Glorious Love

“Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” (Song of Solomon 4:7)

As Christians we easily see the church in this verse. First it speaks to us about Jesus who was the sacrificial Lamb without spot or blemish. Then it speaks to us about the church. In his book Solomon wrote about the love of a bride and the bridegroom which prophetically speaks of the love of the church for Jesus and the love Jesus has for the church.

Jesus is Whom we love, our Lord and King. He is our love in Whom there is no spot nor blemish. He was the acceptable sacrifice because although He was all man and He was all God, sent from the Father to be the only possible acceptable sacrifice for sin. Just any man, even a holy man could not possibly be an acceptable sacrifice because he would have been born of man’s seed, from natural earthly means. He would have carried the nature of sin and death from this world, therefore, unacceptable. Jesus was not born of a man’s seed. He was born of the Holy Spirit through a clean vessel of a young virgin. Mary carried Jesus, conceived of the Holy Spirit, all God, born in the flesh through Mary and without sin. He is holy. He is without spot and without blemish able to be an acceptable sacrifice for sin, for all mankind past, present and future, and for eternity. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” (1Peter 1:18-21)

The birth of Jesus and the redeeming work of the Lord was prophesied and foreshadowed in the Old Testament in the Passover ritual when the Hebrews were delivered from their captivity in Egypt. “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:3-13)

It was in plain view but hidden in a mystery from the understanding of man that the Messiah to come would be the sacrificial Lamb of God for eternal salvation. And just as judgement passed over the Hebrew who were under the blood of a lamb without spot or wrinkle in their homes, judgement passes over us who are covered in the blood of the Lamb of God. “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:13-14)

In speaking about the marriage bond and love, Paul shows how the love of the church and Jesus are examples for a marriage. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.” (Ephesians 5:25-28) This Scripture tells us how Jesus loves us. He gave Himself for us. This was through His death on the cross. He took our place for the punishment of sin and our death the payment for sin, taking all spot and wrinkle away so that we would be accepted in the Beloved. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3-12)

God had it all planned from the beginning of creation to deliver man and through His love and grace bring us to Himself through Jesus Christ our Lord. The love Solomon wrote about between the bride and the bridegroom is beautiful. But the love the Lord has for us is glorious.