THE CHURCH IS NOT THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

[Marilyn C]

Sorry but you err.

JOhn writes of New Jerusalem as "as adorned as a bride"... He is making a comparision of the beuaty of New Jerusalem to the beauty of a bride on her wedding day.

the church is currently espoused to Jesus . but in the days of Paul- being engaged was being married without the consummation. If one had sex with someone else- it was adultery.

Teh church marries Jesus in Rev. 20!

It is the `wife` in Rev. 19 if that is who you are referring to.

The Body of Christ is the New Man - no male or female. Paul writes 4 chapters of doctrine on this new Man. So, where is the doctrine of this other view - Body of Christ as female?

 

[Scott Downey]

It is the `wife` in Rev. 19 if that is who you are referring to.

The Body of Christ is the New Man - no male or female. Paul writes 4 chapters of doctrine on this new Man. So, where is the doctrine of this other view - Body of Christ as female?

This is symbolic.
I added to my thread after you brought it up again some more verses and thoughts on how the body of believers is His bride.

Is the bride of Christ the church as in the people of the church? Or is it a city.

2 Corinthians 11 1 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. Ephesians 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I...

www.christianityboard.com

 

[Doug]

Hi Doug,

So good to see someone else with that revelation of the Body of Christ. Where did you get it from?

From Bible study and good teachers

Grace Ambassadors

Grace Ambassadors provides Biblical answers to denominational confusion, church-hype, and empty religious tradition. Find more free resources including thousands of articles and lessons on our website: www.graceambassadors.com

www.youtube.com

SWBibleFellowship

Welcome to the YouTube of Southwest Bible Fellowship in Tempe, Arizona. We are a group of people who are committed to living the grace life as set forth by the apostle of the Gentiles, the apostle Paul. For any questions or to make a comment please email us through our web site listed below.

www.youtube.com

TwinCitiesGraceFellowship

Josh Strelecki, Pastor-Teacher of Twin Cities Grace Fellowship Born in Milwaukee WI. Childhood in Crystal Falls in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Saved before freshman year of high school. In college, started walking after the Spirit, reading scripture, and ever since loves to get into...

www.youtube.com

 

[Ronald Nolette]

It is the `wife` in Rev. 19 if that is who you are referring to.

The Body of Christ is the New Man - no male or female. Paul writes 4 chapters of doctrine on this new Man. So, where is the doctrine of this other view - Body of Christ as female?

Wives are considered female.

As for there being no male or female nor bond or free in teh body- that has to do with how people could approach god.

Paul continued to show the distinctions between male and female. Just look at Ephesians and rules for wives and husband in the body, and in 1 Cor, rules for worship in the assembly for men and women. And also in Titus and Timothy about the prohibitions for females holding offices in the church.

Right now we are the espoused to Jesus. We marry Jesus in REv. 19. We are called the espoused, the bride and the wife. Those are not androgynous terms.

 

[Big Boy Johnson]

THE CHURCH IS NOT THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

That's what the devil would like to get Christians to believe, but the devil is a liar!

Christ has one bride, formed from both Jew and Gentile, built into one body, presented as one chaste virgin, and united to Him in the heavenly city which is the church in glory.

Exactly!

 

[Scott Downey]

The church is definitely a 'her' and a 'she' in scripture.
And God a 'He' and a 'Him'

Ephesians 5

Marriage—Christ and the Church​

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might [g]sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, [h]of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

 

[Lizbeth]

2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Paul here is not saying the church, the body of Christ, is the bride of Christ. Paul is using espousal to illustrate the faithfulness and purity of the church unto Christ Jesus.

[2Corinthians 11:3-4 KJV] 3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him].

In the above verses Paul is admonishing the church for following other apostles and another gospel. He was exhorting them to remain faithful to Christ as they received him from Paul.

[Ephesians 5:23, 32 KJV] 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. ... 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The relationship the church has with Christ is expressed by marriage. Christ is the head of the church just as the husband is head of the wife.

[Isaiah 62:4-5 KJV] 4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. 5 For [as] a young man marrieth a virgin, [so] shall thy sons marry thee: and [as] the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, [so] shall thy God rejoice over thee.

[Isaiah 54:5 KJV] 5 For thy Maker [is] thine husband; the LORD of hosts [is] his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

[Hosea 2:19-20 KJV] 19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. 20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

A number of verses express a marriage relationship with Israel as seen above.

[Revelation 21:2, 9-10 KJV] 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ... 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 shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

The holy city, the new Jerusalem is described as being the bride, the lamb's wife; this is the bride of Christ, not the church, the body of Christ.

[Rev 21:12 KJV] 12 And had a wall great and high, [and] had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

The twelve tribes of Israel are written on the gates.

[Rev 21:14 KJV] 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The names of the twelve apostles of Israel are written in the foundations.

[Rev 21:24 KJV] 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

Some Gentile nations will be saved to enter the kingdom on earth depending on how they treated Israel in the tribulation (Matthew 25:31-34); the nations that will enter the holy city will do so as a result of the ministry of the priesthood of believing Israel in the kingdom on earth (Zechariah 8:22-23 Exodus 19:6 Revelation 5:10 20:6).

The church (one man, both Jew and Gentile) is the Israel of God, of which Israel after the flesh was a type/shadow/figure. Similarly earthly Jerusalem (Zion) was only a type/shadow/figure for new Jerusalem, the city that is above which is our mother.

 

[Nancy]

2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Paul here is not saying the church, the body of Christ, is the bride of Christ. Paul is using espousal to illustrate the faithfulness and purity of the church unto Christ Jesus.

[2Corinthians 11:3-4 KJV] 3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him].

In the above verses Paul is admonishing the church for following other apostles and another gospel. He was exhorting them to remain faithful to Christ as they received him from Paul.

[Ephesians 5:23, 32 KJV] 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. ... 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The relationship the church has with Christ is expressed by marriage. Christ is the head of the church just as the husband is head of the wife.

[Isaiah 62:4-5 KJV] 4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. 5 For [as] a young man marrieth a virgin, [so] shall thy sons marry thee: and [as] the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, [so] shall thy God rejoice over thee.

[Isaiah 54:5 KJV] 5 For thy Maker [is] thine husband; the LORD of hosts [is] his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

[Hosea 2:19-20 KJV] 19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. 20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

A number of verses express a marriage relationship with Israel as seen above.

[Revelation 21:2, 9-10 KJV] 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ... 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 shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

The holy city, the new Jerusalem is described as being the bride, the lamb's wife; this is the bride of Christ, not the church, the body of Christ.

[Rev 21:12 KJV] 12 And had a wall great and high, [and] had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

The twelve tribes of Israel are written on the gates.

[Rev 21:14 KJV] 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The names of the twelve apostles of Israel are written in the foundations.

[Rev 21:24 KJV] 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

Some Gentile nations will be saved to enter the kingdom on earth depending on how they treated Israel in the tribulation (Matthew 25:31-34); the nations that will enter the holy city will do so as a result of the ministry of the priesthood of believing Israel in the kingdom on earth (Zechariah 8:22-23 Exodus 19:6 Revelation 5:10 20:6).

This would IMHO, infer that the "guests" are the gentile nations. Bride, groom and wedding guests.