The Bride of Christ

[livingink]

What exactly is the bride of Christ? What scriptures back up your view? If you don't believe it is an individual thing, why? If you do believe it is an individual thing (or a combination), why?

Is Jesus my bridegroom, or the Church's bridegroom? Or is a distinction even necessary?

[Guest]

Um, well, all of the believers that have ever lived or will live would include me. I'm thinking that since you put ME in all caps, plus an exclamation mark, you mean the individual in some way.

[Guest]

I guess I included myself since I'm included in that group of believers. I see it as a collective reference. I guess I don't appreciate the gist of the question.

Isaiah 54:5 (speaking of Israel)

5"For your husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the LORD of hosts;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the God of all the earth.
6"For the LORD has called you,
Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected,"
Says your God.

Revelation 21

2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
...
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

[livingink]

Maybe I should give some background information as to why I brought this up....

I have a friend who emailed me the following this morning:

My friend and I were talking this past Monday about what it means to be the bride of Christ. We know that the Church is the Bride of Christ but we were wandering if there was any biblical reference towards us as individuals being the bride of Christ? In the study that I did this summer over the Song of Solomon I came out of it yes knowing the the Church is the Bride, but also feeling as His bride individually.

At church a few months ago our pastor made a comment that the belief that an individual would be the Bride of Christ is the biggest heresy in the church today. This really scared my friend and I because we had viewed ourselves as the bride individually and Jesus Christ our husband. I mean in studying the Song of Solomon through a bridal paradigm this is how I received the teaching this summer. I went back and listened to the sermon that my pastor said that in and it is sandwiched right between him talking about how the church has become a lot of people just coming Sunday morning to get what they want and not living in the community and fellowship for the sake of building up the body. When I received the lesson this summer about being the bride of Christ it never once caused me to keep to myself what I learned of the Lord's love, but instead caused me to want to share the greatness and sweetness of it.

I hope that clarifies it a little more.

[livingink]

The distinction in the poll question was intended to refer to a collective or an individualistic mentality regarding His bride.

If one believes that you can fall away (which I tend to lean towards), then someone may or may not endure to the end, thus they might not end up being part of the bride of Christ. But yet The Church is still the bride of Christ collectively no matter what. That's where I see the distinction, which is why I voted for the first option.

[Guest]

I just.... it just..... maybe I'm too romantic, or not enough, but it just seems, well, eww ick. I can't think that way.

There is a verse that I used to cling to when I was a young widow and single-mother:

Psalm 68:5
A father of the fatherless,
a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.

But it's not really about God being my husband, just that he would be my and my children's defender.

[Guest]

I voted for the bride being all the believers. I can't think of anywhere in scripture where it refers to it being an individual. (Wouldn't that make Jesus a polygamist? And how would a christian man feel, saying "I am the bride of Christ"? On that note, I wonder if Catholic priests refer to themselves that way, like the nuns do???).
Paul always referred to a collective body of believers.
eg. to the whole Corinthian church.

2Co 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one Man, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

Eph 5:31 "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh."
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

In any case it's applicable spiritually, so there shouldn't be a need for any eww ick, Michelle. But I do understand what you mean.

[Guest]

In any case it's applicable spiritually, so there shouldn't be a need for any eww ick, Michelle. But I do understand what you mean.

Yeah, maybe I overstated my discomfort a little there.

[Guest]

I would share in your discomfort, Michelle. It can't go without saying that the nuns believe they are His bride, and if I recall correctly, they even wear wedding rings (as do their priests?)

[Guest]

The assembly of Christ's people are called his "Body" are they not? If there not a difference between a man's body and his bride?

Other than John the Baptizer's words in John 3:29, all references to the bride are found in the book of Revelation. In my view, the bride of Christ are the manifested sons and daughters of God for which the whole creation is yearning. They are the overcomers described in Revelation, the "blessed and holy ones" who share in the first resurrection. To my mind, the bride is a special group from among all disciples whose righteousness and devotion is excellent.