{"id":11661,"date":"2015-11-17T15:35:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-17T22:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/?p=11661"},"modified":"2015-11-17T15:35:00","modified_gmt":"2015-11-17T22:35:00","slug":"in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1314","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/2015\/11\/17\/in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1314\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE WORDS OF JESUS\u2013Part 1314"},"content":{"rendered":"

ON LOVE; PART\u00a0CMLIII<\/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

We ended the last two essays with the Apostle Paul’s use of the Greek word eritheia<\/em> which IS rendered by the King James translators as strife<\/em>. As we noted a few posts back,\u00a0Vincent tells us that\u00a0strife<\/em> IS: A wrong rendering, founded on the mistaken derivation from \u03b5\u0313\u0301\u03c1\u03b9\u03c2, strife<\/em>\u00a04<\/sup>; \u00a0we also noted that the lexicon tells us that the presumed root word eris IS\u00a0of uncertain affinity<\/em>\u00a02<\/sup>. In ALL of this we should see that this word IS a NOT strife<\/em> but IS better understood as Vincent shows us, as the idea of faction\u00a0<\/em>which idea can be derived from\u00a0Greek writings that date before the New Testament. This idea IS most always associated with politics according to New Testament commentary but this may be a limit that must be overlooked to rightly understand the apostle’s intent. The 1828 edition of Webster’s dictionary defines faction<\/em> as:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. A party, in political society, combined or acting in union, in opposition to the prince, government or state; usually applied to a minority, but it may be applied to a majority. sometimes a state is divided into factions nearly equal. Rome was almost always disturbed by factions. Republics are proverbial for factions, and factions in monarchies have often effected revolutions.<\/em><\/span>
    \n A feeble government produces more factions than an oppressive one.<\/em><\/span>
    \n By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Tumult; discord; dissension.\u00a0<\/em>1<\/sup><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While this definition IS also wrapped in political ideas, the second \u00a0example IS NOT and if we can see this idea of\u00a0united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community<\/em>\u00a0we can then better understand how this idea IS contrary to the Truth. Two posts back we aligned this idea as it IS presented by Webster’s with Paul’s words to the Corinthians that show how that there ARE divisions among the people based on\u00a0the teacher that each man acknowledges as his own. This IS much like the denominational separations of Christianity that we see today and, to a man, each IS convinced\u00a0that his own denominational view IS right; and this IS ofttimes taken to extremes.<\/span><\/p>\n

    It IS with this in mind that we ended the last essay with our view of the similarity between this idea of\u00a0eritheia\u00a0<\/em>as faction<\/em> and our use of the idea of glamour<\/strong> as this afflicts\u00a0most ALL men. In our view of Life glamour<\/strong> IS both a cause and an effect of illusion<\/strong> and this idea of illusion<\/strong> IS for us the reality of the idea of vanity<\/em> as Paul uses this and as Vincent defines it. If we can see Vincent’s idea of vanity<\/em> as Paul uses this idea to say\u00a0“the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same<\/em>” (Romans 8:20) and understand that this IS that sense of illusion<\/strong>, we can come to better understand the reality of Life here in this Earth. Vincent tells us that this vanity<\/em> IS:\u00a0the reference is to a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends\u00a0<\/em>\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0and if we can see how that glamour<\/strong> IS a working condition of this illusory<\/strong> view of Truth, we can then see the apostle’s idea of faction<\/em> more clearly.<\/span><\/p>\n

    ALL views of the Godhead CAN NOT be the Truth and while men may believe<\/em> that their particular brand IS the Truth, the reality IS that NONE ARE except they include the reality of the Great Commandments and the Truth of keeping His words<\/em>. This IS True regardless of what True religion or denomination one may peruse as ALL teach the reality of Jesus’ own words at their heart<\/strong><\/em>. As IS True in Christianity so it IS True in most ALL religions; it IS the doctrines of men that ARE formed from their interpretations of the Truth that become the denominations or sects that pose as the Truth. At the heart<\/em><\/strong> of ALL True religions IS the admonition to men that they should look past their little selves in this world and strive<\/em> toward the spiritual reality that comes in right thoughts, right attitudes and right actions, ALL of which see the reality of this One World, One Humanity and One God.<\/span><\/p>\n

