Article July 12, 1975 Issue

"God so loved the world"

BEVERLY BEMIS HAWKS

"What is the most important thing in the world to you?" asked my friend. I replied, "My love for God." Her expression told me I should reconsider. I thought of John's words, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us." I John 4:10; The most important thing in the world for all of us, then, is God's love for man.

"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16; Does this mean that God, not knowing evil, could love a material world? What He knows and loves is His own true expression, the spiritual idea, appearing even now in a measure in the human consciousness of the people in the world. It was the understanding of God's expression of His own goodness that brought forth a personal Saviour.

For centuries, God's self-existence was felt through the spiritual sense of those who were receptive to His powerful law and to the prophecy of the Messiah's coming. Thus there were those who were ready to receive into their experience evidence of their spiritual convictions. "To the senses, Jesus was the son of man: in Science, man is the son of God. The material senses could not cognize the Christ, or Son of God: it was Jesus' approximation to this state of being that made him the Christ-Jesus, the Godlike, the anointed," Miscellaneous Writings, p. 161; writes Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science. The object of Jesus' works was to glorify his Father. He always directed attention back to Him, as can be noted in his parable of the prodigal son.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Poem
UNFOLDING THOUGHT
July 12, 1975
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit