For several weeks Theology 101 has used the imagery of the Church as the Body of Christ as a way of thinking about some aspects of ecclesiology or the doctrine of the Church. This week we pick up another of the biblical analogies — the bride of Christ.
This analogy appears in Scripture when the Bible speaks of Christian husbands and wives, and Ephesians 5:22–33 elevates this imagery to the relationship between Christ and the Church: “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (v. 32). In a similar manner, the Book of Revelation uses imagery of marriage to speak of the eternal relationship of Christ and the Church, saying in 19:7, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Additionally, Revelation 21:9 holds heavenly invitation, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
Basic to this imagery is the fact that the relationship between Christ and the Church is one of mutual covenant commitment. Christ’s commitment is evidenced by His saving death, as stated in Ephesians 5:25: “Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her.” As later noted in that passage, His commitment to the Church includes cherishing and nourishing it. The word for “nourishing” not only suggests feeding it, but also conveys the idea of heating or keeping warm. We sometimes speak of a local church being cold or a fellowship being warm. Christ’s presence by His Spirit is the warming factor — He makes the difference between spiritual coldness or warmth.
In return for Christ’s ministry to His bride, the Church’s response should be one of faithful commitment, which receives various expressions in the New Testament. For example, 2 Corinthians 11:1–3 describes the Church as betrothed to Christ, and as befits a pure bride, the Church must always aspire to offer Him sincere and pure devotion.
In the Ephesians 5 passage, we see that like a wife faithful to her husband, the Church should always seek to give to Christ its full subjection and devotion, even as He gave His ultimate love and sacrifice for it. The heart desire of every congregation should be to aspire to become “holy and without blemish,” since that is Christ’s goal for His bride.
The Church presently is a bride in the making — readying herself for a wonderful future, making her ambition to reflect something of the future glory that awaits us as the bride of Christ.
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