Biography of the Bride: The Divine Union between Christ and His Church

by Ali Johnson

Overview

"When the Bridegroom King beholds His Bride, His heart is ravished by just one glance from her. Would you like to learn hidden truths, past present and future regarding this special relationship? Deep in scripture are secrets that have been held back from the wise and revealed to babes. Could it be that discovering her, we find ourselves? Come track with me this holy journey of the Bride and her Beloved."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452036809
Publisher:	AuthorHouse
Publication date:	06/26/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	72
File size:	217 KB

Read an Excerpt

Biography of the Bride

The Divine Union between Christ and His Church

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By Ali Johnson

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Ali Johnson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-0706-5

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Contents

Introduction....................1
Judgment....................4
Marriage: One Man-One Woman....................6
Marriage and the Humility of Christ....................8
A Sinless Savior....................11
The Beauty of Humility....................14
The Cross and the Passover Lamb....................17
The Darkness....................20
His Death....................25
The Bride was Born....................27
His Burial....................30
The Bridegroom Beckons....................33
The Water of Life....................39
The Oil of Intimacy....................42
Our Spiritual Journey....................45
Our Spiritual Journey Scripture Reference....................47
The Bridal Relationship and His End Time Church....................50
The Divine Union....................54
Recommended Reading/Study....................57
I Give You My Heart....................59

Chapter One

Judgment

When sin found its entrance, the intimate relationship between God and man was severed. At that moment, Adam and Eve suffered spiritual death and eventually physical death. Looking at the punishment for their disobedience, we will see that the curse of sin remains with each subsequent generation until it is wiped away through the Cross of Christ. He became our curse (Galatians 3:13) so we would not have to suffer an eternal death.

"And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life, And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:14-15). To Eve, God said, ".....I will greatly multiply thy sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee" (Genesis 3:16). Finally to Adam, God declared, "Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life ..." (Genesis 3:17-19).

When examining this portion of scripture in Genesis 3:16-19, God is speaking to the now fallen man and woman. The self-life was born in the Garden that day because of mankind's disobedience to the command of God. Christ gave us power over this self-life through the cross. We are given the first prophetic promise of hope in Genesis 3:15, where it is declared, Christ would triumph over Satan. The woman's seed was to crush the devil's head, making all things subject to the authority of God. Scripture also reveals there will be enmity between the woman and the serpent (Genesis 3:15). We see this more clearly as we peer into the pages of history and reflect on the abuse women have taken ever since the fall of mankind. Satan's disdain for her is obvious, as she symbolized the Church of God as a whole and became the avenue through which our Savior was born. Jesus brings reconciliation between God and man once again. This is the place where the power struggle between man and woman melts into oneness, back to their original state, reconciling them in the presence of God. The second Adam was so in love with His Eve (the Church) that no price was too great to redeem her from the hands of the enemy.

Chapter Two

Marriage: One Man-One Woman

What was God's design for marriage from the beginning? Did he not take only one rib from Adam for the creation of Eve? He said in Genesis 2:24, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh." God did not use the word "wives" here. So when did "wives" come into the picture? The very first to practice this was Lamech, an ancestor of Cain. In Genesis 4:19, the Bible states he took for himself two wives. This was just the beginning of a blatant violation of God's marital law of one man and one woman. In order for Lamech to keep his wives in this unheard-of relationship, he used great boasting, coupled with fear. He said (Genesis 4:23), "....Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding and a young man to my hurt."

Lamech stated his name for the purpose of declaring his authority. He orchestrated a damaging use of religion to lead these women to gain ultimate control and then presented God as a seal of approval for his actions, "If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech, seventy and sevenfold" (Genesis 4:24). In other words, he was telling the two women if you leave or hurt me, not only will you face my wrath, but God will get you in the end as well. Fear was the knot that tied them together.

