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).<\/p>\n \u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/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<\/p>\n \u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/em><\/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).<\/p>\n In the end of the last essay we added the final verses of the second chapter of John’s First Epistle and began our discussion of these with a new look at the Greek words meno<\/em> and mone<\/em> which ARE generally seen in terms of abiding <\/em>and abode.<\/em> We noted that meno<\/em> IS rendered as\u00a0let<\/em>, abide<\/em>, remain<\/em> and continue <\/em>in our subject verse alone\u00a0<\/em>and that the lexicons show us that the main idea of this word IS\u00a0to remain<\/em> and to stay<\/em> 9, 2<\/sup>. Overall the word IS rendered in the King James Bible as:\u00a0 abide (61x), remain (16x), dwell (15x), continue (11x), tarry (9x), endure (3x), miscellaneous (5x)<\/em> and while many of these DO point to a place, the True idea IS that this IS a state of being; to stay<\/em> and to remain<\/em> “in the Son, and in the Father<\/em>” and to have “that which ye have heard from the beginning<\/em>” stay<\/em> and remain<\/em> in you.<\/span><\/p>\n In the last essay we also noted that the ideas here may seem contrary to the Master’s words from our trifecta<\/em><\/strong> where, using the other form of the same word meno<\/em>, Jesus tells us that “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him<\/em>“. Here mone<\/em> IS rendered as abode<\/em> while the Strong’s definition IS:\u00a0a staying<\/em>\u00a09a\u00a0<\/sup>and here if we can see this as a state of being, we can better understand the idea. While the apostle IS telling us that one can\u00a0stay<\/em> and remain<\/em> “in the Son, and in the Father<\/em>“, the Master IS telling us that “we will come unto him, and make our abode with him<\/em>” which IS to remain<\/em> and to stay<\/em> with that man.<\/span><\/p>\n These ARE as we said complementary ideas and here we should note that the criteria for both IS keeping His words<\/em>. Jesus tells us this in so many words while John shows us this idea as remaining<\/em> and staying<\/em> in His words or, better that His words remain and stay in us. The idea from John IS simple; he IS saying that if His words DO remain<\/em> and stay<\/em> with a man, that man will endeavor to keep His words<\/em> as he moves from being among the “little children<\/em>“, to being among the “young men<\/em>” and finally among the fathers<\/em>. We should note as well that it IS \u00a0this idea of meno<\/em>\u00a0that IS a fundamental part of the Master’s words as well as He says “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free<\/em>“; here the word IS rendered as continue<\/em>. Repeating John’s words again we read”:<\/span><\/p>\n “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.\u00a0I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.\u00a0I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one<\/em>” (1 John 2:12-14)<\/span><\/p>\n “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.\u00a0<\/em>For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.\u00a0And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever<\/em>” (1 John 2:15:17).<\/span><\/p>\n “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time<\/em>. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.\u00a0But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.\u00a0Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.\u00a0Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.<\/em>” (1 John 2:18-24).<\/span><\/p>\n And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.\u00a0These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.\u00a0But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.\u00a0And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.\u00a0If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him<\/em> (1 John 2:24-29).<\/span><\/p>\n If the idea presented IS to abide<\/em>\u00a0or to continue<\/em>, to dwell<\/em> or to endure<\/em>, the essence of the idea IS to stay<\/em> and to remain<\/em>. It IS in this sense of persistence that men grow and this staying<\/em> IS a unique part of the Apostle John’s message and his way of encouraging men to DO so. We can see here that the Fathers<\/em> have stayed longer in His words and thereby in His Love than have the “young men<\/em>” and these have stayed longer than have the “little children<\/em>“; we should see as well that to ALL there IS the ‘promise’<\/em> which IS doctrinally interpreted as “eternal life<\/em>“. But what IS “eternal life<\/em>“? It IS surely NOT this idea of Life that we ‘enjoy’ here in this world as ALL men DO die.<\/span><\/p>\n If we can look at Life as the Master shows us the idea of zoe<\/em>, perhaps we can better understand the reality of what He IS teaching us. Divorcing Life as zoe<\/em> from this existence here in this Earth takes us into the greater reality that IS found in His words on Life where it IS rather easy to see His intent. Then, having made this separation, we can see more clearly His intent in such sayings as “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it<\/em>” (Luke 9:24). In such sayings we have the reality of Life as zoe<\/em> rather that the temporal nature of Life as bios<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n Neither of these words IS used in Jesus’ saying however; in this and in ALL of the like sayings the Greek word used IS psuche<\/em> or, as some reference it,\u00a0psych\u0113<\/em>. Psuche<\/em> IS a rather confusing idea according to doctrines; it IS rendered as Life<\/em>, as Soul, as mind and as heart<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and we should understand here that except for the rendering as Soul these other renderings ALL have other Greek words also used to render them. Zoe<\/em> and bios<\/em> for Life, kardia<\/em> for heart<\/strong><\/em> and nuos<\/em>, dianoia<\/em>\u00a0and others for mind.