The Christian church as the bride of Christ is called to be loyal to Christ. She must establish herself as the apple of His eye and the pride of His kingdom. Not some disobedient concubine satisfied with sleeping on the floor at the foot of His bed, but as a pure and undefiled bride that has kept the marriage bed pure. Knowing that Jesus reserves the right to choose His bride, we ought to strive to be the best bride possible. We must intentionally be Ruth and not Jezebel.
A good bride will support her husband, lift him up and in humility serve him (out of love). This is the example that Jesus set when He washed the feet of His disciples at the last supper (John 13:1-17). It is a template for servitude within the church and it is also the expectation of how the church ought to behave in this fallen world.
It is popular in modern Christian circles to proclaim the saving power of Jesus, to declare the shelter of His atonement for sin or to profess that sin no longer exists since Christ conquered it once and for all, while never calling for obedience to Christ. Because of this many Christians live with the delusion that there is no need to die to self, continually repent or have God’s laws written in their hearts and minds. This notion is akin to wanting all the benefits of being married but continuing to live as if you were single.
By doing so, these people deny the power of Christ to condemn as well as to save. They diminish the sovereignty of Christ by restricting his nature to love while avoiding His promised judgement of mankind. The result is a handcuffed church with one toe dipped in the waters of salvation while the other foot is firmly entrenched in worldly values.
This hypocritical perspective stems from a materialistic and secular presupposition where societal pressures of self gratification and living your best life now are considered trustworthy. People want popular Christianity even if it is not biblical and they lack the discernment and vision to see the long term implications to their choices. We were saved with the intent that we do God’s work and not simply live for ourselves (Ephesians 2:10).
While we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), the expectation is not that we set the bar low and proceed to limbo under it. The danger of nonchalantly believing you are saved while continuing to embrace worldly values and willingly continuing to sin is a slippery slope that may prove costly if our faith isn’t authentic.
The Church Will Be Held To Account
2 Corinthians 5:10-11 says, “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.”
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), however there are rewards for obedience that Jesus will dispense as He sees fit on that Day. In the here and now, God reserves the right to discipline believers for being unrepentant as was the case with Ananias and Sapphira in the fifth chapter of Acts (see also 1 Corinthians 11:28 and 1 John 5:16-17).
When we fail to live by the Spirit and rely upon our own mortal strength and intuition to guide us, we ultimately fall short, since the flesh is opposed to the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). We end up practicing religion and not bearing the fruit of the Spirit.
Paul writes in Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”
The selfless servitude of Christ is what the church is called to strive for. This mindset eliminates self interest and as we surrender to the Holy Spirit within us, we will bear good fruit for Him. Once again, Paul informs us that “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. It it is burned up, he will suffer loss, but only as one escaping through the flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
Scripture teaches that Christ has paid the penalty for sin, however, in order to benefit, one must believe (See Do You Believe? July 1, 2023). Having a cavalier attitude toward sin does nothing to bring about intimacy with the Holy Spirit nor does it compel one to hate sin and flee from it. Additionally, if we refuse to be set apart for Christ, we will find ourselves sitting in the pew of the Laodicean church running the risk of being spit out (Revelation 3:14-22).
It is crucial that while our salvation is secure if we are in Christ, a church without obedience becomes neutered and ineffectual. If everyone were to take the path of least resistance, not wanting their faith to cost them anything, selflessness and servitude would be replaced with indifference. Rather than being a light in the darkness the church would fade into its surroundings unable to be a navigational guidepost in society.
Christianity would be no more than another religion with its members honoring God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him (Matthew 15:8-9). Certainly there are Christian denominations that fit this description all too well and there are people in all denominations that fall into this category.
The Light In The Darkness
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and pit it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16).
A message of love must correspond with love for God above all. And if Christians truly love Christ, they will see sin through His eyes and grow to despise it, not indulge in it. If we love Christ we will be submissive to Him (John 14:15-24). This means dying to self and taking up your cross and following Him. It means being obedient.
1 John 2:3-6 instructs us, “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus walked.”
Sin has its origin in one entity and when we entertain sinful desires we are entertaining Satan. We should not underestimate sin or the enemy behind it. Avoid sin and flee from it! 1 Timothy 6:11-12 instructs us, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17).
Charles Spurgeon said, “The heart which will not be bent by the love of Christ shall be broken by the error of His name. If Jesus upon the cross does not save you, Jesus upon the throne shall damn you. If Christ dying be not your life, Christ living shall be your death. If Christ on earth be not your heaven, then Christ coming from heaven shall be your hell.”
The bride of Christ ought to be the joy of Christ. This means living as an authentic and dedicated betrothed partner with Christ. Otherwise we would be living a lie. As we focus on pleasing Jesus we become a powerful testimony of holiness through our benevolence and willingness to forsake the world and be committed and faithful to Him. We will then be given white linen to wear (Revelation 19:8) at the wedding of the Lamb.
