THE LOVELINESS OF HIS ELECT

“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!