"The Perfect Love of Christ" by John Long: Mercy That Draws Us Near

(By Jasper Tan) It's the "love month" already, and there's no other way to celebrate it best but to remember the greatest lover of all, Jesus Christ. In John Long's CCM Folk song "The Perfect Love of Christ", John emotionally sings about how overwhelming it is to be loved by Jesus. All that He did for us is something that we cannot easily replicate, yet we usually take it for granted in favor of other earthly pleasures. We always want to say that we love someone, yet we can't fully back it up with a love that is pure. Because often than not, there's still a piece of our selfishness residing in our hearts. But Jesus does not have that. His love is selfless and always puts others' welfare before Himself. For how can He still love the sinners that wronged Him? That mocked Him and took away His life? As John emotionally sings these lines, "Oh my God, how could it be? That You would love me, That You would hold, That You would take the ones that killed the Son of God and adopt them," you'd be choked up in tears if you are able to internalize the magnitude of that love. All we need is Christ's Perfect Love. 

I love how the soaring and grandiose melodies blend so well with John's emotionally charged vocalization of the song. There's a storytelling quality here that draws you in to internalize and come to understand this love that Jesus has given us. My favorite part is when he starts singing these lines, "How deep, how wide, Is the perfect love of Christ? How deep, how wide Is Your love? How deep, how wideIs the perfect love of Christ? How deep, how wide Is Your love?" These lines are just so beautiful, how these questions just put us in awe as we behold the grandiosity of Jesus love. Do we understand how beautiful this love is? Are we willing to understand it more? And if we do, are we willing to give it and share it with another in this world? These are the questions that are running through my mind after listening to the song. If only we appreciate how much Jesus loves us and do not take this for granted, maybe we can change the world for the better. They say don't be a martyr for love. But I ask, why not? Didn't Jesus show us the way?

(Related scripture: Luke 23:34; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 3:18)

Connect with John Long

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnleslielong/
• Facebook: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnlongofficial
• Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnlongofficial

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