THE GREAT SPIRITUAL FORCES IN THE WORLD

THE GREAT SPIRITUAL FORCES IN THE WORLD
Few of us realize that the greatest forces are not material, but spiritual. The things that dominate men are not dollars nor bonds, nor lands, but they are spiritual forces that drive men after dollars and lands. There are two destructive forces in the world. We may call them two major destructive forces that exist. There are two major constructive forces. Two of these forces emanate from God; two from the enemy. These great spiritual forces are dominating the human race now. There are three wills; God’s will, man’s will, and Satan’s will. Two forces head up in God, two head up in Satan. The two constructive forces are love and faith. The two destructive forces are hate and unbelief. There never was such a need for clear, intelligent teaching on love and faith as there is today. Every university should have a course in these two major forces that govern the human race. Men must be taught to believe if they are going to win. Hate and unbelief have caused all the insurrections in morals, in finances, economics, and nations down through the ages.
Few people know the destructive power of unbelief or the constructive, creative power of faith. Hate and unbelief come from the same source. Love and faith are of God. God has been the constructive force in all the ages. Hate and unbelief never produced a great soul, a great nation, or a great enterprise. They destroy every nation where they have gained the ascendancy. They are the enemy of prosperity and peace. Recently in Russia the head of the Educational Board has declared that love and faith, as taught in the New Testament, are the enemies of Communism; and that love must be destroyed or it will destroy the political dreams of the rulers of Russia.
Love and faith have produced the highest civilization, the finest character, and the gravest enterprises. God is love. He acts and speaks by faith. He is Author of all peace, of plenty, of happy homes, of hope, faith and love. Satan is the author of hatred. He acts in the realm of unbelief. He is the author, the source of poverty, sickness, broken homes, the drink traffic, the dissensions, and hatred that dominate the human race.
It is most important that we recognize the place that Jesus gave to faith in His three years’ public ministry. We hear Him say “if you have faith as a mustard seed, you can remove mountains, and nothing shall be impossible to you. All things are possible to him that believeth” Faith unites man with Omnipotence. Jesus said, “I am the vine; ye are the branches.” Jesus was God’s faith manifested. 1 John 4:7-8 is the definition of faith with a statement regarding it. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He that loves not knows not God. Here is the statement of faith: “for God is love.” Christianity is defined as a love life, a life dominated and ruled by love. The kind of love mentioned here is the new kind of love that Jesus brought to the world. There are two kinds of love in the world. The Greek words for them are Philoe and Agapa. Philoe is human love, the best thing that natural man has outside of Christ. It is a failure.
The other kind of love is the nature of God manifested in the new creation. The human love is the goddess of divorce courts. The new kind of love has never been known to go to a divorce court. The new kind of love that Jesus brought would be the solution of the family problem and of the home problems; it gives real faith in the family. The great fact is that God himself is love. He is a love God. This makes Him the real Faith God. – From The Two Kinds of Life by E.W. kenyon