“so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
Ephesians 5:26-27 NASB2020
The continual worldly onslaught on the holiness of marriage and the profane gender lies that are coming forth from the dragon of old, Satan, is highlighting the coming of the Lord for His bride. The word church is simply the gathering of believers. It has no real spiritual description or distinction to identify with. The two spiritual thoughts and words are Bride and Body. The work of sanctification by the Holy Ghost is being accomplished to this end.
The Bride defines our relationship to our Lord Jesus and the Bride functions as His body in the earth. Church, the word, is such a poor description of both. Very generic with no organic spirit or life in it. When the King James translators were at work, they were in a conflict with Rome both religiously and politically, Church was the theological expression of that time—worldly in its control over the masses. Here in the Middle East, the word is used in orthodoxy and universally, so adulterated and full of idolatry and religious ritualism.
Paul gives us such a picture of the revelation of the holy relationship of the Bridegroom and His Bride. The renewing of the mind and soul is the sanctifying process of the thoughts and conversation of the bride. The revelation of the mind of Christ to His beloved is the continual, faithful, and sure work of the Holy Ghost. Paul says it is the continual sanctifying of the truth. Jesus said My Word is truth that conforms His Bride into His Image.
He, the Holy Ghost, is bringing to Jesus, calling and preparing this holy spiritual being. The relationship to the Holy Ghost and her is undeniable: we are becoming the Bride of Christ. Just as a man and woman joined in the covenant of marriage become one, we are by the Spirit and Word of God being changed from glory to glory as a believer and body of believers. We are unmistakably His to not only represent Him in this time, but rule and reign with Him in the time to come. The Bride, by the Holy Ghost, will begin to see Him as her husband and head more and more in the days to come.
Separation of church and state is not the issue, it is the separation of the world and the bride that to the Holy Ghost is of the highest priority. The spirit and the word work on the heart of flesh in us individually and corporately. Create in me this heart, clean and pure, and renew a right spirit within me and those you have joined to me too. That we might be holy and blameless, waiting for the shout, “the Bridegroom cometh!”
Respectfully submitted, Hallelujah!
