Love leads the way

John expected Jesus' followers to “walk just as he walked” (I John 2: 6 NRSV). What an example we have in Jesus, the great exemplar! 

In our era, one who followed Jesus closely was Mary Baker Eddy. She writes: “Follow your Leader only so far as she follows Christ” (Message for 1901, page 34:25-26, and Message for 1902, page 4:3-4.)

How do we follow Christ? What are Jesus commandments? John explains that they are no different, in effect, from the commandments given to Moses, i.e. love God and love your neighbour as yourself. This equates to loving God and His creation, man (ed. including you) - man, the image and likeness of God, of Truth, Life and Love. Indeed, we cannot love God without loving his expression man. We cannot glorify God without glorifying His likeness, man. One is nothing without the other.

So we need to get the right idea of man, God's creation. There is a full definition of man in Eddy's work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (SH). See chapter Recapitulation, beginning on page 475. This is the man we recognise and love.

But John recognises that, for humans, this is not an easy task. There seem to be forces that would pull us away from that loving stance. Does John give us clues as to how to maintain that love? I like the way the NRSV sets out I John 2:12-14 –

  

I am writing to you, little children,
    because your sins are forgiven on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young people,
    because you have conquered the evil one.
14 I write to you, children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young people,
    because you are strong
    and the word of God abides in you,
        and you have overcome the evil one.

Thus, we read that the recipients of this letter have both "conquered" and "overcome the evil one". (Ed. Perhaps John is encouraging them to continue loving God and His creation.)

John (2:15) elaborates on how this is accomplished:

•         Do not love the world or the things of the world.
•         The desires of the flesh are to be denied.
•         The desire of the eyes is to be put on a spiritual basis, (See SH definition of eyes p. 586:3.)
•         Replace the pride in riches with joy in heavenly riches in Christ.

 Joyce Voysey