Unconditional Love

Bringing a spiritual perspective to world events and daily life.

Have you ever felt unloved? Well, God loves you unconditionally. And God's love for every man, woman, and child in this world includes no favoritism. He loves each one equally. Each of us is of equal value. If we understand this to be true, there is no possibility anyone can be unloved for any reason.

It's easy to think that love comes from humans -- parents, children, and friends. But this leads us to measure or limit the good in our lives by basing it on the status of human relationships.

On the other hand, to turn to God for love is to begin seeing Him, divine Love, as ever present. Relying on God will not endanger our human relationships; it will only put them on a better basis and thus make them happier.

Almost two thousand years ago Christ Jesus proved that God loves each of His children impartially. Jesus did not question whether or not a person deserved to be loved. Why? Because he recognized just how God created us -- spiritually. That is, we were made good, like God. Made in His image and likeness.

As a result of expressing God's love, Jesus healed. As the direct result of his obedience to the laws of God, the healings of Jesus proved God's love and care for man.

What if you feel too sinful to be loved? In the Bible, the book of John says that a group of important men were preparing to kill a woman because she had broken a law (see chap. 8:3-11). She had been caught committing adultery. They came to Jesus, defending their right to stone the woman. Stoning was permissible under the law. When Jesus did not respond, they pressed for his approval. Jesus finally replied, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (verse 7). At that point, not one of them could justify throwing those stones.

In one sense, Jesus was saying that all of us have struggled with sin. But more than that, he was aware of a higher law at work. What was it that Jesus saw that the others didn't? How could he defend the woman? Through study of Christian Science, I have determined that he was seeing the woman not as sinful, but as perfect and innocent. Jesus forgave the woman, instructing her not to sin again. Along these lines, Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, the laws behind the teaching of Jesus, wrote this in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick" (pp. 476-477). This is an explanation of how Jesus was able to help that woman. He saw her, and all men and women, in their spiritual identity, in and of God. God, he taught, is infinite Love, and constantly and unconditionally loves us.

Jesus' instruction to the woman, "Go, and sin no more" (verse 11), was indeed recognition of God's love for her. It gave her the freedom to be as God had made her, perfect, unblemished, sinless. What constituted a healing in this instance was the realization that her true nature was always pure -- that she was a child of God.

Science and Health gives readers spiritual insights that help them find freedom of all kinds, including in physical healing. Jesus was able to heal because of his understanding that God loves all. It is in explaining more of that same understanding that Science and Health sheds light on the truths in the Bible -- truths of God and His inseparable relation to His children; truths that reveal how it is possible to practice Christian healing today. True healing is proof of God's love for us.

Look to God for your joy, your love, your stability. You can rejoice in the fact that His love is infinite, just as He is, embracing everyone. Think of it -- we are all equally loved by God! What greater gift could we ever receive than to have such unconditional love?

Charity suffereth long,

and is kind.

I Corinthians 13:4

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
QR Code to Unconditional Love
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/1996/0801/080196.home.relarticle.1.html
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe