Loving others and loving God

Back in April I posted a poem called 'Abou Ben Adhem'. My husband and I printed it on the orders of service at our wedding. It tells the beautiful story of a man who wakes up to find an angel in his room, writing in a golden book the names of those who love the Lord. Abou's name isn't there, so he asks the angel to put him down as someone who loves his fellow men. At the end of the poem the angel shows him the book, with Abou's name first among those who love God.

There seems to me to be something profoundly true in this. Consider these words from 1 John 2: And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6 NLT).

It's clear in the teaching of the New Testament that God chooses to save people because of his great love. No one can earn this salvation by doing good; they simply accept it gratefully. But it is equally clear that God requires that we love others and there are passages which seem to indicate that there are consequences for those who don't. Often these different emphases are reconciled by arguing that God's salvation changes us, flowing out in good deeds toward others, and therefore if we act in unloving ways we're clearly not saved. It is a paradox: loving God and loving others are intertwined in a mysterious way.

I guess my question is this: if loving God causes us to love others, can loving others cause us to love God? Can someone draw close to God through acts of loving kindness toward fellow human beings? I find the issue of revelation intriguing - in what ways does God reveal himself to people who don't yet know him? More on this later.

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