Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-21
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
LOVE- Corinthians, 13.1-13.
Golden text-Now . abideth
faith. hope, love, these three;
and the greatest of these is
love.-I Corinthians, 1918.
BY REV. HUGH T. STEVENSON.

Love occupies central place in the
religion of the Bible. The laws Of
the Old Testament were embraced
into the commands, one. to love the
Lord. thy God. with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul. and with all thy
strength" and the other. ito love thy
neighbor as thyself" In the love that
existed between David and Jonathan
we have in the Old Testament one of
the highest exhibitions Of human af-
lection between men. for 1t was like
the greatest human love. that of
ness of his disappointment in the love
Of his wife, who had failed him. the
prophet Hosea learned the lesson OF
Gods love for Israel. jeremiah and
Isaiah also told Israel of the love Of
God for his chosen people. While the
germs of the message was in the Old
Testament 1T was Jesus who made the
love the fundamental teaching of his
gospel concerning God and man.
Chrtstianity's founder gave and His
followers, proclaimed after Him the
message whose central truth was God
Is love. The religion Of Jesus stands
for the mightfest of all convictions
that God is love and that He has built
this universe upon love. This fact re-
veals,i as Christ did in the life that He
lived. in the labor that %her performed
and in the lessons that He taught, that
love is Gods desire to impart Him
self and all good to other beings and
itual fellowship" Christianity insists
that the only life to live is a life Of
love, which word needs.i as Roberts
has pointed out to be rehabflitated in
It's current usage and which~.is not
properly understood unless it is re-
garded as the energy OF steadfast
will bent upon creating fellowship"
When Jesus declared HIS gospel that
revealed God. as love. the Master made
marvellous contribution to the
knowledge of men concerning God.
whom they had previously regarded
as an arbitrary law-giver. as an in
exorable Judge, as spy s upon IT their ell
terest in humanity. Jesus provided
for a complete transformation of his
tory by making love the supreme law
for human life. If the world could be-
lleve in God Of love and in life Of
love, and would act upon that convic-
ton, every difficulty among. men and
nations would soon be settled and all
the inequalities Of life be removed. 1t
was for the purpose Of removing the
difficulties in the Corinthian Church
that Paul wrote that portion OF his
epistle, which has been called his mas
eminence, properties and power Of love
to correct the ills Of their church lie:
Paul, in this poem on love, praises
it as no other grace in character. per-
haps, has ever been praised by any
man. He insists that 1t is the indis-
pensable grace. Without 1t as base
the most prized qualities Of Christian
which they are urged to ac-
ouire and are ambitious to possess,
are all valueless. The ability to speak
"all the languages of men and of
angels" would be considered as very
great possession by any oriental and
would increase the efficiency of any
but. II destitute Of love.
would be nothing more than the toll
ing of q bell or the sounding of the
cymbals. Heart power gives
eloquence its effectiveness.
The power to speak for God. as q
prophet. either concerning the present
or the future, would be worthless
without love. The ability to compre-
bend "the spiritual problems which
exercise mems minds" and interpret
tor, men the9mysteries is.useless with