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Ephesians 5:25 Husbands,
love
your
wives,
just
as
Christ
also
loved
the
church
and
gave
Himself
up for her, (NASB:
Lockman) |
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Greek:
Oi
andres,
agapate
tas
gunaikas,
kathos
kai
o
Christos
egapesen
ten
ekklesian
kai
heauton
paredoken
huper
autes,
Amplified:
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself
up for her, (Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
NLT: And you husbands must love your wives with the same
love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Phillips: But, remember, this means that the husband must
give his wife the same sort of love that Christ gave to the Church,
when he sacrificed himself for her. (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest: The husbands, be loving your wives with a love
self-sacrificial in its nature, in the manner in which Christ also
loved the Church and gave himself on behalf of it, (Erdmans)
Young's Literal: The husbands! love your own wives, as
also the Christ did love the assembly, and did give himself for it, |
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HUSBANDS,
LOVE
YOUR WIVES: Oi andres, agapate (2PPAM) tas gunaikas:
(28;
Genesis 2:24;
24:67;
2 Samuel 12:3;
Proverbs 5:18,19;
Colossians 3:19;
1 Peter 3:7)
Husbands love
- In this next section Paul instructs husbands in three separate
verses to love their wives! (verses 25, 28, 33)
Wayne Barber
discusses how a husband can even love this way reminding us that...
being filled with the Spirit is like
taking a glass, knocking the bottom out of it, sticking it in the river,
and letting the river flow through it. It is not filling it up, drinking
it and emptying it. No, you don’t empty yourself of God. God has come
into you to be a permanent resident. The way in which you are controlled
by His Spirit, Who is like a river of living water flowing from your
innermost spirit, is to deal with sin in your life being willing to let
Him control every area of your life. Then that flow can be what it ought
to be. So hang on to that. Be fully exposed to the Lord Jesus. Then you
begin to experience the strengthening in the inner man by His ability
that is far beyond yours.
Paul has a similar command for
Christian husbands in Colossians...
Husbands,
love
(present
imperative) your wives, and
do not be embittered
(present
imperative with a negative conveys the sense "Stop
being embittered toward") against them. (See note
Colossians 3:19)
In first Peter there is a parallel charge with a sharp warning for
disobedience...
You husbands likewise, live with your
wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a
woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so
that your prayers may not be hindered. (See note
1 Peter 3:7)
Husbands (435)
(aner) is simply the word for an adult male, in this case the
husband.
Love
(25)
(agapao related to noun
agape -
see
word study)
means to love unconditionally and sacrificially reflecting the love that
God Himself is. Agapao does not describe an emotional love but
represents the act of the will of one who desires and seeks the other's
highest good. In the context of Ephesians, this divine love, which is
one of the fruits of the Spirit, is itself empowered in Spirit filled
husbands, those who are wearing the garment of the new man. Any attempts
to exhibit
agape love
based upon natural strength or self-effort are destined to fail. Just as
Christ's love for His Bride the Church was costly, in the same way this
love by husbands demands the death to self.
Agapao describes
the self-less love which is given even if it is not received or
returned! The husband must love the wife with a love which never
exercises a tyranny of control but which is ready to make any sacrifice
for her good. Paul defines this love in a very pragmatic way writing
that...
