{"id":12563,"date":"2016-07-05T17:58:50","date_gmt":"2016-07-05T23:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/?p=12563"},"modified":"2016-07-05T17:58:50","modified_gmt":"2016-07-05T23:58:50","slug":"in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1394","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/2016\/07\/05\/in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1394\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE WORDS OF JESUS\u2013Part 1394"},"content":{"rendered":"

ON LOVE; PART MXXXIII<\/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
\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
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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

While it may NOT seem as though our subject IS still the Apostle Paul’s words on\u00a0“the works of the flesh<\/em>” and “the fruit of the Spirit<\/em>“, we ARE continuing to discuss how that the idea that\u00a0faith<\/em>\u00a0as\u00a0KNOWING the IS the idea that Paul us giving us in including this in his list. That faith<\/em> IS KNOWING the Truth that IS covered by the mysteries which ARE revealed to the man in the Presence of God that comes in his communion with his own Soul….his own Christ Within. We should remember how that “the works of the flesh<\/em>” ARE a list of sin if you will that keeps men from this communion with the God Within as some part of his focus remains in the self and the self in the world. We should remember as well that the common interpretations of the Greek words ARE founded in men’s carnal understanding that paints the first part as sexual offenses and the second part as offenses against the doctrinal sense of religion. These doctrinal interpretations also\u00a0see\u00a0the words rendered as idolatry<\/em> and witchcraft<\/em> in ways that reflect archaic religious ideas and a lack of understanding as they see the words rendered as drunkenness<\/em> and revelling<\/em> ONLY in regard to the actions of men under the influence of strong drink or drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n

What we have spent many words on in our discussion of the ideas behind Paul’s words, beginning with\u00a0In the Words of Jesus Part 1302, “the works of the flesh<\/em>”\u00a0can be summarized simply thus: the first segment,\u00a0Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,\u00a0Idolatry\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0witchcraft <\/em>ARE the offenses of men against the first of the Great Commandments. This list IS the apostle’s caution to men who have already overcome the gross offenses which have been abstracted from the Greek words by Christian authorities over the centuries. Paul’s words ARE NOT concerned with the most common sense ideas that may govern\u00a0the lives of men who DO NOT seek God, they ARE rather words that show the singular view, the singular focus<\/em>, that IS required to Truly keep His words<\/em>\u00a0which IS to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength<\/em>“.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most ALL ARE concerned with the infidelity of men toward the Godhead which IS the intended focus<\/em> of ALL but which has ever been minimized by doctrines that DO NOT see this Truth. In this list the idea of idolatry<\/em>\u00a0can be seen as a\u00a0summary of this first segment\u00a0as ALL things that take one’s attention, ALL that take a man’s focus<\/em> away from the Truth, DO become a man’s\u00a0idols<\/em> which Jesus paints for us in terms of treasure<\/em> saying “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also<\/em>” (Luke 12:34, Matthew 6:21). Doctrines have ever used their own ideas regarding the Greek word\u00a0pharmakeia\u00a0<\/em>to show ALL things that they DO NOT understand as evil. Doctrines\u00a0have painted ALL sorcery<\/em> and witchcraft<\/em> and ALL occult and arcane arts and ideas as squarely evil while in their own rites and rituals and sense of prayer they practice the same in many ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

