When The LORD looks upon us, no matter our spiritual maturity, He sees us all in Christ Jesus His Son. For if we are in Jesus, we are promised, “as [Jesus] is, so are we in this world.” [1 Jn 4:17] As Jesus currently is, existing in heaven, so are we. If there is any good quality of Jesus which He possesses, which may provoke The Father to say, “this is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” [Mt 3:17] He may also say it of us, who are His “dear children,” [Eph 5:1] and who are found in His Son. We can confidently and freely approach our God, our Father in heaven, solely because of who Jesus is and for that glorious fact that “as He is, so are we in this world.” And it is not just The Father who sees us as such; for as Jesus presents us to The Father as “holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight,” [Col 1:22] so too Jesus Himself sees us. For regarding Jesus’ passionate love for us, we read in Song of Solomon, wherein the groom says to the bride,
“Thou art all beautiful, my love; there is no spot in thee.” [Songs 4:7]
Take heart, yes take great courage: for Jesus Christ looks at each of us as spotless. There may be some who read this who are greatest in the kingdom, and some who are least; there may be some who are very obedient, and some who struggle very much; but in this case, there is no difference, for “there is no respect of persons with God,” [Rom 2:11] and He loves each of us with the same magnificent love.
Again, in Psalms we read of Jesus our King’s benevolence toward us when it says,
“So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him.” [Psa 45:11]
Because Jesus loves us so dearly, looking at us as spotless and beautiful, it ought also to be the manner in which a husband looks upon his wife. Since marriage is ultimately to shadow and typify Jesus’ marriage with His bride, the church, we see that the husband ought to carry this same attitude toward his wife. If, as husbands, we have found it comforting and encouraging to know of Jesus’ deep and boundless love, a love which speaks so tenderly toward us, calling us spotless and beautiful, so too shall our wives when they receive similar encouragements from us. A husband must align his way of thinking with The Lord Jesus’. If Jesus looks upon us, and each believer, as spotless, then should not we? And especially our wives? What should be more encouraging and life-giving for a wife: to hear the constant grinding of implacable teeth in her husband, who often murmurs over her faults or imperfections; or the sweet and soft praises of a husband joyful to behold his bride, content with her however she may look or do? My brethren, if you view your wife as anything less than “all beautiful” and having “no spot,” then you view her falsely, for you do not view her as Christ Jesus does, and regarding His words and thoughts it is said, “the counsel of The LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.” [Psa 33:11]
Let us view our wives as spotless and pure, the love of our life, over whom we rejoice and rejoice to do good; over whom we joy and sing, for her beauty and her loveliness. This response has little to do with her, and much more to do with us; for are these not the responses our Lord Jesus has toward us? For it is written,
“Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good…” [Jer 32:41]
And,
“…He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.” [Zeph 3:17]
And once more,
“…As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” [Isa 62:5]
A husband must love his wife as Jesus loves the church. Again, if Jesus so desires us, so views us, then ought not we do the same to our wives? May God give each of us grace to accomplish this great privilege and task.