Most people reading this post will no doubt recognize the title’s reference to the John Lennon anthem “All you need is love.” Yet, the question must be asked. Is it true?

Well, it depends entirely on what you mean by “love.” To most folks it denotes a human affection of varying degrees of emotion. To others it is equated with the baser instincts such as sensuality, sex, and even lust.

At a higher level, love as a human emotion may include some noble qualities such as loyalty, fidelity, a type of selflessness that is concerned with the loved one’s welfare and happiness before one’s own. Maybe there’s a great sense of mutual harmony, respect, and profound depth involved not only between couples but also among family members and friends.

And I’m sure that any of us could significantly add to this list of examples.

Mary Baker Eddy described the higher forms of human affection as Second Degree transitional qualities—“Evil beliefs disappearing”—in the translation of mortal mind (Science and Health, p. 115) in which she listed the following qualities: “Humanity, honesty, affection, compassion, hope, faith, meekness, temperance.”

These are, to be sure, all good developments in thought and action.

Yet human affection—in and of itself—does not necessarily reflect a spiritual component. I’m certain that there were many Nazi leaders during World War II who felt great human love for their wives and children, but yet had no compunction about exterminating and murdering millions of other men, women, and children.

It’s therefore essential that we distinguish human love from divine Love. That we do not let the clamor of the world’s concept of love blind us to what really matters.

Why?

Because we cannot demonstrate Christianly-scientific healing based on anything less than divine Love—on God—or what Mrs. Eddy goes on to describe as the “Third Degree: Understanding” (p. 116).

And as I’ve been learning more and more, it is our deepening understanding of the biblical declaration “God is love.” (I John 4:8) that impels us to obey the commands of our Master, Jesus, to heal the sick and reform the sinner. That causes us to align our lives—moment-by-moment—to that which Love knows to be true about us and about all of His/Her creation. An alignment that transforms our thoughts and actions to be more Christ-like in our healing work.

An alignment that heals others.

So, it doesn’t matter what your human history has or has not been—whether you’ve experienced significant affection from family and friends or not. In no way can either limit you from feeling the healing and all-encompassing power and presence of divine Love right now!

God’s love for His children, who are the reflections/manifestations of that love, is entirely pure, infinite, immortal—the very omnipotence and omnipresence of its nature destroying all sorrow, sickness, sin, and death.

Divine Love awakens us to the fact that we are entirely spiritual and have never existed anywhere else than in God. Than in Love!

Science and Health (p. 494) declares:

Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.

And that’s all the Love we really need!