“Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee."
Song of Solomon 4:7
The Lord's admiration of His Church is very wonderful, and His description of her beauty is very glowing. She is not merely fair, but "all fair." He views her in Himself, washed in His sin-atoning blood and clothed in His meritorious righteousness, and He considers her to be full of grace, comeliness and beauty.
It is His own perfect excellencies that He admires; the holiness, glory, and perfection of His Church are His own glorious garments. She is not simply pure, or well-proportioned; she is positively lovely and fair! She has actual merit! Her deformities of sin are removed; but more, she has through her Lord obtained a meritorious righteousness by which an actual beauty is conferred upon her.
Believers have a positive righteousness given to them when they become "accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6). The Church is more than lovely; she is superlatively lovely. Her Lord calls her "fairest among women."
She has a real worth and excellence which cannot be rivaled by all the nobility and royalty of the world. If Jesus could exchange His elect bride for all the queens and empresses of earth, or even for the angels in heaven, He would not, for He puts her first and foremost--- "fairest among women."
Like the moon she far outshines the stars, and He wants all men everywhere to see the outshining of Zion - His beloved. He sets a "behold" before it, a special note of exclamation, inviting and arresting attention. "Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair" (Song of Sol. 4:1).
His opinion of His beloved Church He publishes abroad even now, and one day from the Throne of His glory He will declare this same truth before the assembled universe.
"Come, ye blessed of my Father" (Matt. 25:34), will be His solemn affirmation of the loveliness of His elect.
WordAlive... this is Grace!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
ALTOGETHER LOVELY
"Yea, He is altogether lovely."
Song of Solomon 5:16
The superlative beauty of Jesus is most attractive. It is not so much to be admired as to be loved. He is more than pleasant and fair, He is lovely. He is the object of the warmest love of God’s people. His loveliness is founded on the intrinsic excellence of His person, the complete perfection of His charms. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, He shines forth. (Psalm 50:2).
His lips are most sweet; His kisses most tender. His words are jolting; causing our hearts to burn within us He talks with us by the way. (Luke 24:32).
You worshippers of Emmanuel, look up to His head of most precious gold, and tell me, are not His thoughts precious unto you? Is not your adoration sweetened with affection as you humbly bow before that countenance which is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars?
Have you considered the charm of His features? His whole person oozes with the fragrance of the savour of His good ointments; therefore the virgins love Him. Is there one member of His glorious body which is not attractive?
Our love is not as a seal set upon His heart of love alone; it is fastened upon His arm of power also; nor is there a single part of Him upon which it does not fix itself. We anoint His whole person with the sweet spikenard of our fervent love. His whole life we would imitate; His whole character we would transcribe.
In all other beings we see some lack, in Him there is all perfection. The best even of His favoured saints have had blots upon their garments and wrinkles upon their brows but He is nothing but loveliness.
All earthly suns have their spots: the fair world itself hath its wilderness; we cannot love the whole of the loveliest thing; but Christ Jesus is gold without alloy. He is light without darkness. He is glory without cloud.
Yea, He is altogether lovely.
WordAlive…this is Grace!
Song of Solomon 5:16
The superlative beauty of Jesus is most attractive. It is not so much to be admired as to be loved. He is more than pleasant and fair, He is lovely. He is the object of the warmest love of God’s people. His loveliness is founded on the intrinsic excellence of His person, the complete perfection of His charms. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, He shines forth. (Psalm 50:2).
His lips are most sweet; His kisses most tender. His words are jolting; causing our hearts to burn within us He talks with us by the way. (Luke 24:32).
You worshippers of Emmanuel, look up to His head of most precious gold, and tell me, are not His thoughts precious unto you? Is not your adoration sweetened with affection as you humbly bow before that countenance which is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars?
Have you considered the charm of His features? His whole person oozes with the fragrance of the savour of His good ointments; therefore the virgins love Him. Is there one member of His glorious body which is not attractive?
