CALL FOR A GLORIOUS CHURCH

"And to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:27 NIV)

Let us carefully follow the message that the eminent Apostle Paul presented to the church at Ephesus in the passage below:

Ephesians 5:22-27 KJV

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.

24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

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.

Here in this passage, Paul's aim is to enlighten husbands and wives to understand and to honour their marital responsibilities in the same way as Christ honours his responsibilities to the church which is his body—the fulness of him that fills all persons in all places—and the church honours her responsibilities to Christ who is her head. 

The thrust of the passage is on the marital responsibilities of husbands and wives, however, it insightfully reveals the church's spiritual relationship to Christ. The union of a husband and his wife is like the spiritual union of Christ and his body—the church.  

What is the meaning of church?

The word 'church' simply refers to the body of believers all over the world. Here, the church is taken to be a unit, just like a human body, though having many parts, is a unit.  

The unique biblical image of a husband and his wife

"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." (Eph 5:23)

The husband is the head and saviour of his wife and the wife is the body and servant of her husband. 

Husband: head and saviour

The Bible defines the headship of the husband. The husband is the head of his wife, not as in merely exercising authority over her, but as in being her saviour. As her head, she submits to you, and as her saviour, she serves you because she owes her life to you just like the church owes her life to Christ. You cannot divorce being a saviour from being a head. The two work together. 

Wife: body and servant

The Bible also explains what it means for the wife to be the body and servant of her own husband. The wife is the body of her husband, in the sense that he nourishes and cherishes her as his own body (vs 29), and so she submits to him. He treats her with love and care, and so she quietly serves his purposes. 

Marriage is work

Do you know what it takes to be the head and saviour of your wife who is your body? It takes dying to self as Christ died to self. It takes giving yourself for her as Christ gave himself for the church. It takes washing her with the word of God just as Christ washes the church with his word. It takes cherishing her above every other woman including your own mother or sister just as Christ cherishes the church above those who are not part of his body. And it takes nourishing her body to make her appear radiant just as Christ nourishes the church to make her appear radiant. Marriage is not for fun. Marriage is work!

Christ's faithfulness to the church

Christ is the head and saviour of the church. The church is the body and servant of Christ. Christ has always been faithful to his relationship—faithful in discharging his responsibilities to the church. Has the church been equally faithful to her relationship—faithful in discharging her responsibilities to Christ? You answer this. 

Christ's love for the church

As the head and saviour of the church which is his body, Christ loved her from eternity. Since she was helplessly dying in sin, he became flesh and gave himself for her salvation. Even now he sanctifies and cleanses her with the washing of water by the word. He does this because he wants to present her to himself as a glorious bride, not having spot, or wrinkle, or anything of that sort, but holy and blameless. The lesson we learn here is that Christ's love for the church is sacrificial. And so, a husband's love for his wife must be sacrificial. 

Christ's allegiance to his union with the church

Christ is doing all he can to be faithful and loyal to his body—the church. The husband must do all he can to be faithful and loyal to her wife. Christ is the standard of love and the model of marriage. 

Christ's marital goal

The Lord has flaming eyes for a glorious bride. It is his goal to be married to a glorious bride. And what are the traits of a glorious bride?

The word "glorious"

The word 'glorious' is from the Greek 'endoxos' [pronounced en'-dox-os] which literally means held in good or in great esteem, or of high repute. This implies being radiant, beautiful, delightful, magnificent or praiseworthy. 

Christ's marital goal is to be married to a bride who is radiant and praiseworthy. Amazingly, he is working hard to accomplish this goal. This cements the idea that marriage is work, and the husband, like Christ, is supposed to work hard to accomplish his own marital goal. 

A glorious church

Christ gave himself for a glorious church. He offered himself sacrificially to get a glorious church for a wife in eternity. This implies that he has worked hard—made the greatest sacrifice ever—in order to present to himself a glorious church.

What is a glorious church? 

The Spirit has already explained a glorious church for us in the Bible. He says that a glorious church means a radiant church—a church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 

Radiant bride

"And to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (Eph 5:27 NIV)

Implied in this verse is the idea of a radiant bride. A radiant bride contextually means a bride who is glowing with a sense of being loved and cared for—beaming with happiness (vs 29, 33). 

Here, the Spirit paints the image of a bride who is glowing with a sense of being loved and cared for—beaming with happiness, thus, showing that she is ready and eager for marriage.  

Christ's call for a glorious church

A church that is radiant 

The glorious church is the Lord's call for a church that is radiant. Christ wants Christians who are beaming with happiness, always conscious that he loves and cares for them as his own body.

A church that is holy

The glorious church is the Lord's call for a church that is holy. Christ wants Christians who cherish purity and are shameless about being pure for Christ, not wanting to stain themselves with sexual immorality or any other vice while they wait for the Lord to come and whisk them away to be with him in Heaven. 

A church that is spotless

The glorious church is the Lord's call for a church that is spotless. Christ wants Christians who are aware that they have put on a clean white garment which signifies righteousness, are conscious of being righteous in the sight of God and passionate about living right for God. 

A church that is innocent

The glorious church is the Lord's call for a church that is innocent. Christ wants Christians who are convinced that they are not condemnable now or ever but are innocent, and are passionate about being innocent in the sight of God and men, not allowing heresies, false prophecies and the trickery of material gains to deceive them to become arrogant, selfish, disobedient and rebellious to God or to authority. 

A church that is awake to eternal life and is full of life 

The glorious church is the Lord's call for a church that is awake to eternal life and is full of life. Christ wants Christians who are aware that they are filled with the Spirit who gives life in abundance, and are passionate about knowing and practising the dynamics of divine life, divine health and divine wealth. 

A church that walks in divine love

The glorious church is the Lord's call for a church that walks in love. The church is home to Christians who are God's dear children. A Christian home is a home of love. Love binds a family together. Like a tough band, love makes a family unbreakable. 

Love is the ultimate experience of Christ's body, the church, and so love ought to be her lifestyle too—love for one another and love for witnessing to Christ in all the world. Love is the business of a glorious church. 

A church that is held in great esteem

The glorious church is the Lord's call for a church that is held in great esteem or that is of high repute. Christ wants Christians who are held in great esteem for their commitment to excellence and virtue. A Christian who is committed to excellence and virtue puts himself in a position to be useful, valuable and influential. 

The church ought to be the centre of excellence and virtue, an example for the world. The church environment must be beautiful and delightful, and the atmosphere must be welcoming and friendly like real home. 

Christians and churches today must take caution in how they appear on the social media. Your presence on the social media must be held in great esteem. You must not react to criticisms by bloggers as they may want to drag you into strenuous exchanges that will ruin your highly earned repute. A church that is held in great esteem is a glorious church. 

#Truth Haven