Article #74
Subject: Two-fold self, Two-fold Truth
Author: Andrew W. Harrell
Posted: 6/24/2011 07:39:02 AM

Dear Friends,


Twofold teachings in the Gospels about “who is our Self?”
and “what is the Truth?”


In the Gospels Jesus Christ has given us two different teachings about who is
our self. In three of the gospels He has said, These are my commands, (they
are very simple): 1) Love God, 2) Love others as your Self. But, in the
Gospel of John when he speaks to his disciples He has said, in a little while
you shall miss me, then in a little while I shall return. “Then, you will
know Me as a friend”. What is the difference between a ‘Self’ and a ‘Friend’.
One might think that knowing our Self is more important to us than loving and
knowing others as our Friends. But, if you contemplate more deeply what Jesus
has said you will realize a wondelful Truth about it: Jesus has told those
who know Him less (those who souls are to be saved…that is, haven’t been
yet) that they are His self. But, He has told those who know Him best (His
disciples whose souls are already pre-existing and saved and redeemed) that
they are not His self…they are His friends?
Why is it more important to us to know our Self first? This is because of a
civil rights teaching I remember from growing up in Mississippi in the 1950s
and 1960s: if “One of us is not free, none of us is free.” Why is it
important to treat those close to us with respect but not necessarily as our
self. This is because we can’t make any progress together if we don’t
criticize each other and discuss things with each other as “friends” more
than just trying to be identical copies (all believing the same things) of
someone we respect a lot or of each other.
A friend is more valuable than the Self, because, I have found, often, the
Self is in the same miserable condition as you are. But, working together
with friend, we can improve our Selves.
And, what is the purpose toward which we are trying to improve each other?
Jesus Christ has said, “For this and for this alone I have come into this
World, to serve (to witness or observe the Truth, to contemplate it (the
Truth),to realize it (the Truth) .” And, what: is the Truth?
Here again there are two different blessed teachings we have learned from Him
in the Gospels. 1) In Chapter 18 of the Book of John To those who are
persecuting Him (eg Pontius Pilate, that young Roman Army officer, acting as
an instrument of a corrupt state, and who didn’t yet understand who Jesus
was. Pontius Pilate was just trying to do what he thought was the expedient
to do in order to find orde or to keep order(ie in Latin the word expedient
means ‘running away from a problem’ killing others, or allowing others we
have charge of to kill others is always only an ‘expedient’ solution to any
problems we are facing it never solves anything and most often makes the
problem worse) . This was what had worked up to this time in order to get him
promoted. He thought because, in his role as supposed leader, he had the
instruments of power of the state in his hands that he was stronger and more
powerful than this person who was brought before him to be judged and
appeared weak and subject to him). To him Jesus said, “You are the Truth”.
But, elsewhere in the Gospel of John, to His disciples, those who were
following Him closely and living with Him, He said. “I AM the Truth”. Here
again the divine order of this thinking can be as hard to comprehend as to
why Jesus called those who didn’t know Him His Self, and those who did, His
friends. But, you who are reading and studying this shall learn and
understand all this in time. For it is the “Truth” of the Gospel. Praise God
Amen


More discussions on these topic can be found at
http://www.ourprayergroup.blogspot.com

Also at http://www.yhwhschofchrist.org/discussionboard we have posted a few
brief notes and thoughts (hidden among the notes) relative to why Islamic and
Western philosophers and leaders have trouble working together. I got these
from attending a recent I-House Berkeley alumni reunion this month discussing
Iran. Last year’s talks on Israel, Iraq, Kurds, Egypt as part of this multi-
year forum on Middle East Peace are also there.

Article #91
Subject: Knowledge of the Supreme
Author: Andrew W. Harrell
Posted: 11/5/2011 05:35:21 PM

In order to attain to Supreme Knowledge (knowledge of the divine) something
more than just mindfulness of an absolute consciousness of an reality is
necessary. In addition to conscious awareness in the present moment there
must be awareness of inference toward truth. Truth is a correspondence
between what is (reality) and what is (another reality). This correspondence
may be from the past to the present, the present to the future, the past to
the future, the future to the past, the future to the present on so on…as
long as it is connected and instantiated as part of a syllogistic or other
logical rule of inference. Jesus Christ has said, as one of his two basic
rules or paths toward Christian God knowledge that, “To love the divine in
oneself, understand what is divine (all inclusive, self-existent, highest and
best) that is not oneself.” And, in fact the other path or way, “to love God
with one’s whole heart” depends on this one. For, if, starting with the
knowledge we know that God dwells in us, and if, we are able to undersstand
how he dwells in those living around, then there can be no doubt that He
is “all in us all as an all”. Is this not one of the purposes of Christian,
Jewish, and all other forms of study toward enlightenment?