Proverbs 31:11-12. 11The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
The New Testament makes it clear that we, the church, are the bride of Christ, and Jesus is the bridegroom. The husband. This idea is rooted in the Old Testament’s teaching that God is the husband of Israel. In fact, this is the pinnacle of their relationship. God is the potter, his people the clay. Far beyond this, God is the master and Israel his servant. Better still, God is the father and Israel his son. Greatest of all, God is the husband and Israel the bride. Like Gomer to Hosea, Israel was the unfaithful bride redeemed at great price by her husband. Then when God the Son incarnated and came to Earth, he came to claim his bride, the church. This is how John the Baptist spoke of Jesus as our groom:
John 3:29-30. 29The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. 30He must increase, but I must decrease.
The Apostle Paul also spoke of the church as the bride of Christ:
2 Corinthians 11:2. For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
And, of course, John the Revelator saw a vision of the church as the bride of Christ dressed in white, presented to the Lord Jesus at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Revelation 19:6-8. 6Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.
OK, now that you are convinced that we are the bride of Christ, the question is, what kind of bride are we? Are we an excellent wife? Does our husband, Jesus, trust us? Does he have no lack of gain because of us? Are we doing him good and not harm all the days of our lives?
We know for sure that Jesus, the groom, is trustworthy. That, in him, we have no lack of gain. That he does us, his bride, no harm. These are the blessings of being in Christ. But does Jesus also benefit from this relationship? Does he gain from his union to us? Is there any reciprocation between Christ and the church?If it is truly a marriage, then yes, yes there is.
Would God the Father save us and betroth us to his Son if we were never going to be trustworthy? Would he pay the bride price for us if we were never going to do good to Jesus? Would he choose us before the foundation of the world if we were only going to harm Jesus for eternity? Would his redemption plan leave us in a state of only ever taking without ever giving?
We know Jesus is our gain, but are we also his gain?
We are. We are his reward just as much as he is our reward. Make no mistake, this is all of grace. By the grace of God and the love of the Spirit poured into our hearts we are the trustworthy bride of Christ, eternally doing him good and not harm.
You: Are you the bride of Christ?
You in Christ: How does our union with Christ make us his trustworthy and good bride?
Christ in you: Consider 2 Corinthians 11:2 again. Are you becoming a pure bride for Jesus?
Pray: Father, you saved me so that I may be Jesus’ reward just as he is mine. Let this thought bring me great encouragement today. Amen.
To Live is Christ 