Altogether Lovely

It should be obvious by now that I love writing about the love of God.  I mean, what could be more glorious, more exhilarating, more exciting, more fulfilling then to know that you are loved deeply and personally by the most glorious, most desirable, most excellent, most essential, most awesome Being in all of the universe?  And what could make for a greater sense of significance and security than the promise from that Being that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5), and that nothing, absolutely nothing, can ever separate you from His love (Romans 8:35-39).

Christian author Arthur Pink, writing in his book, The Attributes of God regarding the infinite value of God’s love, states that “the love of God cannot be just some indiscriminate sentimental notion, something we take for granted and feel entitled to and thus value no more, and sometimes less, than we value and rejoice in being loved by a man or women.”  He notes that the greatness of the love of God that is ours in Jesus Christ, when truly known and valued and embraced, becomes that which we stake our whole life on, that which we pursue our greatest joy and pleasure and satisfaction in, that which is our anchor in the midst of the storms of this life, and in which we have our hope for the life to come (Titus 1:1-2).  Pink goes on to make a case for how the love of God should dominate our thoughts and affections, impact all of our decisions, and relieve us of all of our anxieties and fears.

The great theologian and revivalist preacher, Jonathan Edwards, from whose book, (Altogether Lovely: Jonathan Edwards on the Glory and Excellency of Christ), I took my heading for this post, was also enthralled with the love of God and writes:

“The love of God is the most suitable entertainment of the soul of man – with the promise of all of our needs, desires and longings being fulfilled in Him.”

However, what so captivated Edwards with the love of God was the infinite loveliness, the infinite beauty and magnificence of the one who loved him and gave His life for him (Galatians 2:20), namely God the Son, Jesus Christ, who Edwards came to know as inherently and intrinsically worthy of his love.

Edwards writes “In Christ we have an immediate, sensible and certain understanding of God’s glorious excellences and love.”  He further proclaims  “The love of so glorious a being is infinitely valuable and the discoveries of it are capable of ravishing the soul above all other loves.”

Edwards further notes that the love of Christ is exceedingly sweet and satisfying, it is better than life itself (Psalm 63) because it is the love of a person of ultimate dignity and excellency.

Edwards thus asks the compelling question, “Why do we have to be persuaded to love the One who is most lovely?” His book is written thus for the purpose of persuading us of the clear Biblical evidence regarding the excellencies of the person and work of Jesus Christ; of all that make Him, as the express image of the infinitely glorious God (Hebrews 1:1-3), worthy to be embraced by all mankind as the desire of our heart and the delight of our soul, the object of our deepest love and the source of our greatest joy.  In embracing Him as such, we fulfil God’s requirement for receiving eternal life (Luke 10:25-28), the glorious life with God for which we were created.

However, Edwards understood that we live in a sinful world that has willingly suppressed the truth of the glory of God (Romans 1:18-21), and thus are blinded to that which makes God worthy of our deepest love and devotion.  He notes that unless “a divine and supernatural light” invades the soul and reveals the beauty and glory of Christ to the sinner, the sinner will never love God as He deserves and escape His judgement  (2 Corinthians 4:4).

But it is God who, in love, provides for us that light; that through the work of God the Holy Spirit, the love of God is revealed in our hearts (Romans 5:5) as well as the glory of Christ and His infinite worthiness to be loved and delighted in above all else (2 Corinthians 4:6).

 Thus, it is God’s love for us in Christ which produces in us both love for God (1 John 4:10) and faith in His love for us (Ephesians 2:8).  It is a love that will constrain us from continuing in sin and compel us to do good works (2 Corinthians 5:14-15,) causing us to delight in doing His will (Psalm 40:8).  And it is a love that will be fully consummated in the new heaven and new earth, where the the glory of God and unimaginable expressions of His love will be on display forever. (Revelation 21 and Revelation 22).

Grace and Peace ×