Herein is Love | Page 2

visible sign of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit experienced on that occasion; and I offer it as a means of opening to others the possibility of participating in this fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
The theme of the book grows out of that experience: As the love of God required incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth in order that it might be received by us, so the Word of God's love in our day calls for persons in whom it may be embodied. The church, as the embodiment of divine love in human relationships, has tremendous responsibilities and opportunities in our modern culture. The old and familiar biblical symbols and stories do not always communicate their meanings to men today, and we must find a language that does. The language of the lived life of both man and God is the one that we shall use here in an attempt to open to us the meaning of the life of man and of God.
Reuel L. Howe
January 10, 1961

CONTENTS
PAGE FOREWORD 7
CONTENTS 9
I SOME FRIGHTENED FRIENDS 11
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." --1 John 4:18
II GOD IN THE WORLD 26
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son...." --John 3:16
III HEREIN IS LOVE 43
"Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God."--1 John 4:7
IV SOME OBJECTIVES OF LOVE 61
"Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth."--1 John 3:18
V THOSE WHO WOULD LOVE 82
"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren."--1 John 3:14
VI LOVE IN ACTION 99
"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." --1 John 3:16

I
SOME FRIGHTENED FRIENDS
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."--1 John 4:18
"It seems to me that the church has lost its influence. Nobody pays much attention to it any more, except some of its own members; and they don't seem to be interested in anything except their own activities. The time was when the word of the minister carried weight. Some may not have agreed, but when the church spoke they paid attention. It's not true now, though."
Mr. Clarke eyed the others in the group as if he were testing their reactions to the statements he had just made. The church had always given him a sense of security, and now he was both worried that it seemed to have lost its power, and resentful that people no longer listened to its teaching.
He was one of a group of leaders of a local congregation who, at the request of their minister, were meeting to re-examine the purpose of the church. Not all of the group had arrived as yet, and the minister of the congregation, Mr. Gates, had been detained in his office by an emergency call upon his pastoral care.
Within the minute after Mr. Clarke finished, Mr. Wise spoke up. He was a thoughtful and compassionate member of the congregation who often raised the kind of questions that carried the discussion to deeper levels. When his questions were ignored, as they often were, he would smile good-naturedly and continue both as a contributor and as a question raiser. Turning to Mr. Clarke, he said: "I think I know how you feel. The statements of our ordained spiritual leaders are important, but do you think we should equate their words with--"
As usual, Mr. Wise's comment was interrupted, and this time by Mr. Churchill who, with evident irritation, protested against any concern over what others thought about the church. He said: "The church has got to be the church, and the world is different from it. I don't like this 'return to religion' business. Christianity and the church aren't supposed to be popular movements. If people want to join the church, that's fine; but if they don't, that's their lookout. Let's be the church and leave the world to itself."
"But why was Christ born into the world--" began Mr. Wise.
"I don't agree," exclaimed Mrs. Strait, responding to Mr. Churchill's comment and not hearing Mr. Wise. "I think we should be concerned about the world; concerned enough, at least, to set a good example, so that people will know what they're supposed to live up to and to do. After all, Jesus told us how we should live, and He did so in such simple words that even children can understand them. All we have to do--and it's written there for us to read--is to keep the commandments, imitate Jesus, and live a good life for ourselves and others."
"Yes, but if it's that simple, why don't church people live better--"
"Not at all!