(Agape) Love is patient (has a long fuse
before it blows), love is kind (provides something beneficial for
her needs not greeds), and is not jealous (doesn't boil over
easily); love does not brag (doesn't exhibit self display or conceit)
and is not arrogant (isn't haughty or puffed up and inflated with
pride), 5 does not act unbecomingly (doesn't behave in an
ugly, indecent, improper, rude, disgraceful, dishonorable manner); it
does not seek its own (does not care for anything except its self
interests, of having its own way in everything), is not (note KJV
is incorrect adding "easily" - the idea is not at all!) provoked
(aroused to a paroxysm of anger, is not "touchy" or easily irritated,
does not have a sharp or contentious edge, does not have a spasm over
every little irritation), does not take into account (logizomai
is a bookkeeping term!) a wrong suffered (does not keep a ledger
or permanent record of trespasses), 6 does not rejoice in
unrighteousness (is not glad when iniquity triumphs), but
rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things (protects by
covering over the faults and frailties of others, bearing with them),
believes all things, hopes all things (looks at the bright
side of things and does not despair), endures all things
(continues in activity despite resistance and opposition). 8
Love never fails (is never without effect, will never come to an
end). (1Corinthians 13:4-8a)
Agape love is Christ's love which is the motive
behind His saving grace. The consummation of His love is seen at Calvary
where God demonstrated His own love for us, despite the fact that we
were sinners, hostile toward God and at enmity with Him! Christ's love
for us was demonstrated in action, His willingness to give Himself up
for us. That same quality of love is now possible for believer because
the very Essence of that love now lives in the believer's heart in the
Spirit of Christ.
Husbands, how would you describe your
love toward your wife this past week? Sacrificial or selfish? (If you're
having trouble answering this question, go back to the preceding passage
in 1 Corinthians 13 and "grade" yourself for the week!)
When we fail to love like Christ, we
have no excuse for the Power to live righteously now resides in every
believer who is willing to surrender to the control of the Holy Spirit.
Note that Paul uses the
present imperative
which commands husbands to continually love their wives.
How can a wife not voluntarily, willingly submit to a husband who is
continually loving his wife with a Christ-like, divine, Spirit
controlled and empowered love?!
EBC has an excellent comment
noting that...
In
Greco-Roman society it was recognized that wives had obligations to
their husbands, but not vice versa. In this, as in other respects,
Christianity introduced a revolutionary approach to marriage that
equalized the rights of wives and husbands and established the
institution on a much firmer foundation than ever before. One word
summed up the role of the wife—"submit". One word does the same
for the husband—"love". This is the highest and distinctively
Christian word for loving. As over against eros ("sexual
passion") and philia ("family affection") Paul chooses the verb
agapao to insist that the love of a Christian man for his wife must be a
response to and an expression of the love of God in Christ extended to
the church (cf. vv. 1, 2).
Colossians 3:19
(see note) spells out the practical implications of
such love: "do not be harsh with them." (Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing) (Bolding added)
JUST AS CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE
CHURCH:
kathos kai o Christos egapesen (3SAAI):
(2;
Matthew 20:28;
Luke 22:19,20;
John 6:51;
Acts 20:28;
Galatians 1:4;
2:20;
1 Timothy 2:6;
1 Peter 1:18-21;
Revelation 1:5;
5:9)
Just as Christ loved the Church - Paul begins to "define" the
character of the love called for from the husband. It is to be like
Christ's love. It follows that it could only be a supernatural love, a
love that emanates as fruit from one who is filled with the Spirit. To
try to love like Christ in our natural strength, the garment of the "old
man", is to assure failure in loving one's wife as willed by God.
Christ
(5547)
(Christos from chrio = to anoint, rub with oil, consecrate
to an office) is the Anointed One, the Messiah, Christos being
the Greek equivalent of the transliterated Hebrew word Messiah.
Wayne Barber
adds that this love is ...
not affection answering to affection.
This is what a lot of people think. "Well, yes. I could love my wife
if she would just love me. If she would show me a little attention I
could love her back." No, sir. It is not affection responding to
affection. As a matter of fact, it is so unconditional she doesn’t even
have to do a thing for us to be commanded to love her. It is love that
strives to the highest good of the one loved and will pay any price for
it to take place, whatever it is. Whatever is necessary for that person,
the highest good, he will pay any price in order to see those needs met,
especially the spiritual ones. It is the highest form of love --
selfless, unconditional and committed to the highest good of our wife.
Loved (25)
(agapao see above)
in this context shows us its sacrificial, unselfish nature. For the
husband to exhibit this supernatural love like Jesus, he has to have a
supernatural source, the continual filling of the Holy Spirit. There is
no other way we can love like Jesus loved, except to allow His love to
flow through us as one of the aspects of the fruit of His Spirit.
