“…for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.” (Song of Solomon 8:6b-c)

“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.” (Song of Solomon 8:7)

The kind of love we, as Children of God share, cannot be bought; for it is a Gift from God, based upon Christ’s Atonement for us. No money can buy this love; Christ has already paid the ransom price. Hallelujah!

This love is a Gift from God to His Regenerated Chosen People (Romans 5:5). This love proves that God loves us and dwells within us; and it is manifested by the way we love the Brethren. (Read 1 John 4:7-21). However, this love is perfected (or brought to maturity) when we walk as He walked. (Read 1 John 2:4-6.)

“But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.” (1 John 2:5)

“…and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect…” (1 John 4:16b-17a)

On February 14th, the world celebrates Valentine’s Day, a day set aside to express love for another person. But this love is only the love of the flesh (the soul), unless Christ (Who is the Love of God) dwells and abides in the spirit of the person. The flesh’s love is superficial; it only views the outside from an inward lust. The flesh’s love is not firm or steadfast, because the origin is self and selfish lusts and motives. This fleshly love is built upon a foundation of sand, and not upon rock. Sand cannot uphold the house built upon it.

So it is for the world’s love in marriage. This kind of love is not single-eyed; therefore it is not faithful and loyal and enduring. This kind of love grows old and stale after a period of time. When adversity comes, when financial woes come, when jealousy arises, when lusts begin to roam to other pastures; then the storm reveals the foundation of sand, and the house falls, and great is its fall.

This kind of love will end in defeat and maybe even in murder. It is built upon beauty, fame, and fortune. It cannot last, for all of these things have wings and fly away. Age fades the outward beauty; sin fades any inner beauty; reputations and positions in society’s rank change in the blink of an eye.

This kind of love is built on the standard of this evil world and its goals. This kind of love is built on sinking sand, and it will not last. Its fruit will wither and not remain. Its legacy, as the legacy of all sin, is hypocrisy. When the mask of deception is taken off, then the sandy foundation is revealed, and the house falls.

However, on the other side is the Love of God, which is placed in the marriage of those who are Children of God; those who are Regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God. As Song of Solomon 8:7 reveals, this love is priceless and it cannot be destroyed; not in this life nor in the world to come (Romans 8:29-39). This love can never be destroyed; because God, Who is Love, is Eternal; and because He dwells in the believer who is Regenerated, who has received the Experience of Adoption (Romans 8:14-16), whereby he cries “Abba, Father.”

This kind of love is built upon The Rock, Christ Jesus. This kind of love grows and grows, and it bears fruit that remains forever. It is eternal; and God is the Sum, Substance, Origin, Author, and Sustainer of this kind of love.

This kind of love produces the Fruit of the Spirit, “…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; especially note verses 4-8a:

“Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,” (verse 4)

“Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;” (verse 5)

“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;” (verse 6)

“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” (verse 7)

“Charity never faileth…” (verse 8a)

Therefore, the marriages which possess this kind of love (charity) will not fail in the storm, but they will get stronger and stronger; and bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit; and this fruit will remain.

When this kind of love is present in a marriage, you do not hear: “We don’t have what we used to have… I am tired of trying… I have found someone else… We are only together for the kids’ sake… You don’t excite me anymore… I guess time and our careers have separated us.” These types of phrases are endless in divorce court.

But what you do hear is: “Yes, I love you more today that yesterday… You are perfect for me… I love your body, soul, and spirit… I love you now, today, tomorrow, forever, and always… I will never, never, ever stop loving you… We will spend eternity together.” And so on, etc., etc.

The difference is great between the flesh’s love and God’s love. The flesh is a deceiver and will fail. God’s love is The Truth and will never fail. Hallelujah!

The flesh’s love is defeat and destruction; but God’s Love is Light and Life and Victory.

So today, we can praise God that we possess His Love and that our foundation is The Rock, Christ Jesus. What we have to look forward to is Victory, Victory, Victory – and Growth, Growth, Growth – and Fruit, more Fruit, and much Fruit.

