Editorial June 13, 1970 Issue

"I have loved thee"

William Milford Correll

One of the most precious feelings we may have is the feeling of being loved. Many people long for this and seek it in various ways. Yet they sometimes overlook the relation of God and man as Father and son, which has always existed. The Scriptures tell us, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."^{Jer. 31:3;}

At times the Bible writers have spoken of God's love as a very intimate and personal thing. Deuteronomy speaks of God's love for His people, Israel, "He led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye,"^{Deut. 32:10;} and Isaiah, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands."^{Isa. 49:16;} At other times Love is spoken of in universal terms as the creative and governing power of the universe. We should be able to respond to divine Love in all ways that it is manifested. It is as intimate as the good deed done in secret and as universal in its attraction and control as the law of gravitation seems to be. In Christian Science we have the term "divine Principle" to express the invariable nature of this Love, and we use the term "Father–Mother" to indicate the intimate relationship between God and man.

The coming of Christ Jesus was one of the most dramatic and telling manifestations of divine Love. Through this direct expression of sonship God made known His nature as the healing and saving Christ. This was a very apparent expression of the fact: "I have loved thee with an everlasting love." Jesus' whole experience was the activity of divine Love. And his words showed a very intimate sense of sonship with God. He almost always referred to God as his Father. We can well recall the words that came to him at the beginning of his career: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."^{Matt. 3:17;}

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