Church (1577)
(ekklesia from ekkaléo = call out in turn from ek =
out + kaleo = call) literally "called-out ones". The Greeks used
ekklesia for assembly of citizens called out to transact city
business. The church is a living organism, composed of living members
joined together; through which Christ works, carries out His purposes
and He lives.
Everyone who has
been saved belongs to the body of Christ, the universal church. The
universal church is manifested in the world by individual local
churches, each of which is to be a microcosm of the body of Christ. The
church is to function under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, operating
under His sovereign rule. Jesus Christ is the Founder and Lord of His
church and has guaranteed its perpetuity until He returns.
AND GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR HER:
kai heauton paredoken (3SAAI) huper autes:
Gave Himself up
for her - This phrase helps define the sacrificial nature of the
husband's love. It lays down self for the other person.
EBC comments that...
Once again the apostle draws a comparison between the marriage
relationship and the relationship of Christ and the church (cf. vv.
22-24). It was on the cross that our Lord gave himself up for his bride.
The analogy is all the more telling, since ekklesia is feminine. This is
an aspect of the atonement not given such prominence elsewhere in the
NT. Paul himself has already declared that Christ laid down his life
"for our sins" (see note
Romans 4:25; Gal
1:4), or "for me" (see note
Galatians 2:20),
or "for us all" (see note
Romans 8:32). Now
he affirms that our Lord's sacrificial death was "for her," i.e., for
the church (Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing)
The eloquent preacher Chrysostom (347-407AD - his name means
"golden tongue") has a wonderful expansion of this passage
“Hast thou seen the measure of obedience? Hear also the measure of
love. Wouldst thou that thy wife shouldst obey thee as the Church doth
Christ? Have care thyself for her as Christ for the Church. And if it be
needful that thou shouldst give thy life for her, or be cut to pieces a
thousand times, or endure anything whatever, refuse it not. … He brought
the Church to his feet by his great care, not by threats nor fear nor
any such thing; so do thou conduct thyself towards thy wife.”
Gave up (3860)
(paradidomi from
para = alongside, beside + didomi = give) means to give
alongside. The basic idea is to give over from one's hand to someone or
something with particular reference to a right or an authority.
This concept is illustrated in the devil's attempt to tempt our Lord...
And the devil said to Him, "I will
give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over
to (paradidomi) me, and I give it to whomever I wish. (Luke 4:6)
In the ancient
world paradidomi was used as a technical term of police and
courts = ‘hand over into the custody of’. The idea is to give over into
one’s power or use and involves either the handing over of a presumably
guilty person for punishment by authorities or the handing over of an
individual to an enemy who will presumably take undue advantage of the
victim, as was the case in the arrest and trials that followed our
Lord's being giving over.
In Galatians 2:20 paradidomi is in the
aorist tense which Vine
states...
is in
the point tense (Ed: "aorist") because it refers to the “one act of
righteousness,” Romans 5:18 ( see
note), in which the
eternal love of God found its highest expression, and by which the
salvation of believers was secured...Complete comprehension of “the
mystery of God, even Christ” lies beyond the capacity of the human mind.
The more closely it is considered the greater grows the wonder of its
unfathomable depths. Not only was God in Christ during His life on
earth, John 14:10 , God was in Christ in His reconciling death, 2
Corinthians 5:19 . This ground is holy, yet is it to be approached,
albeit with “reverence and awe,” for all that God has been pleased to
reveal is proper subject for the worshipful consideration of His
children. Two cautions are needful here, however. We may not go beyond
what is written, and we may not expect to eliminate mystery from the
Divine sacrifice or to reconcile all that is revealed concerning it; the
human point of view is far too low, the human outlook far too limited,
to admit of that. (Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
)
In the introductory verses to this letter to the
Galatians, Paul explained that Jesus
"gave
(didomi =
active voice
= of His own volition) Himself for (huper = on behalf of =
speaks of His substitutionary death for) our sins, that He might deliver
us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and
Father" (Galatians 1:4)
Later Paul taught that...
Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--
for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"-- in order
that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles,
so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Gal
3:13-14) (Comment: Note He was not "accursed" but became a curse
in the same sense that "He was made to be sin" in 2Cor 5:21. He
voluntarily submitted himself to the curse of the law that that curse
might be removed from us.)
Preacher's Commentary illustrates Christ
giving Himself up fro us with the following story...
Following the success of the communist revolution in China in 1948, two
young men were given the job of destroying Christian chapels. One
evening at dusk, after they had devastated a small chapel, they decided
to sleep in it that night. As they were lying on the floor there, one of
them saw a crucifix so high on the wall they had not been able to reach
it. He looked at it steadily for a while, then said to his companion,
“Do you see the picture of God nailed to that stick of wood?” “Yes,” the
other responded, “but what of it?” The first answered, “You know, I
never saw a God who suffered before.” This is something new—a Savior who
voluntarily suffers. (Briscoe,
D. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. The Preacher's Commentary Series, New
Testament. 2003; Thomas Nelson)
Jesus explained His purpose to the disciples
declaring that...
"the
Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life
a ransom for many." (Mt 20:28)
In John Jesus declared...
"I am
the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the
sheep...For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life
that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it
down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have
authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My
Father." (John 10:11, 17-18)
The awesome truth about Jesus' life for our life
cannot be repeated enough, as Paul emphasized in many of his letters...
He who
was delivered up (paradidomi) because of our transgressions, and
was raised because of our justification. (see note
Romans 4:25)
"Walk
in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up
(paradidomi) for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a
fragrant aroma. (see sermon
Eph 5:2)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and
gave Himself up (paradidomi) for her (see sermon
Eph 5:25)
(Jesus)
gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper
time. (1Ti 2:6)
(Jesus)
gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and
purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good
deeds. (see note
Titus 2:14)
Although Paul clearly states that Jesus of His own
volition gave Himself over into the hands of evil men, many of
the other uses of paradidomi in the gospels
describe the giving over of our Lord Jesus Christ into the hand's and
the authority of His various and manifold adversaries...and so we read
that Jesus was given over...
By Judas - And Judas Iscariot,
who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests, in order to
betray (paradidomi - to hand Him over to them) Him to them. (Mark
14:10) (Compare: Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who
betrayed [paradidomi] Him. - Mt 10:4)
By the Sanhedrin to Pilate -
And early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes,
and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding
Jesus, they led Him away, and delivered Him up
(paradidomi) to Pilate (Mark 15:1)
By Pilate to the people's will
- And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into
prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered (paradidomi)
Jesus to their will. (Luke 23:25)
By Pilate to
the soldiers for execution - And wishing to satisfy the multitude,
Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he
delivered (paradidomi) Him to be crucified. (Mk 15:15)
S Lewis Johnson speaking of living our lives
now based on faith in the Son of God asks...
But do
we have good reasons to rest in Him? The final words of Galatians 2:20
supply ample grounds. Our faith is in the Son of God, "who loved me and
gave himself for me." Cf. Gal 1:4. All of the essentials of the
atonement are found here. His redemptive work is grounded in the love
that expressed itself in the cross, the word "loved" being an aorist in
tense and referring to the event of the cross as the issue of eternal,
electing love (cf. Eph 1:3-6; 2:4, etc.). The verb, "gave," means to
hand over, to deliver over (cf.
Romans 4:25;
Ro 8:32; Eph. 5:2).
It in this context suggests these important things:
(1)
First, His death was voluntary. He gave Himself.
(2) Second, His death was a penal sacrifice, for He had to deliver
Himself over to the cross. The aorist of the participle again points to
the cross as the event at which the delivering took place. And it was a
delivering of Himself over to the divine penalty for sin. He, thus, was
a sacrifice.
(3)
Third, His death was substitutionary. It was "for me," Paul says, a
personal reference that is expanded to all the elect in other places in
his writings (cf. Eph. 5:2; Gal. 1:4). The use of the first person here
"indicates the deep personal feeling with which the apostle writes,"
Burton believes.
