My Favorite Verses - Vol V (Feb 17 to Jun 17)

Fourth, note that Paul speaks here quite arrogantly about his supposed
knowledge (“I thank you, Father, because you have hidden these things from the wise
and the intelligent and have revealed them instead to infants. Yes, Father, for such was
your gracious will” ~ Jesus in Luke 10:21) – an arrogance he actually exhibited quite
frequently (see Acts 13:10, Romans 16:17-18, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 1 Corinthians 9:24,
1 Corinthians 10:21, 1 Corinthians 11:19, 2 Corinthians 11:4-5, Galatians 1:9, Philippians
1:28 & Philippians 3:2), and an arrogance that actually kept him out of Jesus‟
“Kingdom of Heaven” for as long as he remained determined to cherish the same
(see Matthew 18:3-4 & Matthew 23:12 et al).
Fifth, feel free to contrast this verse with Jesus‟ belief that every sin was its
own condemnation in the moment it was committed (i.e. a lost moment when Love
could have otherwise been enlivened), and that every act of selfless Love was its
own rebirth (John 3:3-8) into his “Kingdom of God” (Luke 17:20-21) – namely,
that every act of selfless Love was a renewed freeing of the Soul from the
confines of dogmatic arrogance & instinctual selfishness – that every act of Love
was indeed itself a “free gift” that did indeed “bring true Freedom” (see John
13:15-17, along with Matthew 13:18:23, Matthew 24:12-14, and – quite ironically –
Galatians 5:1 – “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and submit
never again to any yoke of slavery”).
Amen ... Let it be so.
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