Page 2797 - 1970S

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lf1 had 10 define !ove in four words. 1
would say "l..ove isan UnM/jish, outgoing
conc""" for the one loved. Love is pri–
marily on the giving, sernng, slulring
¡¡de Of the fence - DO! 00 !he g~Wng,
taklng, factional, striving side. 11 is not
selfish.
God /s !ove. Consider how God ex–
presses !ove toward us who are humans.
Y es, even those who ate hostlle and re- '
bellious toward God: "God so loi-ed the
world, that he gave his only begouen
Son, thal whosoever believelh in him
should no! perisb, but have everlasliog
life" (John 3: 16).
Jesus Chrisc is God - one of !be di–
vine pttsOns who eompose !be God fam–
ily. Noliet how Christ manifesttd love:
"God eommendetb bis love toward us.
in that, while we were yet sinners. Christ
dted for us. ... wheo we were enemies.
we were reconciltd 10 God by tM d~th
ofhls Son"(Rom. 5:8, 10).
How did Jesus Christ express His !ove
for che cbun:h? The scripture has been
quoted above: H~ gavt! Himselffor itl
!.ove is uNselfish. 11 is not an emocion,
though il may be expressed wich an
emotional eontent. True love combines
che rationnl aspecc or outgoing ooncero
- desire 10 help, serve, give or share -
along wilh sincere atfectiooacefee/ing.
William Graham Cole, in bis book,
Su in Christlanity and Psychoanalysis,
gives an exceUen1 analysis of !ove. He
draws an interes1i11g dislinctioo betweeo
true mature !ove and infantile love. The
lauer •s primarily emotionaL 11\oUgbt–
lessly selñsh. seeking iiS own gratiliea–
lion. Lake "puppy !ove," it does oot !ove
another as he LS, or for what he is, but as
be IS imagintd or romaotical.ly desired
tobe.
"IUusion," says Cole, "is the standatd
diet of infantile !ove. 11 is, as the poeiS
say, blind.... Cupid appears appropri–
ately enough in diapers' ' (for our British
readers, "nappies"). ·
Mature !ove, says Cole, is not blind.
"11 has progressed from pabulum 10 por–
terhouse."
Jesus said: "11 is more blessed lo glvt!
tha.n to reeeive.•• That is a true state.a
ment, of which nearly all humans are
•gnorant. Camal humanity is bent on
setting. laking. having. Tbe average per–
son, selftshly, is primarily interes•ed in
gratifymg the desires of bis five senses -
wilh no c:oncem for otbus.
ALL Sense-Enjoymems NOTSin
The five senses do cry out for gralifi–
eation. We humans are composed of
PLilSII - mortalllesh - MA'ITER. We can
reoeive pleasurable seosations through
these five senses. In their "cbaste sev–
erity" the early "Christian fathers"
deemed any pleasurable sensation or ex–
períence, through the senses. 10 be sih–
ful.
TliAT IS EMPHATICALLY NOTTRUE!
God even tells us, in His word, that
our serues should k ~xerclsed by uu, so
lhat we can distinguish good from evil
(Heb. 5: 14). Our senses were pul within
our bodies to btused- bw not misused!
God creattd us so that we mus! eat
food to live. He equipped us wilh the
sense or taste. Cod gave us this sense so
thal we might enjoy !be necessity of eat–
ing. We should, therefore. exercisc our
senses 10 distinguisb tru~. natural ,
WEEK ENDINO SEPTEMBER 20, 197S
heahh·building foods from tbose false
foods whieh destroy bealth - and tben
tlw God tlulnks and really ENJOY eating!
In like manner God made it possible
for us 10 receive great pleasure and en–
joyment or the most upbuilding and
wholesome kind from !he sense of sighL
He gave us the facutty for appreciating
tbe btautiful. But a man can misuse bis
sense of sight by looking lustfully at a
woman .
God equipped humans with the sense
of hearing. H,ow much inspiring, up–
lif\ing, pleasurable enjoymen t we re•
ceive from beautiful MUSte! But. of
eourse, this sense, 100. may be used for
good. or ror evil. Glorious music was
actually created in !be archangel Luci–
fer. But wben in pride' and gretd bis
whole character chaogtd and he~
from his estate of peñection to become
Satan, he became corrupttd and · per–
vened in all bis ways (E.uk_ 28: 13, 17).
