His True Love

Part 5 of 5

by Carson Richards

Matthew 13:45-46, “Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls. When he had found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

The pearl of great price surely bespeaks of some superior product over others, and it required a full price. It is a people, and the merchant man is a person, too. He is the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and this tells us He was willing to give all that He had as a man to get this pearl. Then the full measure of His love was drawn out to get this full final product of humanity for Himself. It seems that this truth indicates that all other love of His was encased in the desire for this beautiful pearl.

Only He envisions the pearl as it really is. She is not yet an entity, so no one really can picture this splendid group of New Creation humanity, for that is what she is. Of course, the price was His body and blood He had in Adam’s image. He gave it; it is gone; it bought the alluring end-product. We make no claim to describe this pearl, or people. Only the visionary merchant Man can do that. So we will consider a few scriptures that apply to this wonder-person of the future.

This composite-person is seen again in Psalm 45:10-11. “Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house. So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty; for He is thy Lord, worship thou Him.”

As we have previously stated, that others are included in the love of the Son of God, as merged with the love of His Father for many. Yet here is one that comes out from the family, the family of the church in our age.

He even says surprisingly, “forget.” It has to be a distinct calling, and a peculiar relationship, and a definite word, that is directed to those heeding the call. “Hearken” He says. A part of the suffering of this portion of Christ’s body is the scorn heaped on it by the general body coupled with man’s vicious slurs.

It is inevitable a part of the plan, so we must take it with His grace, and go on. The forgetting is not that of not having anything to do with the greater part of the body, but of going on in the love of the Lord and not pining for some acclaim from the mass of believers. There is no way to say this that will not be misunderstood, so we can only give the Word to the individual that will take it.

The Song of Solomon 4:7 “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” This definitely shows that someone meets His standard of love. He is pleased (in the new creation). To be sure there is no fleshly excellence, and no final standard of visible humanity that any contemporary man can adjudge as the epitome of this state. In other words, no one here on this earth will be able to declare a candidate for this flawless group as outwardly perfect.

Some one will always find a flaw, and that of course is not decisive. The perceiving of the flaw may have a natural or carnal state of mind as the criterion. Again, it is a new creation people, and we had better let the Master-Mind and Heavenly Lover do all the deciding. Many make declarations of attaining, but only the Bridegroom knows.

Ephesians 5:25-27, and verse 32, give the biblical description of this love relationship. “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…This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

Then there is the element of mystery. The inability to communicate the mystery of this love to the human mind, is the reason for the example of earthly marriage that God gives us. It has its mysteries in its whole course. On earth, it has been perhaps the chief target of the enemy, Satan. He reasons that if he can tarnish this tool of teaching, he can confuse the heavenly calling, too. But no, the Godly person respects the earthly union, and learns by it for his mind has no other way. As to its value, we are neither prude, nor lewd, we respect God’s example.

When there is something the earthly mind cannot understand, we are frightened, for we want to understand everything with this brain. We are uncomfortable or even resistant to something we can’t figure out. But that is what this love calling is, anyway. It might well be the fulfilling of Ephesians 3:9, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

We see the mystifying working of something that passeth human knowledge. Yet the Spirit knows. So it is all spiritually perceived and performed. Perhaps this greatest of all truth for this Church Age lends itself to the fewest words. It is perceived by the Spirit through our new spirit. Church means many things to many people, and to those who respond to this calling, it is the adding, inserting, drilling, expanding of the work of love by the opposite member of the relationship, the Lord. This, too, eludes our natural mind, for He is one and this people of mystery are many (not innumerable, but many).

One man in this Church Age was allowed to say that he had won this place in the true love, the Apostle Paul. II Timothy 4:8 “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.” How loving, yet true he was! He announced his acceptance in this elite group, and then stepped out and took his place with all other like-minded ones of the church.

The finally mark of excellence for this attainment was “love.” To love the appearing of One, is to love the One who is to appear. Varied and wide are the abilities of the redeemed members of the Bride of Christ, but the prime requisite to gain this company is our love for Him. It may have different facets; may seem diverse because of what we are here; man, woman, gifted, limited, public office, unknown. Nevertheless the decision will rest on love. I guess it is what the Beloved wants in and for His “true love.” Praise Him!