“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).
Here, in the space of just a few words, we have one of the most profound statements of scripture ever made. Christ loved the Church and devoted Himself to it. Here is the heart of the truth about Jesus Christ and our main motivation for following His gospel. And since this statement is part of Paul’s discussion of husbands and wives, we should add: If husbands are to love their wives with the love that Christ had for the church when He went to the cross, He has finished His work for them.
Christ loved the church. When Jesus told His disciples, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18), He spoke about a future event. Even when he died, the church he had said he would build did not exist. So how can it be said that he sacrificed himself because he “loved the Church”? We can say that he loved the church are likely to be, Knowing that it would soon come into being, but it was not the church as a whole that he died for. He died for those who needed to be saved. So when Christ died, the people he loved were the ones who would obey the gospel and receive the forgiveness that made his death possible. We all need to see ourselves in this picture. Even though I am someone who has not yet obeyed the gospel, I need to imagine myself being part of the Church that Jesus Christ loved so much. How could I not want to do that?
And dedicated myself to him. Without the sacrifice of Christ none of us could have been saved. It was His death that atoned for the guilt of our transgressions and opened the door of God’s grace to us. Certainly no one in the history of the world has made a greater sacrifice for others than Jesus when He put Himself in our place and was killed. And for whom did he do this? His church.
When all is said and done, it is sacrifice that shows the extent of love. Christ did more than speak words of love; He gave himself up for us. So let’s celebrate the sacrifice of Christ. And let us not hesitate to celebrate the Church, which by love became His bride.
For Christ, our dear Savior,
For Christ’s sake, crucified;
For the Church his blood has bought,
The Church, His holy bride.
(EE Hewitt)
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
