May 23, 2022 (Monday)
“Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:9).
“The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure” (Rev. 19:7-8).
“For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:12).
“‘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” (Eph. 5:31-32).
The “Bride of Christ” is a metaphor. God has given us many metaphors in the Bible to explain the relationship we enter when we are saved. Christians are called the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, the children of God, the Shepherd’s sheep, the Teacher’s disciples, the Master’s bondservants, the stones of God’s house, the workers in God’s field, the subjects of the King, the citizens of Heaven, and still more.
My research on “Bride of Christ” reveals many scholarly works that apply Jewish marriage customs and rules to this subject. But I believe, and I am no scholar at all, that all the references to our being a part of a bride whose bridegroom is Christ is not necessarily intended to introduce ancient marriage customs into a relationship that is sweetly compared to a couple deeply in love with each other experiencing their honeymoon. It is sufficient for me to understand that the relationship of a young bride and husband deeply in love pictures the relationship into which we have entered with Jesus Christ as our Savior. He is the one who has loved us so much that He went to the Cross in our place. He literally “died for me,” and for you. Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down his life to save another.
The word, “bridegroom,” is used only when speaking of someone who just got married. Do you remember the love that captivated and captured your every thought when you first married the love of your life? It is that feeling of total commitment that Christ has for us and wants us to have for Him.
We should be able to sing happily, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before; every day with Jesus I love Him more and more. Jesus saves and keeps me, and He’s the One I’m living for; every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before!” These thoughts and feelings are what I believe being a part of the “Bride of Christ” should mean to us.
Yes, this subject goes along with other teachings about the Second Coming of Christ, the resurrection, the new body, the marriage supper of the Lamb, and much more, but I believe that you and I should be overjoyed to be part of the Bride of Christ (the church) right now.
We sing hymns that express our love for the Lord. One of those hymns is, “Oh, How I Love Jesus.” There are nine verses to this hymn, but only four are printed here. We love to sing about loving the Lord.
To believers, the name of Jesus is the sweetest name on earth. The mention of His name stirs our hearts to praise Him, expressing thanks for His incredible love for us all.
Theme for this week: What Is the Church Like?
1. Monday May 23 The church is like a bride
2. Tuesday May 24 The church is like a family
3. Wednesday May 25 The church is like a building
4. Thursday May 26 The church is like an organism
5. Friday May 27 The church is like an organized organism