One of the sermons from Jonathan Edwards' Charity and Its Fruits is Divine Love Alone Lasts Eternally. It is Edwards' explanation and application of the simple statement "Love never ends" (1 Cor. 13:8). The short quote below provides a taste of the sermon and a picture of the power of God's eternal love. It has been updated for today's readers. Edwards' original is reproduced at bottom for easy comparison. The sermon can be read online at The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University.
One day the world as we know it will come to an end. Christ’s church as a collective body will settle into its last, most complete, and eternal state. At that time, divine love will still never fail. All the common gifts of the Spirit, such as common convictions of sin and illuminations of the mind, will cease for eternity. But love never will. Love will be brought to its most glorious perfection within every individual member of the whole elect church. Within every heart, the love that was but a little spark will be blown up into a massive flame. Every holy soul will be, as it were, all ablaze with divine love. And it will remain this way—in this glorious state of perfection—throughout all eternity.
Edwards' Original:
And at the end of the world, when the church of Christ shall be settled in its last and most complete and eternal state, and all common gifts, common convictions and illuminations shall be eternally at an end, yet then divine love shall not fail, but be brought to its most glorious perfection in every individual member of the whole elect church: when in every heart that love, which was but a spark, shall be blown up to a flame, and every holy soul shall be as it were all a flame of divine love, and shall remain in this glorious perfection throughout all eternity.
