The Bride (Ephesians 5:25-27)

Have you ever heard the phrase, "He holds his wife on a pedestal"? I wonder where that comes from. Husbands, is that a fair description of how we treat our wives? How do you act toward them when no one is looking? What about when things aren’t going your way?

In our society, the notion of wives holding their husbands up "on a pedestal" might sound preposterous. But, wives, how do you treat your husbands? How do you act toward them when no one is looking or when others are looking?

These are two very important sets of questions. They help us prepare our minds for today's study. I don’t ask these questions to shame you. You see, we all fall short in our marriages. But our primary study will revolve around Christ and His Ekklesia, His church.

Perhaps you already know that the church is called the Bride of Christ. But we are going to look more deeply into what that means. Then, we will think about how that affects our attitude and behavior in response to this image. So, if you thought about tuning out because you aren’t married, please tune back in, because everyone in Christ is married to Christ in a sense. Let’s discover what that means.

What Does It Mean For Christ To Be Our Husband?

Ephesians 5:25–27 (ESV) — 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

This is a central passage for us to study. It reveals that the church, the group of people saved by Jesus, is considered by Him to be His bride. The text equates what Jesus did for us with the greatest act of romantic love ever shown. He sacrificially gave himself up to beautify and cleanse His bride, preparing her to join Him in a covenant relationship forever.

Notice how the text is emphatic on this point. It repeats this idea over and over again, saying, "That he might sanctify her," "Having cleansed her," "That he might present the church to himself in splendor," "Without spot or wrinkle or any such thing," "That she might be holy and without blemish." Paul keeps driving this home. Jesus did not only die to save us. He died to cleanse us from every spot and blemish.

Think about this idea a little bit. Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, loved us enough to clean us up and beautify us so that we could join Him where He is, as His Bride. How did He do that? He gave himself up. He let men torture and kill Him on a cross. He didn’t suffer and die on the cross to gain more power. He did it to give us beauty, power, and eternal life.

If you were reading this for the first time, you might not recognize that this was God’s plan all along. We could dive into books like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Hosea to see how God has loved Israel even though they have been unfaithful. He was married to them in a sense, but they were unfaithful. Take Hosea 2, for example—God says through the prophet, “In that day, you will call me ‘My Husband,’” promising to take Israel back despite her chasing after idols. He says, “I will betroth you to me forever… in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and mercy.” Even then, He planned to renew His marriage covenant with the people of the Messiah, the church. He foretold of a great wedding banquet and providing His bride with the forgiveness and cleansing that she needed.

When we look at the Gospels, we see John the Baptizer come in, calling Jesus the bridegroom. He is the "friend of the bridegroom," or the best man in our vernacular. In Jewish culture, this was the man who would set everything up for the bridegroom. That’s why John keeps telling people to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. He is preparing for the ultimate cleansing that was to come. Listen to what he said to his disciples in John 3.

John 3:29–30 (ESV) — 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Jesus calls himself the bridegroom on multiple occasions. He turns water to wine, signifying the coming of the wedding feast. He says that His disciples do not fast because the bridegroom is with them. Plus, He teaches a parable about the coming bridegroom and the ten virgins, five of whom were prepared for His coming and five were not.

All of these pictures and many more point to this idea: Jesus sees himself as a loving husband who provides for all the needs of His bride and sacrificially lays down His life to cleanse her.

Do you see Jesus this way? Do you understand what His purpose was in dying for us? He wants the whole church to be beautiful, clean, sanctified, holy, and without blemish. Now, let me ask you, "Do you see the church in this way?"

What Does It Mean For Us To Be The Bride?

It might sound odd for us to say that we are the bride. Guys, you might not like being called the Bride of Christ. But remember that we are also called the temple and many other things, which are intended to help us see our relationship in the right way. The bride image is a corporate image that shows how our relationship with Christ functions, with Him as our Head and provider. It is good news that the one over all is in love with us.

In the marriage relationship, we have two different people committing to love one another for the rest of their lives. It’s a vow to be devoted to one another above everyone else. The two become as one person, "bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh." They each give up control of themselves and their desires to provide for the needs and desires of the other.

Problems arise in marriage when one side says, "I don’t want to meet your needs," or "I want you to meet needs that are unreasonable or impossible to meet," or when we refuse to treat one another with grace, respect, and compassion. These issues are part of nearly every marriage problem. They are struggling to fulfill their vows.