What IS Paul’s point in using pharmakeia<\/em>? Simply that men who Truly seek God should NOT rely upon any carnal powers which includes the full array of the psychic powers of men which perforce include\u00a0the powers of healing, of prophesy and even of prayer when these ARE NOT wielded according to Paul’s words on these. Paul tells us how that what so many view as “spiritual gifts<\/em>” (1 Corinthians 12:1) ARE ALL come to naught in the absence of Love as he tells us that without agape<\/em> “I am nothing<\/em>” (1 Corinthians 13:2). Without Love, which IS the epitome of keeping His words<\/em>\u00a0these ‘powers’ ARE merely\u00a0carnal expressions. It IS ONLY the man who IS Truly “led of the Spirit<\/em>“, the man who has the Presence of God through keeping His words<\/em>, that has such Love and it IS for this man that the flow of revelation<\/strong><\/em> and realization<\/em><\/strong> can replace the carnal idea of\u00a0pharmakeia.\u00a0<\/em>Here we should see that so long as the self IS a part of any\u00a0pharmakeia<\/em>, a part of any psychic power or ability, then this IS NOT “the wisdom that is from above<\/em>” (James 3:17) which IS the essence of one’s revelation<\/em><\/strong> of Truth….the essence of faith<\/em> which IS KNOWING.<\/span><\/p>\n

While ALL of these ideas that ARE the first part of the apostle’s list ARE in regard to the first of the Great Commandments, the second part IS in regard to the second which tells us that “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself<\/em>“. We should remember here that the breakdown of the apostle’s words into chapters and verses IS an arbitrary one and that these breaks DO NOT occur in the Greek text; we should remember as well that at least one bible version (The Weymouth New Testament) sees the breakout of this list of\u00a0“the works of the flesh<\/em>” as we DO. The True idea of this next segment,\u00a0hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0murders, <\/em>IS that these ARE ALL contrary to the Love that IS expressed<\/em><\/strong> by Jesus and His apostles in this saying on Love that IS still scarcely understood after nearly 2000 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we have discussed, many of these words ARE rendered in a rather arbitrary way from the Greek texts and different translators offer the same rendered word from different Greek words in this list. In the end it IS the idea of divisions<\/em> and factions,<\/em> and idea that IS supported by many other ideas offered by Paul, that IS the crux of this part of the list where we should see that ALL ARE both causes and effects of the way that men interact according to the ways of the world, which IS the ways of the flesh<\/em>. That\u00a0these factions<\/em> and divisions<\/em> ARE the ways of men IS apparent to any who look at the world today and through history; these ARE the cause of most ALL hatred<\/em> and anger<\/em> which result in conflicts and wars. And this IS a burden that modern Christianity DOES NOT address as most ALL see themselves as different and better by denomination and by sect and this\u00a0ONLY adds to the animosity already in the world based upon physical appearances and cultural, religious and regional differences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul’s great Truth IS in his revelation<\/em><\/strong> that “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God<\/em>” and even when this list IS viewed in its more carnal implications, there ARE likely very few who would pass muster and therefore very few who would “inherit the kingdom of God<\/em>“. Paul offers NO reconciliation in regard to this list when it IS seen in carnal terms and if we can see this spiritually as we believe it IS intended, we can understand that to Truly achieve the Kingdom one must Love as this IS expressed in the Great Commandments….Love for God and Love for one’s fellowman.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul’s final words in this list of\u00a0“the works of the flesh<\/em>” ARE the third segment which IS a caution to men whose focus<\/em> IS upon God to NOT allow themselves to take personal and carnal pride in whatsoever that they believe they have accomplished spiritually; to NOT be drunk<\/em> nor revel<\/em>, to use the rendered words, in their own sense of glory nor to believe that they have overcome<\/em> ALL.\u00a0Here we should be able to see how that for the man who Truly DOES overcome<\/em> ALL, the man who can stand with the Master and say “I have overcome the world<\/em>” (John 16:33), will be beyond any ideas and ALL ideas that can be found in methe<\/em> and komos<\/em>\u00a0which ARE rendered here as drunkenness<\/em> and revelling. <\/em>Repeating the full text of 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 \u00a05:17-24).<\/span><\/p>\n