Our love is not as a seal set upon His heart of love alone; it is fastened upon His arm of power also; nor is there a single part of Him upon which it does not fix itself. We anoint His whole person with the sweet spikenard of our fervent love. His whole life we would imitate; His whole character we would transcribe.
In all other beings we see some lack, in Him there is all perfection. The best even of His favoured saints have had blots upon their garments and wrinkles upon their brows but He is nothing but loveliness.
All earthly suns have their spots: the fair world itself hath its wilderness; we cannot love the whole of the loveliest thing; but Christ Jesus is gold without alloy. He is light without darkness. He is glory without cloud.
Yea, He is altogether lovely.
WordAlive…this is Grace!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS
"Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings... " Ephesians 1:3
"You aren’t wealthy until you have something money can’t buy" - Garth Brooks
All the goodness of the past, the present, and the future, Christ bestows upon His people.
In the mysterious ages of the past the Lord Jesus was His Father's first elect, and in His election He gave us an interest, for we were chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world.
He had from all eternity the prerogatives of Sonship, as His Father's only-begotten and well-beloved Son, and He has, in the riches of His grace, by adoption and regeneration, elevated us to sonship also, so that to us He has given "power to become the sons of God."
The eternal covenant, based upon suretyship and confirmed by oath, is ours, for our strong consolation and security. In the everlasting settlements of predestinating wisdom and omnipotent decree, the eye of the Lord Jesus was ever fixed on us; and we may rest assured that in the whole roll of destiny there is not a line which militates against the interests of His redeemed.
The great betrothal of the Prince of Glory is ours, for it is to us that He is betrothed, as the sacred nuptials shall before long declare to an assembled universe.
The marvelous incarnation of the God of heaven, with all the amazing condescension and humiliation which accrued to it, is ours. The bloody sweats, the scourge, the cross, are ours forever. Whatever blissful consequences flow from perfect obedience, finished atonement, resurrection, ascension, or intercession, all are ours by His own gift.
Upon His breastplate he is now bearing our names; and in His authoritative pleadings at the throne He remembers our persons and pleads our cause. His dominion over principalities and powers, and His absolute majesty in heaven, He employs for the benefit of them who trust in Him.
His high estate is as much at our service as was His condition of abasement. He, who gave Himself for us in the depths of woe and death, does not withdraw the grant now that He is enthroned in the highest heavens.
WORDALIVE… this is grace!
"You aren’t wealthy until you have something money can’t buy" - Garth Brooks
All the goodness of the past, the present, and the future, Christ bestows upon His people.
In the mysterious ages of the past the Lord Jesus was His Father's first elect, and in His election He gave us an interest, for we were chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world.
He had from all eternity the prerogatives of Sonship, as His Father's only-begotten and well-beloved Son, and He has, in the riches of His grace, by adoption and regeneration, elevated us to sonship also, so that to us He has given "power to become the sons of God."
The eternal covenant, based upon suretyship and confirmed by oath, is ours, for our strong consolation and security. In the everlasting settlements of predestinating wisdom and omnipotent decree, the eye of the Lord Jesus was ever fixed on us; and we may rest assured that in the whole roll of destiny there is not a line which militates against the interests of His redeemed.
The great betrothal of the Prince of Glory is ours, for it is to us that He is betrothed, as the sacred nuptials shall before long declare to an assembled universe.
The marvelous incarnation of the God of heaven, with all the amazing condescension and humiliation which accrued to it, is ours. The bloody sweats, the scourge, the cross, are ours forever. Whatever blissful consequences flow from perfect obedience, finished atonement, resurrection, ascension, or intercession, all are ours by His own gift.
Upon His breastplate he is now bearing our names; and in His authoritative pleadings at the throne He remembers our persons and pleads our cause. His dominion over principalities and powers, and His absolute majesty in heaven, He employs for the benefit of them who trust in Him.
His high estate is as much at our service as was His condition of abasement. He, who gave Himself for us in the depths of woe and death, does not withdraw the grant now that He is enthroned in the highest heavens.
WORDALIVE… this is grace!
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