{"id":12529,"date":"2016-06-26T18:19:35","date_gmt":"2016-06-27T00:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/?p=12529"},"modified":"2016-06-26T18:19:35","modified_gmt":"2016-06-27T00:19:35","slug":"in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1391","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/2016\/06\/26\/in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1391\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE WORDS OF JESUS\u2013Part 1391"},"content":{"rendered":"

ON LOVE; PART MXXX<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\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<\/blockquote>\n

We closed the last essay with some words on sin, on the equality of sin that the Apostle James shows us saying that “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all<\/em>“, and on the rather mysterious tones of the Master who tells us about what IS called the ‘unpardonable sin’….the sin against the Holy Ghost. James points us to the reality of sin as he tells us that ALL sin IS equal but the greater lesson from the apostle’s writing IS found in the context of his words which speak about Love and the Truest meaning of this idea of agape<\/em> which says that to Truly Love IS to have NO “respect to persons<\/em>“. This Truth from James’ words IS missed by many who see his words ONLY in regard to the rich and the poor as he paints his example. And few there ARE who realize that James’\u00a0words\u00a0Truly paint for us the whole idea of Love as Jesus teaches this and how that to live contrary to this, to “have respect to persons<\/em>” IS to “commit sin<\/em>” (James 2:10, 9).<\/span><\/p>\n

And this sin IS equal to ALL other sins insofar as the reality of sin IS concerned. When we can see the Truth of sin as that this encompasses ALL that IS NOT focused<\/em> upon the things of God, we can then understand the deeper meanings of Jesus’ teachings apart from the doctrinal view that sin IS those gross offences of men. In this idea we come back to the words of the Apostle Peter who sums up for us the whole nature of Truly being a Christian and a True follower of Christ; we read\u00a0again: “as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation<\/em>” (1 Peter 1:15). Regarding what IS called the\u00a0‘unpardonable sin’ we must continue in uncertainty and hold to the ideas that we took from the Book of Hebrews and the Apostle Peter in the last post.<\/span><\/p>\n

To this we can ONLY add a sense that in Jesus’ words to the scribes and the Pharisees that He is revealing a Truth regarding the state into which they have put themselves as they put their doctrines above the evident Truths that the Master espoused; in so DOING they blot out the Light of the Spirit and see ONLY their own carnal intentions and in the hardness of their view this IS sore difficult to overcome. When we can see how that this idea of forgiveness<\/em> IS intimately tied to Repentance<\/em><\/strong>, we can then also see the True intent of this idea and, although its usage leads to the belief that God forgives<\/em> as an outside Force, the greater understanding IS found in one’s own realization<\/em><\/strong> of Truth.\u00a0We should try to see how that from man to man the idea of forgiveness<\/em> IS an important part of Love and this idea IS easily seen in the Lord’s Prayer and in Jesus words on faith<\/em> and believing<\/em> which IS that KNOWING that we find in Paul’s list of “fruit of the Spirit<\/em>” which we read 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 \u00a05:17-24).<\/span><\/p>\n

We should note that the idea of forgiveness<\/em> IS NOT a direct part of any of the apostle’s list here but that, at the same time, it IS inherent in every virtue that IS listed….every idea here requires forgiveness<\/em> if one IS to Truly have such fruit as his expression<\/strong><\/em>. As we cite above, the Master’s ideas on forgiveness<\/em> can be better understood from the perspective of man to man and self forgiveness<\/em> rather than the doctrinal idea of forgiveness<\/em> by God. In this perspective of man to man there IS yet another sense of duality; first forgiveness<\/em> requires that one can overlook or look past his own sense of sin which IS based in his own moral code and manner of Life. Second, one must be able to overlook or look past the ‘offenses’ of others and it IS in this that we can find the link to Love. We should try to understand how that this forgiveness<\/em> of others IS an expression<\/strong><\/em> of Love that IS tied to the Master’s words that show us to “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<\/em>” (Matthew 5:44).<\/span><\/p>\n

