Mystery – The Church as a Bride

Of all the symbols used to portray the church the comparison of the church to a bride is one of the most revealing.  

This lesson begins by reminding listeners of the beginnings of their own marriages.   While weddings have a certain level of uniqueness;  formal, informal, indoors, outdoors, church, courthouse, etc.,  they all have a couple of similarities.  One of those is a public recital, a verbal agreement to adhere to certain obligations and promises. 

The beginning of every marriage is followed by the realities that exist within that marriage.  There are meals to fix, jobs to work, bills to pay and a host of other things which quickly dissolve the idealistic distortions which were present at the beginning.

These and other characteristics make marriage a unique symbol showing the nature of the church to its groom – Jesus.  The lesson traces some of the marriage metaphor as it appears in both Testaments.

Click on the play button below to begin this study.

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