In His “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17, Jesus said to the Father, “To know You is eternal life.” That tells us as adopted children of God that one of the most important and valuable things for us to do with the eternal life we already possess is to maintain a major on-going effort to learn as much as possible about our Heavenly Father and to do all that we can to cultivate a closer relationship with Him. God has directed us to “the ordinary means of grace” as the way we can pursue those goals. Those means of grace are the Word, prayer, and sacraments. These “ordinary” means are available and sufficient for us. We do not need any supernatural, miraculous, “extraordinary” resources.
As we grow in our understanding and appreciation of what God is like, certainly one of the most marvelous things we come to know and experience is that God is love, as we read in 1 John 4:8 and 16. There is virtually no end to the list of Bible verses and events that demonstrate the love of God, including the book of Hosea and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. And there is also a substantial list of books that have been written on the subject, from Bernard of Clairvaux, Jonathan Edwards, and Samuel Rutherford to John MacArthur, Ray Ortlund, R. C. Sproul, and D. A. Carson. The greatest statement of the love of God is, of course, Calvary’s cross where we see that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16).
One of the best brief studies about the love of God is found in chapter 12 in J. I. Packer’s classic 1973 book, “Knowing God.” He points out that the Bible does not merely say that God loves, but that God IS love! In those pages, in his transition from previous chapters to this one, Packer offers this deeply moving statement. “When we looked at God’s wisdom, we saw something of His mind; when we thought of His power, we saw something of His hand and His arm; when we considered His word, we learned about His mouth; but now, contemplating His love, we are to look into His heart” (p. 108).
Then in succeeding sections, Packer elaborates on two general comments. First, “ ‘God is love’ is not the complete truth about God so far as the Bible is concerned.” There is much more to His character than love. And second, “ ‘God is love’ is the complete truth about God so far as the Christian is concerned.” Everything He does for us as His children is driven by His infinitely perfect love. And then Packer expands on His own definition of the love of God. “God’s love is an exercise of His goodness towards individual sinners whereby, having identified Himself with their welfare, He has given His Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy Him in a covenant relation.”
This is a subject very much in need of clarification and explanation in today’s culture for three reasons. The first is that legalism tends to obscure God’s love by making one uncertain if God really loves us when we fall so far short of the law’s demands, succumbing to temptation so regularly. The second is that antinomianism tends to misrepresent God’s love as excusing our sin and making us carefree when it comes to fighting against temptation. And we must add to that , in the third place, the way liberalism (today we would call it not merely modernism, but progressivism) openly claims that God’s love is there for everyone regardless of their attitude toward Him, a view that generally leads to universalism. All of these errors we must resist.
What do find when we look for hymns about the love of God? Not surprisingly, a topic so vast and prominent in Scripture is reflected in many, many hymns. Check out the topical divisions in your hymnal at the Table of Contents to look for “The Love of God,” and then go in the back to the topical index to check out hymns about “The Love of God.” You will inevitably find more than you expected! Some of these will be classics, like “O Love of God, How Strong and True” and “The Love of God Is Greater Far.” Others will be newer songs, like Kurt Kaiser’s “O How He Loves You and Me” and Stuart Townend’s “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.”
Among the classics will probably be “Loved with Everlasting Love.” This 1876 hymn by George Wade Robinson (1838-1876) has a repeated concluding phrase based on the wonderful expressions in Song of Solomon 2:16, “My beloved is mine, and I am his” and in 6:3, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” Thus, the hymn is sometimes known best by that very phrase. It is also rooted in Colossians 3:3, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Born in Cork, Ireland, Robinson’s journey began in the emerald landscapes of his homeland. His pursuit of knowledge led him to the hallowed halls of Trinity College in Dublin, where the foundations of his theological understanding were laid. Seeking to broaden his horizons, Robinson crossed the Irish Sea to continue his studies at New College in London, further honing his intellectual and spiritual acumen.
Robinson’s calling to ministry saw him return to Irish soil, where he co-pastored the York Street Chapel in Dublin alongside William Urwick the elder. This partnership likely provided Robinson with valuable experience and insight into the life of a pastor. His journey then took him back to England again, where he tended to flocks in St. John’s Wood, Dudley, and finally at Union Chapel in Brighton. In each of these roles, one can imagine Robinson pouring out his heart in service, his poetic soul finding expression in both word and deed. Though the details of his ministry are scarce, the impact of a life dedicated to spiritual guidance cannot be understated.
It was in 1867 that Robinson gifted the world with “Lays of a Heart,” a collection of poetry that hinted at the depth of his spiritual reflections. Yet it was a single poem, penned near the end of his life, that would etch Robinson’s name in the chronicles of hymnody. “Loved with Everlasting Love,” also known as “I Am His and He Is Mine,” emerged in 1876, just one year before Robinson’s passing at the young age of only 39. The opening lines of this beloved hymn encapsulate the profound simplicity of Robinson’s faith in the “everlasting love” of God.”
