A Kingdom of Love

By Xia Wei-dong

Scientific knowledge has become so popularized that the notion of a life to come seems more intangible than a dream. So everyonel strives to bribe their way through this life.

It is difficult to find the best definition of the word love. As I was writing this article, finding myself unable to come up with a simple one-line explanation of this common word, I went to the dictionary - but I found this equally confusing. The dictionary offers four common usages of the word: (1)a preference (2) passion between a man and a woman (3) an act of grace (4) pity.

To me, love is a feeling. It is as pure as the air, as simple as the soil and as broad as the sky. It is not like the passion between a man and a woman which can be both too simplistic and too complex. Nor is it like a favour or act of grace, which may actually become a lifelong burden for its recipient. The meanings of preference and pity are too specific and too materialistic. I do not wish to criticize the dictionary, nor to accuse it of error. In fact, the definitions given there are both correct and authoritative. What I am trying to say is that the systematic language of the scholar is inadequate when it comes to trying to offer a satisfactory explanation for compassion or love.

I thought back to how the well-known book of Genesis records the beginnings of the universe and the origin of humankind, vividly describing God's work of creation. But why did God want to create the universe and man? Was he bored and just wanted something to do? or was he trying to demonstrate his power? The answer is neither. He did it out of love, just as parents show love for their children. The harmonies of the universe and the beauties of nature all demonstrate their origin in a creation of love carried out to a rhythm of goodness. Genesis depicts the majesty of God's creation, but it is also the epic story of love in action.

Abraham, great forefather of both Israelites and Arabs, is called the father of faith. But if we only focus on Abraham's faith in God, however, we may easily overlook his love for people. Even in his old age, we see how gracious he was towards his selfish nephew Lot. We could argue that Abraham behaved like this because Lot was, after all, his own kinsman. But his prayer to the Lord for the people of the city of Sodom, demonstrates his inner simplicity of spirit and the breadth of his kindness.

God had wanted to destroy the city of Sodom because of its wickedness. All his life Abraham had submitted to God's will, and yet on this occasion he makes every effort to dissuade the Lord from destroying Sodom. Instead of being judgemental, he bargains with the Lord, asking, "What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?" (Gen. 18:24) The Lord responds, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." (Gen. 18:26). The conditional nature of the Lord's promise makes Abraham feel ashamed of his fellow-men. But he replies "Now I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes..." Although these words indicate his sense of shame, he still persists in pleading with the Lord. The number of righteous people drops to 45, then to 40, 30, and 20 and finally down to 10. It is like a small child trying to talk his parents down. Tragically, mighty and prosperous Sodom was not able to produce even ten righteous persons, and in the face of the extent of Sodom's wickedness, Abraham, great saint and elder of ancient history that he was, had to quietly desist.

About four hundred words are used to describe how Abraham bargained with the Lord for Sodom and they include many repetitions. Twice he confesses, "I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord"; twice he says, "May the Lord not be angry". The wording shows his his sense of shame and of fear, but he kept on pleading. Why? Because he loved not just his own relatives or friends, but all people, even his enemies. The love reflected in all this seemingly repetious wording far outshines all the love stories and love songs that follow him. Abraham's persistence shown in these words impresses me far more than David's courage or Solomon's wisdom. I suddenly realized why the Lord liked him so much. Although we see him twice acting in a cowardly way and twice faithlessly, yet the Lord still made him the father of the nations because there was a genuine love about him, a love like God's own!

God's nature is more than simple power. A divine being with power but no love is a devil! God's basic characteristic is love. This is why again and again he forgave those who rebelled against him. This is why he provided salvation for the Gentiles as well as for his own chosen people. This is why he sent his only begotten Son to atone for the sins of all mankind. This is why the Son of Man said we must forgive our enemies seventy times seven. This is why, in the presence of an angry crowd, the Son of Man forgave the woman who had committed adultery. This is why he was willing to endure physical torture and to die on the cross! This is true holy love.

There is a Buddhist saying with a really positive ring: "To suffer disadvantage is to beblessed." Isn't it a sign of human integrity and love not to take advantage of others? On second thoughts, however, this philosophy has its problems:

A famous writer, Mr. Shi, wrote in an essay, "The Buddhist's theory of cause and effect is almost a kind of conspiracy. Good deeds are done not for rewards in this present life but for rewards in the next life. There is something almost devilish about this kind of thinking." He went on to make a clear analysis of Buddhist teachings about good deeds and their confusing logic: "The more you suffer in this life, the more blessings will be yours in the next life. The more somebody causes you to suffer in this life, the more that person will suffer in the next life. Therefore, if somebody tries to take advantage of you, that's fine. Put up with it, for he is actually trading away his own blessing. Yes, but good deeds are meant to be good in themselves. So how come they have suddenly become means to an end, part of a kind of plot? This teaching was meant to help you endure, but why should this be at the expense of somebody else's blessing?" In other words, suppose that there are no blessings in the next life, then shouldn't we question the whole value of good deeds? Good deeds are simply a tactic. They sound too commercial. In the end they turn into a kind of bribery - if we can bribe the gods for blessings in the next life, maybe we can bribe people for blessings in this life?"

Unfortunately even good deeds like this are too seldom seen in reality. Scientific knowledge has become so popularized that the notion of a life to come is more intangible than a dream. So people put their efforts into bribing their way through this life. No wonder there are more corrupt officials than there are applicants to join the Communist Party. Confucianism, that basic component of Chinese culture, provides no foundation for notions of eternity nor for fear. It is essentially a humanistic culture, the humanism of paradise lost. Its lack of a spirituality determines that its so-called integrity and righteousness are no more than means to control or to bribe. Leaders who have achieved their positions of power by violent means go on to prattle about good deeds while the saints sing their praises on all sides. What hypocrisy! Stupid rulers can never bring about the realization of a Utopian world. Over the last two thousand five hundred years, history has witnessed so many rulers whose power was gained through murder, murder of fathers by sons, of brother by brother, between husbands and wives and between mothers and sons. And these very same rulers will shamelessly issue calls for integrity and righteousness.

To gain and sustain a truly loving heart there must be true faith. Without an all-transcendent God, where can you find a love that transcends all racial boundaries? Without a God who represents ultimate value, where can you find a love that rises above all thoughts of materialistic gain? If we no longer fear God, what resources do we have within us to resist inner sin? If absolute good yields to relative truth, what is there to retain and promote the good in human nature? If love is limited to one race, one set of politics, ideology or opportunity, then it is no longer true love any more. It could even degenerate to its opposite - hate. All wars throughout human history have been launched and have escalated in a context of hatred. But at the same time they were justified by being cloaked over with an aura of righteousness. Righteousness should refer to the true righteousness of the lamb, but today, the word has degenerated into the righteousness of the foolish.

The love of God is not to be found in the narrow environment of the human mind. When man abandons God, he has at the same time abandoned love. People often ask how a loving God can allow evil and hardship to come into this world. But they never ask why they themselves are allowing evil and need to flourish in this world. They abandon God and yet they complain that God has abandoned them. What stupid logic that is! It is like somebody holding a piece of plastic and asking why the plastic does not conduct electricity.

A famous poet wrote in his Jesus, the Son of Man, borrowing Jesus' own striking words, "My kingdom is not of this world. My kingdom is a place where just a few of you may meet together in love, rejoicing in the wonders of human love, and in remembrance of me."

There is a kingdom of love, and the visa into this kingdom consists of just two words: "I believe!"

The author is from Anhui. He now lives in New Jersey and works in the area of statistics. He writes in his spare time.