And more, there ARE\u00a0also His words saying that “unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also<\/em>” (Luke 6:29); these too ARE the reality of forgiveness<\/em> which IS a concept that has its very roots in the Jesus’ words that we call the Golden Rule. In His words\u00a0that tell us “as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise<\/em>” (Luke 6:31) we should see the deepest idea of forgiveness<\/em> which says that regardless of what another may DO to us, we DO overlook it and look past it. As Love IS tied to forgiveness<\/em> of another, Repentance<\/em><\/strong> IS tied to forgiveness<\/em> of oneself; in this idea we should see that if there IS a thing DONE that Truly bothers the DOER, the ONLY recourse IS to Repent<\/em><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We should understand here that this idea of Repentance<\/strong><\/em> IS NOT merely remorse as there IS NO sense of self forgiveness<\/em> in being sorry; we should see here that this Repentance<\/strong><\/em> IS the same as what IS men’s motivation to change their focus<\/em> from the self to the things of God….the difference IS ONLY by degree. If a man has something in his Life that Truly troublesome\u00a0or<\/span>\u00a0burdensome, his ONLY recourse IS to Repent<\/em><\/strong>, to change his Life so that this something IS eliminated while at the same time looking past what IS past. And, if this something also effects others, there must come an understanding that one CAN NOT make another forgive<\/em> or look past what was DONE. In this we should see\u00a0another\u00a0reality of Jesus’ words above; here one must be able to offer<\/em> the other cheek<\/em> and give the “thy coat also<\/em>” as he understands that receiving forgiveness<\/em> from another may be difficult.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And forgiveness<\/em>\u00a0IS a required discipline of Love as\u00a0we read in the Lord’s Prayer that shows us that we must ask forgiveness<\/em> as we give it. The Apostle Matthew frames this as “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors<\/em>” (Matthew 6:12) and in this idea of debt<\/em> we should see the\u00a0whole panoply of human interactions. The Apostle Luke frames this differently but the reality IS ever the same; we read “forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us<\/em>” (Luke 11:4). While these words, as part of that prayer that begins with the words “Our Father<\/em>“, help to bring us to the doctrinal idea of forgiveness<\/em> by God, we should try to understand the deeper idea of the God and the Christ Within as the forgiver<\/em> and as the motivator to Repentance<\/strong><\/em>. It IS the prompting of one’s own Soul\u00a0as\u00a0a man’s\u00a0conscience that makes a thing\u00a0troublesome\u00a0or<\/span>\u00a0burdensome to him and it IS this that brings him to that self forgiveness<\/em> which IS found in his Repentance<\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This whole idea of forgiveness<\/em> IS founded in faith<\/em> and if we can see how that to KNOW requires that one forgive<\/em> as his outward expression<\/em><\/strong> of Love, we can then understand the relevance of the Apostle Mark’s version of the Truth of KNOWING as faith<\/em> and believing<\/em>. Mark shows us the Master’s words as:<\/span><\/p>\n

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.\u00a0Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.\u00a0And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.\u00a0But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses<\/em>” (Mark 11:23-26).<\/span><\/p>\n

We should see here the intimate relationship of these ideas of faith<\/em> and believing<\/em>, praying<\/em> and forgiveness<\/em>; we should try to understand that this prayer<\/em> IS one’s asking for the grace<\/em> which IS an adjunct to KNOWING and, in so many ways, IS that KNOWING which IS faith<\/em>. We should try to see also how that this idea of prayer<\/em>\u00a0IS an automatic and a rather circular idea in this context as this sense of desire<\/em>, in spiritual terms, IS for greater grace<\/em> which IS greater KNOWING….greater revelation<\/em><\/strong> and realization<\/em><\/strong> of Truth which ARE the sum-total of ALL that comes from God. In these words from Jesus we should be able to understand that this greater grace<\/em> IS NOT possible when men ARE afflicted with\u00a0troublesome\u00a0or<\/span>\u00a0burdensome things in their own Life which may have been done to them or that they may have done to others. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here, as part of the cost for this grace<\/em> there IS the need to look past ALL that may have been done by others which IS in essence an expression<\/em><\/strong> of Love according to Jesus’\u00a0words and here IS also the flow of that grace<\/em> in one’s self forgiveness<\/em> which IS Repentance<\/em><\/strong>. ALL these ideas work seamlessly with the reality of the trifecta<\/em><\/strong> which shows us that it IS in keeping His words<\/em>, here His words on Love and forgiveness<\/em>, that brings men that grace<\/em> which IS that\u00a0faith<\/em>\u00a0that “shall make you free<\/em>“; we read the Master’s words again saying:<\/span><\/p>\n