Jesus revealed the heart of God about marriage when He said, "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh" (Matthew 19:6). No other relationship on earth can be more sacred. Our whole Christian life depends on our understanding of the marriage principle. If we fully comprehend and accept the natural law of marriage, we will have a very clear picture of the divine marriage. One man for one woman; no other combination will do. It is not only the design of God, but it is His own work that we are in Christ (John 1:12-13). Right from the beginning of time, before the foundation of the world, this Holy union was ordained: one bride for one husband (Genesis 1:27). The Daughter of God for the Son of God, given in marriage by the infinite Father, knitted together by the Holy Spirit.

The more we give ourselves to Him, our Holy Bridegroom, the more He gives Himself to us. We find we can have as much or as little as we desire. He promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). As our hearts are united by the bonding of the Holy Spirit, we are filled with the same love the Father has for the Son. This very love is how the Son loves us (John 15:9).

Prayer

Lord, show us that it is your very own life you
impart as we become one with you. Teach us what it
means to abide. This most intimate act of obedience
would make it impossible for us to seek, even for a
minute, a life apart from you. Deepen within us the
sense of this Holy union. Reveal to us the revelation of
this mystery and all the love and power it avails to us.

Chapter Three

Marriage and the Humility of
Christ

There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body (I Corinthians 15:44). "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial, but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another (I Corinthians 15:40). There is a natural or fleshly marriage between a man and a woman. The man shall leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife; the two shall be one flesh (Genesis 2:24 and Ephesians 5:31). This natural union is a picture and a foreshadowing of the supernatural union in the spirit life between Christ and His Church. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6), both holy yet distinctly separate. God in His wisdom set in place different roles in the natural marriage using the heavenly union as a pattern. This can be an extremely sensitive subject for women since they have felt, for the most part, the lesser of the two sexes. What did Paul mean when he said, "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God" (I Corinthians 11:3)? The very word "head" has caused a great divide in our churches and brought about much debate. The original Greek word for "head" is "kephale." There are two preeminent interpretations of this word in this passage of scripture. To some it has come to mean authority over and they have based their whole church administrative offices and fivefold ministry (Ephesians 4:11) around that interpretation. This group believes that a woman is not any less important than a man, just different from him, thus divinely giving a man authority over a woman at home as well as in the church. The contrary concept fervently presents scriptural references to solidify the doctrine of the word "head" means source. God is the source of Christ (John 17:8), Christ is the source of man (Acts 17:28), and finally, man is the source of woman (Genesis 2:22). These scholars feel the correct interpretation for the word "kephale" is source in this particular instance.

When listening in on the debate, it is difficult not to be swayed in either direction. Both sides seem compelling, do they not? Who or what are we to believe? The latter seems to set women free from the Law (Romans 7:6), the former keeps them bound to it (I Corinthians 14:34). "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believeth" (Romans 10:4). There is a fine line dividing these two definitions, but with significant consequences. For example, in today's use of the word "fast," one instance it means "to hold tight" and in another context it means entirely the opposite: "to go quickly."

Can it please the heart of our Bridegroom King to debate the meaning of one word (II Timothy 2:14)? He has come to set us free. He is our Head; He is our Source. When operating in the body of Christ, He is our only "Head" (Colossians 1:18). He is jealous over the affections of His Bride. We are betrothed to one Husband (II Corinthians 11:2). When a person has the place of leadership (Ephesians 4:11) in our churches simply because of gender, then the Church has literally been placed in an adulterous position. We, male and female alike, are the Bride. In this heavenly union, there is neither male nor female (Galatians 3:28), we are one body in Christ Jesus, who is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Only He has the right to the position of headship regarding His Church (Ephesians 1:22-23). When biases of any sort make their way into our pulpits, into our classrooms, or into the mission field, we unknowingly have exalted the old life of self and stand on the very thing from which the cross has set us free. This Beloved is the sin of religious pride (Proverbs 16:18) and grieves the heart of God.

In the spiritual marriage, there are roles and responsibilities to help maintain holy order, yet unlike the natural marriage, these roles are not based on gender but on a divine call of the Potter's choice (Romans 9:20-21). We are called to be servants of all (Matthew 20:27), just as our Savior (Philippians 2:7). With proper interpretation, the question of headship would be fully understood. We can walk in this kind of humility if we would keep our eyes on our heavenly Bridegroom and study the pattern of His walk and life of humility.

