNOWING the Truth as a True disciple:<\/span><\/p>\n