THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

 

In a recent series called "The Church From God's Perspective", we mentioned several scriptural names used to describe the Church that Jesus has been in the process of building for some 2000 years. Here is another word used by writers of the NT to try to describe the Church. The problem for most people with using a "Bride" as a word to describe the Body of Christ is our cultural understanding of a bride. We naturally think of a bride as a beautiful young lady in her "prime" years, dressed in white to represent her purity, who has made herself ready to be joined to her groom to become a "one flesh" couple. From this paradigm it is very difficult to imagine a bride as being composed of a "great multitude" of people "from every nation and tribe and people and language" (Rev 7:9)! Then in (Rev 21:9), this completed Church, the "New Jerusalem" is described to John as being the "the bride, the wife of the Lamb"!!

 

It would seem that this has always been the desire of the Father from day one, to have a suitable marriage partner for His Son Jesus. Ever since the first Adam sinned by disobeying the direct command of God in the Garden of Eden, the Father set in motion His plan to remedy this situation. As we described in the other series, this involved establishing a special nation from which the Messiah could be introduced to humanity. This of course required Jesus to take on human form in the womb of Mary, a young virgin maiden from the "chosen people" (Israel), in order to become the "Lamb of God" that would take away the sin of the world. Jesus became the "last Adam" (1 Cor 15:45), who was the perfect man, and the only one who was able to "reverse the curse" brought into creation by the first Adam.

 

Paul was the man God chose to reveal this great mystery about the Church. In his various letters to the early churches we learn what God wants us to know about this mystery. In (Eph 5:25-33), in the context of describing the relationship between husbands and wives, we have a beautiful picture of the Church, "as a glorious Church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault." For those of us who have been associated with various local churches from different denominations, this is almost impossible to imagine! What will God have to do to get us ready for Jesus to come back to receive us as "His Bride"?? How about persecution, or "great tribulation", as a starter?

Sincerely submitted.

DaveJamer