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The More Excellent Way

The title of the page is of course, taken from the scrpture in 1Corinthians ch.13

-- Click To Expand/Collapse Bible Verses -- 1Cor ch13:v1-13
1Co 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
1Co 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
1Co 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (KJV)

In the commentary area of the site I rather boldly stated that "charity" in use with spiritual gifts forms a K4 group. Whilst this is not at first apparent, there is a repeat of the study here in terms of virtue. For, the "individuals" of the multiplicative group C3 in K4 could well be not people, but fellowships. (And thus we may retain some sense of our p1, p2 and q1, q2 also, given that "charity" as pure virtue "q" is such that in Christ, we see only part of what we minister, whilst God, as the underlying K4 group works in full. When we see as "face to face" then we are then in knowledge of the perfect gift with which we minister.

We may place the unity element as that which acts out of total freedom and virtue, and is essentially for lack of a better word "charity". This charity is such that if two individuals agree on the liberality of the gifts of God then they have in some sense a distinct agreement on our virtues "q". They differ somewhat in the positive properties that are realised in them at any time, these filling the roles of our p[i] and q[i].

Then to minister with charity is to minister the unity of the body of Christ in the gospel (as all "q") despite differences of knowledge - that is to say, non essential differences that are reconciled in the truth of the gospel, and not as it were, acceptance of false doctrine or to "do evil so that good may come."

Then, the one that is freely acting out of charity does that which the other two fail to perform alone, whether an act of apostleship between two fellowships or a ministering to two individuals the gift given them of God. Likewise, God also does such ministering and as the underlying K4 group mediates with all the gifts required that permit us in freedom to do His will.

There is no magic formula for this, we must merely state that th faith of one is the reply to the hope of the other and the gift to grant it found purely in Christ as our "q" or found in some apostle say, as if Christ. Neither of these two excludes God from the action of unity or identity in the K4 form. Rather we now more clearly see "face to face".

Whatever the state of transformation, new positive properties are grafted in and old withdrawn dynamically whether in individual ministry or of the "body of Christ" as a whole - independent of the direct presence of God as beyond the presence of virtue - for the gifts are such that ministration is possible without further appeal to the divine, or else they would not be wholly "gifts". That does not affirm that God is not necessary for the ministration of those gifts, but that in a sense we are free to retain them and apply them in the manner which God's will has provided. So said, that they are given in order to predestinate those ministered to, as well as all ministers.

That which is perfect that comes from "unity" does so in transferring positive properties from one individual's state to another, and although the gospel is firm, positive properties themselves are not always present. There is an exclusion - the unity position shows that virtue (charity) is present whilst the faith of one is met by the hope of the other. That is, the faith of all is the hope of another (Christ). Charity does not, and never can, stand in the way of such ministration and truly edifies it without puffing itself up, without seeking its own, and without vanity. Charity, then is a supreme expression of liberality and the sovereignty of God in which all ministry would bring others to the common good.

If a fellowship has charity then it shows its fruit - as does the individual - and that fruit is the gift of God in Jesus Christ.

Likewise, we do not expect all individuals to have a complete set of virtues that are found in Christ. ministering them "grafts" in more positive properties than are lost - that is; virtue is acquired before or "more often" than positive properties are excluded by the acceptance of what is dynamic in the gospel. I.e., to be truly stated, as with all ministering in the gospel, the "truth will make you free", so that you are in need of nothing, and without equivocation, such virtue brings one into the likeness of God's own dear Son Jesus Christ.

As the set of virtue grows, then positive properties become more freely exercised. The young in faith are busy "eating vegetables" whilst meat is ministered over them. Likewise, freedom in the gospel does not occur overnight: little can be said on those that have attained all such virtue "q". At best, we merely approach it yet with gifts. Thence, it is a "more excellent way."


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