Where then are all my spots?
by Susanna Spurgeon You are all beautiful, my beloved. There
is no spot in you. Song of Songs 4 verse 7 Ah, I hear some timid, trembling
believer say, such a text can have nothing to do with me. I
am the very opposite of all that is beautiful and spotless. The
eyes of my soul have seen hideous sights within, which I can never
forget. And I loathe myself and my sins
so much that though I believe God has forgiven me for Christ's
sake, I feel it impossible to take those precious words as
address to one so sinful and imperfect as myself. Yet, trembling
soul, I would bid you take courage and look up. Christ's love for
His people is marvelously set forth in this song of songs.
The same precious blood was poured out to redeem the least lamb
of the flock, as for the choicest sheep. Come then, timid one,
rejoice in the blessed fact that you are indeed precious to the
Lord. And He says, You are all beautiful,
My beloved. Adoringly bow before him in wonder
at the miracle his love has wrought in you. It ill befits the bride
of Christ to ignore his loveliness which he has put upon her and
go about bemoaning the scars and blemishes which his great
love overlooks and forgets. It is quite true that, in themselves,
believers are sorrowfully imperfect and sinful. But if the Lord Jesus,
in His marvelous mercy, unrobes Himself to cover over their unrighteousness,
they may well be content to be thus made beautiful in His sight. We cannot comprehend the mystery
and sublimity of divine love. but it is the sole and all-sufficient
reason for the dear Lord's estimate of us. And when he uses such
endearing language, our hearts melt and are ravished by his
wondrous condescension. With reverence, we say it, when
our dear Master dines to address us in accents of love and admiration. Our souls are thrilled with heavenly
bliss, and we are uplifted beyond all the sorrows and vexations
of this world into an atmosphere of unspeakable spiritual joy. My Beloved, O say it again, dear
Savior. Let the music of Your voice touch
and vibrate through the deepest chords of my nature and awaken
sweet responses in my soul. You are the fount and source
of all love. O fill me, overwhelm me, plunge
me in this sea of mercy and of grace. I would be swallowed up
in it, knowing no other joy or bliss comparable to that of being
able to say, my beloved is mine, and I am his. There is no spot
in you. Can our loving Lord really mean
this? He does, indeed. Where, then,
are all my spots, dear Lord? For they were legion, and sin
must render me vile and loathsome in your pure sight. All the sins,
past, present and future, all the deformity and blackness are
cleansed away by Christ's blood, covered by His righteousness. And so completely is this done,
that God Himself can find no remnant or stain of that which
would have meant eternal death to an unwashed soul. The poor
sinner is lifted from the depths of sin to the heights of heavenly
bliss. What kind of love is this? It
is so divine and incomprehensible that, in the contemplation of
it, we are lost in wonder and amazement. Lord Jesus, what a
glorious Savior You are! All the sin which made Your bride
so black and vile was laid upon You. There is no spot in you. An old writer says, now, if God
sees no spot, why should you be prying after one? Poring over
your misery, searching after your blackness and depravity
will be no help to you. This only keeps your eyes off
Jesus, instead of up unto Jesus. You cannot look two ways at once. How did the poor serpent-bitten
Israelites in the wilderness get relief and healing? By looking
to their sores, their wounds, their malady? Oh no, it was by
looking to the brazen serpent. And if you would get relief,
it must be by looking to Jesus Christ. This Puritan devotional has been
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