Spurgeon Meditations

 

I will love them freely.

Hos 14 4

This sentence is a body of divinity in miniature. He who understands its meaning is a theologian and he who can dive into its fulness is a true master in Israel. It is a condensation of the glorious message of salvation which was delivered to us in Christ Jesus our Redeemer. The sense hinges upon the word "freely." This is the glorious the suitable the divine way by which love streams from heaven to earth a spontaneous love flowing forth to those who neither deserved it purchased it nor sought after it. It is indeed the only way in which God can love such as we are. The text is a death-blow to all sorts of fitness: "I will love them freely." Now if there were any fitness necessary in us then He would not love us freely at least this would be a mitigation and a drawback to the freeness of it. But it stands I will love youfreely. We complain Lord, my heart is so hard. I will loveyou freely. But I do not feel my need of Christ as I couldwish. I will not love you because you feel your need; I willlove you freely. But I do not feel that softening of spiritwhich I could desire. Remember the softening of spirit is not a condition for there are no conditions; the covenant of grace has no conditionality whatever; so that we without any fitness may venture upon the promise of God which was made to us in Christ Jesus when He said He that believeth on Him is notcondemned. It is blessed to know that the grace of God is free to us at all times without preparation without fitness without money and without price! "I will love them freely." These words invite backsliders to return: indeed the text was specially written for such--"I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely." Backslider! surely the generosity of the promise will at once break your heart and you will return and seek your injured Father's face.


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