Article October 30, 1976 Issue

In Love or Out of It?

GORDON BRYAN RAMSAY

How wonderful it is to respond to one of the sweetest human sentiments—love. But more wonderful and joyful still is the expressing of a fuller, richer life, which grows out of a pure affection based on the love of Love, God.

Do we wish to be "in love"? Are we concerned that much of today's news shows mankind "out of love"—that is, divorced from harmony and joy?

What is the inspired Word of the Bible on this subject? The book of Leviticus records God's message to Moses as, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."^{Lev. 19:18;} Should we really love ourselves? Christ Jesus linked together in his teaching the need to care for oneself and the need to help humanity. And when a scribe asked him for the first commandment, Jesus continued his answer by quoting as the second great commandment the statement just referred to. It's quite natural for this compelling admonition to be read with the stress on loving one's neighbor—as it often is.