Some Thoughts on Language and Love

Human language is incredible. Laying aside the variety of language and the physical aspects regarding its path—seeded from the heart’s desire, to the brain, to the tongue, resulting in sound—language is ultimately a gift to express. And when it comes to the expression of love, which can be communicated in many ways beyond audible speech, language is indeed a marvelous tool. That said, human attempts to describe or sufficiently express the fullness of God’s love, language—even its best of composition—falls woefully short. This is because God’s love is inherently infinite and therefore beyond our comprehension. Preachers can’t adequately convey it on their best of Sundays. Poets, playwrights, and apostles, even with the tenderest of experience and motivated pen can only scratch its surface. That is because love is a heart element and in its truest sense, requires the illumination of the Holy Spirit to generate awareness, let alone genuine conveyance.

The perfect expression of love is, of course, Jesus. And following His example we see that love takes awareness and language into action… into behavior. It is in behavior—not in language—which love was epitomized as demonstrated by God’s only Begotten dying on the cross after having lived a sinless life in total service to His Father. Mercifully and lovingly, our Creator has provided us with the gift of expression—with capability to describe and convey the depths of our innate well containing His love. The Glorious One has given us the ability to ascribe glory to Him. So necessary is this gift that if we didn’t decry our expressions of His love in worship then something else in creation absolutely must. Jesus says that the rocks would cry out.  Declaring God’s glory cannot not happen. But limited human language, even though at times amazingly elegant and eloquent, is akin to only gazing at the surface of what is a bottomless abyss. The Song of Solomon allegorizing love through the intense intimacy within marriage bonds is, I think, the best we can do to actually describe the love of God in human terms. The love that Jesus has for His Father, and for His bride.