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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks on Life After Death (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 65. Love Never Faileth
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Love Never Faileth
And so this authoritative Book makes very positive statements about the terrible final result for the man who insists on leaving God out, or openly antagonizes His rule. The Book has a distinctive way of putting things. It is a popular book, in the best sense of that word. It is, of course, an Oriental book. And that is the same thing as saying that it is a book for the common crowd of men everywhere.
The Oriental mode of thought and expression is really photographic. That is, it catches a picture at one point only. It states final fixed results, but doesn't go to giving the process by which that result is reached.
The characteristic western way is different. I mean the cultured scholarly way. I could say the book way as distinct from the common way of the crowd. It goes to processes. It analyzes and. dissects the process by which the result is reached. It is more like the moving picture photographs, giving the story in successive steps.
There's a distinct touch of divine wisdom and insight in the use of this Oriental mode in the make-up of the Bible. For this is the common mode of thought and expression, not only of the Oriental world to this day, but, broader, the common method of the crowds everywhere, in west-ern civilized lands as well as in the uncivilized and half-civilized lands.
And so the Book in its rare wisdom puts the thing in the way that is instantly understood by the common people everywhere around the world, and by all others, too. It states the final result. And it is found to be the result which we have found here at the end of our study of the process. It is the result reached by the specialist in the law of probability. It makes a profound impression upon a man studying the process to find the rare accuracy and the profound human wisdom of the statements of this old
Listen to its simple, tremendously positive, language. "He that believeth not (or disbe lieveth) shall be damned (or condemned)" (Mar_16:16). "He that believeth (or obeyeth) not the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him" (Joh_3:36). "These shall go away into everlasting (or eternal) punishment" (Mat_25:46). These are authoritative statements of this Book of God. And they are fully concurred in by the human law of probabilities.
And so very thoughtfully you repeat the answer to the question. Is there another chance after death? Yes, and no. So far as the character of God's love is concerned there is another chance, a chance that seemingly never runs out. So, far as man's decision is concerned there is not another chance. And man's decision is the decisive thing. God Leaves the matter with a man's free choice. He insists that a man shall stay up on the original level of free choice and action.
And so the last word, on the last page in the old Book, is a pleading word. It is spoken by the Man who died. He cries out earnestly, "He that will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev_22:17 l.c.).
The legend is told of a French mother who loved her son with a tense unselfish devotion. But he was caught by the wildfire of lust, and the flames burned deep. He came under the fascination of a rarely beautiful but utterly heartless bad woman. The mother held on to her son with love's tenacity and pleadings. The evil woman was enraged that she was not able to wipe out completely the mother's influence. In an evil hour, when her spell was strong, she got the young man's promise to bring to her the heart of his mother.
The legend pictures him keeping the promise. He was hurrying to his appointment with the evil charmer, with the bundle under his arm that contained his mother's heart. He stumbled and fell. And at once the voice he knew so well spoke with tender solicitude out of the bleeding heart, "Oh, my son, are you hurt," There was no reproach; only love; love's concern; undying self-effacing love.
A legend; yes, but it is true to life. It pictures the true mother. He could kill her, but he couldn't kill her love, nor still her voice. The mother love is the greatest human love known. The true mother-heart comes the nearest to God's heart.
God suffers when any creative child of his suffers. He suffers more over any one going to hell than the man who goes suffers. The man's capacity for finer suffering grows less. The finer feelings grow gross. God's suffering increases. But he won't rob man of his highest power, free choice, even to lessen his own suffering.
God's love never faileth. It can't. It won't.