The Everlasting Love of God
’Twas with an everlasting love
That God his own elect embraced;
Before he made the worlds above,
Or earth on her huge columns placed.
Long ere the sun’s refulgent ray
Primeval shades of darkness drove,
They on his sacred bosom lay,
Loved with an everlasting love.
Then in the glass of his decrees,
Christ and his bride appeared as one;
Her sin, by imputation, his,
Whilst she in spotless splendour shone.
O love, how high thy glories swell!
How great, immutable, and free!
Ten thousand sins, as black as hell,
Are swallowed up, O love, in thee!
[Loved, when a wretch defiled with sin,
At war with heaven, in league with hell,
A slave to every lust obscene;
Who, living, lived but to rebel.]
Believer, here thy comfort stands –
From first to last salvation’s free,
And everlasting love demands
An everlasting song from thee.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jer. 31:3, ESV). With these words, God comforts His covenant people, assuring them that His love is not fickle, not shifting like shadows, but eternal and steadfast. J. Kent’s hymn, The Everlasting Love of God, beautifully traces this reality, reminding us that our salvation rests not in our grip upon God, but in His unchanging grip upon us.
Love Before Time Began
The hymn begins by taking us back before creation itself:
“’Twas with an everlasting love / That God his own elect embraced; / Before he made the worlds above, / Or earth on her huge columns placed.”
This echoes Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:4, that God “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world.” Before the sun first shed its light, before Adam drew his breath, God’s love was already set upon His people. Our place in His heart is not an afterthought, but an eternal decree rooted in His sovereign grace.
United to Christ
Verse three brings the mystery of election into sharp relief:
“Then in the glass of his decrees, / Christ and his bride appeared as one; / Her sin, by imputation, his, / Whilst she in spotless splendour shone.”
Here is the heart of the gospel. Christ took the sins of His bride upon Himself, bearing them at the cross, so that she, washed in His righteousness, might shine in holiness. As Paul writes, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). The eternal love of God is not sentimental or vague, but it is anchored in the saving work of Christ.
A Love That Conquers Sin
Verse four bursts into praise:
“O love, how high thy glories swell! / How great, immutable, and free! / Ten thousand sins, as black as hell, / Are swallowed up, O love, in thee!”
This stanza captures the wonder of grace. The blackest sins are no match for God’s love. Romans 5:20 declares, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” No believer is beyond His mercy, for Christ’s blood cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
Comfort for the Believer
The closing verse directs us to our response:
“Believer, here thy comfort stands – / From first to last salvation’s free, / And everlasting love demands / An everlasting song from thee.”
The love that began before time continues through all of life and will never let go. From first to last, salvation is of grace, not works. The believer’s comfort is secure, and the fitting response is worship and an everlasting song lifted to the One whose love will never end.
A Word for Today
In a world where love often feels conditional and fleeting, this hymn grounds us in what is eternal and immovable: the everlasting love of God. Christian, your comfort today is not in your strength, your performance, or your stability. Your comfort rests in this: God loved you before the world began, He loves you now in Christ, and He will love you forever.
Let us then sing with confidence, for as Kent reminds us, everlasting love demands an everlasting song.
