We’re going to think a little here about the church as the Bride of Christ. One of the lessons of the Covid lockdowns was that many people didn’t think about their local church theologically.
If you could see the church as Christ sees her, you’d probably have a different attitude towards being here right now. You’d think differently about your choices, and have different priorities.
The thing is, if you’re a Christian then you are part of his church. “Church” is just a weird translation of a word that means a “gathering” – God’s people gathered together as one. And his dealings with us relate as much to us together as they do to you personally. You’ll see that in the language we’ll read.
And today we’re thinking about the church as the Bride of Christ.
Not “Brides” notice: Bride. He sees us all as one.
These notes accompany a sermon on YouTube delivered at Bromborough Evangelical Church in January 2025. You can find more in the series in our sermon index.
It’s an arranged marriage
Read Ephesians 1:3-6.
God exists outside of time, because time is part of creation. Everything that exists is either ‘of him’ (like love or wisdom), or created by him (light, time, space, physical stuff).
When you’ve read a novel or watch a movie, you can go back in the plot at any point and see where the characters are up to. You have a kind of all-knowing power; you know the end. When God looks at human history, it’s a tiny bit like that. Every moment is ‘present’ to him. He is as present here as he is at the fall of the Roman empire or the Battle of Waterloo.
He knows, and has always known, everything you will do. And so he knows, and has always known, all your sin. He knows that you are far from being holy and blameless in his sight. And yet he has chosen some to be holy and blameless. Read Ephesians 1:4 again.
God’s choice to save some
In eternity past, before the foundation of the world, he chose some to be holy and blameless.
“Why did he choose some, and not others?” He is your creator, and he can do what he wills.
“Why did he have to choose? Isn’t faith our choice?” Everyone has sinned. You, me, all of us. You’re born spiritually dead. Corpses don’t make choices. You can’t choose to know God unless he first chooses to give you life and faith.
“What if he hasn’t chosen me?” That’s not your concern. Sin is your problem. God calls you to repent of your sin.
Because it’s God who chose you before the foundation of the world, then if you’re a Christian today it’s because you were always going to become one. God’s purposes can’t be changed. You were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in love. That’s the plan.
But obviously, you’re not holy or blameless.
So the arranged marriage needed some preparation work:
Christ loves you to death
Let’s read about how God chose to make you holy and blameless: Read Ephesians 5:25-27.
There’s much to say about human husbands and wives from Ephesians 5, but our focus today is on Christ’s relationship with his bride, the church. And by “church” we mean his people, his chosen and beloved bride, all as one across space and time.
What does it mean to say Christ “gave himself for her”?
- God is One, and there are Three who are the One.
- He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the three are one.
- They are each co-eternal, coexistent, of the same substance and essence; distinct but not divided.
- And it’s that Son who “became flesh” (John 1:14) for us.
- The Creator of everything stepped into time, into his Creation, as a human.
- He did that with one purpose: To die.
The very author of life laid down his life on purpose.
Why? Because you have sinned, and he loves you. You deserve death, separation from God for all your sin. So God stepped into the world to take that punishment for your sin. That way, he can forgive you and still remain just: Every sin is punished. You can be punished for your own sin in hell, or repent of those sins and turn to God for forgiveness. That’s the biggest choice of your life.
Substitutionary Atonement
Jesus did what’s called substitutionary atonement for sin. His death is substitutionary, dying in your place. And it’s atonement because it atones for (makes up for) the offence of your sin to God.
That’s what it means that he “gave himself for her” – he laid down his life for her. He did that (v26) “to make her holy”.
Holiness is unique to God. It’s who he is. It’s something of the brilliance of his beauty and love, so overwhelming that you can no more look into it than you can stare at the sun. In fact, for sinful people like us, his holiness is so intense that it’s fatal.
But Christ gave himself to make you holy. That means that his death not only removes your guilt of sin, it actually unites you to God by faith in Jesus.
The power of the gospel, the Good News
How is that applied to people? “to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word” (v26): The church – you, Christian – are washed by the water of the word. That is, the gospel, the Good News.
If you are to be made holy by Jesus, you’re called to put your faith in the good news of Jesus Christ. Don’t trust in your own goodness, hoping that you’re “more good than bad”. Forget putting your hope in religious observance. Instead, trust God when he says he will forgive you and count your sin atoned for by Jesus, who gave himself for you.
If you’ve never done it, do it now. I mean right now.
Pray that God will forgive you, and enter into eternal life with him. You were born spiritually dead, so Jesus calls you to be born again – into spiritually life, born from above.
All his people are then together his bride. Read Ephesians 5:27.
