A Pure and Spotless Bride
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.”
Ephesians 5:25-30
We are Betrothed to Jesus
When Jesus died on the cross, He established the New Covenant through His blood. This covenant is to be unified with Him forever, like a marriage. There’s no “til death do we part” in this covenant. It actually starts with death, Jesus’ death on the cross and our joining Him by faith and dying to sin, to create a literal “happily ever after” for eternity! I suppose you could still say “til death do we part” because there’s no more death and no more parting, but that’s redundant.
Through this covenant, you are able to enter into a pure relationship with Him. This was His proposal to the Church. You’re invited to be a part of this. In fact, Jesus is inviting everyone to come to the wedding. You can see in Matthew 22:1-14 that He’s even inviting people off the streets to come, but only the people that say yes to Jesus’ invitation into relationship can become His Bride. The ones that sneak in to gawk, but don’t actually want the relationship will be discarded.
Preparing for the Wedding Day
Once you’ve said “yes” to Jesus’ proposal, there is some preparation. Once we get saved, we’re in. However, there’s something called “sanctification” that happens next. In Ephesians 5, it says “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” The only kind of bride that Jesus is going to marry is a pure and spotless one.
It’s important to notice that it’s the husband, Christ Jesus, who sanctifies the bride. It’s not up to you to do the sanctifying, but it is up to you to allow him to do it.
Submitting to Sanctification
In order to become the pure and spotless bride that Jesus is coming back for, you have to submit to Him. It’s so easy to try do things your own way or to perform for Jesus, but it’s not about your works, it’s about His. Remember that HE is the one that is sanctifying you. Your heart has to be refined until there are no impurities left.
It’s hard to trust someone enough to let them see all your junk, but I can tell you that it’s one of the most satisfying things to the Lord to remove it. He knows the right tools to use and what to allow in your life to make it just the right temperature so that the impurity rises to the surface. When you allow Jesus to cleanse you instead of trying to push it back down, then His tender love just scoops it away and we become more like Him.
Jesus is Coming for a Bride
When Jesus comes back, it’s because His bride is ready. Oh what a glorious day that will be! His Church will be completely pure and unified. There will be no more tears, pain, or grief. We will be feasting with our King in the Kingdom of Heaven forever, constantly praising Him and adoring Him.
We’ll be able to look into the eyes of our Bridegroom and feel the most pure love, more pure than we’ve ever felt. We will have full access to Jesus without the hindrance of a broken world, because everything will be perfect. This is why Jesus coming back will be the most exciting day for the people that are a part of His Bride.
If you’re unsure of whether or not you’ve made it into being part of the Bride, ask the Holy Spirit to come in and to cleanse any impurities in your heart. Read the Bible and let it wash you, let Him refine your heart. Give your “yes” to Jesus and He will take care of the rest.