He contributed five hymns to J. Leifchild’s “Original Hymns,” 1842. He published two volumes of poems, “Songs in God’s World” and “Loveland.” Little more is known about him, but his story reminds us that a life’s impact is not measured in years, but in the depth of its devotion and the reach of its influence. Through this heartfelt hymn, this Irish poet continues to touch lives, his words a bridge between earth and heaven, inviting all who sing them to rest in the assurance of being “His, and He is mine.”
In the 1990 “Trinity” hymnal the editorial committee enlisted Dr Edmund Clowney (President of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia) to make some theological revisions because of concerns that Robinson’s poetic expressions were a bit too exaggerated. Here is Clowney’s amended text of the hymn from that hymnal. Once again, singers ought to recognize to whom the words are addressed. This is a hymn that speaks as a testimony to others, both within and without the church, as well as to the Lord, of how precious His love is for those who belong to Him, who can say with confidence that “I am His, and He is mine.”
Stanza 1 sings of this wonderful love, and recognizes that it is a sovereign love in which God took the initiative to draw is to know that love, something that we would not have known had He not done so. Notice in how many ways Robinson has described the character of this love. It is everlasting, originating in grace, coming from Christ, conveying precious peace, and all divine. While the last line is repeated in each stanza, especially the phrase “I am His, and He is mine,” each stanza also employs a distinct quality or effect of that love, In stanza 1 it is that it cannot cease, something of which Paul assures us in Romans 8
Loved with everlasting love, drawn by grace that love to know,
Spirit sent from Christ above, thou dost witness it is so.
O this full and precious peace from His presence all divine;
In a love that cannot cease, I am Hi,s and He is mine;
In a love that cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine.
Stanza 2 is where we find poetic descriptions that we must remember are indeed poetry. To sing that heaven is “deeper blue” and that earth is “sweeter green” are expressions not unlike descriptions in the Psalms of rocks and trees singing. They remind us that when our hearts have been made new in our regeneration, everything around us becomes more wonderful as we become aware of the handiwork of our Savior, singing that “this is my Father’s world.” How sad that “Christless eyes” cannot see these beauties as we do. The melodious songs of birds are more lovely to our ears, and the explosions of color in summer flowers are more impressive when we know their Maker. In this stanza, the final phrase points to the confidence that we know for certain that these things are so, because we belong to Him.
Heav’n above is deeper blue, earth around is sweeter green,
That which grows in ever hue Christless eyes have never seen.
Birds in song His glories show, flow’rs with richer beauties shine
Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine;
Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine.
Stanza 3 at first sounds like it is addressed to others to come and “taste the goodness of the Lord” (Psalm 34:8), but the next lines suggest that in this we will be singing to ourselves, something that the Psalms encourage us to do, as in Psalm 103, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” We need to regularly remind ourselves about this wonderful love which has welcomed us home to His embrace. It’s in this stanza that Robinson connects this divine love to “the cross of Calvary.” It is not a merely pleasant sentiment, but the propitiatory sacrifice in blood that “seals the pardon of His grace.” And how valuable is the challenge to our own soul that we should never doubt His love” when we have seen such dramatic proof of it at the cross.
Taste the goodness of the Lord: welcomed home to His embrace,
All His love as blood outpoured seals the pardon of His grace.
Can I doubt His love for me when I trace that love’s design?
By the cross of Calvary I am His, and He is mine;
By the cross of Calvary I am His, and He is mine.
Stanza 4 builds to a joyful conclusion that we who know this everlasting love can live in anticipation of that future bliss that will be ours when united to our Savior. As the hymn has already announced, this closeness with the Lord is not something that can ever be stolen from our hearts, however much Satan may try. We are “His forever,” and nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from that love (Romans 8:31-19). “Heav’n and earth may fade and flee, first born light in gloom decline, but I will always be His and He will always be mine!” However dark my circumstances may appear, that bond is unbreakable.
His forever, only His – who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart.
Heav’n and earth may fade and flee, firstborn light in gloom decline,
But while God and I shall be, I am His, and He is mine;
But while God and I shall be, I am His, and He is mine.
The music for Robinson’s hymn, EVERLASTING LOVE, was composed in 1890 by James Mountain (1844-1933). Born at Leeds, Yorkshire, England, he attended Gainford Academy, Rotherham College, Nottingham Institute, and Chestnut College. He became pastor at Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Leaving the ministry due to ill health, he conducted evangelistic campaigns in Britain (2874-1882) and worldwide (1882-1899). An author, he wrote a number of books. He published two hymnbooks, “Hymns of Consecration and Faith” and “Sacred Songs for Missions, Prayer, and Praise Meetings” (1876). He died at Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Here is a link to the song, with lyrics closer to the original.