The Faithful Bride of Christ

When we become a believer through Christ, we are married to Him. God married us! Read Jer 3:14 "Turn, O backsliding children, said the LORD; for I am married to you". One thing I know about God is He is the faithful Husband!

The Church is called the "Bride of Christ" (Eph 5:31-32). Indeed the New Jerusalem is likened to "a Bride adorned for her Husband" (Rev 21:2, 9)

Mat 22:1-22 depicts the entire relationship of Israel being the first of the "Bride" to be invited to the "wedding feast of the Lamb" (which is based on Jewish wedding ceremony), yet many chose not to attend. Indeed some of the Groom's bondservants sent out to invite Her were killed by those invited! More bondservants were then sent out to invite everyone else that would come from the streets (Gentiles). However, the one who attended, not adorned for the Groom, was cast out. Do you see the correlation?

It is a well-known fact that, more often than not, marriages are troubled because of some other thing that became more important than the love relationship between the husband and wife.

I looked up the top ten reasons for divorce in our culture today, and how they may correlate in affecting our relationship with God, our "Husband":

1. Infidelity: Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

2. Substance abuse: 2 Pet 2:9 "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations." 1 Cor 15:33 "Do not be misled; bad company corrupts good character."

3. Physical/sexual/emotional abuse: John 8:36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." Eph 4:26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry."

4. Inability to manage or resolve conflict: Eph 2:14 "For He himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility."

5. Differences in personal and career goals: Mat 6:24 "You cannot serve both God and Money." Mat 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

6. Differences regarding household tasks and financial problems: Gal 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ." Rom 13:8 "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another."

7. Intellectual incompatibility and inflexibility: 1 Cor 1:25 "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom." Rom 8:14 "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."

8. Mental instability or mental illness: 2 Tim 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

9. Religious beliefs: Mat 15:9 "Their worship of me is empty, because they teach human rules as doctrines." Mark 7:8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."

10. Cultural and lifestyle differences: Gal 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

The First Commandment given by God is this: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exo 20:3)

Marriage is a covenant; likewise when Jesus Christ made a New Covenant in His blood, it's because the Bride broke the Old Covenant with Him.

"'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a Husband to them,' declares the LORD." (Jer 31:31-32)

"Yet I have been the LORD your God since the land of Egypt; and you were not to know any god except Me, for there is no Savior besides Me." (Hos 13:4)

God wants His bride to be FAITHFUL. Idolatry of any form is the same as adultery/fornication when it comes to our marriage relationship with God! John 8:41 states, "'You are doing the deeds of your father [Satan].' They said to Him, 'We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.'" (John 8:41)

Gal 5:19-20 "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are...idolatry..."

Col 3:5 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Some may not consider the Church as the Bride of Christ; if not, then why would God call us "adulteresses", even in the New Covenant: James 4:4 "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

The Mystery in Ephesians 5:22-33

“Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. “ This chapter goes on to say how a husband and wife should treat each other, but the passage is summed up in verse 32 “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church”. Therefore, if we re-read that passage and wherever the word “wife” is used, use the word “Church”, and wherever the word “husband” is used, use the word “Christ”, we would get a better understanding of this “mystery”.

It would read like this:

“The Church ought to be subject to Christ in everything. Christ loves His Church, as He gave Himself up for Her, that He might sanctify Her, having cleansed Her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that She should be holy and blameless. So Christ loves the Church as His own body because we are members of His body. For this cause, Christ left His Father to cleave unto the Church, and they shall become one.”

If you've read this hub and realize that, as one who's never entered into the marriage with God through Jesus Christ, or perhaps you are a child of God that has been unfaithful (and you are ready to repent), there is RECONCILIATION through Christ's FORGIVENESS.

1 Cor 7:11 (speaking of human marriage) "but if she does leave, she can be reconciled to her husband, and that the husband should not divorce his wife."

Col 1:22 (speaking of spiritual marriage) "He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--"

Jesus Christ made His Bride holy and blameless, without spot or wrinkle, however, the sin (missing the mark) of idolatry deeply affects our relationship with Him because we are not being a faithful Bride in our everyday walk with Him. If you want to dwell in a beautiful relationship with your Lord, be faithful as His Spirit lives in you. Eph 4:30: "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

For more on our relationship with our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, I invite you to read my hub The LORD, Whose Name is JEALOUS!  Be BLESSED!  He loves you with a jealous love, beloved of God!