Church as the Bride of Christ
The church is the bride of Christ, and Jesus desires a glorious and holy relationship with her, just as a husband loves and cares for his wife.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that the church is the bride of Christ, illustrating that while Jesus was a complete man, He chose not to marry but instead to unite with His church. He explains that each local church reflects the whole church in miniature, embodying the same essence and purpose. Tozer highlights the sanctifying work of Christ, who cleanses and prepares His bride, ensuring she is radiant and without blemish. He draws a parallel between the love husbands should have for their wives and the love Christ has for the church, underscoring the importance of purity and holiness in this relationship. Ultimately, Tozer conveys that Christ desires a glorious church, free from imperfections, to be His eternal bride.
Text
. . . the church is the bride of Christ. Jesus was a complete man. He had all the nature of a man, but He never married. He could have, but He never did. He never married any woman though He was a true and complete man. He never married a daughter of a woman that He might marry His whole church, the bride. A true local church is the bride of Christ in recapitualtion, in miniature. Everything that is in the whole church of Christ should be recapitulated in the local church. The church, part of it in heaven and part of it on earth, is the bride of Christ.
Our Lord Jesus washed His bride, regenerated her and prepared her. He is coming back to take her--the whole church--as His bride. But any local church is the whole church in recapitulation, just as a local election recapitulates a national one. The same liberty is expressed. The same candidates run. They talk about each other; they plead their own worth and put up bulletins and do the same thing on a small scale that they do on the federal level. That may be a poor illustration, but the whole bride of Christ is recapitulated.
Any local church is what the whole church is, just in miniature Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church (Ephesians 5:25-29).
This figure drawn from husbands and wives is applied directly without apology to Jesus Christ and His church. Just as a young man would not marry a dirty bride, so Jesus Christ will not marry a church that has stains or wrinkles or blemishes. His desire is for a glorious church, and He wants to love that church as a man loves his own bride.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Church as the Bride of Christ
- A. Jesus' relationship with the church
- B. The church's need for purification
- C. Christ's desire for a glorious church
- II. The Local Church as the Bride
- A. Recapitulation of the whole church
- B. Liberty and candidates in the local church
- C. The same principles apply
- III. Husbands' Love for Their Wives
- A. Love as self-sacrifice
- B. Caring for one's own body
- C. Christ's love for the church
- IV. The Church's Need for Holiness
- A. Jesus' desire for a radiant church
- B. The church's need for cleansing
- C. The importance of holiness
Key Quotes
“Just as a young man would not marry a dirty bride, so Jesus Christ will not marry a church that has stains or wrinkles or blemishes.” — A.W. Tozer
“He who loves his wife loves himself.” — A.W. Tozer
“He feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church (Ephesians 5:25-29).” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- As husbands, we should love and sacrifice for our wives, just as Christ loves and sacrifices for the church.
- The church must be cleansed and made holy through the washing of the Word, just as a bride must be cleaned and prepared for her husband.
- We should strive to be a miniature of the whole church, recapitulating the same principles and values of love, self-sacrifice, and holiness.