In my high school Civics class, there was a girl; no not a girl, a young woman, and not just a young woman, but the most beautiful, most vibrant, most attractive being I had ever seen in my young life. She was, to use Bible terminology, lovely in form and appearance. My heart was not only captivated by her physical beauty, but by the way she carried herself and dressed. She had an air of quiet elegance, answered questions in class intelligently, and unlike some of the other chatty (and annoying) girls in the class, she spoke with a sweet, calm voice. Although not aloof, she seemed to avoid their most annoying conversations. Her only flaw – she never gave me a second look.
I would always try to sit slightly behind her, a couple rows to her right or left so I could unobtrusively gaze upon her dark shiny hair and the profile of her lovely face. It wasn’t really a sexual attraction or desire, at least not at that point. It was a desire, a longing to have someone of such beauty, such excellence, such sweetness, such glory, invite me into her life, to be able to continually enjoy all that she was, to be able to express my admiration and adoration of her and my affections for her; that she would find delight in my doing so, such that she would reciprocate, finding me to be someone she too would come to value, admire and delight in.
Now such a relationship never came to pass with this young woman. Fortunately, I came upon another such woman who captivated my heart who, by God’s grace, did invite me into her life, namely my precious wife. However, she, like my high school crush, is only an image bearer of the One who is the fairest of 10,000, Jesus Christ (Song of Solomon 5:10-16). He is the dearly beloved of God the Father (Matthew 17:1-5), and of all who are in Heaven, as well as of all who have by faith beheld His glory, and in the joy of their salvation have found His love to be sweeter than life itself (John 1:14) (Habakkuk 3:18) (Jeremiah 31:3) (Psalm 63:3-5).
The great, if not greatest American theologian, Jonathan Edwards, wrote much regarding the beauty, the excellence, the untold glory of the God who reveals Himself in Jesus Christ as the most desirable, most excellent, most essential, most awesome, most valuable being in all of the universe, who created us to know and love and be loved by Him. Edwards asks what appears to be a rhetorical question in his Christ exalting book titled Altogether Lovely; Jonathan Edwards on the Glory and Excellency of Christ, when he writes, “Why do we have to be persuaded to love the One who is most lovely?”
Edwards’ point here is that because of our Lord’s intrinsic beauty and excellence, no persuasion should be necessary for us to love Him supremely. But it is necessary, beginning with the fact the whole human race, in our sin corrupted hearts and debased minds, are hostile toward God, actively suppressing the knowledge of His glory, blinded by the god of this world (the devil) to Christ’s infinite worthiness to be known intimately, loved supremely, worshiped exclusively and obeyed joyfully. (Romans 1:28) (Genesis 6:5) (Romans 8:7) (Romans 1:18-21) (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
God must therefore, through regeneration, through our being born again of the Holy Spirit, make our minds capable of knowing and seeing His glory, and our hearts capable of loving Him above all else (John 3:3) (2 Corinthians 4:6) (Ezekiel 36:24-27) (Romans 5:5). And when He does so, we must give ourselves over, through prayer and the study of God’s word, to this most necessary and noble endeavor of daily growing in and demonstrating our love and devotion to Christ as the object of our deepest love and source of our greatest joy.
Our friend, Thomas Vincent, author of the book, The True Christian’s Love to the Unseen Christ, provides us persuasive arguments of both the necessity and blessedness of doing so. Vincent notes, “You man may love other persons and things of this world subordinately, but you must love Jesus chiefly; otherwise, you are under the curse both of the law and the gospel and cannot escape the vengeance of Hell (1 Corinthians 16:22).
In a similar vein, Vincent writes: If Christ does not have your hearts, some base and foolish lusts will have them, which will wound your conscience with guilt and pierce your heart with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10).
In describing the infinitely glorious privilege and honor we have in Christ allowing us to see, love and enjoy Him, not from a distance, but in intimate communion, he writes: Although you are so mean (low in stature) as creatures, and have been so vile as sinners, yet He does not scorn and disdain you, but both our person and our love find ready acceptance with him. It is your duty to love Christ because He commands you; and it is your privilege that you may love Christ, because He allows you to.
Along this same line, Vincent writes: There is no greater or higher object for your love than the Lord Jesus Christ, a person of so great eminence and excellence. The love of Christ ennobles the heart; and none in the world have such truly great generous souls as those who have the greatest love for Him.
In regard to the blessings inherent to our love for God he writes: That such as make Christ as the object of their chief love, make the wisest of choices. The reason he gives is that in Christ alone we find our highest good; everything that God requires for our salvation and access to the eternal joys and pleasures God created us to enjoy in intimate relationship with Him, are ours only in our loving Christ (Romans 6:23) (Psalm 16:11).
In regard to our living lives that please, honor and glorify the God we love, Vincent writes: If you have much love unto Christ your heart will be inflamed therewith with zeal for your Lord’s glory, and you will never think you can do too much for Him. As in Jacob’s love for Rebecca, Vincent notes that …if we have much love unto Christ, we will account our service to God a privilege and a freedom, and none of His commands will be grievous, but a joy and delight in serving the one we love most (Genesis 29:18-19) (Psalm 40:8) (1 John 5:3).
Vincent notes that both our faith in God’s love and our love for Christ will, as it did for Joseph, Jacob’s son, act as a defense against lustful and foolish temptations (Genesis 39:7-9) (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
Vincent addresses how our love for Christ mediates the suffering we experience in this world. He writes: The love of Christ is useful in adversity to bear up the heart from sinking and being overwhelmed with the winds and waves of trouble and affliction. He further notes: The love of Christ is useful to fit you to pick up the cross and endure any suffering we may be called upon for the sake of Christ…if we have great love, the heaviest cross will seem light, disgrace and shame counted as honor, losses esteemed as gain (John 16:33) (Philippians 3:7-11) (Matthew 16:24-25) (Romans 8:16-18).
Finally, Vincent addresses how our love of Christ allows us, as it did the Apostle Paul, to see death as gain. Vincent writes: The love of Christ is useful at death. This love in its strength will put a beauty upon the aspect of death which seems so terrible and grim. If you have much love to Christ, you will look upon death as Christ’s messenger, sent for you, to bring you out of the dark prison of this world and the (sin corrupted) body, and to convey you unto the mansions of glory, where your dear Lord is, and you will not be unwilling to leave the world that you may live with Christ (Philippians 1:21-23) (John 11:25-27) (John 14:1-4) (Psalm 27:4).
Grace and Peace ×
Death has no sting