<\/em>\u00a0Psuche<\/em> IS a much misunderstood idea and it has ever been so; the confusion regarding such terms a Life, Spirit and Soul stretches back into the Old Testament; nephesh<\/em> which IS used in Genesis scenario where we read that “man became a living soul<\/em>” (Genesis 2:7) IS rendered in ways similar to psuche<\/em> including soul, life, person, mind, heart and body<\/em>2<\/sup>.<\/span><\/p>\n The confusion DOES NOT end there and this because the very nature of the Soul IS a part of the “mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations<\/em>“; it IS the reality of “Christ in you, the hope of glory<\/em>” (Colossians 1:26, 27). Based in the overall confusion of this idea of Soul many denominations teach that \u00a0the Soul is made up of the mind, the will and the emotions thereby relegating the Soul to what we KNOW as the carnal man….the flesh<\/em> of which the personality IS a part. Perhaps the entire idea of psuche<\/em> IS misunderstood and the idea of Soul in the bible IS a misnomer which we ONLY understand from the doctrinal views of psuche<\/em>\u00a0and nephesh<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n There IS however a reality to the idea of the Soul that IS connected to both nephesh<\/em> and psuche<\/em> and we should try see this from the perspective of the human animal. Regardless of the doctrinal aversion to prehistoric man, there was a creature that lived that was the forerunner of today’s human and which science has dated to be 1.4 to 2.4 million years old. It IS this creature that evolved much as an animal into the actual forerunners which ARE called homo sapiens which have existed for ~400,000 years. While there ARE conclusive ideas regarding these creatures, they ARE nonetheless ideas and theories and if we could see the complexity of the whole and the complexity of the different paths of the different forerunners, perhaps we could get a glimpse of the elusive Truths.<\/span><\/p>\n ALL seemingly merge into the homo sapien but this too IS a complex issue when the reality of race IS introduced, a reality that science sees in terms of subspecies. Whether the subspecies model IS right or that the less popular idea of the different paths of the homo sapien’s forerunners IS correct DOES NOT Truly matter as the different appearances of the races IS indisputable. \u00a0There IS NO final consensus on the idea of race or even the number of different races that exist(ed) in the world but this too DOES NOT matter. The reality, the anti-doctrinal reality, IS that the human race evolved as the animal man over more than a million years until it finally became a suitable host for an indwelling Soul or, better here, Spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n When we can separate the reality of man, the Spirit, from the animal body that he occupies for a time, religion and science can begin to merge. And when we can consider the idea of psuche<\/em>, Soul in this context, as the True defining principle of Life IN form, we can than begin to see how that Soul IS Spirit from a different perspective. Spirit IS man’s eternal link to the Godhead; Spirit IS the Truth of man as a point of Light within a Greater Light.<\/span><\/p>\n And in ALL of this there IS a purpose that science DOES NOT see and that religion misrepresents; here, if we could try to see that purpose as the eventual Redemption<\/em><\/strong> of matter itself, we can then better understand Paul’s words saying he himself and those who have become like him ARE “waiting for the adoption,\u00a0to wit, the redemption of our body<\/em>“. The Greek word apolytr\u014dsis<\/em>\u00a0which IS rendered as Redemption<\/em><\/strong> can be better understood, away from the doctrinal ideas, simply as release<\/em> and here release<\/em> from the “bondage of corruption<\/em>” (Romans 8:23, 21) which takes on a different meaning for the body versus the indwelling Soul.<\/span><\/p>\n For the Soul the goal IS “the adoption<\/em>” which IS the Union of the Soul with his expression<\/em><\/strong> here in this world….that IS that the expression<\/em><\/strong> of the True disciple IS fully one of Love and Truth as was the expression<\/em><\/strong> of the Master. For the body the idea of apolytr\u014dsis<\/em>\u00a0IS its release<\/em> from limitations of matter itself and to see this we must look at the Transfigured<\/em><\/strong> body of the Lord as well as the ability of Jesus’ body to move through solid objects, change appearance and even disappear under the control of the full realization<\/em><\/strong> of His Christ Within, His Soul. In this the Soul IS freed<\/em> from the body having ‘overcome’ its limitations while the body itself IS freed<\/em> from the physical limitations of matter itself.<\/span><\/p>\n This IS of course an oversimplification of the Divine event and an explanation that IS NOT well suited to either science or religion. However, ALL innovations in the field of atomic energy and the nuclear sciences DO show us a glimpse of the power and energy that IS behind the atom of matter and here, in a way, we can glimpse perhaps the Redemption<\/em><\/strong> of matter….its release and freedom<\/em> from its solid state. And it IS this same idea that we should relate to the Life of a man that IS bound to his physical existence; in the Union that IS\u00a0“the adoption<\/em>” the Soul IS freed<\/em> from its reliance on the physical form and enters upon a new realm where ONLY the more subtle aspects that ARE the personality ARE needed to express<\/em><\/strong> one’s Life in this world.