Incidentally, it is never said in the New Testament that Christ loves
the world. He loved the church, and He loves me; the special relation
that He bears to His own is the New Testament stress (cf. Rev 1:5).
The
apostle has set forth for us the secret of true life. It is found in the
voluntary, penal substitutionary sacrifice of the Son of God who,
uniting us with Himself, has died our death under judgment and has
raised us up with Him in His resurrection to enjoy forever His life
beyond the sphere of the Mosaic Law. It is no longer the hopeless
struggle to keep the Law, but it is now the confident trust in the
Lawgiver Himself, who lives His life out within me and through me. Can
we not count on Him who loved me in all my sin and iniquity and, in
spite of that, gave Himself for me? Cf.
Romans 5:9,
5:10;
Romans 8:32. (Read
his full message on
Galatians 2:15-21)
Warren Wiersbe draws
the analogy between the church and a bride writing...
The
church is pictured as the bride of Christ. It is interesting to compare
the church to the first bride in the Bible, Eve (Ge 2:18-25). She was
taken from Adam’s side, and Christ’s side was pierced for us on the
cross. She was formed when Adam was asleep, and Christ experienced the
sleep of death to create the church. Eve shared Adam’s nature, and the
church partakes of Christ’s nature (Eph 5:30-31). Eve was the object of
her mate’s love and care, and Christ loves the church and cares for it.
Adam was willing to become a sinner because of his love for his wife (1Tim. 2:11-15), and Christ willingly was made sin because of His love for
the church. Eve was formed and brought to Adam before sin entered the
human family; the church was in the mind and heart of God before the
foundation of the world. (Wiersbe,
W. W. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, Ill.:
Victor Books
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Ephesians 5:26 so
that He might
sanctify
her, having
cleansed
her by the
washing
of
water
with the
word,
(NASB:
Lockman) |
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Greek:
hina
auten
hagiase
katharisas
to
loutro
tou
hudatos
en
rhemati,
Amplified:
So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of
water with the Word,
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
NLT: to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism
and God's word. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Phillips: Christ gave himself to make her holy, having cleansed
her through the baptism of his Word (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest: in order that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it
by the bath of water in the sphere of the Word, (Erdmans)
Young's Literal: that he might sanctify it, having
cleansed it with the bathing of the water in the saying, |
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SO THAT HE MIGHT SANCTIFY HER:
hina auten hagiase (3SAAS):
(John
17:17-19;
Acts 26:18;
1 Corinthians 6:11;
Titus 2:14;
Hebrews 9:14;
10:10;
1 Peter 1:2;
Jude 1:1)
So that -
Introduces a purpose clause, explaining why Christ gave Himself up for
the Church.
He might
sanctify her - The Bride of Christ has been set apart by Christ. In
Paul's day, the father would chose a bride for his son, which is
analogous to what happened in the Godhead, Paul writing that...
He (God the Father) chose us in Him
(in Christ, in union with Him) before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and blameless before Him. (see note
Ephesians 1:4)
So in eternity
past, believers were in a sense "engaged" or "betrothed"
to Christ, this engagement or
betrothal
not being realized in the believer's life until the day of their
regeneration by the Spirit, the day of their new birth by grace through
faith, the day on which the Spirit baptized them (united them with,
identified them with) the Body of Christ, the Church, the Bride of
Christ.
Jesus answered and said to him
(Nicodemus), "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to
be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead (See note
1 Peter 1:3)
Since you have in obedience to the
truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently
love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not
of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the
living and abiding word of God. (See notes
1 Peter 1:22;
1:23)
He saved us, not on the basis
of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His
mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy
Spirit, Whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our
Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life. (See notes
Titus 3:5;
3:6;
3:7)
For by one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free,
and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. (1Cor 12:13).
And in order to
assure His "sincerity" and authenticity of our
betrothal
to Christ, our Bridegroom gave us the glorious gift of His Spirit.
