Unconquered Territory (4)

Cast cords of love around my heart, then hold me and never let me go.

May the Saviour’s wounds sway me more than the sceptre of princes.

Let me love thee in a love that covers and swallows up all,

That I may not violate my chaste union with the beloved;

There is much unconquered territory in my nature,

Scourge out the buyers and sellers of my soul’s temple,

And give me in return, pure desires,

And longing after perfect holiness.  

The Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett, Banner of Truth, page 345.

That I may not violate my chaste union with the beloved;

Paul writes to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 11:1 - 3), “I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

John the Baptist said (John 3:28 - 30), “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

One of the earliest songs I recall as a young Christian is, “Oh How I Love Jesus,” I especially recall singing it at a youth camp in the hills around Frostburg, Maryland. This past Sunday I sang it in a church in Prince George, VA. - decades and miles of life and roadways have not diminished the sweetness of that song, of those words, of the simple melody. This hymn is based on 1 John 4:10 and 19:

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins...We love, because He first loved us.”

The Great Commandment is that we love God with all that we are, and others as ourselves (Mark 12:28 - 31).

Paul desired that the Corinthians have a pure love for Jesus, have a pure relationship with Him; he emphasizes this with the words “pure virgin” - one would think that the word “virgin” in and of itself would be enough to make his point, but he wants to ensure that no one misses how emphatic he is, hence two words, “pure” and “virgin.” We, the church, are to have one Husband, Jesus Christ, and we are to be faithful in that relationship.

John the Baptist sees himself as Paul sees himself, as a friend of the Bridegroom; it was his mission to see others wedded to Christ, the Messiah, and to fade into the background, rejoicing in the marriage of the Lamb to His Bride. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Whose name am I concerned about people knowing? My name or the name of Jesus? Who do I want to draw attention to? Me or Jesus? Whose ministry am I concerned about? Mine or that of Jesus Christ?

To whom does my heart belong? Does it have many lovers? Does it love many things? Is it enamored with itself? Do I worship the image in the mirror or do I worship Jesus?

As I reflect over my journey, I wonder what happened to the purity of singing “Oh How I Love Jesus” for I think that I soon became enamoured of this doctrinal distinction and that experience and those forms of worship and certain religious “cultures” and...well...the list sadly goes on and on. I was taught to assimilate myself into a religious culture rather than love Jesus; I was taught to conform my actions to religious expectations but not seek God to, by His grace, conform my heart to the image of His Son.

To be sure I was only taught what others knew (and I think they did their best), and to be sure that experience is (hopefully) part of our pilgrimage - seeking the face of our Beloved. If earthly marriage is a lifetime of learning I suspect the same is true of our heavenly marriage to Christ - the difference being that in our heavenly marriage One is perfect...thankfully He is perfectly patient  and gracious and loving.

To seek a chaste union with Christ Jesus, to live within that chaste union - is there anything higher to seek than to know Jesus in purity and love and fidelity? To seek as individuals and to seek as His Bride?

How many times have I been promiscuous in seeking things other than Jesus? How many times have I sought significance outside of Him? How many times have I introduced “things” into the church that were not centered on Him? Well...I don’t know the answer to all those questions and I can but trust Christ to be merciful and redemptive.

Who does my heart belong to?

What about you?