Satan 1$ !be autbor of pervened, dis–
eordant, degenerale modero music.
IN LOVE, God equipped human~ with
the five physical senses. lo supply man
with wholesome ENJOYM~l>IT AND P~EA­
SURE! But the ust of !bese senses can be
tumed in the wrong direction! The privi-
"11/uslon is the standard
dlet of lnfantile love. 1t is,
as the poets say, bllnd.
Cupld appears, appropri–
ately enough, In diapers."
ltg' earries with it the obligation of rc–
sponsibility. This is pan of the
character-bui.lding process.
1 repeat! Sin is no1 !he thlng - butthe
wRONO use<![lhe thing!
God intended man 10 be HAPPY! 11 is
God's wi11that we ENJOY life - lhat it be
pleasurable, satisfying. wltolesome, re–
warding! But God gave us minds - and
made Hts WORD available - 10 distin–
guish the TI\UE values from tbe false, ool
lo decldt in our own minds what selfish
or lustful desire we would like 10 mak'
right. but 10 distinguish wbat God re–
veals h' hasmodt right.
1 The nght use of tbe five senses brings
enjoyable, pleasurable sensations lhat
are uplil\ing. c:onstruclive, beneficia! -
not only 10 the self, but 10 otbers. The
wrong and sinful use or !be senses also
may produce pleasurable'sensations, but
these wrong uses are destructive and
harmful - not only 1!> thc self, but of\en
also to others.
11 is 8 matter of RJGHT o r WRONG
direction.
How may we humans know which use
is right, and which is wrong? BY THE
LAWOFGoo!
R.IGHT Use or Senses
God's law is -' WAy of Ufe. 11 guides
acuons and uses in a definitedirection –
always constructive, upbuilding. benefi–
cia!. That WAY always is THE WAY of
LOVE - the way of unM/jish, outgoing
~tJnCI!rn. lhe way of sharin& what ¡5 en·
joyable.
StN is the transgression ofTHAT WAYI
Sin travels in the d irection of vani ty,
grced - intlowing selfish gratiñcation. ll
waniS 10 k served, not 10 serve. To be
h'I¡Hd. no11o help. To get, not 10 give.
The WHOLE LAW or GoD is summtd
up in ooe word - LOVE! And it rc–
qulfes !ove txpressed in action lo fJ!;lfil
the law(Rom. 13:8, 10).
Bul this law-principlt ofLOVE is subdi–
vided into the two great eommandmeniS
- LOVE toward God aod love toward
neigh bor. The ñrst four of !be Ten Com–
mandment.s define !ove toward Goo.
The last síx tell us how 10 !ove neighbor.
Love toward neighbor is not altogether
oucgoing eoncem. lt is also a sharlng
with neighbor: "Thou shah !ove thy
neighbor as thyself" Of course that is a
lotoflo~l
11 LS human 10 !ove your own self.
That requires no effon - no character.
But what is not human nature is 10 love
your neighbor EQUAU.y! That requires
rec:ognn•on by an intelligent mind of !be
TJ\UE VALUES, aod it requires !he exer–
cise ofWILL. self-discipline and CHARAC•
TEJ\.
The Lo•·• Man Ooesn't Have
The law allows. you to love yourself
equally with your neighbor, but NOT
GoD! 11 requires you to love_Goo with
ALL your hean. mind, soul, and
strength!
How. then, maya person LOVE OoD?
Actually, the natural uncooverttd
man CANNOT! Take. at random, any
mao or woman you might mee! on a
busy street or out on a country lane. Has
he !he abilily 10 !ove GoD far·more !hao
SEU' - Wllh A LL bis heart. mind, soul,
and strength? DoES !be average person
!ove God tbat mucb?
What's the answer?
God's Word answers: "We !ove him,
btcause he firsr lovt!d us" (1 John 4: 19).
The "we" here is addressed to convened
Chriscians. ·
A human can only reaUy and truly
!ove God wilh the vtry /ove which we
6rs1 must receive from Him! Tbis is lbe
spiritual divine !ove God GJVES us by
che holy spirit! Out we must ñrst REPENT
- surrender uncondilionally 10 live
Goo's WAY - and truly BELIEVE in
Christ. accepting Him as personal Sav–
IOur.
