03 The Relationship Between Christ and the Church

The Relationship Between Christ and the Church

We will spend the bulk of this course discussing the first of these relationships, between husbands and wives. Paul here tells us what it means for husbands and wives to submit to each other by the power of the Spirit. Paul draws an explicit analogy, saying that the relationship of husbands to wives is similar to the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. Now, this is an exceptionally helpful analogy - IF we understand the relationship of Christ to the church. Unfortunately, since most of us have little or no understanding of this relationship, we are unable to draw out the proper implications for us as husbands and wives. So we focus now on gaining a deeper understanding of this marriage in heaven, so that we might here have heavenly marriages.

Recall four earlier verses that refer to this relationship: 1:22-23, and 4:15-16:

1:22 And [God] has put all things under [Christ’s] feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

4:15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Now read our present text, 5:22-33. There is much about human marriage in these verses, but on this reading, look instead for what the text tells us about the relationship between Christ and the church.

Let me draw your attention to four principles brought out in this section which together define the relationship of Christ to the church: unity, love, headship, and perfection. This section considers how these principles relate to Christ and the church. In the bulk of the course, we will consider how these same principles apply to husbands and wives.

(1) The Unity of Christ and the Church

We have already pointed out how we are the body of Christ; we are united with Him in His death and resurrection., and thus organically linked to him. The quotation above from Ephesians 4:1-32 makes this clear, as does Romans 6:1-23. But we can go further. In God’s plan, God’s love is incomplete without the church!

"But wait a minute," you say. "How can the love of God be incomplete? Look again at 5:31-32: FOR THIS CAUSE A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND SHALL CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE; AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

Verse 31 is a quotation from Genesis 2:1-25, after the first marriage between Adam and Eve. Adam -- created by the perfect God -- was incomplete without Eve. In all creation there was no helpmeet suitable for him. So God fashioned Eve out of Adam’s rib, so that together Adam and Eve would become one perfect, complete flesh.

Paul is saying that, while the mystery is great, the same holds true for Christ and the church. We are so intimately one with Christ that his love is made complete through us, the church. Recall that 1:23 says we are his fullness. What does this mean? Consider 1 John 4:17 : love is perfected with us . . . because as He is, so also are we in this world.

God is love -- but that love is perfected, or made complete, with us. We are so united with Christ that we represent him in this world, that we complete his love in the world.

Furthermore, Christ chose to assume the role of mediator between God and man, and thus to unite us with him. This role as mediator is not complete until all of those called according to his plan are joined with him. So we, the church, are essentially one with Him.

(2) The Love of Christ for the Church In 5:25, Paul writes:

Husbands love your wives just as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself

Love is one of the most misunderstood words today. When we say, "I love you," we may mean, "You make me feel tingly all over," or "I want to have sex with you," or "I enjoy being around you," or "I want you to feel wanted." But Christ’s love for the church is not a feeling. This love is giving, sacrificing, selfless. This love is a love that shows itself in action.

How did Christ act out His love? Verse 1:7 says, "we have redemption through his blood," while 2:13 says we Gentiles are "brought near by the blood of Christ." His love extended all the way to the shedding of His blood for us -- and the shedding of His blood for us when there was nothing attractive about us. As Paul says in Romans 5:8, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

“While we were yet sinners!” When there was nothing attractive about us, God showed His love to us through the death of Christ. So the love of Christ for the church is a self-sacrificing love that acts.

You recall that God had Hosea act out such a love in his own life and marriage. His wife, Gomer, was guilty of brazen adultery, even to the point of selling herself as a prostitute. But God tells Hosea to go down to the slave market and to buy her -- to buy the woman who was properly his, and had rejected him -- he tells Hosea to redeem her and to take her back as his wife. This is the type of love Christ has for the church.

(3) The Headship of Christ Over the Church In addition to telling us that Christ and the church are one, and that Christ loves the church sacrificially, this passages reiterates 1:22 in telling us that Christ is the head of the church. The idea of headship is intimately related to the unity and love we have already discussed. In particular, note that Christ as head is not an external authority telling the church what to do, but Christ is one with the church -- indeed, the one whose love brought the church into being. Headship is an organic notion -- the head is part of the body, just as much as the foot or the arm.