In Him, you also, after listening to
the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also
believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise (See
note
Ephesians 1:13)
The seal of the
Spirit of Christ serves to identify the Bride as now belonging only
to Christ and underscores that she could be that she would be His
possession forever. But at the moment of our
betrothal, Christ did
something else...He gave His bride the most glorious engagement ring
ever given...His Spirit. Paul records that the Spirit of promise was...
Who is given as a pledge (as
an engagement ring" =
arrabon - see word study) of our
inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to
the praise of His glory. (See note
Ephesians 1:14)
(Comment: Using the metaphor of Bridegroom/Bride, the phrase "with
a view to the redemption" refers to the return of the Bridegroom
Christ Who will sweep away His Bride the church into glory, as she is
transformed "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet" [1Cor 15:52] at which time she is forever changed and puts
on her imperishable, immortal bridal attire.)
In a parallel
passage Paul speaks about the
betrothal
of Christ to His Bride writing...
I am jealous for you with a godly
jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I
might present you as a pure virgin. (2Corinthians 11:2) (Comment:
Paul is acting like a Jewish father who is giving his daughter, the
Corinthian believers, to the bridegroom, Christ. Betrothed is in
the
middle voice
which emphasizes Paul's personal interest and involvement in the matter
["I myself betrothed you"]. Ultimately Christ will present His
bride to Himself as explained in Ephesians 5:26. Note that elsewhere
Christ is referred to as the "Bridegroom" [Jn 3:29, Mk 2:19-20] which
creates no conflict with Paul's designation as "Husband" for as
explained below
betrothal
was tantamount to marriage and
required a certificate of divorce to terminate. Note that the Bride as
"pure virgin" parallels Paul's words in Ephesians 5:27 "the church in
all her glory having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that she
should be holy and blameless")
John explains that
the Bridegroom will return, but that in the meantime He was preparing
the home for His Bride
In My Father's house are many
dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go
to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you to Myself; (cf "that He
might present to Himself the Church in all her glory" Ephesians
5:27) that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2-3)
Paul also described the
Bridegroom's sudden return to sweep His Bride off of her feet writing
that...
we do not want you to be uninformed,
brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the
rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in
Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who
are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede
those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 17 Then we who
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the
Lord.18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1Thessalonians
4:13-18)
John brings this
glorious event to conclusion writing...
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give
the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride
has made herself ready." And it was given to her to clothe herself in
fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts
of the saints. And he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are
invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These
are true words of God." (Revelation 19:7-9)
THE
BRIDE
SANCTIFIED
In Ephesians 5:26 Paul
is speaking primarily of sanctification as what the theologians refer to
as positional sanctification (past tense
salvation, the point in time when we were justified or declared
righteous when we placed our faith in Christ substitutionary sacrifice
on the Cross - see discussion of the
Three Tenses of Salvation).
Positional
sanctification is a one time event and contrasts with so-called
progressive sanctification in which the justified believer is daily,
more and more, gradually being set apart from the world and unto God.
Progressive sanctification is the idea inherent in other phrases such
being conformed more and more into the image of God's Son (see note
Romans 8:29;
cf, progressive transformation in
Romans 12:2)
or of being continually transformed from glory to glory by the Spirit
(2Cor 3:18).
These two
aspects of sanctification are important to understand because when one
reads the evangelical commentaries on Ephesians 5:26,
some authorities interpret "might sanctify her" as a past, completed event
(synonymous with positional sanctification). Other authorities interpret this passage as Christ's
progressive (ongoing) sanctification and cleansing of His Bride, the
Church, whom He will continue to set apart and cleanse in order that He might present her to Himself at
the wedding.
If one adheres
rigidly interpretation of the Greek text, the aorist tense of both
sanctify and cleansed favors a past
completed action. On the other hand,
simple logic dictates that the past completed action (positional
sanctification or justification) cannot be divorced
from ongoing or progressive sanctification. In other words,
positional and progressive sanctification are two sides of the same coin. Justification without
sanctification is not taught in Scripture and if carried to the extreme
leads to the teaching that one could be saved and live anyway they
wanted to live for the rest of their life and still go to heaven when
they die. In my humble opinion, this is a errant teaching and to base
one's eternal destiny upon it is fraught with danger. I would day
"Caveat Emptor!"