Chapter Four

A Sinless Savior

Through a woman came the first sin; it was also a woman who birthed the Redeemer who washed sin away. Matthew 1:20-21 says, "....thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." Jesus became the Holy sacrifice, sinless and perfect. How could Christ be born sinless, since He had a mortal mother? In our human reproductive system, it is the man's seed that is a living organism; it fights for survival by swimming to the female seed/egg. It only knows it has to be the one to connect in order to ensure survival. It is through one live seed that sin is passed down from one generation to the next.

The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary's (Luke 1:35) human egg containing the DNA of mankind, without the living seed of the male human. The result: a sinless birth, pure Deity in human form coming from the Bosom of the Father to be from the seed of a woman (John 1:13). We stand back, dazed at such a gift, speechless to witness His profound humility as Deity willingly makes Himself a little lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9).

He grew up before us as a tender plant (Isaiah 53:2). At the age of twelve, He was clear of His purpose. He innately knew who His father was (Luke 2:49). Yet, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and His own received him not" (John 1:10-11). Scripture tells us He grew in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52). He was the Word before the foundation of the world, became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him ..." (John 18:4), reveals to us He knew exactly what Isaiah 53 said and the path that lay ahead for Him. The hardest thing for us to possibly understand is that He was "... smitten of God ..." (Isaiah 53:4). Some believe Romans or Jewish leaders of that day were responsible for the crucifixion, but scripture clearly tells us it was God Himself who took full claim for this unimaginable event. He said, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief ..." (Isaiah 53:10).

Before the fall in the Garden of Eden, both male and female shared mutual love and walked with God, scripture says, "... in the cool of the day ..." (Genesis 3:8), sharing a divine fellowship.

When Eve succumbed to the craftiness of the devil, she became guilty of what I will call Unintentional, the first transgression/sin. She then handed the forbidden fruit to her husband, Adam, standing right there beside her (Genesis 3:6). As he partook, just as his wife, he became guilty of the second sin, Intentional. Both made up the whole of sin, bringing forth death (James 1:15).

Mankind lost their status the moment they choose to rebel. In the Old Testament, God ordered the Israelites, when in battle, to wipe out whole nations. It's hard to understand how a holy God could wipe out whole people-groups, but when He looked at them, all He could see was sin. Other nations served false gods, usually made by their own hands, and did not believe in blood atonement for sin. From the time of Cain and Abel, mankind knew sin could only be covered by a blood sacrifice. These different people-tribes refused the God of Israel and His atonement requirements. Through the wickedness of his heart, Cain slew his brother, Abel. His jealousy and rebellion made Abel the first martyr for the blood sacrifice.

The shedding of the blood of sheep and goats did not please the heart of God (Hebrews 10:4-6). Though animals are sinless, their blood could only cover sins temporarily and could not give eternal life and complete forgiveness. The blood of animals had no atoning power, it could only act temporarily. Christ's blood, sinless in every way, brought eternal forgiveness, not just covering sin but wiping it completely away (Colossians 2:13-15).

Chapter Five

The Beauty of Humility

Jesus' example of washing His disciple's feet perfectly modeled the greatest humility. Only the poorest and lowliest of servants in the ancient community washed the feet of others. Jesus shocked all those around Him, as evidenced by Peter's exclamation, "Thou shalt never wash my feet." (John 13:8a). To Peter's surprise, Jesus answered, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:8b). Jesus painted such a vivid picture in the minds of His disciples that it still marks us to this day. Without the full cleansing work of redemption at the moment of salvation, the disciples could not have any place with Him.

Jesus stated, "He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit ..." (John 13:10). We are completely cleansed when we are born again, and this need not be repeated. Repentance, renewal, restoration, and growth are ways we experience continual cleansing, ultimately contributing to an abiding heart.

Continues...

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Excerpted from Biography of the Bride by Ali Johnson Copyright © 2009 by Ali Johnson. Excerpted by permission.
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