Bride of Christ - who is She?

Here we go - John 3:22-29

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”

John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.

Please provide evidence from Scripture of 'the Bride of Christ' - Thank You

Can you hear them? heyyyy; the wedding bells have begun to ring! ....well, wait a minute; not quite yet, but it won't be long, and it's getting closer every day! ….uh-oh, it appears that half of "the Bride" will not make it. In fact, when they finally show up, God will say, "I never knew you."

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. "Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' "Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. "And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' "But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' "But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

- Matthew 25:1-13 (NKJV)

It has been requested by a Member - "can you prove from scripture that the church is the Bride of Christ?"

So let us begin - Bride of Christ - who is She?

Will the Real Bride of Christ please Stand.......
When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Please provide evidence from Scripture of 'the Bride of Christ' - Thank You

Hi David,

This is so important for it leads to where our inheritance is.

People have been taught wrong, I believe, as to -

Eph. 5: 22 - 31. The word in NOT `her,` but `it`, referring to the BODY of Christ. This scripture is an exhortation for husbands to love their wives as Christ does His BODY.

2 Cor. 11: 2. Here Paul is talking to his disciples saying that he wants to present them to the Lord, pure. However Paul does NOT present us to the Lord, it is the Lord Himself who presents us to Himself. (Jude 24)

None of these scriptures teach who the Bride is.

Now in God`s word He uses the symbol of the `bride` for two purposes.

1. In time - Israel is the bride and God is the husband, meaning, master. (Isa. 54: 5 & 6)

2. In eternity - the New Jerusalem (OT saints Heb. 11: 16) is described as a bride, because of the glory of God. (Rev. 21: 2 & 11)

And note - the Body of Christ`s inheritance is with Christ on His throne in the highest realm. (Rev. 3: 21)

Marilyn.

Probably a repeat by this time but here is what I have compiled:

The bride of Christ is written as a singular female however she is actually composed of a huge number of men and women (Christians). So is there one bride or many? The many form a singular. It is the same way with the Trinity. Three composing a single God does not equal 3 Gods despite that there are three of them in the Trinity. The three form a singular God.


Christians are the bride:

Eph 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.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 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.
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Here we are told plainly that the example of a man and his wife being of one flesh is about Christ and the church.


Rom 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


Here again it is Christians that will marry Christ who was raised from the dead.


2Co 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.


Spoken to Christians, the church, being presented as Virgins in a spiritual sense.


Rev 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.

Rev_17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.


If a woman "Babylon" also called a city can represent a group of unsaved people then certainly the bride of Christ, a group of saved people, can be represented as a city "New Jerusalem" as well.

It is a metaphor regarding devotion and affection, definitely not marriage.

Eph. 5: 28 & 29 passage is not doctrinal, but an exhortation and illustrative.

No, it's definitely marriage. I'll highlight everything marriage related:

Eph 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.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 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.
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The whole thing is about comparing a marriage between man and wife and the marriage between Christ and his Church.

That is quite incorrect. The doctrine of the Bride of Christ is throughout the NT. And the Marriage of the Lamb is plainly described in Revelation 19.

Hmmmmm,I rember reading about Israel being God's wife and him having given her a bill of divorce.
They at this time are his estranged wife.
The bride of Christ is the body of Christ of whom he is head.
Bible also teaches me that in heaven,we shall be known as we were known.....sounds sexist to turn us all into males.

Please provide evidence from Scripture of 'the Bride of Christ' - Thank You

There is no scripture saying `the Bride of Christ.` It is all assumption based upon an exhortation. And that is NOT what doctrine is to be based on.