Is it not similar to what Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 6:16?
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.”
Have we not 'joined' ourselves with sin and become one body with her? My feeble understanding of 'knowing good and evil' like God means we know what sin is and we know what is right. However, unlike God, we choose to 'join' ourselves to sin. I don't say this hopelessly, though.
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus Christ knew what sin was. He preached against it for 3 years, but He did not 'know' it. He was led into the wilderness and Satan tried to entice Him to 'join' Himself with sin. But He was/is God.
Hebrews 4:15
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Romans 7:1-4
1 Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.
So, like God, we knew good and evil. But unlike God, we chose evil and we joined ourselves to it and were married to it. But by His grace, we died so that our marriage no longer bound us and we could marry Another.
1 comments:
Might as well post this sermon from a few weeks ago, as it directly applies to our new marriage in Christ!
Awesome post Diggs!
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Christ and His Bride
Past, Present and Future
Ephesians 5:25-33
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 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. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
In this closing sermon on the NT church I want to give you a greater understanding of the intimate relationship that the church has with the Lord Jesus Christ.
As the apostle Paul is defining the martial relationship between a husband and a wife he gives us some insight into the relationship between Christ and His bride the church.
John the Baptist also referred to marital relationship between Christ and his bride....
John 3:29
29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.
If the bridegroom is Christ, then who is the bride? The church.
Paul says that the church is the one who Christ:
1. Gave Himself up for
2. Is sanctifying
3. Has cleansed
4. Will present to Himself in splendor
5. Will make holy and blameless
This is an intimate, relationship oriented process that the Lord our God is working out in us and it is not just a NT idea.
This is something that the Lord
1. had planned before time began,
2. implemented after time began
3. and will complete after time ends.
In order to illustrate this martial relationship throughout the history of the world let us look at the scriptures.
I. The Selection of the Bride
In Hebrew this is known as Shiddukhin
This is the process by which the father chooses a bride for his son.
Genesis 24:1-4
24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
So you see, Abraham dispatched a matchmaker who would go and find a bride for his son.
Listen to what Paul said to the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 11:1-2
11:1 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 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.
II. The Contract
There was a legal contract/covenant or ketubah. In this contract the groom promises to care for his wife and give himself for her. The bride promises to pay her dowry-her financial status. This represents a yielded life to the groom.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
III. The Payment
The bridal payment or the “Mohar” or the bride price. Paid by the groom to the bride’s family. This set her free from her parent’s household to be with the groom.
Isaac and Rebecca
Genesis 24:53
53 And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.
Jacob and his wives…
Genesis 29:20,27
20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.”
We are told in I Cor. 6:19-20 that we have been purchased, redeemed with a price.
The price was not mere silver or gold, but His own life…
1 Peter 1:18-19
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
IV. The Betrothal
The Betrothal or “Eyrusin” is also called the “kiddushim”, meaning sanctification or set apart. Being betrothed brought about the same state of seriousness as marriage. Sleeping with a betrothed woman brought about the death penalty (Deut. 22:23).
The betrothal is a time for the couple to prepare to enter into the covenant/marriage. This is much stronger than engagement. A breaking of the betrothal was only available to the husband thru divorce. See Deuteronomy 24…
If we are betrothed to Jesus, only He can break the covenant…we cannot…lose our salvation.
Hosea 2:19-20
19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.
John 10:28
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Also, prior to the betrothal ceremony, typically each would undergo a mikveh, immersion, ceremonial or spiritual cleansing.
At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry what happened?
Matthew 3:13-17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The cleansing of the bride or the church…
Eph.5:26-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 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.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
V. The Betrothal Ceremony
The betrothal ceremony: the bride and groom would appear together under a huppah (canopy) and publicly express their intention to become engaged. The canopy symbolized a new household being planned
Joel 2:15-16
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
An item of value would be exchanged (such as rings) and a cup of wine was shared to seal the vows.
Jesus initiated the new covenant with a cup of blessing. He then said He would not taste it again until the wedding feast.
Mark 14:22-25
22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
VI. The Betrothal Period
The betrothal period was to last one year and the couple was considered married, but were not intimate. They lived separately until the end of the betrothal period.
Joseph and Mary
Matt. 1:18-19
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
a. The Betrothal Gift -- After the betrothal ceremony. The groom would return home to fulfill his obligations during the betrothal. Before he left the bride at the betrothal ceremony, the groom would leave a gift as a reminder that he would return to receive her.
Eph. 1:13-14.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
b. One year of betrothal -- The groom was to focus on preparing a dwelling place for the bride.
John 14:1-3
14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
Typically this was done not by building a new dwelling, but by adding a room to his existing home. The rabbis determined that this was to be a better place than what she had been living in.
The groom would not decide when the place was ready, but his father would make the determination and give the go ahead to receive the bride.
Matt. 24:36
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
The bride was to keep herself busy for the wedding day by preparing wedding garments. Are we keeping ourselves busy and prepared for His return?
VII. The Wedding Day
The Wedding day was a surprise to the bride. Remember, the father of the groom determined when everything was ready.
Matt.25:1-13. A member of the grooms party would to the bride’s house and shout, “Behold, the bridegroom comes.”
Then a shofar would blow.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
a. The entire party would come with the groom (Rev.?) and the bride and groom would go under the huppah (to establish a new household), they would say a blessing over the cup of wine and the ceremony would include final vows. The pinnacle of the ceremony was the marriage supper.
Rev.19:7-9
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
At least seven days of celebration (John 14:10-12). When it was all done, the groom would bring his bride home in a full covenant marriage.
VIII. The Eternal Dwelling
They would then dwell in their new home….
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
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