What does it mean to be the bride of Christ?

There’s something about the beauty and purity and magnetism of a bride. I’ve attended and officiated at a lot of weddings, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bride who was not beautiful. Paul says the church is to be the bride of Christ. God said to Israel, “You are my bride,” and that same symbolism is used of the church in the New Testament. But if we, the church, are the bride of Christ, I wonder...how do we look? Most brides are irresistible, but are we? Are non-believers attracted to the bride of Christ?

We can introduce people to Jesus Christ in many ways, but however it is done, the church should be a winsome, caring, loving bride that draws wanderers near. The primary way we do this as a body, as a church, is through friendship, or relational evangelism. That means a man or a woman must sense the music of the gospel in your life before they ever really want to hear the words. There must be music before the words can be received and understood. And the music of the gospel is this: the relationship those who are in Christ have with Him, and with one another. Also if the church is to be a beautiful bride, she must have not only “music,” but a high view of the word of God. A reverence for the word of God and a belief in its inerrant truth are the “words” of the gospel. When this high view of scripture is undergirded by a rich melody of love, the bride of Christ is the most compelling force on the planet! So the question for you and for me is this: do we make a beautiful bride?