When we !ove GoD. it is merely HtS
oww t.OVI8. on a return circuit. ftowing
on back lo Him again! Goo's SPtJUT is
actl>-e-flowing!
So !be first great commandment - lo
be kept in its complete and true spiritual
sense - requires a love MAN SJMPLY
D02SN'T HAVE! or course, God /ongs lO
GJVE every man tbat love, and fill blm
with itl But very few are willing!
Now eonsider TWO EXTREMES:
(1) Love toward your' NEJGHBOR far–
tlttst from any natural atfeclion - a rec–
ognized tntmy. Here is Jesus' leaching
of fulfillin~ the law toward bim: "Lo'"
your enem•es. bless them that curse you,
do good 10 tbem tbat bate you. and pray
for (001 against)them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you ..." (Mau.
5:44). Does the naturaL unconventd
man have that lcind of !ove? The "''Orld
doesn't consider rhat teacbing of Jesus
very praetical beeause tbe world is
empty oftlult kindoflove,
(2) At the other extreme, twó cate–
gories of neighbors closest lo you are
singled out in the New Testament for
SPECtA~ LOVE. One of lhese categories is
one's neighbors closut 10 bim spiritually
- bis bmhrtn in Christ. Many scriptures
pul emphasis on a SPECJAL LOVE for
these. Here again. a !ove is requirtd
which is totally absent in unregenerate
man. But, in tbat case, they are oot
brethren in Christ UNLESS botb are IN
Christ - have receivtd God's holy
spirit! Otherwise they are none of His1
(Rom. 8:9.)
The ocher of these, singled out in lbe
New Testamenl for special /ove, is the
neighbor closest 10 you physically - your
husband or wiftl
And right here is lhe B!G POJJVT. vi–
tally imponant, that probably never be–
fore entered your mind!
Four eategories have just been cittd -
lovt! ro God, and Oove 10 neighbor)your
tMmy, your true Jtllow Christíans, and
your manral.matt.
Man simply is not bom with - does
nol have - the divine SPUUTUAL !ove
required for the firsl !bree of tbose four
categories! - lo love God, enemy, and
feUow Christian SPrRJTUALLY. in the
mannerthe law requires!
But when we come lo the founh cate–
gory - MARRIAG~ - we find an aho–
gecher difTerent situation!
Even here, when, in the New Testa–
meo!, the c:ommand is given 10 !hose tN
TH.E CHURCH: '"Husbands. love your
wivcs;' the word '"love·· in the: original
Greek in which !be apostle Paul wrote.
is not eros but aga¡H, which is the divine
love which emanates from Gnd!
The true Christian husband loves h1s
wife, not only in !be physieal aod natu–
ral sense possible for a natura~ yet un–
eonvened, person, but also with a
spec!al splriwal !ove!
BiH God well knew that an in–
finitesima.l percentage of bumans. from
Adam and Eve 10 now, would yield
themselves 10 receive that divine (ove of
God. And, even so. il is then miogled
witb che physical !ove God has made
possible through sexl
Now we are ready for tbe ANSWER 10
this installment's big QUESTtON. We
need. now. 10 understand sorne of the
fACTS Of I.IFE whicb few ever grasp!
Marital LOVE
Goo is a spirit. But God did not cr~at~
humans out of spiritl To have done so
would have defeated God's whole grand
PUIU'OSE! So ..AN is physical flesh -
made from mauer - tbe dust of !he
ground!or the tbree kinds of love, expressed
by the three Greek words agape, philia,
and eros, the natural man is capable of
expressing only the last two types of
love. There is a certain selfish element in
the phllia !ove - !ove for childten, par–
en !S, or family. We may bave this love
for chose of"our club." "our tearn," "our
group." That of\en is a facliooal-type
!ove- one ofthe "works ofthe llesb" or
Galatlans S: 19-21 (see especially Mof–
rau translation).
Wny didn't God design lhings so that
married humans would !ove each other
with God's SPIRJTUAL LOVE - without
the fh¡tlcallove ofsex? Simply becall.'le
it would have defeated God's whole
PUllPOSE. Simply because Ood deemed
it necessaty tO malee MAN, for now, of
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