The Lack of Human Kindness
By T. E. Bowen
“The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.” Jer. 31:3. This text reveals unto us the unfailing love of our God. His love is made known unto us through the multitude of his acts of loving-kindness. Loving-kindness is simply kindness prompted by love. Thus God draws us unto himself. What power there is in these loving acts! This was what drew men unto Christ. They felt that love. They saw it in every look, in every act. Every sufferer, burdened by disease, that came to Jesus for healing was restored by that touch of everlasting love. “And he healed them all,” the record says. No one came to Christ in vain. Every one felt at home in his presence. That unfailing spring of kindness beaming from his loving eyes, drew them. Here they forgot themselves, their petty trials, frictions at home, trouble, and care. In the circle of Christ’s loving presence they truly found “rest unto their souls.” There are some saints who seem to have remained so long in this inner circle of Christ’s presence to-day that to be with them is restful. But with many who profess to be followers of that loving Christ of Judea, this can not be truly said. If the loving-kindness of God drew people unto himself while the Lord was with us, as well as from everlasting of old, then it is certain that people destitute of this heavenly kindness will drive souls away from the Lord. And we believe that right here lies the greatest difficulty with us as a church to-day. We are permitting a cold, hard spirit to take possession of our souls. Here is a statement that should startle every Seventh-day Adventist. Ponder it thoughtfully; and do not give it away by saying it applies so very forcibly to “Brother —” or “Sister — in our church.” Let us say, “This means me.” “How little do we enter into sympathy with Christ on that which should be the strongest bond of union between us and him,—compassion for depraved, guilty, suffering souls, dead in trespasses and sins! The inhumanity of man toward man is our greatest sin. Many think that they are representing the justice of God, while they wholly fail of representing his tenderness and his great love. Often the ones whom they meet with sternness and severity are under the stress of temptation. Satan is wrestling with these souls, and harsh, unsympathetic words discourage them, and cause them to fall a prey to the tempter’s power.” — “Ministry of Healing,” page 163. Yes, this is our greatest sin. Think of it. Often the workers for God, who need the tender love and sympathy of their brethren, are almost driven to despair because they meet, instead, this cold spirit here referred to. This inhumanity must cease. And the love for speaking cold words of criticism will cease in the hearts of those who are born of the Spirit. Then we can feel for those fallen in sin, both without and within the church. We shall not have that spirit of “I am holier than thou.” This thing in the heart Jesus hates. He rebuked it while here. Christ was touched by the infirmities of men. Their imperfections drew on his sympathy and love. “We need more of Christlike sympathy; not merely sympathy for those who appear to us to be faultless, but sympathy for poor, suffering, struggling souls, who are often overtaken in fault, sinning and repenting, tempted and discouraged. We are to go to our fellow men, touched, like our merciful High Priest, with the feeling of their infirmities.” — Ibid., page 164. When this shall actually be the experience of all the truly loyal members of the church, we shall not be very far from what is known as the “loud cry of the third angel’s message.”