The Bride of Christ
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe
Several biblical symbols represent the church. Among them is the church's calling as the holy, radiant, spotless Bride of Christ, the Lamb of God. Many times women in scripture picture the attributes of the church as that Bride. None is flawless, but each is beloved. Even so, the church, the Bride of the Lamb, though not without flaw, is dearly loved of our Lord.
After the death of his wife Sarah, Abraham sent his servant to hand Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. The purpose of the journey was to acquire a bride for Abraham’s son Issac.
The servant asked God for a specific sign to guide his choice of the intended bride. “Then he said, "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink'--let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master." (Genesis 24:12-14 NKJV)
Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah, the daughter of Nabor came to the well. When the servant asked her for water, she fulfilled the request by offering to water the camels as well. “Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.” (Genesis 24:16 NKJV)
We see Rebekah demonstrating several qualities of a mature Christian: beauty, purity, servanthood, and hospitality.
▪ beauty: We are to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. (1 Chronicles 16:29, 2 Chronicles 20:21, Psalm 29:2, and Psalm 96:9) Pretty is superficial. Beauty emanates from within, from holiness.
▪ purity: “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8 NKJV) It is in purity of heart that we can discern the heart and hand of God.
▪ servanthood: “But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:34-35 NKJV). We are called to serve not to be served. Everything we do for the Lord has value in the Kingdom of God. God’s blessings are on those who clean the toilets the same as on those who stand in the pulpit.
▪ hospitality: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2 NKJV). Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”(Matthew 11:28 NKJV). We, too, are to offer rest and comfort to those in need
Rachel was the beloved wife of the patriarch Jacob. Her Hebrew name, Rochel, is numerically equivalent to the phrase “and there was light.” In her features and in her demeanor was light; she illuminated the lives of those in her presence.
Like Rachel, we are to bring light into the darkness of our age. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).
The story of Leah, the first wife of the patriarch Jacob, begins in Genesis 29:16: “Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. Now Jacob loved Rachel”.
Scriptures tell us, “When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren” (Genesis 29:31 NKJV). Jacob’s sons became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. Leah was the mother of six of those tribes.
Through the life of Leah, God teaches that the joy and blessing of the Lord can be ours, not necessarily, because of our circumstances. In truth, the joy and the blessing of the Lord can be often ours, in spite, of our circumstances. The blessings on Leah’s life include eternal blessings for those choosing to walk with the Lord. Leah is an ancestress of Jesus.
Who prepares the Bride?
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Revelation 19:7-8)
The Bride must make herself ready. Righteousness has been bestowed upon the Bride. It is only through cooperation with the Holy Spirit that we are able make ourselves ready by walking in that righteousness and bringing righteousness into our surroundings. Our righteousness is possible only through the grace of God, but we are to grow in grace and knowledge and determine to become more Christ-like in our walk.
Romans 3:10 reminds us that left to our own devices, "There is none righteous, no, not one”. If none are righteous, how can we possibly prepare ourselves for our Bridegroom?
Matthew 19:26 declares: "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. "The preparation of the Bride involves the Bride's living, moving and having our being in the Holy Spirit of God (Acts 17:28).
The preparation of Queen Esther exemplifies this process. "Now the young woman pleased him (the king), and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king's palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of women." (Esther 2:9.)
The seven maidservants represent the Holy Spirit, the seven ministries or spirits of God as detailed in Isaiah 11:2: His presence, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and reverence for holiness.
As symbols of God's Holy Spirit, the maidservants become the provision needed by Esther in her preparation to become the bride of the king.
Just as cooperation with the seven maidservants was necessary for the preparation of Esther, the preparation of the Bride of the Lamb of God is a cooperative relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Bride. As we cooperate more fully with the Holy Spirit who indwells us, as we learn more and more to live and move and have our being in Him, we become more and more the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27.)
May we desire to be dressed in the fine linen which symbolizes the righteous acts of the saints.
Let us pray with the lyricist Thomas Chisholm:
"Oh! to be like Thee, full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to f
