The Bride of Christ

The stories at the beginning of our Bibles declare that God's intention for humankind was (and indeed still is) to live in a relationship of trust, obedience, and dependence on God, exercising dominion (which implies care) over the earth. For this we are created.

'Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." ' 

Genesis 1:26

Whatever science may have to say about origins, the question of purpose is outside its terms of reference, since that cannot be investigated by scientific methods. It is something that only God our creator can tell us.

The goal of God's purposes, revealed in scripture and promised to Abraham, is for the whole world, every nation, to experience His blessing as we steward the world in which we live.

'Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." '

Genesis 12:1-3

This promise was repeated twice in Genesis 15 and 17. In our New Testament, Paul gave an update with additional detail in his letter to the Ephesians showing that it has, in fact, cosmic dimensions.

'...the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.'

Ephesians 1:10

This has not happened yet, but it will in the fullness of time. In our present age with its mixture of progress and problems, joys and suffering, we have God's promise to hold on to patiently.

'For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.'

Romans 8:18-25

This is God's purpose and plan. A day is coming when creation will be set free from its bondage and all things in heaven and earth will be reconciled to God and united in Christ. Cosmic reconciliation and cosmic union. 

At the very heart of this vision of a glorious future lies our personal and corporate relationship with Jesus Christ and one of the most beautiful pictures of this relationship in the New Testament is the bride of Christ in preparation. It is something that Jesus, Paul and John spoke about.

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In John's Gospel, chapter 2, the very first miracle that is recorded is the turning of water into wine at a wedding in Cana, in Galilee. It is not a public display of power, but for those who heard about it a powerful pointer to a coming new age of spirit-empowered transformation and a Messianic banquet. Jesus is giving a sign to those who have eyes to see it that He is the "bridegroom". It is a theme for prayerful meditation.

On a later occasion, Luke records Jesus' answer to a question about why John the Baptist's disciples fasted while His did not. This time He was more direct and explicit about His bridegroom-identity. 

'And they said to him, "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink." And Jesus said to them, "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days." '

Luke 5:33-5

Luke also recorded Jesus? parable of the wedding feast, another pointer in the same direction.  In Paul's letter to the Ephesians (again) he drew practical lessons on marriage relationships by pointing to the relationship between Christ and the Church - His bride in preparation. It is a model for husbands and wives today as well as a pointer to the future.

'Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.'

Ephesians 5:25-32

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The image of the bride, without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish is rich and full of associations and layers of meaning.

First, the image of the bride speaks of intimacy.  Intimacy involves conversation, speaking and listening.  It speaks of spending time together, unhurried and receptive. Spending time with Jesus and pondering His words in reverential contemplation are the ways we tune our hearts to His. Worship and the desire to please Him is the natural outcome. This is a million miles away from 'shopping-list' praying.

Second, the image of the bride speaks of purity. The church in preparation puts away all mixed motives and agendas. The Old Testament record of Solomon is a powerful counter example of divided loyalties and multiple allegiances.  Purity comes as we allow God to purge our hearts of competing and conflicting affections. Often, it is times of suffering and challenge, that God uses to refine our hearts just as metals such as silver and gold are refined by intense heat. This is most especially important for leaders where personal ambition seeds to be rooted out and replaced with a servant heart.

Third, the image of a bride speaks of devotion. One bridegroom and one bride in an exclusive relationship. In King Solomon's age, nations survived and prospered through multiple political allegiances and 'marriages'. That is the way it was then and Solomon reaped the consequences. Not so with the Bride of Christ although, sadly, the history of the Christian Church took a strongly negative turn in the fourth century when it became institutionalised and politicised. Before that time, being a Christian had been very costly. After that time, it was convenient.  The challenge for the Bride of Christ today, is to recover and maintain that exclusive first love and as Jesus prayed, to be in the world but not of the world.

'I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.'

John 17:14-16

To mention the church at Ephesus one more time, towards the end of the first century when John wrote one of his seven letters to them, their devotion had significantly declined. Despite their strong record in certain areas, they had lost their spiritual passion.

"I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."

Revelation 2:2-7

So, this image of the church as the bride of Christ, intimate, pure and devoted, is a powerful one and very helpful to keep us on track.

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And of course, with every bride and bridegroom goes a wedding and a wedding feast! The final chapters of the book of Revelation paint a picture of the final abolition of all evil followed by the wedding of the lamb with Jesus Christ, the bridegroom.

'Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.)Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God." ' 

Revelation 19:6-9

Preceded by a kaleidoscope of images in chapters 20 and 21: the Lamb, the Lord God Almighty, the Holy City with walls, gates, and angels, a 'holy of holy' cube of cosmic proportions, with jewels and precious jewels, gates of pearl, streets paved in gold like transparent glass, the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, the final chapter of our Bibles records the 'walk up the aisle'. Don't try to put it all together in your head. It doesn't work like that! The New Jerusalem (city) is a bride (people)! Just know that something is coming that defies description and is beyond our wildest imaginations. It will be '...beautiful beyond description, too marvellous for words!' 

'Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." ' 

Revelation 21:1-4

Chris Moffett