    And this IS glamour:<\/strong> that men DO NOT see this\u00a0One World, One Humanity and One God through their own selfish thoughts and attitudes which seek to minimize the beliefs of others in favor of their own. This IS despite the common sense reality that there can be ONLY One God, that this IS Truly ONE World and that ALL men ARE a part of the same human family. It IS in this idea of faction<\/em> that ALL separation exists and this begins always in the selfish thoughts of men. It IS this idea of faction<\/em> that should be taken from Paul’s words to the Corinthians who, in the early days of Christianity, chose to divide themselves into groups aligned along the teachings of a particular approach rather that to see the One Truth in the totality of ALL approaches. In the right view of the apostle’s words we should try to see this idea of faction as this IS the clear message when this word IS separated from the common views that have been applied to both the Greek word and the English translations; we read again:<\/span><\/p>\n

    “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?<\/em>” (1 Corinthians 1:10-13).<\/span><\/p>\n

    The Commentary Critical and Explanatory of the Whole Bible shows us this idea of faction<\/em> in their commentary and, although they DO NOT apply this idea as we DO, the gist of their point\u00a0IS clear; we read in part: every one of you saith<\/b>–Ye say severally, “glorying in men”….one, I am of Paul; another, I am of Apollos, &c. Not that they formed definite parties, but they individually betrayed the spirit of party in contentions under the name of different favorite teachers\u00a0<\/em>\u00a08<\/sup>. Can we see here how that it IS this same\u00a0spirit of party\u00a0<\/em>that IS the very foundation of Paul’s idea of faction<\/em> and how that it IS this that IS responsible for the many thousands of different denominational views of the One Truth? And can we see the apostle’s point here in citing faction<\/em> as one of those things that will keep a man from the “kingdom of God<\/em>“? Can we see how that his caution IS against\u00a0dividing the Truth and in claiming that one’s own view IS that Truth? And can we see how that this IS contrary to the Master’s words and the cautions offered by His apostles? We read the apostle’s words 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

    In the interpretation of this idea of faction<\/em> into the simple idea of strife, or as rivalry<\/em> as some render this, much of the impact of Paul’s intent IS lost and when we can see how that most ALL human disharmony IS fundamentally founded in the divisions\u00a0created by men, we can then better see that intent. And this IS NOT limited to religion as we understand it alone as this sense of division reaches out to most ALL aspects of human Life; it IS in the thoughts and attitudes of men which ARE based in what they may believe<\/em> to be True that the deeper reality of religion IS found. Paul however IS speaking in more spiritual terms as he points to the One Truth as he asks “Is Christ divided?<\/em>” and here we should try to see that ALL else IS an offshoot of men’s misinterpretation of that One Truth regardless of who may have expressed it. As we leave this word we should try to see how that this IS a factor in opposition to the second of the Great Commandments which clearly says that men should “love thy neighbour as thyself<\/em>” and when we can understand this Love, this agape<\/em>, as this idea IS intended, we can more clearly see the apostle’s point\u00a0which IS further clarified for us by the Master who also tells us “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them<\/em>“<\/span><\/p>\n

    From a Truly Christian perspective the ONLY Truth IS found in keeping His words<\/em> and ALL factions<\/em> that teach contrary to this fundamental fact ARE covered by Paul’s intent here as he\u00a0includes this as a grievous action of men. That men DO NOT see how that this most common human failing will\u00a0keep a man from the “kingdom of God<\/em>“? IS but a part of the glamour<\/strong> that such factions<\/em> provide. And we should see this reality in Jesus’ words that form our trifecta<\/em><\/strong> of spiritual reality as it IS in His words that the Truth IS found and NOT in the many interpretations that form the factions<\/em> of men. We read His words on the Kingdom of God, the One Truth and the Presence of God in one’s Life again:<\/span><\/p>\n