Useful Bible Studies > Ephesians Commentary > chapter 5

The bride of Christ

Ephesians 5:26-27

A bride prepares herself in an extraordinary manner for her wedding. She desires to be truly beautiful on that day, in every way perfect for her husband.

When a woman marries a king, the preparations for her wedding may last for several months (Esther 2:12). In such situations, often the king himself must provide what his bride needs to be truly beautiful for him (Psalm 45:8-14). The woman herself simply cannot afford these things (Song of Solomon 1:11).

Christ is the king of kings (Revelation 19:16), in other words, the greatest king, whom all rulers must obey (Psalm 2). In Christ alone we see perfectly all the qualities that a king should have (Isaiah 11:1-10).

The Bible describes the church (in other words, all of God’s people, together) as the bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7-9). As Christ is the perfect king, his bride must be the perfect bride. The Bible describes their wedding day to be the start of the new age, when Christ returns to rule. At that time God’s people must be ready for him and perfect in every way for Christ (Matthew 25:1-13).

As God’s people, we are aware of our own weaknesses. We cannot consider ourselves perfect for Christ (Philippians 3:12). We can only allow him to work powerfully in our lives (Romans 8:28), and to prepare us for the great day of Christ’s return.

We know that Christ died to make us holy, in other words, to make us into God’s special people. Because of Christ’s death, God forgives us - it is as if he has washed away our evil deeds (Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18). Christ truly loves his people, and he is preparing them to live always with him (Revelation 21:1-4).

Next part: A Christian home (Ephesians 5:28)

 

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© 2019, Keith Simons.