“Greater Love hath no Man than this.”

JOHN XV. 13.
PAGE 201

IT appears to be a popular error at the present time to suppose that if a man lays down his life for his country, he has proved himself to be a true Christian, and has obtained entrance into eternal bliss. We yield to none in our appreciation of the great sacrifices which many brave men are presently making on land and sea, but we have no hesitation in affirming that a more unsound or dangerous opinion than the above cannot be entertained. It is entirely inconsistent with, and subversive of, the most vital principles of Christianity. A solemn feature of the case is that this serious error is held and preached by men who profess to be Gospel ministers, and who wield a strong influence over their fellows. Some of these ministers base their erroneous judgment upon a misinterpretation of the words of Christ, to be found in the fifteenth chapter of John: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Our attention has been directed to this subject by “A Highland Soldier,” who writes us with intelligence and point, and though we have touched upon it in a previous article, we consider there is room for something further to be written.

1. Let us observe, first, the misinterpretation of the text mentioned. It appears to be to the effect that no man hath love greater in essence or quality than the man who (whatever else he lacks) lays down his life for his friends, and this view leads its holders to the conclusion that every such man is a genuine Christian and safe for heaven. If this interpretation with its inference is carefully looked at by any person of common sense, who believes in the Bible, it will be seen to be absolutely absurd as well as eminently dangerous. Many a man who possesses intense natural love, and is prepared to sacrifice himself for his friends, is, sad to say, too manifestly destitute of anything like love to God or Christ, without which, the Scriptures clearly teach, no one can be saved. The mouths of some possessing strong natural affection, are often filled with oaths and curses on the brink of eternity. There are two kinds of love: the one is natural, and the other is spiritual. It is not to spiritual love exclusively that Christ refers in the text, but rather to something that is common to both kinds.

2. Let us secondly notice with care the correct interpretation. The Lord Jesus is laying emphasis upon the self-sacrificing character of love, whether it is natural or spiritual, with special reference to its outward expression as between friends. He declares in effect that no man can give a greater expression of his love to his friends than to lay down his life on their behalf. A man’s life is his most valuable possession, and greater love in action cannot be seen than its surrender for the sake of others. Christ’s application of this general fact may be learnt from the preceding verse: “This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you.” He had loved them with the express purpose of laying down His incomparably precious life on their behalf, and He urges them in their own station to show a similar love—a willingness to lay down their lives for one another’s benefit. These disciples possessed a spiritual love to one another as brethren and friends in Christ, and they were called upon to manifest that love in self-sacrifice even unto death. But surely it is plain that Christ did not mean that everyone, who died for his friends, whether he had love to the “brethren” or not, was a true Christian. This does not at all follow. Two men may die on the battlefield. The one was animated by a natural love for his King and country and nothing more; the other possessed the same natural love, but he had something in addition, he had love to God, and sought to serve the King of kings in all that he did. The latter was clearly prepared for heaven; the former was not. The Lord Jesus, then, certainly teaches that to lay down one’s life for others is the greatest expression of love, but He also makes it plain elsewhere that so far as an interest in His kingdom is concerned, everything depends on whether we possess spiritual love or not. The man who does not love Him more than any earthly friend is not worthy of Him, or fit for heaven. “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha” (1 Cor. xvi. 22). “Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Cor. ii. 9).

3. We now pass on to observe another cognate and very erroneous idea that is associated with this misinterpretation of Christ’s words, namely, that to die for one’s friends or country, is to purchase a title to eternal happiness. Possibly all those, who hold this opinion, do not express themselves quite in these exact words, but this is what their view comes to. Some, indeed, have boldly asserted that the man who lays down his life for his country atones by his personal sacrifice for the sins of his past career and makes himself meet for heaven. It matters not what variety of expression may be used, if the idea is held out that a man, by his self-sacrifice, procures a right to eternal blessedness, nothing could be more contrary to God’s Word, or dishonouring to the name and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Such an opinion is entirely contrary to the testimony of Holy Scripture concerning the imperfection and insufficiency of human works. That testimony is to the effect that the best works of natural men and the best works of godly men are all polluted with sin, and come short of the perfect standard of righteousness. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Is. xlv. 6). “By the deeds of the law there shall be no flesh justified in His sight” (Rom. iii. 19). We do not deny for a moment, but for a man sincerely and generously to give his life for his country’s protection is one of the noblest actions, in relation to his fellows, that anyone can perform, but at best, sinful human blood cannot satisfy God’s pure justice or make amends for a past sinful life. Such an idea is entirely subversive of the truth, and is identical with the delusion of the heathen with respect to salvation by human sacrifices. What may appear on the face of it as the just and sympathetic appreciation of a generous Christianity is but a recrudescence of ancient paganism.