We should try to see here how that this review of “the works of the flesh<\/em>” points out how that these ideas ARE the antithesis of the\u00a0“the fruit of the Spirit<\/em>” and particularly of the ideas of Love and of faith<\/em> which ARE the essence of the entire list. The idea of Love as being contrary to “the works of the flesh<\/em>” should be made apparent by the way that these ARE contrary to the Great Commandments, and, while the way that faith<\/em> opposes these works may be obscured by men’s common and nebulous understanding of pistis<\/em>, the reality is easily found in the idea of that KNOWING the Truth which\u00a0IS the epitome of faith<\/em>. When a man Truly KNOWS some measure of the Truth that IS behind the mysteries and can glimpse the\u00a0“things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world<\/em>” (Matthew 13:35), he can be seen as operating in the reality of faith<\/em> and we should understand that to DO so, to express<\/em><\/strong> the True faith<\/em>, IS to be expressing<\/em><\/strong> some measure of\u00a0“the fruit of the Spirit<\/em>“.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus tells us that this expression<\/em><\/strong> and the measure of it IS according to keeping His words<\/em> and we can see this reality when we combine the ways that each of the synoptic gospel writers frames the Master’s thoughts. As we have discussed Matthew shows us that the man who IS the “good ground<\/em>” DOES “heareth the word, and understandeth it<\/em>” (Matthew 13:23) while Mark tells us that the man that IS the\u00a0“good ground<\/em>” IS “such as hear the word, and receive it<\/em>“; and both show us the measure of fruit<\/em> that a the “good ground<\/em>” will express<\/em><\/strong>….”some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred<\/em>” (Mark 4:20). The Greek words that ARE rendered as understanding<\/em> and as receiving<\/em> can both be seen in the idea of Wisdom.\u00a0In understanding<\/em> the Wisdom\u00a0is inherent\u00a0as it IS the word of Truth that makes one Wise while\u00a0in the Greek word paradechomai<\/em>, which IS rendered as receive<\/em>, there IS more obscurity unless\u00a0we see the idea of acceptance of the word in the view of making it a part of one’s own expression<\/em><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vincent tells us that in\u00a0paradechomai\u00a0<\/em>we should see the idea\u00a0that the man:\u00a0acknowledges as his own<\/em> 4\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>that which he has heard and in both these ideas of understanding<\/em> and acknowledging as one’s own we should be able to see the Apostle Luke’s version that says that the “good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience<\/em>” (Luke 8:15). Again, we should see that ALL of these ideas ARE the same and ALL show us various ideas regarding keeping His words<\/em>: in understanding there IS KNOWING which leaves NO choice for to KNOW IS to DO; in\u00a0acknowledging as one’s own there IS the taking of His words and making them a part of one’s Life’ expression<\/em><\/strong>; and both of these ARE the same as\u00a0keeping them. These ideas ARE missed by most ALL doctrinal interpretations as IS the idea of the measure of fruit<\/em> that a man will express<\/em><\/strong>….that this IS in proportion to the understanding<\/em>, the accepting and the keeping that exist in one’s Life.<\/span><\/p>\n

While this whole idea IS parabolic, it IS also clearly stated. Every man who can look past his own doctrinal view and see the relationship between being the “good ground<\/em>” and keeping His words<\/em> can then understand the reality that IS our trifecta<\/em><\/strong> where we can clearly see the rewards<\/em> that the man who IS the “good ground<\/em>” will receive.\u00a0Rewards<\/em> that ARE “the fruit of the Spirit<\/em>“, which IS the grace<\/em> of God, that IS the revelations<\/em><\/strong> and the realizations<\/strong><\/em> of Truth, which IS that KNOWING that IS faith<\/em>. This IS the simplicity of the Life of the man who IS “ led of the Spirit<\/em>“: that he will KNOW the Truth and the freedom<\/em> that it brings; that he will have the Presence of God consciously in his Life as that unction<\/em> or anointing<\/em><\/strong> that IS the Christ Within as his own expression<\/em><\/strong> to the world, and that he will KNOW the Kingdom of God as that psychic place wherein\u00a0he resides while yet physically in this world. We repeat out trifecta<\/em><\/strong> again:<\/span><\/p>\n