Article May 16, 1925 Issue

Loving God and Man

ESKEW HAROLD ARCHER

Jesus said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind;" and, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Jesus' own life and daily experience were full of happy obedience to these commands. The Scriptures are replete with admonitions of a like nature; and they are taught to-day in all Christian homes and churches. No one questions the desirability of obeying them; it is conceded to be the right thing to do,—yea, the goal of all right human endeavor. Men make solemn vows to perform this sacred duty; they buttress themselves about with impressive promises; they continue their attempts to do so even after apparently going down in inglorious defeat.

It must be conceded, however, that the world is far from accomplishing the results implied in the Master's words and works. There still appears to be a very great belief in hatred, in dishonesty, in "minds many," in brother being against brother, even in war being encouraged. Many claim to have no God at all; others scoff at the only eternal Father. It is easy to see how hypocrisy may creep in, for many have been vainly trying to love God and men, the while believing them to be not very lovable, vacillating between statements that they are good and fear that they are not.

Now why this failure? Must it not be due to false belief that God is not altogether lovable, that there is another power named evil, and that man—God's image and likeness—is unlovely? We naturally love that which is true, beautiful, loving, and lovely. We respond readily to another's smile, to his kind deeds; we are happy in the presence of the good-natured neighbor whom we have proved true. The reason men have not loved God and each other better is that they have not understood God and man aright; have not heretofore known the truth about them; have not been acquainted with their wonderful, perfect nature.

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May 16, 1925
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