An Open Letter to Hopeful Regarding Keeping the Commandments

My friend from work thought, or thinks, I am leading people astray and am in danger of Matthew 5: 19. I know “the apostasy comes first,” but that is what we are in.  I’m trying to get people out of it. So here is an open letter to Hopeful,

Dear Hopeful,

Planet earth looks blue, and there is something I must do -- which is to get people to see God's nature.

You know, everyone says Satan deceived Adam and Eve*. I say no. The Hebrew says shining, glorious visage. Adam was naked and having a grand time. He was out of control, had no conscience, didn’t want to have reins put on him. “Thou shalt not eat” means he wasn’t willing to. Then he saw Christ, and submitted. It is Christ “on his belly” in us.

I want everyone to see Jesus, the effulgence of God’s glory.

The child in Proverbs 8: 30, Wisdom, is God's image of himself, his awareness of his own nature. God created everything with his nature within it, because he didn't create anything separate from himself -- he emanates. His nature goes with every glow. He is the lamb, and worthy is the lamb who was slain from before the overthrow of the world. Wisdom to us is seeing his nature in everything and living his nature.

God's nature is the Law. Thou shalt not because he is. His nature, the principle(s) we summarize as the Law, is positive. The negative commandments are just common sense IF you understand that he is all -- that there is nothing in the universe but God (and he is so much more than the universe).

We are blessed if we assume his nature as our own, for it is the core of our being:

being humble like him, mourning sin like him, gentle like him, right like him, merciful like him, clear like him, peace-making like him, and rejected (by the still-ignorant) like him. His nature is where we are blessed. Not of works of the law that anyone should boast.

If one is completed by assuming/absorbing the Law, God's nature, as his own -- if Christ, which is that nature, permeates the person's consciousness -- what then of the commandments? I am not complete in my consciousness, but I know that the nature of God is "back there" ready to be displayed if I can get out of the way -- not to "un" myself but focus on his part.

God isn't a kajillion miles away but within. The Kingdom is the Kingdom because the King is there. Moses' enlightenment at the burning bush, I believe, was advaita: God and "me,” or rather God is me -- without division. That nature, the "name" of the divine Most High God, runs through our being as richly as his, for there is no division. But we have been stupided. We ignoranced ourselves to become humans’ consciousnesses.

If I share God's nature, though it be obscured by my ignorance, what am I to do? What he does. Follow shalt nots exclusively and persecute everyone who doesn't follow them according to me? No, but burst forth life, light and love. How? The same way he does. (Hey -- were using the same nature!)

What does he does? The corporal fingers by which God created spirit, mind and dust, where are they? Jethro, his increase, is all over the place, but we don't see his sticky little fingers anywhere. How is God bringing blessings to everyone? The non-corporal Eternal works by imagination. That is why if I look with lust, I HAVE fornicated. Much higher requirements for the Christian in Life than the Jew in works – the Jew just has to not do anything physically; we can't even THINK anything -- wrong, that is.

We is "we," right? We are called to the height of Christ Jesus to live ABOVE the commandments in the nature of God, which nature the keeping the commandments cannot impute. Only conversion from unaware to aware by the Holy Spirit given by Christ can imbue us with Life. It doesn't come from somewhere else, it comes forth from within. Heaven help us . . . to imagine in the nature of God, imagining right with his faith, his love, his integrity, his nobility, etc.

Imagine not bad news, but good reports. "We call not out loud, but by an inner effort of intense attention. To listen attentively, as though you heard, is to create" (Neville Goddard, Mental Diets).

Don't get things ass-backwards. Loving God means you will keep his Law and his commandments. We keep them because he is – the truly saved cannot sin. Keeping his commandments doesn't mean you love God or keep his Law -- the most zealous commandment keepers crucified him, remember? Wearing the prettiest yarmulke don't mean squat to him. Creating the good, beautiful end by being one with him does.

*I have no Satan as a person in my theology. I don’t need one. My ignorance is adversary enough. No Adam or Eve, either. I personally am all the characters in the Bible. So are you. It is a biography of God, who is who we are. And though it reads like a secular history, that is a mnemonic device: it is all present life – yours and mine.

 Matthew 5

        1. As Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain and as he sat down, his disciples came to him.

        2. And he opened his mouth and taught them and said,*

        3. "Blessed are the humble*,

        for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

        4. "Blessed are the mourners for they shall be consoled.

        5. "Blessed are the gentle for they shall inherit the earth.

        6. "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.

        7. "Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.

        8. "Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.

        9. "Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the sons of God.

        10. "Blessed are they who are rejected for their righteousness for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

        11. "Blessed are you when they criticize you and reject you and tell you every wicked saying because of me, in falsehood.

        12. "Be glad and rejoice that your reward is great in Heaven. For this is how they rejected the prophets before you.

        13. "You are the salt of the earth. However, when salt becomes flat, with what do you salt it? It does not go with anything, except it is thrown out, and is trampled by man.

        14. "You are the light of the world. A city built on a mountain cannot be hidden.

        15. "And a lamp is not lit and placed under a bucket, except on a lamp stand, giving light to all those who are in the house.

