{"id":4423,"date":"2012-09-04T21:37:45","date_gmt":"2012-09-05T01:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/?p=4423"},"modified":"2012-09-04T21:37:45","modified_gmt":"2012-09-05T01:37:45","slug":"in-the-words-of-jesus-part-432","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/2012\/09\/04\/in-the-words-of-jesus-part-432\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE WORDS OF JESUS\u2013Part 432"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love is the Fulfilling of the Law<\/span><\/h2>\n

ON LOVE; PART XXIV<\/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<\/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<\/span><\/h6>\n
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“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed . \u00a0Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there \u00a0male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise<\/em>” (Galatians 3:23-29).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

While we intended to discuss the verses above from the Apostle Paul to the Galatians in yesterday’s post, we got stuck on the right understanding of the word faith<\/em> as it is used here. We must see in this word so much more that we commonly give it credit for and the ideas of faith<\/em> must be seen as we have discussed as a KNOWING which is the faith<\/em> and a believing<\/em> which is total reliance upon the KNOWING. There are of course degrees of this and the ultimate is painted for us in such simple terms by the Master that they rather elude us; Jesus tells us that we must have “have faith as a grain of mustard seed<\/em>” (Matthew 17:20) to accomplish what we should consider the ultimate ‘miracle’ of moving the mountain. However, we must at the same time realize that this KNOWING, as with most ALL of Life, comes to us by degree and the believing<\/em>, the reliance upon that KNOWING, does as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

We must remember that Paul is writing to the disciple and to the aspirant and is giving instructions on the finer points of their endeavors; he is not intentionally writing to a\u00a0general\u00a0audience of hearers but to those that he expects are doers. In our modern times we take these words as they are for ALL and while they are, there is yet the basic premise their\u00a0fulfillment\u00a0is in being an aspirant to discipleship who must at least KNOW and be <\/span>striving<\/em> toward discipleship. This is the force behind the words of the Apostle James who tells us to “<\/span>But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves<\/em>” (James 1:22) which show us that to not <\/span>keep the Master’s words<\/em> is but <\/span>deception<\/strong> from the perspective of the would be disciple. There is a grave\u00a0dysfunctional\u00a0understanding of these words faith<\/em> and believing<\/em> on<\/em> or believing in and we must accord them both with the reality of keeping His words<\/em> which is also the\u00a0criteria\u00a0for discipleship and for being accounted worthy<\/em> of the Kingdom of God.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Looking then at our verses at the top we can see that this sense of faith, of KNOWING, came to these people to whom the apostle is writing. The message of the first verse is that up to this time they were adhering to the law as this was the accepted way of spiritual accomplishment. One can assume from the tenor of the text that these men were religious according to the law and they kept the precepts and we can also assume that these particular men were keeping the law for GREATER reason that merely because it was the law. Can we see here perhaps the\u00a0separation\u00a0between\u00a0these men and the Pharisee type that the Master derides in the gospels? These men kept the law because it was in them to do so while the Pharisee to whom the Master spoke kept the law because it was his job to do so. Paul tells us then that for the former group the idea of faith<\/em> is revealed and here is the same dynamic that each of us must find, the revelation of the reality of the Christ Within from whence this sense of faith<\/em> comes. Before Christ this man did not KNOW of this reality of faith <\/em>although it was likely working in him already although he may have thought it to be more a sense of the law. Paul goes on to explain to these men that it was the law and knowledge of the law that taught them to be observant and which ‘awakened<\/em>‘ the sense of faith<\/em> in them which comes, as we said, from the Christ Within. Continuing we find that the Love and the Power of the Christ Within, the Soul, works to focus the heart<\/strong> <\/em>of the man on the source of the Love and the Power and the Soul Light begins to work through the form and the personality Life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is much the same as we should view our lives today; we are brought up in the law, the common law, the Ten Commandments, cultural norms, etc. and we decide as we go along in Life what we will follow and what we will not; we become, as did the men in Jesus’ day, under the law. From the perspective of the man in form this ‘normal’ behavior becomes his lot and this by choice and he does not and many never see the relative understanding necessary to go beyond the law. This understanding is what we call righteousness, it is the man in form doing or not doing a thing for righteousness sake and this\u00a0supersedes\u00a0the selfish motive of doing what may be profitable or not doing that which may be unprofitable; this is not meant in monetary terms alone. It is in the choosing of right or wrong on a case by case basis that defines the man under the law and it is the habitual doing right that would define the man who is Truly righteous. This is echoed by the Master in His words about the Pharisees who were making\u00a0appearances\u00a0of righteousness but who, as the Master shows us, were doing all things because of their position and through their positions; they were seeking advantage which is a thing of the carnal self and not a thing of God. For the people then, speaking of \u00a0the Pharisees and their apparent righteousness, the Master says “<\/span>For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven<\/span><\/em>” (Matthew 5:20). Not wanting to paint all Pharisees with the same brush, we should note that there were some among them who were righteous and in this we can see a dual nature in the Master’s words as those that may have been righteous, and we do read of some in the\u00a0gospels, were not able to stand in\u00a0opposition\u00a0to those who were less so, thereby leaving the whole of the thought of the Pharisees subject to the same words of the Master.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So we as men who choose daily and on a case by case basis must be seen as under the law and those who consistently do right for no benefit or reward can be seen as righteous and we must ever understand that from the perpective of the disciple and the aspirant, this must include ALL that can be considered as one’s\u00a0focus<\/em> on the things of the world which we can translate into the idea of focus<\/em> upon the things that benefit the carnal self. The Apostle James puts this in perspective for us as regards the Ten Commandments but we should see here the broader picture as well; he tells us: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said \u00a0Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law<\/em>” (James 2:10-11). Understanding all this we should see that to be in faith<\/em> as this is painted here is to KNOW righteousness as it is revealed to us by the Soul, the consciousness in form or, as the Master tells us, the heart<\/strong><\/em>. It is at this point of revelation that the law becomes as it were meaningless as there is naught that the man would or could do to break it when his sole focus<\/em> in upon the things of God and not on the things of the world or, be\u00a0striving<\/em> to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n