What a groom! He will present us to himself in splendour, in glory – his very own delight, his bride, his love. Not yet married, but irrevocably engaged: The marriage is yet to happen!
And all this is to accomplish what he set out to do before the foundation of the world: To make his chosen people holy and blameless.
So what’s it like being his bride?
He’s the perfect husband
Read Ephesians 5:28-29.
Last year we worked our way through the Old Testament prophet Hosea.
- Hosea was told to go and marry a promiscuous woman.
- Sure enough, it wasn’t long before she went off with other men.
- It was a picture of how God’s bride (his people) repeatedly go off after other gods and idols.
- But Hosea was told to go and love his wife again, just as God loves his bride: When you fall, he will love you again.
Because here’s the thing: You may be a Christian, a child of God, a member of the Bride of Christ – but you’re not perfect.
You still sin, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unknowingly.
And in particular, you have many idols.
There are many things in your life that you rely on for security, contentment, happiness. If you’re not sure, start giving some away. Never stop identifying your idols and smashing them. Be sure to hold everything in an eternal perspective.
Some of you have been through the process of down-sizing your house, deciding what you can keep and what you’ll pass on. When our son Adam went to live in the Philippines, he sold his house and virtually all its contents. He packed for where he was going. He didn’t pack any big coats or jumpers because they’re not needed there.
When you are a Christian, united to Jesus, destined for an eternity of holiness and blamelessness, you’re called to dress for where you’re going now.
That way, you bring that eternity forward.
Divine provision and help
You might say that sounds hard. Read Ephesians 5:29 again.
Christ provides and cares for his church, for you. An alternative translation might be that he “nourishes and cherishes” her.
How does he provide for or nourish her?
- He gives you hope for eternity; he has already secured a place for you, having gone before you to prepare it.
- That means you can put one foot in front of another, even on your darkest days.
- Even more, he walks with you in those days. His very presence is comforting and enabling.
- He hears your prayers, your cries, your joys.
- Do you feel weak? He will provide for and nourish you.
How does he care for you?
- He protects you from evil.
- The world will want to throw wolves in among the sheep (to mix up metaphors), and Christ gives leaders to his church to protect it.
- He also gives wise discipline in life for individuals and churches when we go off the rails a bit. The Good shepherd has a rod and a staff to guide you.
Obviously, you’re a work in progress. Things go wrong. The world mocks the church for its failure to do right. And it also then mocks the church for not being worldly enough! It sees only disintegration and disunity.
A Work in Progress
But you’re to see the church as Christ sees her: A work in progress, growing in sanctification (holiness), destined to be holy and blameless in love, prepared to be presented to Jesus in splendour and glory! See this church the way Jesus sees us. Get on board. Commit to his programme for us all, together.
And then you must personally strive for more of Christ, like a virgin fiancée thinking about her man.
- Strive to be holy: Shine with a brilliance of beauty and love.
- Strive to be blameless: Put sin to death in your life every day. Ask for Christ to help you – he won’t refuse, as it’s wholly his plan for you.
Take your eyes off the world with all its deceptive trinkets, and fix your eyes on Christ. You are his goal; make him yours.
Get ready for your wedding day
No bride wants to ‘make do’ with a prospective husband. She wants to love him, and long to be with him always.
Think about the day the church will finally be at her wedding – with Christ himself the astonishing groom: Revelation takes to the end of time, when Jesus will return, and everything will be made new. He will remove everyone who is not his from the scene, casting them along with death and Satan into the Lake of Fire.
That will leave just Christ and his people on a new and perfected world: Read Revelation 19:6-9. We saw in Ephesians 5 that Jesus will “present the church to himself in splendour [in glory]” and there it is in Rev 19: the church will be clothed in a righteousness not her own.
And this Bride will be holy, coming down from heaven. Read Revelation 21:9-11.
“Arrayed with God’s glory” – that’s what you’ll be. Astonishing.
I remember seeing my wife for the first time on our wedding day. She looked amazing, radiant, happy.
Christ himself is looking forward to the day that he will be married to his bride, his church.
- Ephesians 5:25-27 Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to himself in splendor [glory], without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.
See the church as Christ sees her
We are one Bride. Don’t be a stain on the dress.
Don’t have a wandering eye, going after other gods or idols.
See all other Christians as he does: Equal with you. Destined for holiness and blamelessness. A work in progress by his grace and power.
Commit to building everyone else here up. Commit to being here, preparing for your eternity with us, in Christ forever. Encourage one another.
It’s an arranged marriage, planned in eternity by God. Christ loves you to death, and died in your place to beautify you. He is the perfect husband, providing and caring for you daily. So get ready for your wedding day: Take your place in his church, working to prepare us all for holy blamelessness in glory.