The Bride

Being married is a wonderful thing! It is not easy, but it has many benefits. When taking vows seriously and weighing the cost of the commitment, we are essentially doing far more than saying, “yes” to another individual. We are remarkably saying “no” to 7 billion people. That is powerful love. That is exclusivity like no other.

This is why the wedding day and reception is so special. It is a uniting of souls forever. It is a gathering of friends and family to witness something beautiful. It is always an honor to be chosen to be a part of a wedding ceremony. The bride and the groom may look spectacular, the decorations immaculate, and the ambiance elegant but what is most fascinating is the denial of one’s own path to merge fully with another. That is what we come to observe more than dresses, tuxedos, and cake.

Traditionally, during the marriage, the husband is in the lead, and the wife follows. It does not mean that he is better than, smarter than, more valuable than, more talented than, or more competent than his wife. Many times, he isn’t any of those, but his role as the husband is to bear the responsibility of leading, caring for, providing for, and nourishing his bride. She has a will, but she yields to his footsteps. It is just like a dance. One must be in the lead, but both are equal. This is how the majority of marriages function today all over the world and had functioned for thousands of years.

When Jesus Christ came to earth, He was seeking a bride. All those that desire a relationship with Him become betrothed to Him. He was willing to die to have His bride. He was even willing to kill a dragon and be wounded by the beast for His bride [a detailed explanation of this is for another post]. So, all those that are the church around the world are unified with Him in a covenant like marriage. We would all gladly desire to get to know someone that gave their life up for us when they didn’t have to.

To be the bride of Christ, you leave your life behind to follow His leadership. Although you are not equal with Him, you get to reign with Him if you are faithful to Him [2 Timothy 2:12]. Your allegiance is to Him, and you gladly honor Him. Like a healthy earthly marriage, as the bride, you desire to introduce Him to others. You wake up wanting to speak to Him and listen to Him. You make a vow, a covenant, to Him forever. In fact, all earthly marriage is intended to objectify and point toward this divine marriage [Ephesians 5:31-32].

At COR, we are discussing the concept of the church. One metaphor is that all those who follow Christ are collectively His bride. We represent Him and respect Him. We do this because He is so good to us and loves us perfectly. Join us for the discussion and learn about how we celebrate our dependence upon Him for extraordinary benefits!