We must see that there is no automation here and no point at which we can say we are righteous until ALL is complete and we have attained the mantle of discipleship; until this point we are aspirants and we are striving<\/em> and this is our duty to perform if we have in our hearts<\/strong> <\/em>that desire to be His disciple. The Master tells us of the difficulty in attaining this place and we have discussed this several times but is serves us well to repeat here His words that say: “<\/span>Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in , and shall not be able<\/span><\/em>” (Luke 13:24). We should ever understand that it is NEVER too late to come to this realization in any Lifetime and the amount of ‘evil’ that a man may have done is meaningless at this point save for the fact of his own engendered karmic\u00a0responsibilities. This is the reality of the Parable of the Prodigal Son and this is where the Christ and the Christ Within can boldly say of his own Life in form that he “<\/span>was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found<\/em>” (Luke 15:32). And, when we reach this place of realization, we will have that same joy for every one of our brothers, regardless of who or what they are or have been, who have come to join us in this realization of faith<\/em> which is found in our KNOWING the Light of our own Souls as we do as the Master tells us saying:\u00a0“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven<\/em>” (Matthew 5:16).<\/span><\/p>\n

In these next verses there is a profound difference in the words of the apostle as we see them and the doctrines of the churches. The doctrines here paint for us that faith<\/em> which is akin to what Vincent tells us that believing on<\/em> or believing in:<\/em> is not merely to believe the facts of His historic life or of His saving energy as facts,\u00a0<\/em>but this must be painted in the same way as believing. Faith and believing are forever entwined and work with and for and through each other and to have this faith IS\u00a0to accept Him as Savior, Teacher, Sympathizer, Judge; to rest the soul upon Him for present and future salvation, and\u00a0<\/em>to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life<\/strong>4<\/sup><\/span>. This is a far cry from the out of context proclamations of faith as expressed by many who then believe that they are ‘saved’, accounted worthy and even disciples without ever taking care to do as Vincent tells us here which is simply\u00a0stated as keeping His words<\/em>. So then faith in Christ Jesus IS keeping His words<\/em> just as believing on<\/em> Him IS keeping His words<\/em> and it is by this action in Life that one comes to the realization of being a Son of God consciously\u00a0functioning\u00a0here on the Earth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We will cover the next verses in more detail in the next essay but here we should relate them to the final stanza of the Affirmation of the Disciple which appears below. Let’s read the end here: “<\/span>For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there \u00a0male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus<\/em><\/span>“. Reading next the last stanza below:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Aspect of God<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Potency<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Expressed as Fire<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Aspect of Man<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Father<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Will or Power<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Electric Fire<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Spirit or Life<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Son, The Christ<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Love and Wisdom<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Solar Fire<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Soul or Christ Within<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Holy Spirit<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Light or Activity<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Fire by Friction<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Life Within the Form<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am a point of light within a greater Light.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
I am a strand of loving energy within the stream of Love divine.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
I am a point of sacrificial Fire, focused within the fiery Will of God.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
And thus I stand<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
I am a way by which men may achieve.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
I am a source of strength, enabling them to stand.<\/strong><\/span><\/address>\n
I am a beam of light, shining upon their way.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
And thus I stand.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
And standing thus, revolve<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
And tread this way the ways of men,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
And know the ways of God.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
And thus I stand.<\/strong><\/span><\/address>\n

Forgetting for now the relevance of the baptism, we focus upon the idea of having put on Christ which should be seen as the Christ Within functioning through the form nature and the personality; this is the reality of Soul infusion and this is the realization of KNOWING one’s True nature and living as the Soul in form. In the next verse Paul emphasizes that no matter who or what we were, we are now, through this realization, ONE in Christ.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These same ideas are presented for us in the Affirmation. Standing thus in the realization of the Christ within and living this realization through form is the same in essence as treading the ways of man as the Christ Within working through form. And, KNOWING the ways of God is the same in essence as KNOWING the reality of ONE’S True nature as the Soul, the Christ Within and the God Within who is ever ONE with the Father.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The universality of ALL should be seen in the words of both of these sayings, the Affirmation and Paul’s word s to the Galatians. Putting on Christ as the Christ Within alive in form is the goal and the objective of ALL men and this is both a step toward discipleship and it IS discipleship. The Affirmation is then just that as we affirm that we are men in form, walking in the world as the Christ Within working through form.<\/span><\/p>\n

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post and complete our look at both the Affirmation of the Disciple and Paul’s words to the Galatians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We leave again our sayings on faith and believing which we hope to get back to in the next post.<\/span><\/p>\n