        16. "This is how your light will shine before humanity, so they can see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

        17. "Do not expect that I came to retire the law or the prophets. I did not come to retire, except to fulfill.

        18. "For amen I am telling you, that until heaven and earth pass away, not one dot or one line shall pass away from the law, until all takes place.

        19. "Whoever loosens thus one of these small commandments, and teaches according to humanity, the smaller he shall be regarded in the Kingdom of heaven. Then whoever observes and teaches these, shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven.

        20. "For I am telling you, if your righteousness does not go beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

        21. "You heard that it was told to the first people, 'You shall not kill, and whoever kills is condemned to trial.'

        22. "However, I am telling you, whoever is angry with his brother unfairly, will be held accountable in trial. And whoever spits at his brother, is answerable before the congregation*. And whoever says, 'Lunatic*,' is condemned to hell fire.

        23. "If you bring your sacrifices for offering like this, and there you remember that your brother holds such a grudge against you:

        24. "Leave your sacrifice on the altar there, Go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and make your offering.

        25. "Reconcile with your enemy quickly, while still on the road, lest not your enemy deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the guard and you end up* in prison.

        26. "And amen I say to you, you will not leave there before you have given up your last penny.

        27. "You heard that it was said, 'Do not fornicate?'

        28. "But, I am telling you, whoever looks upon a woman lustfully, at once he has fornicated with her in his heart.

        29. "If your right eye causes you to commit an offense, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For you are better off losing one of your members and not having your entire body thrown into hell.

        30. "And if your right hand causes you to commit an offense, cut it and throw it away from you, for you are better off losing one of your members and not having your entire body thrown into hell.

        31. "It is said, 'Whoever divorces his wife should give her a letter of cause.,'*

        32. "But, I am telling you, whoever divorces his wife because of an act of adultery, leads her to fornication. And whoever takes a divorced [woman as wife,] is committing fornication.*

        33. "Again you heard that it was told to the first people, 'Do not lie in your oaths,

        As your oaths before the Lord will be nullified.'*

        34. "But, I am telling you, do not take an oath in vain,* neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

        35. "Nor by earth, which is the rug under his feet; and neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of a great king.

        36. "Nor by your head, should you swear, for you cannot turn* one hair black or white.*

        37. "Except your words should be, 'Yes, yes' and 'No, no.'* Anything more is from the evil one.

        38. "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'

        39. "But, I am telling you, do not rise up against evil*, except whoever strikes you on the right side, turn to him the other.

        40. "And whoever wishes to put you on trial, and take your shirt* from you, leave him your cape too.

        41. "Whoever forces you to go a mile, go with him two.

        42. "Whoever asks you [for something,] give it to him; And whoever wishes to benefit from you, do not stop him.

        43. "You heard it said, 'Love your best friend and hate your enemy.'

        44. "But, I am telling you, like your enemy and bless those who curse you, and do good to those who hate you and pray for those who exploit you and leave you bare;*

        45. "So that you become the sons of your heavenly Father, he who makes his sun shine on the good and the wicked, and brings down the rain on the righteous and the abominable.

        46. "For if you like those who like you, what are you to be compensated for? Do not even the revenue collectors do this?

        47. "And if you greet your brothers only,* what good is that?* Do not the revenue collectors do this also?

        48. "Be therefore mature people, like your Father in heaven is Mature.

        __________

        *5:2.1 Lit. Ar. idiomatic expression retained: This idiomatic

expression, is in the form that signals the inception of the Lord's teachings on

earth. It implies, I believe, the redefinition of the universal Faith.

        *5:2.2 Lit. Ar. idiomatic expression: "And he [thus] commences teaching

them;"--an abrupt shift in tense from the past to the present, for emphasis, a

typical grammatical construction and style in Aramaic.

        *5:3 Lit. Ar. idiomatic figure of speech: "Poor in spirit."

        *5:22.1 Lit. Ar. id.: Or "Synagogue."

        *5:22.2 Lit. Ar. idiomatic figure of speech: "Mute," implying demonic

possession.

        *5:25 Lit. Ar. id.: "Fall in."

        *5:31 Lit. Ar. id. "Divorce document."

        *5:32 The grammatical implication is clearly: "In such cases."

        *5:33 Lit. Ar. idiomatic construction: "You will conclude, however, to

the Lord your oaths."

        *5:34 Lit. Ar. idiomatic figure of speech: "Do not swear whole."

        *5:36.1 Lit. Ar. id.: "Obligate," or affect.

        *5:36.2 Lit. Ar. idiomatic expression retained: No one can change their

age, [except for the Lord.]

        *5:37 Lit. Ar. idiomatic expression retained: meaning: Let your "yes"

mean yes and your "no" mean no.

        *5:39 Lit. Ar. id.: "The evil [one.]"

        *5:40 Lit. Ar. id.: "Go after everything you got."

        *5:44 Lit. Ar. idiomatic construction: "Fetch you by barren."

        *5:47.1 Lit. Ar. expression: "Ask for your brother's peace."

        *5:47.2 Lit. Ar. idiomatic expression: "What more do you do?"

(Matthew 5, Aramaic NewTestament, Victor Alexander)