A Bride Prepared
Bone of my Bones and Flesh of my Flesh
It may seem
like strange language today, but the very first description of a
marriage found in the Bible is this: “This is bone of my bones, and
flesh of my flesh...” (Genesis 2:23) These, of course, were the
prophetic words of Adam as he took Eve to be his wife. Significantly,
those words mirror the perfect spiritual union of Christ and His
Bride – the Church. (‘Bride’ is capitalized throughout, as an
indication of her divine nature at the time of the wedding.) It is not
only because Eve was taken out of Adam (v.23) that God declared them to
be one flesh, it is because their inseparable cleaving to each other
bound them as one flesh. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and
his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one
flesh.” (Genesis 2:24).
Every groom has specific qualities that he seeks in a wife – Christ also has
specific qualities that He requires in His wife. Who will qualify to be
the Bride of Christ? How will Jesus recognize His Bride? Paul tells us
of the love that Christ has for His Bride. “No man ever yet hated
his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord
cherishes the Church: For we are members of His body, of His flesh,
and of His bones. 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. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ
and the Church.” (Ephesians 5:29-32) In the same way that a
husband and wife become one flesh,
Christ and His Bride will
be one Spirit. “He who is
joined to the Lord is [not one
flesh, but] one Spirit with Him.” (1 Corinthians 6:17)
Now, this is
getting way ahead of the story – but it is obvious that the true
Church, collectively, constitutes the Bride. It is, therefore,
incumbent upon us that we be a part of the Church. Everyone that
attends Sabbath services is not converted, nor is everyone who thinks
himself to be a Christian, led by God’s Spirit. We understand that
tares do not recognize that they are tares, so it is vital that we make
our calling and selection sure. (Matthew 13:40, 2 Peter 1:10)
How will Christ recognize
His Bride – the Church? Those who comprise the Bride will be true
Christians following the lead of God’s Holy Spirit – with the spiritual
fruit to prove it (Romans 8:14). They
will be loving God and loving one another. And, as we saw a moment ago,
they will be laying down their lives in service to each other. Jesus
laid down His life for His friends – and He tells us that we must do
exactly the same thing. (John 15:13)
Jesus
intends His example of sacrifice and service to all to be an
everyday way of life for His wife to be – not simply a symbolic act
performed once a year at Passover. In the early Church, a deacon was a
servant, like a janitor, maid, nurse, or even a slave. Unlike some men,
God does not look down on those who serve. The original deacons waited
tables and served the widows, and God greatly honored and approved of it
(Acts 6:6, John 12:26).
Though most
men in society would not cast a second glance at a lowly cleaning lady –
let alone marry one – that is an exact picture of just what Jesus Christ
is going to do. Let us remember that Jesus, who is King and Master,
took the lowliest status of all, and served as a deacon [‘diakonos’
].
“For even the Son of man [Jesus] came not to be served unto, but
to serve [diakoneo], and to give His life a ransom for many.”
(Mark 10:45) Everyone in the congregation must be emulating Christ’s
example as a servant to all.
A New Countenance
In a world
of social class distinction, elitism, and caste systems, it is difficult
to imagine that the most powerful and glorious Jesus Christ has chosen
to marry a bride without high-class standing, power, status or
prestige. Indeed, Paul says that we are now slaves of Christ [‘doulos,’
a bond slave without any rights or standing] because we have been
purchased with His blood (1 Corinthians 7:22-23). When she is called out
of this world, the Bride has no preferable status – but she begins to
distinguish herself by putting on a new countenance, which after God
is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians
4:24). Jesus Christ will not, in fact, marry across class lines – His
Bride will be like Him (1 John 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:49)!
The phrase,
“bone of
my bones and flesh of my flesh,”
should conjure up the appreciation of a closeness and unity that is only
attainable within the most intimate of relationships
– even a perfect union that is oneness
in heart, mind, purpose, and Spirit. Jesus Christ cherishes His Bride
(Ephesians 5:29). We have been given this preview of the heavenly
wedding that depicts the affection and unique intimacy that the Bride
will share with her Creator God.
One Body – One Spirit
At creation, God caused a
deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and He opened his side and created
Eve to be his wife. That was done as a prototype of Christ and His
Bride. Paul understood the prophetic significance of that act –
referring to Jesus as the final Adam (1 Corinthians
15:45, Romans 5:14). Jesus’ death correlates to the deep sleep
of Adam. Jesus’ side was opened – His life’s blood flowed out -
making it possible for the Church [His Bride] to be formed (John
19:34). Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my
flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of
Man. Eve was the ideal helpmate for Adam, or as Genesis has it –
an help meet for him… Therefore shall a man leave his father and
his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one
flesh.” (Genesis 2:20-24) In the same way, Jesus Christ
foretold that He and His Bride would be one Spirit (1 Corinthians
15:44).
Jesus Christ revealed to
Paul that the Church brethren are in effect, His body – as husband and
wife are one flesh – one body in marriage. The Church of
God is the Body of Christ. "You are the Body of Christ,
and members in particular." (1 Corinthians 12:27) "…The Church,
which is His Body." (Ephesians 1:22-23) "So we, being
many, are one Body in Christ…" (Romans 12:5) "For
[Christ's] Body's sake, which is the Church." (Colossians
1:24) "For the perfecting of the saints…for the edifying of the
Body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12) Many more verses firmly
establish that the “body” of Christ is a direct reference to the Church
of God brethren.
Chapter 6: Only one Bride |