Question
Paul says he will present us ‘as a chaste virgin to Christ:’ Because of rightly dividing I don’t think we are the bride of Christ, but can you show Biblically who are the bride of Christ?”
Response
I agree with you that we are not the bride of Christ. We are designated “the body of Christ” and that is a different kind of living union relationship to Christ than that of marriage. The two creations that God has formed for Himself in accordance with His two-fold plan and purpose (Israel and the body of Christ) both have a living union relationship with God. But the two living union relationships are not the same. Marriage is a living union relationship and being members of a body is a living union relationship. But they are not the exact same kind of relationship. Failure to understand and appreciate this, along with just plain failing to “rightly divide the word of truth,” is one of the main reasons why people think that the body of Christ is the bride of Christ. The other main reason is that most Christians have such a weak understanding of God’s program with Israel that they don’t even realize that the expression “the bride of Christ” would clearly belong to Israel, in view of what has taken place in their program.
I can only give you the briefest synopsis of this, but it is the key to fully appreciating that the designation “the bride of Christ” belongs to Israel. (In connection with this you need to read and go over the passages and contexts of at least the following verses: Deut 26:17, Jer 2:1-3, Jer 2:31-3:1; Jer 3:7-20; Jer 31:31-32, Isa 50:1ff; Isa 54:1ff; Hosea 1-6; especially Hosea 2:14-23; Isa 62:1ff; Rev 19:1ff; 21:2-3, 9-21.
When God brought Israel out of Egypt He entered into the living union marriage relationship with them. He “avouched” Himself unto her as His wife and she “avouched” herself unto Him as her husband. But Israel broke her marriage vows and became an adulteress. According to the terms of the Law covenant He had the right to put her away. And He did this, which is part of what was involved in the Assyrian/Babylonian captivities. But God did not put her away as might be done by any man giving his wife a bill of divorcement. Rather, though He put her away. He made provision for receiving her back unto Himself. He made provision to be betrothed to her again and to establish the living union relationship of marriage again, but this time in perfection. He made provision for her to be His bride again and to no longer play the harlot and be an adulteress. In fact, He made provision to establish the living union relationship of marriage with her again that exceeded that which had previously existed between them. He made provision for a marriage relationship in which He and she, as husband and wife, would experience the fullness of what the living union relationship was all about, even to the point of Him being in living union with the land He had given to Abraham. The provision for establishing this new and better marriage was the cross of Christ. And when the time came for the provision to be fulfilled God began to deal with Israel just as Hosea 2:14ff declared He would. He began to “allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.” He began a process of events that would see her betrothed to Him again. That would see her as His bride again. This is what John the Baptist’s ministry was the beginning of.
Israel was God’s wife and will be again according to the provision of His grace and love unto her to make her His bride again. On the basis of Jer 3:1ff, 31:31-32 and Hosea 1-2 to cite just three passages, the “bride of Christ” can be none other than the one He originally married in the days of Moses. That’s Israel, pure and simple.
Keith R. Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
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