Just so, submission to the head is a result of confidence in the unity and love we have discussed. We as the church submit to Christ because we know He has our good at heart, even when following Him means acting in a way that seems to make little sense. We know that He who died for us when we were without hope loves us with an undying love, and so we express our love to him by being obedient to his headship.

Now, what does a head do? Let me suggest three ideas:

First, the head decides on goals.

Second, the head coordinates all action so as to accomplish its goals. Without a head, the different parts of the body would not work towards a common purpose. But when every part submits to the guidance of the head, the body can work effectively to accomplish its mission.

Finally, the head looks out for the good of the entire body. There may be times when an action in the short run will hurt one part of the body. But the head knows this pain is worth it so that the whole body might grow. The next and final principle draws this idea out:

(4) The Perfection of the Church Through Christ Consider some of the words Paul uses in our text describing the impact of Christ on the church:

·He sanctifies and cleanses her (26), washing us from our sins and then setting us apart for his purposes;

·He makes her to have no spot or wrinkle, but to be holy and blameless (27);

·He nourishes and cherishes her (29), not being willing to stop at cleansing us, but giving us everything we need in order to grow up into Him;

·He is her savior (23). The purpose of headship is the completion, the perfection of the church. Christ is one with the church, and loves the church so much that he is determined to make her all she should be.

Consider again the story of Hosea. When Hosea remarries Gomer, bringing her back into a right relationship with him, would he be satisfied to change her position from prostitute to wife? No! Not if he loves her! He wants her to fulfill her potential, to become all that God intended her to be -- and, furthermore, he wants them together, in their essential unity, to become what they together might be.

Just so, Jesus does not stop with changing our position before Him. We were full of sin and unable to enter God’s presence because of his holiness. But we as believers are covered by the blood of Jesus, so that our position has changed. Jesus saves us from the consequences of our sin, from eternal damnation. But he has determined to do so much more! He has determined to perfect us, to fulfill our potential, to make us what we were intended to be, to make us together with him into his fullness, glorifying himself in the process. The difference between changing our position and perfecting us is similar to the difference between the roles of doctor and coach. My doctor is concerned with disease. He identifies the disease that plagues me, and then attempts to cure it. But being cured of a disease and fulfilling my potential are two very different things! I can be healthy in the sense that there is no disease present in my body, yet still be fat, lazy, and out of shape. In that case, my body would be falling far short of its potential. My coach, or physical trainer, on the other hand, has the goal of making me the best athlete possible. My coach will look at me and see all I am capable of attaining, then set forth a plan whereby I can achieve my potential. He will make me work hard, he will cause me pain, he may yell at me occasionally, but my coach -- if he is good -- does all this so that I, together with my teammates, can fulfill our potential.

Similarly, Christ is not satisfied with healing our disease, with keeping us from hell. Instead, he perfects us individually and corporately.

How does Christ perfect the church? One way is through the leadership gifts discussed in chapter 4. Recall 4:11-13:

11 And He gave some [as] apostles, and some [as] prophets, and some [as] evangelists, and some [as] pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. The leadership gifts result in our maturing, in our growing up to be what Christ intends. Similarly, God works all things together for our good, using trials, using difficulties, using each other so that we are whipped into shape, so that we attain the perfection that he desires. And the final result of our perfection is his being glorified! Recall 3:10 where Paul writes that the perfected church displays God’s wisdom to all spiritual beings! God is proud of the church, and displays her beauty to others; Christ shows who he is by the perfection of his wife.

Think of the most beautiful sunrise you have seen recently, one that was particularly magnificent as deep reds changed to pink with increasing brilliance. The sunrise displays the beauty of its creator. Just so, we as the church are being perfected so that all creation will see us -- holy and blameless, perfect and complete -- and sing praises to God. The perfected church bringing praise to God is pictured in Revelation 19:6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; 8 to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure"-- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." Can you imagine this scene? The huge multitude of all the created order will sing praises to God because of us! We are his bride, clothed in the very deeds we have done through his grace. The perfect Savior marries the perfect bride -- and we, together, are that bride. So Christ our Savior and Husband is one with us. We are organically linked to him. He loves us with an active, sacrificial love. He who is one with us is also our head, directing us, helping all parts of his body to work together for His glory, and He directs all things together so that we might become his perfect creation. He nourishes us, providing all that we need to join Him at the marriage supper, proclaiming his glory, perfect in every way.