The Church as the Bride of Christ

In the Gospels, Jesus is often referred to as the bridegroom (Jn 3:28-30; Matt 25:1-13).

In the rest of the New Testament, Jesus is the groom & the church is the bride (Rom. 7:1-4; 2 Cor 11:2; Eph. 5:22-33; Rev 19:7; Rev 21:2).

What are the implications of this image?

This Image Shows a High View of Christ

In the Old Testament, the Israelite nation is often pictured as God’s wife. Is 54:5; Jer 3:14; Hos 2:19.

Because God was married to Israel, paganism among the Israelites was regarded as adultery (Judg 2:17; Ezek 6:9).

New Testament writers applied Old Testament images of God to Christ. E.g., “Lord.”

The only way writers could do this is if Jesus is divine.

When Jesus forgave a paralytic, the scribes said to themselves, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mk 2:7).

On another occasion, when Jesus claimed to be divine, the Jews “took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple” (Jn 8:59).

Saying that Jesus is the bridegroom of the church is

saying He is divine.

This Image Shows the Son’s Love

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Eph 5:25).

Jesus has intense love for His people. Rom. 8:35-39.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn 3:16).

Throughout His ministry, Jesus showed His love in practical ways. When two men called out to be healed, “Jesus had

compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him” (Matt 20:34).

Lk 7:12-15.

“Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1).

Because Jesus has loved His people, we need to exhibit love. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have

love for one another” (Jn 13:35).

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12).

“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1 Pet 1:22).

This Image Shows the Son’s Headship

Eph 5:22-24.

The church has every reason to submit to Christ: Jesus said that He would build the church (Mt. 16:18).

Jesus is the One who redeemed the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

God the Father gave Jesus an exalted position.

He gave Him that exalted position over all creation (Phil. 2:9-11).

He also gave Him that exalted position over the church (Eph 1:22).

Important consequences of the Son’s headship: The church is not a democracy.

We need to submit ourselves to Christ.

This Image Shows the Commitment of Christians

In this world, marriage is a permanent relationship. Jesus taught that adultery was the only reason one could

acceptably divorce and remarry (Matt 19:9).

If a woman “marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man” (Rom 7:3).

Likewise, the relationship we enter into with Christ as our bridegroom is a permanent one. “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back,

is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:62).

“Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Heb 10:38).

Let us commit ourselves to Christ!

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