The Virgin Bride

I was working on my homework just now and came across the phrase "the virgin of Christ". At first, my mind went to the Virgin Mary, and the belief in her perpetual virginity and innocence (a belief seemingly unsupported by the Bible, which mentions Jesus' brothers). Then I realized - this phrase was not in reference to Mary. It was in reference to the Church.

There are several references in the New Testament of the Church as the bride of Christ. Or of Jesus as the groom, coming to claim His bride upon His return. For example, Paul speaking to the church in Corinth, notes, "For I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ" (2 Cor 11:2). John envisions our homecoming to Heaven as a giant wedding feast, writing, "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; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure — for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints" (Rev 19:7-8). Jesus also frequently uses imagery of the Church as the bride and He as the bridegroom, seen most notably in the gospels of Matthew and John.

Virginity of course is a term used to describe a person who has not yet engaged in sexual intercourse. For a woman, there is often (though not always) a physical sign of this virginity, and in the past, it was not uncommon for doctors to verify that a woman of a certain class was still "intact" prior to marrying. No such test can be done on a man... nor was such a standard held to men. It was often not expected for them to have also "saved" themselves for marriage. Because, well, boys will be boys, right?

There are so many different directions I could take this post right now. 

But here's where I think I want to go: If the Church is the bride of Christ, the virgin bride of Christ, what kind of test would show us to be pure? And, would we pass it?

It should be noted - the groom in this imagery is Christ Himself. Someone who as God, had no sin, even when He dwelled in a corruptible body. Despite some conspiracy theories to the contrary, there is no evidence to suggest Jesus ever engaged in "boys will be boys" behavior. He never married.  He was pure.

Here we see no double standard like what we have seen throughout patriarchal society and history, even in (especially in?) the Church. There is no, the bride must be pure but the groom can do whatever. The bride must be pure because the Groom is pure. Because God is pure. His love for us is pure.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God," says Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). 

Paul tells us in Ephesians that men should love their wives as Christ loves the church. Does that not call men to live lives of purity, to keep themselves from the sinfulness of this world, to present themselves pure to their wives, just as much as it does women? 

The body Jesus lived in was a human body, and therefore, was just as corruptible as ours. Yet He resisted all temptations, turned away from all sin, and kept steadfast after the mission for which He was sent. He was a model for humanity - living what we live, suffering as we suffer, yet at the same time modeling the sacrificial love for others to which we are all called.

I saw a post on Facebook the other day that said, "The flesh craves after the things of this world because it knows it's not going to the next." Our flesh will deceive us and draw us into sin. But we are not of this world. We are called to something higher.

Colossians 3:1 says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." Romans 12:2 adds, "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect."

I fear in America the Church is lacking in purity. She is tarnished by the intermixing of American ideologies, politics, nationalism, hate speech, and greed. She cheers on and vows support for a figure who is the antithesis of all Jesus stood for.

We must fix our eyes on the One above! We must turn from our idols of freedom and consumerism and power, and towards the worship of the One True God and the love of neighbor. Jesus is the only One who has kept Himself pure for us, who has done what we could not do, and who awaits us to be reunited with Him in Heaven one day. 

We must set our hearts on things above through the renewing of our minds, through the Spirit's work in us. The more we turn to Him and open our hearts and lives to His direction, the more He works in us, sanctifying and purifying and readying us for the great marriage ceremony.

Jesus can clean away all the stains our sins leave behind.

But that doesn't mean we should keep rolling around in the mud.

Come on, Christians. We must do better.