<\/span><\/p>\n And this brings us back to psuche<\/em>, the Soul as we understand it and the Life that IS the Truth of a man. This Life IS zoe<\/em> while the life of the body itself IS bios<\/em> and here we should try to see the matter of identification which IS a parallel idea to focus<\/em>. So long as the man, the Spirit and the Life, identifies himself with the body nature, then he IS living as bios<\/em>. Conversely, when the man identifies himself in terms of being that Spirit and that Life and NOT the body nature, then he IS living a Life of zoe<\/em>. Here then ARE the aspects of man which doctrines paint as Spirit, Soul and Body: Spirit IS the essence of Life as that Light within a Greater Light and Soul IS the manifestation of the Spirit in time and space clothed in his unique individuality which reflects his own state of being and spiritual accomplishment.<\/span><\/p>\n The third aspect IS NOT the body per se; the body IS merely the vehicle used for one’s self expression<\/em><\/strong> in this world. The third aspect IS this expression<\/em><\/strong> which lies dormant until such time as a man, by conscious choice, enters upon the Path of zoe<\/em>, as a Life that IS focused<\/em> \u00a0upon the things of God. It IS this expression<\/em><\/strong> that IS the reality of the Holy Spirit which, from this perspective, can be seen in the way that the King James Bible translates the Master ‘s words saying “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you<\/em>” (John 14:17).<\/span><\/p>\n Can we see the idea of realization<\/em><\/strong> here? From the perspective of the True man our view from the Good News Translation saying “because he remains with you and is in you<\/em>” IS equally accurate….there IS NO waiting for the Holy Spirit. There IS however a waiting for the activity of the Holy Spirit in one’s Life which IS essentially a man’s expression<\/em><\/strong> of Love and Truth. And in this we should be able to see Paul’s idea as he says that he IS “waiting for the adoption,\u00a0to wit, the redemption of our body<\/em>“. Can we see how that the expression<\/em><\/strong> of Love and Truth IS the product of the Union, the adoption<\/em>, of the Soul and his expression<\/em><\/strong> to the world; that the Holy Spirit IS the Light and the activity of the True man which IS the Spirit manifest as the Soul, and that this IS the foundation for what Jesus calls for us “greater works<\/em>” (John 14:12). And ALL this begins with our trifecta<\/em><\/strong> of spiritual reality which we read again saying:<\/span><\/p>\n We should try to see here that while ALL spiritual reality begins in keeping His words<\/em>, this IS NOT merely because these ARE His words and His commandments to be blindly followed; we should try to see that keeping His words<\/em> IS the Path that must be followed. Paul knocks the idea of keeping the law by blindly following its tenets but the doctrines of men have misread this into their idea of an equally blind and nebulous sense of faith<\/em>. The overriding reality here IS that keeping His words<\/em> IS the Path of the Soul, the Path of psuche<\/em> which IS the Path of spiritual Life in form; keeping His words<\/em> IS the measurable expression<\/em><\/strong> of the Love and Truth that sees the reality of Life here in this world. It IS this expression<\/em><\/strong> that overrides the need to keep His words as commandments as Paul shows us saying:<\/span><\/p>\n “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.\u00a0For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.\u00a0Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.\u00a0And\u00a0that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” <\/em>\u00a0(Romans 13:8-11).<\/span><\/p>\n And this IS the point; regardless of the body nature, regardless of its origins and its evolution, it IS the Soul that IS the True man; it IS psuche<\/em> and nephesh<\/em> that IS the spiritual component of everyman and without this the body IS just that….a body of rudimentary intelligence which IS in its own way a divine creation. And this IS the point then of the twofold idea of man’s creation in the Book of Genesis where we read that “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them<\/em>” (Genesis 1:27) and then we read later that “the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul<\/em>” (Genesis 2:7).<\/span><\/p>\n In the first part we have the ‘creation’ of zoe<\/em>….the True man ‘created’ “in the image of God<\/em>” and here we should remember that these words ARE written for the understanding of the man to whom Moses writes, the superstitious and barbarous man of 3500 years ago. In the second part there ARE two ideas to be understood: first that “God formed man of the dust of the ground<\/em>“, this IS the physical body and the Life of it that IS bios<\/em>; second IS that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul<\/em>“, this IS the zoe<\/em> Life IN the physical body.<\/span><\/p>\n The idea of the first ‘creation’ IS a misnomer because ALL that IS has ever been when seen through our limited understanding of the times and cycles of the infinite and the eternal. God IS and there IS naught that IS added to Him nor detracted although there ARE ever changes in the state of things. The first ‘creation’ IS the Spiritual man and here perhaps we can see some view of a creative process as the Spirit itself IS manifest as the Soul and clothes himself\u00a0in his own unique individuality which ever reflects his own state of being and spiritual accomplishment. Here we should also understand that as Souls there ARE NO sexes and this IS the True meaning of the idea “male and female created he them<\/em>“.<\/span><\/p>\n The rest of the creation story IS an expansion of the idea that “man became a living soul<\/em>” as in so DOING he IS “made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same<\/em>“. It IS in this \n