A declaration of love
- Feb 2, 2018
- 2 min read
February, the month of St Valentine’s Day. Hardly anything is known about Valentine himself. It is believed that he was a Christian martyr who was buried on 14 February 269 A.D. Evidently, the romantic celebration that we recognise came about in the 14th century and is linked to Geoffrey Chaucer. Anyway, whoever St. Valentine was, I personally should be grateful. It was a particular Valentine’s Day, some years ago, that my now-wife sent me two Valentine cards. The first was signed cryptically PFD269M. In the second, she used her Christian name, which is just as well because the cryptic one was lost on me! It was actually her car registration... I took the hint and we started going out. As they say, the rest is history.
The Bible frequently uses the concept of declared love, consummated marriage and faithfulness when speaking of God’s love for people. In the Old Testament, God likens himself to a husband having to deal with a wayward wife, that is, his chosen people Israel. In the role of husband, God is seen to be justly jealous and angry when his wife goes after other lovers - foreign gods or idols. When his people are faithless however, God remains faithful.
In the New Testament, God develops and broadens this theme. He is seen as a father choosing a bride for his much loved and only son. The bridegroom is, of course, Jesus, but who is the bride-to-be?
She is not just one individual but many. Bride, in this context, is a corporate name given to include all men and women who declare their love for Jesus and, by God’s grace, intend to worship and obey him, forsaking all other gods. (‘The Bride’ as defined here is what is meant by the term ‘The Church’.)
It took two Valentine cards to alert me to my wife’s love towards me. For many of us, God’s declaration in the Old Testament can, at first sight, appear cryptic. In the New Testament however, it is as though he has signed his declaration of love with his name - Jesus. Next month will include Easter Week, where we see demonstrated the lengths that Jesus was prepared to go to in order to secure his bride.
Whether or not you receive a Valentine card this year, here is a declaration of love paraphrased from the New Testament and may it be a blessing for you:
‘We see real love, not in the fact that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to make personal atonement for our wrongdoings.’ Do you feel able to insert your own name where it says ‘us’ and the word ‘my’ where it says ‘ours’? If you can, then these words are indeed a personal declaration of God’s love for you.