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The Greatest of These JUDGE SEPTIMUS J. HANNA, CSD Part I The more excellent way which Paul said he would show unto the faithful followers of Christ at Corinth, is to be found in the thirteenth chapter of his first epistle. The Apostle concludes this short, but most remarkable, dissertation on charity with these words, "and now abideth faith, hope, charity [love, Rev. Ver.], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [love]." No one can read this short chapter, thoughtfully and prayerfully, without concluding that the manifestation of divine Love in human consciousness is indeed "the greatest thing in the world." There is an aching void in the human heart, yearning for something above and beyond itself, which nothing but divine Love can fill. Love has a work to perform, not only in the religious world, but in the social world as well, which nothing else can accomplish. Its mission will not be fulfilled until "we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." When the Master was asked, what is the great commandment in the law he replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." In Romans we read, "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Paul writes in his first epistle to Timothy, "Now the end of the commandment is charity [love, Rev. Ver.] out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." Thus we see that all law, that is, all law which has divine sanction, is based upon love for God and man, and this love expressed in thought, word, and deed is the fulfilling of the law. Even the laws of our land, national, state, and municipal, point to the love of Truth and right, and a desire to deal justly with all men, as an ideal toward which all the institutions of a liberty-loving and a liberty-bestowing people should tend. If these institutions do not, in some degree at least, succeed in this, no matter what else they may accomplish, they fail in the great work for which they were established. The Saviour's mission was to teach, by example and precept, that God is Love, and also to show what marvelous works can be accomplished when Love alone is expressed in thought, word, and deed. His coming into the world was a proof of the Father's love. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." The Love that sent Jesus into the world governed his earthly life and made possible the many marvelous works which proclaimed God's power to heal the sick without the aid of material remedies, reform the sinner, and raise the dead. This Love so spiritualized thought and lifted it above the belief of sin's reality and power that it was possible for the meek and mighty man of Nazareth to return good for evil, love for hate, and blessing for cursing. A Christian is defined as "one whose profession and life conform to the teaching and example of Christ." The Christian professes to believe and accept the teachings of the Master. If his life accords with his profession it is, in some degree, an imitation, or a repetition, of those wonderful sayings and doings which so manifestly characterized the earthly life of Jesus the Christ. If the works are found wanting man's profession avails but little if anything. As Love was the underlying Principle of Jesus' teaching and life, it is also the life of Christianity in all ages. All acts and words, which have a semblance of Christianity, are as nothing if love is wanting. They are lifeless, meaningless, and helpless to lift suffering humanity to a higher plane of thought and usefulness. As well might one try to run a steam engine without steam, an electric motor without electricity, a watch without a mainspring, as to live a Christian life or do the works of a Christian without divine Love. Mere human love is not sufficient. Christianity is divine Love expressed in the pure thought, the kind word, and the unselfish deed. Man is truly Christian only as he is governed by this Love. When other influences prompt him to speak and act, he has ceased to walk in the footsteps of him who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." In Christian Science it is learned that both the letter and the spirit of Christianity are necessary. Without the letter, the correct statement of Truth, one does not know to what end he must labor, or how many and how great are the blessings that are his to enjoy in this present time. Without the spirit, or consciousness of the ever-presence of divine Love, the letter is dead. It has no power to quicken endeavor and lift man above himself into a higher and more spiritual consciousness of being. It is indeed true that "the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life," but where the letter is understood and the spirit is found bearing faithful witness to the truthfulness of the letter, there is nothing to hinder man's progress or to prevent the doing of the many mighty works which Jesus declared would be the proof, in all ages, that his teachings were understood and practised. It was not because the apostle considered faith and hope of but little importance that he spoke of love as being the greatest, but because he regarded love as the crowning glory of the Christian life. He knew that without faith it is impossible to please God, and that hope is "an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, which entereth into that within the vail." Faith and hope may be likened to the sturdy tree and fragrant blossom pointing to the time of harvest, while love is the ripened fruit which has been gathered into the storehouse of human consciousness. Paul declared that if he were able to speak with tongues of angelic eloquence; if it were possible for him to understand all mysteries and his faith was sufficient to remove mountains and cast them into the sea; and even though he should be full of good works, bestowing all his goods to feed the poor, yea, even giving his body to be burned, yet if love were lacking it would profit him nothing. Why? Because all these without love are but selfishness and do little or nothing toward conferring a lasting blessing upon others. The most selfish of human motives may prompt one to deeds of charity wherein love for God and man is as far removed as the east is from the west. How true are the poet's words:— For the gift without the giver is bare. It is not simply giving but sharing, that truly blesses the one who gives and really helps the one who receives. Paul speaks of the Saviour as one "who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity." This is the quality of love: it gives itself for others. It is not satisfied with merely giving time, talents, and possessions, it gives itself. Having done this it has no greater sacrifice to lay upon the altar consecrated to the service of God and the redemption of suffering humanity from sin, sickness, and death.
by Judge Septimus J. Hanna, CSD The Christian Science Journal, August, 1901 |
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