Lesson 20. Love Is a Relationship

God is Love. Love cannot live in solitude. A solitary God cannot be Love. Perfect love is present only where there is someone else equal to you in reason, intellect, nature, and every other respect. It is precisely in relationships with equals that a manner of conduct and a way of thinking are formed that, amid a diversity of opinions and ideas, help people find points of contact through which even differing views of various situations do not lead to conflicts and disagreements.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have fellowship with One Another as Equals throughout all Eternity. This was so before us and will remain so while we exist. I can say with confidence that They love One Another. Love is the only way of relating to another free person in which no conflict arises even when there are differences and viewpoints do not coincide on one matter or another. Perfect Love and harmony are embedded in the relationships within the Divine Trinity. Within It are absolute unity and mutual understanding. The Divine Persons are moved by one common purpose in governing the Universe, and Each performs His part in agreement with the Others.

The entire Universe is founded upon the principle of love, which joins the impossible and incompatible and transforms them into something beautiful, harmonious, and Eternal.

A solitary God cannot be Love.

At the same time, although the relationship between creation and the Creator, or between the Creator and creation, rests upon the laws of love, it cannot be called love between equals, because God is great. He is above us and is a mystery to us. Our love for God is shaped by many aspects of a relationship within the framework of “Higher and lower.” Our equality is conditional at the few points where we come into contact. We cannot fully comprehend God and His nature by becoming equal to Him in every respect. Yet we know that He loves us and expects something similar from us.

Suppose I am a person who has somehow created a tiny creature. I have placed my whole soul into this masterpiece of my creativity, endowing it with the ability to think, communicate, and understand, and giving it feelings and emotions. I know what it thinks about. I have given this tiny creature an awareness of freedom and have become its friend. But whatever our relationship may be, I always remain above my little creature; I will always be a mystery to it. My love for it is not a love between equals because I surpass it in everything. But a person equal to me in intellect and abilities opens the possibility of a relationship on the same level. If perfect love exists between me and people equal to me, and I know its nature and possibilities well, it is not difficult for me to treat the tiny creature with the same love. In order for it to understand my love, I create another tiny creature similar to it but different from it, so that together, through their relationship with one another, they may learn to manifest complete harmony and unity amid an absolute diversity of thoughts and feelings. Having my own experience of loving a person equal to me, I teach them to love one another. Then I expect the spirit of love, similar to my own, to be manifested in these creatures toward me as well. If they live in arguments and disagreements, hostility and envy, while declaring their love for me, then as their creator, without rejecting my creatures, I begin teaching them friendship. I make it clear that as long as hostility toward another remains in their soul, this hostility is also directed toward me. This is a spirit of rebellion that must not dwell in the heart.

God does not expect love toward Him from me until He sees my love for people who are equal to me. He knows that I cannot possess such a perfect gift while having a sinful nature expressed through selfishness. This is why God gave all of us to one another, so that through our relationships we may discover unity in diversity, as well as respect, mutual understanding, friendship, and love. The unwritten laws of relationships are open to all people, and we see that these principles are generally similar in every culture and nation.

But God desires to teach me perfect love toward those near me and to teach them the same love toward me. God Himself seeks to become the Teacher of this Heavenly power within my heart and mind. The laws of love must be understandable to me. At the same time, they must become part of my soul so that in my relationships with those near me they may find practical application and points of contact leading to harmony. When a selfish person accepts God’s plan of Salvation from the dominion of sin and selfishness through faith in Jesus Christ, all this becomes possible.

God offers me this gift of love on a voluntary basis on my part. He desires to teach me to use it by writing love within my mind and heart.

I do not have the strength to accomplish this by myself. Without the Heavenly Teacher, I am incapable of comprehending the depth of God’s love and successfully manifesting it toward those near me. Although this is a mystery, it is available to everyone who desires to solve it and make it their own. But only God reveals this mystery to my heart.

Those near me are the people who will teach me the practical application of the science of love. Using various methods and techniques, they will polish my knowledge and bring it to perfection. They are my impartial teachers and uncompromising examiners.

Everyone, from small children to feeble elderly people, is intent upon bringing my God-given love to perfection and helping it become established within me, so that this love may act toward them consistently.

It is very difficult for me to become accustomed to this, but by repeatedly reviewing the material I have studied, I am transformed into a person within whom God’s love becomes an unceasing source of blessing for me and for those near me.

Only when Eternal love characterizes my relationships with those near me can I boldly declare my love for God, and He will accept it because He Himself taught me this love.

1. Please read 1 John 4:20; 5:3; Proverbs 10:12; 15:17; 27:5; and Romans 5:5–8 in the light of this lesson.

2. Please share what you understood from this lesson. Do you have any questions about this subject?

3. Explain why it is necessary to love one’s neighbor first and then God.

4. Are there people near you toward whom you feel open hostility or disgust? Do you see a way out of this situation?

5. Why do I need someone equal to me in reason in order to love?

6. Will God accept my love for Him if I do not love those near me?

7. Can I manifest love for God through relationships of love with those near me?