The Image and Idea of the Bride of Christ
By Jerry Sterchi
While it is true that there are no references in Paul's epistles which would clearly teach that the church, which is his body, is also called the 'Bride', there are references which come very close to this image and idea concerning a relationship of Christ and those in the Body.
Consider this : In II Cor 11:2, Paul states that he likens himself to a father who presents the church of/at Corinth as a 'betrothed' ( RSV)( NEB), as a 'fiancee ( Phillips ), as 'espoused' ( KJV) to her one husband.( man). In this imagery, Christ is the one to whom Paul says he wants to present this church/fiancée/bride. NOW, if Paul uses this imagery for the church at Corinth, could it not be used for the church at Rome, Ephesus, Colosse, Thessalonica, Berea and the 'churches' of Galatia ?? Could we stretch this further, and say if it could apply to all these churches, could it apply to ALL of them at once, as representative of the church, which is his Body ( of which all of these churches were a part) ?? I think we could and should.
Now we also know from Paul that he takes the O.T. image and idea of the word temple and uses it to picture a relationship that the believer has, as an individual, the local church has, and also the church which is his Body. In the O.T. , God dwelt in the holy of holies. Paul states that the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer ( I Cor. 6:19-20) and in the church ( I Cor. 3:16-17 ) and in the church, which is his body ( Eph. 2:19-22). In each of these three instances, the image and idea concerning the word 'temple', has a relationship that is true.
Could not this relationship (concerning a bridegroom and his bride) also be applied to believers of this dispensation ???
Paul certainly comes very close to this image and idea in Romans 7:1-6. Here, a woman in a marriage relationship, is loosed from that relationship, when the husband dies. NOW, she is free to marry again. Paul likens the Roman believers to this woman, who is free from the law.
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the
Body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to HIM
WHO IS RAISED FROM THE DEAD….
Whenever we hear of a marriage, do we not also have the image and idea of a bride ?
In Ephesians 5:21-33, we just don't have the word "bride'. But we certainly have the image and idea in that context.
5:31- For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall
be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Notice if you would, that every wife is a bride. Every wife is a bride for awhile, at the beginning of the marriage. Does the word 'bride' have to be in this context, to be there at all ?? Give me a break !!
As Paul brings the topic of the wonderful relationship of husband and wife before these readers in Eph. 5:21-33, he speaks about how this relationship functions and works.
Before any wedding there is the bride. After pronouncing a couple as man and wife, we still have the 'bride' .
What we have in this wonderful portion of Scripture is the teaching that wives and husbands, husbands and wives, brides and grooms, grooms and brides have as their greatest example and pattern, the relationship that The Lord Jesus Christ and the church, which is his body have together.
The best example of a bride and groom is Christ and His church. Make no mistake about this. Don't be sidetracked by some teaching that in Eph. 4:12-14, an imagery and idea speaks about the body of Christ as being a perfect/complete man. There is a very good reason why this word 'man' is used here. But it is not good Bible teaching to take it out of this context and contrast it with any arguments concerning why the church which is his body, could not have any imagery or idea in another context ( like Eph. 5:21-33) which might suggest a comparison of Christ and His Church with husbands, wives, grooms and brides.
The contrast in Eph. 4:12-14 is between the perfect man and the children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men. Both the 'man' and the 'children' are under the heading of the common word for man, human, woman, child, which is 'anthropos' in the original. It has no teaching to give concerning the make-up of the body of Christ ( 4:12 ) as to whether it is a man versus a bride or woman or wife. The body of Christ (4:12) in this context, could be 'children', if tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, but are exhorted to be grown ups, to be what children are to develop into, in the growth and maturity stages until they measure up to the stature of a man-hood stage of development.
While there is no Scripture where we find these three words, BRIDE OF CHRIST, we do have the teachings of Paul which make these four words,
CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH
being used in Eph. 5:21-33 as the example for the relationship of husband and bride and/or husband and wife, to be followed. So, whether His church is or is not found in Scripture to be 'Bride of Christ' , all wives and brides, husbands and grooms are here in this passage taught that the relationship of Christ AND the Church is the SAME KIND OF RELATIONSHIP THAT THEY ALL SHOULD HAVE.
There would be no reason to take out of the wedding words, such sayings as
" Let wives be subject to their husbands"
if wives knew they had a husband who would
"love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church"
"and gave himself for it"
There is some sorry kind of 'teaching' that impersonates real Bible teaching, which says something like this :
If Christ is the Jehovah of the Old Testament, and Israel is said to be His 'wife', then Christ could not have the church as his 'bride' because that would be spiritual adultery.
This is nonsense, not Bible teaching. The Bible is full of expressions, which are intended to help inform, educate and enlighten the reader. This we call anthropomorphic expressions. God has taken the words, ideas, images and figures of man's speech to communicate to man, God's will, thoughts and plans.
I reject any teaching that says the Bible teaches that the Church, which is Christ's Body is also His Bride.
I also reject anyone telling me, I may be out of order or unscriptural for using Eph. 5:21-33 as a basic text to show brides and grooms, husbands and wives that Christ and His Church are their true examples for successful marriage. So, Christ and His Church are NOT found in the Bible as the Bride of Christ, and even though this is true, Christ and His Church are still the best examples to teach how 'brides' and 'grooms', husbands and wives to live together successfully.
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