The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-06-01
Love is Of God
Lesson for June 3, 1862

Lesson for June 3, 1862
The Apostle of Love, they call
him: and John deserves the
name. Not that love was spoken
for by him alone. Paul speaks
of love many a time. and in
deed the most famous chapter
on love is from Paul's writings,
not Johns. And of course Jesus
gave the clue to both of them
when he summed up the whole
of the Ten Commandments. the
summary of Gods will for
mans life, in two command
ments: Love thy God, love thy
neighbor.
God Is Love
However, though others had
spoken of love, and given it as
a kind of Eleventh Command
ment, or summary of all the
Law, it was left to John to say
something which no one else,
not even Jesus, had said: God
is love. This is at the same
time profound and difficult, and
also simple and clear. This is
not proposition which can be
turned end-for-end and still be
true. God is love: but love is
not God. Love, John says, is "of
Cod or from God" as the
| New English Bible translates it..
| That is, God is the source of all
the love there is, here or in the
farthest galaXies. Love is not
something which human beings
first discovered or invented, and
then "thought-into" God. We do
not ascribe love to God we find
it there, in Him. Now you might
expect, somewhere in the Bible,
to find similar. statements, for
instance that God is power, or
justice, or JOY. But no Bible
writer ever said it. We can only
thrust our thought in the direc-
ton in which that short SEN
tence points. God is love-" we
cannot fathom or fully say what
it finally means. But we may
! judge that love is a better word
to express what God is, than
those other words Power or JUS
tice or Joy or anything else. We
may also dare to believe that
love is Gods basic quality; His
justice. His glory. His power.
are such as infinite and perfect
love brings forth.
| God Is Not Sentimental
Perhaps it is wise to put in
something here which has often
been said. but which seems to
have escaped the notice of too
many people. The word love"
as John uses it mot to mention
Paul and Jesus is not sentiment
tai. 1t has nothing to do with
heart throbs or spells Of
emotion. When the Emperor tt
/ tus one day at a public appear
ance granted a request made by
a Roman Petitioner, member
of the court said to him after
wards, How could your majes-
ty promise the man what you
did? 1t is not possible to keep
that promise, is it?" NO" the
Emperor replied; II know it is
not possible; but l did not want
the man to go away disappoint-
ed. That is kindness; but it
is not love. To take an opposite
example. the family of a GER
tain victim of polio went to
some trouble not to help the
boy. They just made him learn
to help himself in spite of his
handicap.
Love, in short. is unselfish
concern persistent, intelligent,
working concern for others. It
IS a constant and consistent at
tltude rather than occasional
outbursts of emotion. 1t is this
that John means when he talks
OF abiding" in living in it
permanently, maintaining this
attitude IN spite of all discour-
agements.
No Room for Fear
You would expect John to con-
trast love and hate. They are a
real contrast, but that is not
what John brings out. There is
no f"ar in love, he says. If fear
ana love seem to live together
IN the heart, John would say.
that is sign that the love is
not perfect: if it were. the fear
would vanish. This is not to saw
that love casts out fear in God
that would be an absurd re-
mark. for a frightened God
would be no God at all. John is
thinking of ourselves. He might
even be thinking of our situation
IN 1862. People are afraid, fear
stalks around the globe. But
people are afraid because they
90 not trust God; and they do
not trust because they do not
love. If some one asks. But
now can l love God?" He does
MOI need my help. he does not