What or who is the Bride of Christ? How is The church the bride, body and temple?
Thank you for your questions,
What we normally expect as questions, in your case, would appear to be statements so you will appreciate I am somewhat at a loss as to knowing what answer might be appropriate.
If they are meant as statements, you are of course correct. I therefore will just supply the scriptures that support your statements.
Detail of The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Bride
John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Revelation 21:2 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,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Romans 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
2Corinthians 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.
Ephesians 5: 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Body
1Corinthians12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Ephesians 5:23 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.
Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Colossians 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
Temple
1Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Ephesians 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
2Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
1Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
1John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
It does occur to me that you might be saying that a particular church is the Bride, Body and Temple of Christ. The difficulty is that with so many to choose from how do we distinguish the true from the counterfeit?
This is, as you are no doubt aware, the purpose of this website, to point out to people that the Bible is the plumb line, so to speak, against which all church doctrine and teaching is to be measured so that we might not be deceived as Paul warns the Ephesians.
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
I hope you have found this helpful.
Find in this series:
Marriage of Jesus 1 Mary, John, Judas, Thomas and Brown
Marriage of Jesus 2 Standard writings about Jesus
Marriage of Jesus 3 Listening women
Marriage of Jesus 4 Place of the woman
Marriage of Jesus 5 Papyrus fragment in Egyptian Coptic
Marriage of Jesus 6 Jesus said to them “My wife”
Marriage of Jesus 8 Wife of Yahweh
Marriage of Jesus 9 Reason for a new marriage
Marriage of Jesus 10 Old and New Covenant
A royal wedding due to take place
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Additional reading:
- Science, 2013 word of the year, and Scepticism
- People Seeking for God 2 Human interpretations
- People Seeking for God 3 Laws and directions
- Being Religious and Spiritual 2 Religiosity and spiritual life
- Being Religious and Spiritual 3 Philosophers, Avicennism and the spiritual
- Being Religious and Spiritual 4 Philosophical, religious and spiritual people
- Being Religious and Spiritual 5 Gnostic influences
- Being Religious and Spiritual 6 Romantici, utopists and transcendentalists
- Van Til interacting with Bavinck and Calvin on Natural Theology
- Many forgot how Christ should be our anchor and our focus
- A new Jerusalem
- Members of the ecclesia uniting and seeking God’s help in tribulation
- Gaining Christ, trusting Jehovah
- United people under Christ
- Priority to form a loving brotherhood
- Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
- Something Most False Christians Have In Common
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Also of interest:
- A people for his Name
- church oh church1
- Want to Argue About Creeds? I Don’t
- Revelation 19. The Wedding Feast Of The Lamb. The Rider On The White Horse. The Marriage Of The Lamb. God. The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb.
- Revelation’s Rapture!
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Related articles
- Becoming the Bride of Christ (treasuresoflove1.wordpress.com)
The imagery and symbolism of marriage is applied to Christ and the body of believers known as the church. These are those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal savior and have received eternal life. In the New Testament, Christ, the Bridegroom, has sacrificially and lovingly chosen the church to be His bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). Just as there was a betrothal period in biblical times during which the bride and groom were separated until the wedding, so is the bride of Christ separate from her Bridegroom during the church age. Her responsibility during the betrothal period is to be faithful to Him (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:24). At the Second Coming of Christ, the church will be united with the Bridegroom, the official “wedding ceremony” will take place and, with it, the eternal union of Christ and His bride will be actualized (Revelation 19:7-9; 21:1-2). - Jesus Christ……His Bride…..and the Hebrew Wedding Traditions (shoutingthemessage.wordpress.com)
The believers in Jesus Christ (whether Jews or Gentiles) were bought with a great price. He loved us so very much that He was willing to die for us. We are His. In return…….we adore Him with a great abiding love. Jesus is everything to His bride. She waits for Him to return to her and take her with Him to dwell forever. She prepares herself and adorns herself with purity and holiness. Her eyes see no other but Jesus. She is faithful to her love! How beautiful it will be when Jesus Christ returns in the clouds and calls her to come up to Him! The Lord and His Bride will enjoy the Marriage Supper and celebrate their wedding for seven years. What joy! - Third Jewish Temple: The Temple of God? (endtimesprophecyreport.wordpress.com)
A popular teaching that has taken hold in the end times church–especially in the English-speaking world–is that the Jews will rebuild their temple in Jerusalem. This Third Temple will to be rebuilt on the Temple Mount.
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Third Jewish Temple: Temple of God, part 2 | End Times Prophecy Report
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End Times Prophecy Headlines: April 7, 2014 | End Times Prophecy Report - 1 Corinthians 1:9 (shilohbaptistchurchportroyal.wordpress.com)
By baptism Christians are dedicated and devoted to Christ, and are under strict obligations to be holy. But in the true church of God are all who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, and who call upon him as God manifest in the flesh, for all the blessings of salvation; who acknowledge and obey him as their Lord, and as Lord of all; it includes no other persons. - A Straight Path Never Leads Anywhere Except To The Objective (sobeautifulmi.com)
The imagery of marriage is often used in the Holy Scriptures to describe our union with God. In the Book of Esther, the opening chapters describe the path that Esther walked and how she was chosen to be Queen, receiving the full benefits of the Kingdom. Spiritually, this is an experience that we can have, which will move us beyond the commonplace into the fullness of Christ. - Must I be baptised in water to be a member of the church? (idfables4unity.wordpress.com)
“Membership” in the Bible is always associated with a living body which has a head. Thus there are two kinds of scriptural members:
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This church is Christ’s church, it is not my church,It is not our church, it is His BodyWhere all His saved ones are joined as members.
This church was made for Christ, the Head.
(I Corinthians 12; Ephesians 1:22,23)
- The Church (part 2 of 3) (theresaboudreau.wordpress.com)
God knows there is too much trash talking the church. This message is not intended to be another conversation about everything that is wrong in the church or to cast judgment on Christians. However, it is intended to be a trumpet sounding an alarm to awaken believers who think the status quo is okay. The status quo is not okay. There is rampant sin in the church; lies and deception in the church; doctrinal error in the church; greed for gain in the church; divisions and discord in the church. But the biggest problem is hypocrisy which is the perpetual disconnect between what believers profess and what they practice. Consequently, people in the world are turned off by the church.
Stepping Toes 