This love is the Bride’s security. Solomon lists these main reasons in verses 6 and 7:

A. Love is Strong as Death

The first reason shown is, “for love is strong as death.” That is, True Love, Who is only The Christ, cannot be reversed, even with physical death. Once Christ has come to dwell in the Believer, there will never be a reversal of His Purpose in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:29-39).

This applies even when speaking of spiritual death; which is spiritual separation of a man’s soul and spirit from God; which happened in the First Adam’s sin (Genesis 2:16-17; Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthian 15:21). Because Adam was their head, his sin placed all his posterity in a spiritually dead position in sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1).

But through the Atonement of Christ; the Chosen of God (Ephesians 1:3-11) were Reconciled back to God (Romans 5:1-21), Redeemed (Ephesians 1:7), and Justified (Romans 3:24-25), or made Righteous in Christ, who is the End of the Law (or the Fulfilment of the Law) for Righteousness (Romans 10:4).

Then in time, God’s time, the Holy Spirit comes and quickens them, and brings them to confess Christ as Savior. (See the Process of Regeneration (John 3:3-8; Romans 10:9-10) based upon Christ’s Atonement for sin for sinners. See 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:18-20; 2:24; Galatians 3:13; Hebrews 2:14.)

Therefore, there is no reversal of being made alive in Christ’s Resurrection (Romans 6:4-22; 8:2-16; Galatians 4:1-7; 1 Corinthians 15:54-57).

“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54)

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

“The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:56)

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

When a person received Experiential Justification (Regeneration by the Spirit of God); they come in their spirit to know that they are now a “new creature” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). They know that Christ dwells in them (Romans 8:14-16; 2 Timothy 1:7-10, 12), and they are sealed for now and for all eternity.

Therefore, Christ’s love is not reversible. Once you have been made alive in Him experientially (or when you know you are His Child), there is no reversing that transaction.

B. Love is Unquenchable

To further assure you, Solomon continues with his second reason for the Bride’s security, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.”

Here, Solomon is using the figure of water (which can destroy all). Whether it is the rain, a lake, a sea, or a flood; it cannot quench, or drown, God’s Love. Saying again, there is nothing, no nothing, which can separate you from the Love of God.

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29)

“Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30)

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” (Romans 8:33)

“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34)

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35)

“As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” (Romans 8:36)

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,” (Romans 8:38)

“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)

Not only can God’s Love not be reversed, it cannot be destroyed.

C. Love is Priceless

And you cannot buy the Love of God, for it is a Gift (Ephesians 2:8-9); which leads us to the third reason, “if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.”

Solomon is saying, neither can you buy God’s Love; even if you gave all the substance of your house (or gave that which is most precious to you), it would be contemned (or shunned).

There are no works of man that can purchase God’s Love; for it is a Gift.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

It is a Gift based upon Christ’s Atonement for you; He was your Substitute, Sacrifice, and Savior. (See Isaiah 53:1-12; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:24-25; 5:1-21.) That is, your sin debt was paid and you were set free, based on His Work as the Lamb of God standing in your place. He suffered your punishment on the Cross, and thereby satisfied God’s Law on your behalf.

Christ secured your Salvation on the Cross as your Substitute, satisfying the demands of the law (spiritual death). This is proven by His Resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-22); and it is proven to you now by your resurrection from being dead in sins and trespasses (Romans 8:14-16).

Therefore, you are Secure for all Eternity. O, what Love is God, “Grace so divine, Love so amazing.” To know this by the Witness of the Spirit of God, who dwells within you, is the greatest revelation you will ever receive.

It is because of Him living in you, that you are now an heir of God and a joint-heir of Christ. You are His Bride. Prepare your heart for the Banqueting House; for it is yours, by His Choice, His Call, and His Communion.

 

 

(This post was previously published in January 2015, as part of the Song of Solomon posts.)