Anyone having been raised in a church setting will have, no doubt, heard the church referred to as “the bride of Christ”. Most all teaching Ministries also refer to the church as “the bride of Christ”. Statements heard may include; “Jesus is coming back for a “bride” without spot, wrinkle or blemish”, or “Jesus is preparing his “bride” for his return”. We should explore the question, is the church the bride of Christ!
The church being the “bride of Christ” can become part of our thinking and understanding, simply because of hearing the church called the “bride of Christ” in the Christian arena on a continual basis. A close examination and searching of the scriptures will show that “the bride of Christ” is not used in the scriptures when referring to the church.
The scriptures command belivers to study the scriptures and to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Doctrine and belief systems should be open to scrutiny and judgment by the scriptures.
With all of the easy to use self-help study books and computer Bible programs, it is very simple to search out words or topics from the Bible. The scriptures even give a command to everyone to be ready to give an answer as to what one believes.
If we enter “bride of Christ” into the concordance of a computer Bible program, we will find on the screen “no references found”. Searching the Strongs Concordance will yield the same result.
Using the same method, using the word “church”, will yield more than one reference as to the church being “the body” of Christ and not “the bride” of Christ. Examining some of these verses will show the teaching of the scriptures to be that the church is the “body of Christ”.
1st Cor.12 is a good place to begin. We will look at a summary verse and work backwards. We find Paul, while teaching the church at Corinth, is using the complexity of the natural body of a human being, to explain the complexity of the body of Christ.
1 Cor 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Before Paul makes this statement, it is easy to see that he is explaining the salvation process or the new birth, and he makes this statement starting in verse 12 by using our natural body as an example.
1 Cor 12:12 For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
As we studying these passages of 1st Cor., we can see that Paul refers to all the members of the body of Christ here, interchangeably, as both, the church and the body of Christ.
1 Cor 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
Looking into other books of the New Testament will also validate that the church is referred to as the body of Christ and thus confirming this correct usage of the terms “body of Christ” and “church”.
Eph 1:22 And has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.
There are numerous witnesses, by the scriptures, of the church being the “body of Christ”, and again, a search will not show even one scripture to reference the church as the “bride of Christ”.
Having been taught and preconditioned to believe that the church is the bride of Christ, when reading Ephesians 5, our mind will subconsciously adjust those scriptures in order to fit into the preconceived belief system, that already exist in our mind. Noitce!
Eph 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
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.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
When reading verse 32, the two words that register big in the mind, are “Christ” and “church”. Already believing, that the church is the bride of Christ, will cause the mind to simply jump back to verse 31 and see the “man” being joined to his “wife” and them being in a marriage, and being one flesh in a marriage. In our language today, we refer to the marriage partners as the “bride” and the “groom”. Since the mind has already been taught that Jesus is coming back for a bride, it is very easy for the mind to register the church as the “bride” and Jesus as the “groom” even though that is not stated here.
A deeper study of these scriptures will show that the context of these scriptures started back in verse 21 and the subject was “submission in the church”. Paul starts his instructions to include all of the members of the church.
Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Paul, then, goes one step further, in this submission teaching, by using the natural example of marriage, to include the submission of the wife to the husband. This is in reference to a physical marriage on the earth between a man and a woman. Just as Paul has already taught that Christ is the head of the church and all believers are members of the body of Christ, Paul uses this, already established teaching, to explain the position of a husband, as being the head of a physical marriage, and the wife as being united, or joined together with him, and the two operating as one flesh.
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
In these passages of scriptures in Ephesians, Paul explains the function of a natural marriage, here on the earth, between a man and a woman, and how those two individuals operate as one flesh. Paul explains this marriage, of the natural realm, in order to set up the spiritual analogy of the church. The church has many members, but all the individuals, who make up the church, should operate as one unit.
Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Paul uses the only example on the earth, known to mankind, which could possibly cause the natural mind to understand the great mystery of Christ and the church. This example is from Genesis, and Paul quotes from chapter 2:24.
Gen 2:24 Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh
God established the marriage union between a man and a woman. At any wedding, God blends the spirit of the man and the spirit of the woman, and those two become one in spirit. However, each person in the marriage retains their own personality and their own individual identity. That is why Jesus said, “What God has joined together”. Jesus was referring to the spirit of the man and the spirit of the woman.
Mal 2:14 Yet you say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you hast dealt treacherously: yet is she your companion, and the wife of your covenant.
15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
Divorce is not part of the scope of this examination of scripture; however, notice how Jesus quotes some of the same scriptures as Paul. Once you understand that a divorce is the tearing apart of the spirits of the husband and the wife, then it is easy to understand why a divorce is so painful and so damaging to the emotions.
Matt 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain (TWO) shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain (TWO), but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
By the same analogy, each person, who comes into the body of Christ, by the new birth, is baptized into one body, and that body is the “body of Christ”. Every believer receives the spirit of Christ and that is what makes us to be one with him (Jesus). However, just as in the case of a natural marriage, each member of the body of Christ retains their own identity, their own personality and their own individuality. However each member has been make to drink of that same spirit, which is the spirit of Christ.
1 Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
There is a verse in the Bible, which contains the words “spot, wrinkle and blemish”, but examine the way that it is written in the Bible. Does the Bible say that Jesus is coming back for a “bride” without spot, wrinkle or blemish? No it doesn’t. The verse says that Christ will present it (the church) to himself.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Of course the timing of this will be after judgment seat of Christ where our works is tested by fire and the wood (spots), hay (wrinkles) and stubble (blemishes) are burned up as per 1 Cor 3 11:16
A continued examination of the just the word “bride” will yield a reference to “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”, in the book of Revelations.
Most believers are all familiar with the scriptures in which John the Baptist referred to Jesus as being the Lamb of God.
John 1:29 The next day John seeing Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.
Some years later, while the Apostle John was in exile, the angel showed him the “bride” the lamb’s wife.
Rev 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
By a careful study of the scriptures, it is easy to know and understand that the church is referred to several times as “the body of Christ” and not even once as “the bride of Christ”.
In the natural realm, much care is given to choosing and the use of correct words, in order to make sure that all individuals involved understands any conversation of engagement about any topic. By the same measure, much care should be used in choosing and defining the words, which we use while rightly dividing the Word of Truth. The scriptures are our teachers and counselors.
Grace and Peace multiplied in the name of Jesus.
Compiled by Jerry Thomas 02/10/2009
All scripture references are (KJV) unless otherwise denoted.
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