About this episode

This episode explores the love and loveliness of Christ as emphasized in the letters of Samuel Rutherford.

In this episode of The Whole Counsel Podcast, Dr. John Snyder returns to the letters of Samuel Rutherford to consider a central theme of his writings, the love and loveliness of Christ. Drawing from The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thompson, this episode highlights Rutherford’s emphasis on experiential Christianity, where truth is not only understood but lived. Rutherford presents Christ as beyond comparison, infinitely full and endlessly satisfying. His letters illustrate both the greatness of Christ’s love and our incapability of expressing it. Yet Christ remains an inexhaustible well, never diminished by the needs of his people. He also reminds us that Christ himself is the glory of heaven, the one who makes eternity desirable. As reflected in the hymn by Anne Cousin (The Sands of Time Are Sinking), the focus is not the crown, but the King. Next week, we will consider Rutherford’s teaching on suffering and the cross in light of Christ’s surpassing worth. Show Notes Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thomson…

Topics covered

• love of Christ
• experiential Christianity
• Samuel Rutherford
• Christianity
• suffering
• the cross
• eternity

More episodes of The Whole Counsel

• Letters of Samuel Rutherford VIII: Make Your Choice · May 28, 2026 · 24 min
• Letters of Samuel Rutherford VII: When Christ Comes with a Cross · May 21, 2026 · 27 min

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