Now with this
background, these notes take the stand that at Calvary when Christ gave His
life up
for His Bride, He set her apart and at the same time set into motion a
process of sanctification that is manifest by His Bride's
righteous acts ("righteous acts of the saints") that will culminate in Her obtaining
her glorious, bridal attire of
"fine linen, bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts
of the saints." (Revelation 19:8) She will receive her final gown at the return of
her Bridegroom to obtain His Bride. At that time John records...
"that when He appears, we shall be
like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is." (1John 3:2)
In this glorified
state Christ presents the Bride to Himself, at the time all the
believers have attained the perfect state with clean, white linens, with
no spot or wrinkle or any such thing. That time clear speaks of Christ
second coming when He receives His Bride to Himself, which is synonymous
with the rapture of Church as discussed above (see 1Thes 4:13-18)
With this
background let us consider some of the comments regarding Ephesians 5:26
by respected expositors.
One of the deans
of Biblical prophecy, the late Dr. John Walvoord divides Christ's
relationship to His Bride into 3 basic phases...
The present work of sanctification (Ed
note: "Progressive Sanctification" as discussed above) described in
Ephesians 5:26 will culminate in a future work revealed in Ephesians
5:27 where it is said that Christ has the goal
“that he might present the church to
himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
When the work of Christ for His
church has been consummated, the church will be in heaven without any
evidence of sin which spoiled its testimony in this world. There will be
no spot, that is, visible defilement; no wrinkle that is, no evidence of
age or corruption, or anything of a similar nature such as a blemish.
Instead, the whole church will be completely holy and adapted to the
environment of heaven.
A further thought is introduced in
the description of the bride as the wife of Christ in Revelation 19:8
where after the announcement of the coming marriage feast and the
declaration in Revelation 19:7,
“his wife hath made herself
ready,” the passage declares: “and it shall be given unto her that she
should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen
is the righteous acts of the saints.”
Here the result of the present work
of Christ is defined as clothing the bride in fine linen, namely, the
righteous acts which stemmed from the present work of the sanctifying
application of the Word of God.
The work of Christ for the church in
this present age therefore partakes of the character of the loving
ministry anticipating that future joyous occasion when the bride will
stand complete in heaven with every beauty and grace. The bride is
already joined to Christ in legal marriage and in recognition of the
price that was paid at Calvary and the acceptance of the offer of
salvation. This is the first phase of the marriage relationship.
The bride is now awaiting the coming
of her bridegroom, which will be fulfilled at the rapture of the church
and which is the second phase.
Subsequent to the rapture, the
marriage feast will be observed which is anticipated in Revelation
19:7–9, which is the third phase.
The present work of Christ will
therefore have its consummation in these future events and ultimately
the church, which is now incomplete and with many deficiencies, will
stand perfect in heaven in every beauty and grace.
The figure of the bridegroom and the
bride is a proper conclusion to all the other figures which depict the
relationship of Christ to His church and especially emphasizes that
which is yet ahead. (Bibliotheca
Sacra: Volume 122. Issue 487. Page 199. 1965)
(Bolding added)
William
MacDonald is in agreement with Walvoord writing at the present time
Christ's...
love for the church is shown in His
work of sanctification: that He might sanctify and cleanse her with
the washing of water by the word. To sanctify means to set apart.
Positionally the church is already sanctified; practically she is being
set apart day by day. She is going through a process of moral and
spiritual preparation, similar to the one-year course of beauty culture
which Esther took before being presented to King Ahasuerus (Est.
2:12–16). The process of sanctification is carried on by the washing
of water by the word. In simple terms this means that the lives of
believers are cleansed as they hear the words of Christ and obey them.
Thus Jesus said to the disciples,
“You are already clean because of the
word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:3).
And He linked sanctification with the
word in His high priestly prayer:
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your
word is truth” (John 17:17). | | |
