Editorial March 2, 1981 Issue

Christliness and good works

BEULAH M. ROEGGE

The issue raised by a question in First John needs our thoughtful attention today. Historically its implications too often have been ignored: "He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"^{ I John 4:20.} Beyond the conventional lesson of the question is the implication that one's brother is worthy of love, that there is reason for loving each other. Christ Jesus' teachings make clear that valuing and loving mankind is intimately connected with loving God. The healing works Jesus accomplished forever unite the love for and worship of God with a love for humanity.

Yet religion as practiced throughout the centuries too often attempts to separate the two. And the degree of this separation is reflected in the kind of lives people live. The prevailing tendency of medieval Christianity was to exalt God while viewing man as a miserable sinner and of little importance. Such practice tended to lose sight of Jesus' humbly walking with and loving the multitude. The ages were dark indeed for most of mankind.

When thinking again turned to valuing the individual human being, there was a renaissance, a religious and cultural rebirth. With the dawning of the Reformation, the picture of God and man as radically separated began to yield to the spirit of Christ Jesus' ministry. Jesus had assured his followers of God's beneficence and their place in His love. "Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered,"^{ Luke 12:7.} he said.