This picture helps us understand what it means that the church is the Bride of Christ. I asked, "Do you see the church as holy, without blemish, etc.?" If it’s got glaring issues, the problem is a failure to fulfill the vow on our part. Listen to what Paul says to the wife.

Ephesians 5:22–24 (ESV) — 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

The church is called to be the wife in the relationship. We are called to submit to Jesus’ leadership. He determines how our family will live and thrive. We might not like His wishes from our own perspective, but we respect them and love them because we love and admire His sacrificial service for us. He is worthy of honor and respect because He is the good husband.

Do you understand that this is what God has been trying to do since the beginning of time? He wants us to trust and love Him. Now, He has given us Jesus so we can more fully understand His love and see why we ought to submit our lives to Him. In the past, God has experienced tremendous heartache at the hands of His unfaithful people. They loved this world and the things that brought them temporary pleasure more than they loved God. He talks about His heartache repeatedly in the prophets.

Failure Is Not An Option

In the New Testament, we see that betrayal is still possible. The church can willfully reject her husband and become adulterous. So, we must be on guard. Rebellion, defiance, and spiritual adultery are all still possible for the church to commit. Listen to these words from James and think about them in the context of how the church lives as a Bride of Christ.

James 4:1–10 (ESV) — 1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

James calls his readers adulterous people because chasing satisfaction in the world is like spiritual adultery. As the church, we are supposed to be in a deep and sincere love relationship with Christ. He’s supposed to be our source of satisfaction. We are supposed to submit to Him with complete devotion and reject the idols of this world. We don’t live greedy, sexually immoral, proud, or worldly lives.

Now, from this perspective, how clean do you see Christ’s church? How pure, undefiled, and unblemished is it? It’s struggling, isn’t it? Thankfully, He gives us more grace. That’s what a wife wants from her husband: tenderness, gentleness, patience, and care. Jesus is the good husband who is seeking to build us up and cleanse us through the washing of water in baptism, but also through the Word. The only way the church will become what God wants it to be is through the study and application of His Word and by His grace and mercy.

That is why the elders are calling for all the members here to get serious about Bible study. We have three studies here at the building. We have studies in the community, with more to come. We all must play a part in this. Perhaps you cannot teach, but you can host. Perhaps you cannot teach or host, but you can attend. Every little bit helps with the cleansing of the body. We start with ourselves and our own spiritual growth; then, we help others by building them up in the truth of God’s Word.

Remember that if we desire to please Him, God will be with us and help us grow. Fulfill your vows.

Conclusion

Now, as we close, I’d like to finish the section of Ephesians and give some closing thoughts.

Ephesians 5:28–33 (ESV) — 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The Bride of Christ must be holy and without blemish because we are to be one with Christ. We each individually have a responsibility in that. Husbands have a responsibility to treat their wives with the love and tender care of Christ. Wives have a responsibility to treat their husbands with respect, honor, and submission. Both members must remain devoted to each other and grow in that relationship so it honors Christ. Children have a responsibility to honor their mother and father. Workers and managers have a responsibility to treat each other with love and respect. We all have a responsibility individually to grow more holy and righteous in Christ.

But we also have a responsibility to make this church—this group of people who meet here—more holy and pure. Young people, please understand that what you do right now to be involved or uninvolved in the church affects the older people. Older people, please understand that the example you give, the rules you create, or the traditions you uphold could impact the faith of younger people in a positive or negative way. Remember what the mission is, and remember who your husband is.

Finally, Christ being our bridegroom means that we should be in love with Him. He is the perfect husband. One day, He promises the church will be presented before the bridegroom in splendor (Revelation 21:1-8) and receive the blessing of an eternal home.

God wants you with Him forever. Will you commit your life to Him? In many ways, our submission in baptism is our betrothal. We are committing ourselves to Christ and deciding to pursue purity, like in the Song of Solomon. We use the Spirit’s inspired Word to help us with that, relying on His patience and forgiveness until the wedding day comes. In that moment, He will change the faithful to complete purity, giving us new bodies, and join himself to us for all eternity. Are you ready for that day? Today is the day to say, "I do," by committing your life and being baptized. But if you have already done that and are straying, He gives more grace, like a loving husband. Renew your vow today and rededicate your life to Him.