Isaiah - Verse By Verse | Walk thru Eph #130

Walk thru Eph #130

versebyverse | April 08, 2008 19:40

Thought: To me, we will perhaps fully comprehend God's purposes in marriage and in uniting Christ to the church, only when we're in Heaven.

Question: Have I plumbed the mystery of Christ and the church?

Scripture: Ephesians 5:32 (NIV): "This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church."

Indeed! The understanding of humans fails to grasp all that God incorporated into this symbolism of marriage! The mystery was "profound" to Paul: he never fathomed its depth completely. And the mystery remains "profound" to us today: we live through marriages and yet cannot know the full depth of meaning attached to them.

Paul reminds us that he is not merely rehearsing to our ears the foundational steps to a good marriage: no, he is reminding us that marriage speaks of something much larger: of Christ and the church. There is "marriage" here between God and man! Spirit and flesh, "the two", join and become "one." And just as human marriages produce children of blended parental qualities and similarities, so do we marvel at how God invades us by Spirit and yet allows us to retain our personalities--all the beautifully unique characteristics of our individualities! Yet they are improved, softened, mastered by the Holy Spirit of God Who dwells in us, the clay jars, the temporary tabernacles, where God has chosen to dwell in these days.

Christ has done so much for us in this mysterious, wonderful uniting--this spiritual marriage. We, the Bride, owe Him so much! We owe our very lives!

Prayer: Great God, I thank You for reserving some wisdoms to Yourself and keeping them as mysteries to us for now. Amen.