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Replying to Overcomer in post #3]
Q: How do we philosophically break this down in order to find coherence re this advice?
______________
What is "perfect"?
Where is "heaven"?
I can speak to the meaning of the verse and the passage.
The verse.
Matthew 5:48
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
The verse in question comes from the Sermon on the Mount. The focus of the sermon is on proper living in the kingdom of God.
Philosophically "heaven" (Kingdom of God as you appear to identify it) re the verse, is therefore speaking of something which is within a personality and is where "proper living" is sourced - as in - something happens within which reflects outwardly and into the external world (earth).
Just as God’s love for us is perfect (whole, not lacking in any way), the believer’s love toward others should be the same.
This would tie in with the idea of the whole law being contained within Loving ones idea of God, (internal) and Loving others (external) as one Loves oneself (internal)...although to include all the componentry, I would add to your example and present it as "Just as God’s love for us is perfect (whole, not lacking in any way), the believer’s love toward
their self and others should be the same."
Biblical love isn’t about having warm and fuzzy feelings. It’s about God’s best for everyone.
I would (philosophically) drop that altogether as an irrelevant inclusion, since
Perfect Love is all inclusive and "warm and fuzzy feelings" are part of that overall (wanting God’s best for everyone) package.
God wants to give us his best – and he did, in the person of Jesus. We should want God’s best for others, no matter who they are.
This appears to be saying that one should offer Jesus to others as the way in which to show we are wanting the best for them.
However, (philosophically) this could equate simply to preaching/playing church et al (re the practices of Christianity in general) rather than
doing, so how is one to offer Jesus to others, except in treating others as Jesus would treat them - thus being types of ambassadors for/as the Christ (anointed).
This circles back to the 2 commandments mentioned and the processes therein.
1: Expressing internally a genuine Love for God.
2: Expressing internally a genuine Love for Self.
3: Expressing externally a genuine Love for Others.
One can even (philosophically) add to this, that "being perfect as God is perfect" requires just the one recognition, that being "if one genuinely Loves God, one will genuinely Love oneself and others."
So, in this passage, Christ is calling on his followers to be mature in their love toward others.
Philosophically the passage would have to include in the package "love for oneself" Christ calls upon the individual personality to Love oneself (as God Loves that same "self" one identifies as.)
The "maturity" would have to do with the process involved as it is not as simple a task to undertake which transforms the individual personality in the blink of an eye, for there are things we don't even like about ourselves, let alone love...and these (internally) require eyeballing and transforming.
However...is this what "perfect love" is re God?
Does God us Love us unconditionally or only after we have tidied up internally?
Philosophically, I think this is a good question to ask ourselves. Are we expected to wait until someone has tidied up their act, before we Love them? Sometimes passages make it appear to be the case and other times not.
Even that we are told to "be perfect as God is perfect" implies work to be done, and if the work is not done, the implications are that God will not Love us.
Philosophically then, we can understand that there is indeed work to be done, but if we also understand that God Loves us before that work is done, such might propel us to become better at Loving God, Ourself and Others...not because in doing so God might then Love us (or reward us et al) but simply because it is the "Christ" thing to do.
Bottom line: God first loved us while we were his enemies (Romans 5). We are to love those who stand in opposition to us. We are to lack nothing in our love for others as his love for us lacks nothing. It is impossible to do that on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to empower us, but it takes practice, that’s for sure!
This is what I was pointing to re the philosophy.
Gods Love for me lacks nothing. It is perfect in every way, meaning that I am not expected to be anything before Gods Love for me can be given.
This means that my ignorance of Gods love for me does not change Gods Love for me, but my knowledge (Gnosis) of Gods Love for me, has a changing effect on my Love of self and my Love of Others.
Thus the Christ replaces/transforms the former "me" (which God loved regardless) with the genuine "me" (Ambassador of the Christ-Spirit) realizing that "The Kingdom of God is Within" Loving God and Self (internal) and the expression of that flows into the external. (Loving Others.)
Therefore "What is perfect"? and "Where is Heaven"? are philosophically explained/broken down/unpacked.
Both are within the individual and can be discovered and initiated (turned "on" from "off").