Again, this delusive opinion is dishonouring in the greatest degree to the name and work of the Lord Jesus. People talk of a soldier or sailor that dies in conflict as offering “the supreme sacrifice.” Could anything be more disrespectful to the work of Christ? The one supreme sacrifice this earth has ever seen is the sacrifice that was offered upon Calvary. This was the sacrifice of Emmanuel, God manifest in the flesh, God in our nature—the sacrifice of infinite love in satisfaction to infinite justice. By this divine sacrifice the countless sins of a countless multitude have been taken away. It is in virtue of the merits of this sacrifice alone that the noblest men of Adam’s fallen race have obtained forgiveness and eternal salvation. “There is none other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved.” He is the one and only Redeemer of God’s elect, whose ransom has purchased deliverance from eternal woe and procured entrance into eternal bliss. To imply that any other sacrifice is necessary, or can secure redemption, is exceedingly dishonouring to the infinitely perfect sacrifice of the Cross.

1. We would earnestly urge upon our readers the supreme importance of distinguishing between love that is entirely natural, and love that is distinctly spiritual. Natural love may give the body to be burned and all the goods to feed the poor, and yet be disassociated from the charity that “rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth,” the charity or love that binds the soul to God and His Son Jesus Christ. Nothing less than the latter will enable us to glorify God in this present world, or enjoy Him in the world to come. And let us away, also, with the vain idea of meriting God’s favour and everlasting glory by any sacrifices of ours. Ours at best are full of self and sin. Let us put our trust in “Jesus Christ and him crucified” as the one meritorious ground of acceptance with God. The Apostle Paul spoke for himself and for the faithful when he said, “He hath made us accepted in the Beloved; in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephes. i. 6-7). We have no desire for argument about these solemn and precious realities, if not compelled by the dangerous views of misguided teachers. We would fain commend Christ in His perfect atonement and saving grace to our fellow-countrymen who are engaged in our defence on sea and land. We know that the wise among them rejoice in His complete salvation, and have “no confidence in the flesh.” May the Lord in his abundant mercy lead many who have been hitherto outside the kingdom to enter in by the door Jesus Christ, and find in Him salvation and eternal life!

A POPULAR DELUSION.*

DEAR MR. EDITOR,—Travelling recently by train in the Highlands, I had the company of a man, by profession a minister. He entered into conversation on soldier life, and soon our thoughts were on the battlefield. He quoted John xv. 13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” adding that a brother-minister (with whom he expected to reside that night) firmly believed that a soldier sacrificing life in battle, would find that sacrifice accepted by God as a passport into everlasting glory. With this view he appeared to be in sympathy, although admitting that it was difficult to reconcile with the Scriptures. This unscriptural view is held by many at the present day. Ignorance of the Word of God makes it easily accepted. It is God-dishonouring and soul-destroying. Soldiers, to whom the Bible is precious, look upon such teaching as a poison, infinitely worse than the most deadly “German gas poison.” The latter destroys the body only, but the other deceives the soul for eternity. If the object is to encourage men to face the horrors of war, then it is a cruel encouragement, for the soul is more than the body. Some of our bravest soldiers in the past (such as Capt. Hedley Vicars, Sir Henry Havelock, and others) were men whose hopes for eternity rested on the finished work of Christ, the atoning sacrifice of Calvary.

They realised that it was “not by works of righteousness which they had done, but according to His mercy He saved them by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.” With the desire that this delusion, regarding the merit of human sacrifice, will be exposed from pulpit and by pen, the incident is brought to your notice by

A HIGHLAND SOLDIER.

* This is the letter to which reference is made in the opening Article.