Scripture Reading: Eph. 1:9-11, 13-14, 17-23; 3:16-17a, Eph. 3:19b; Eph. 5:25-27, 29-30, 32
In previous messages we have considered three categories of negative things that damage the church life: ordinances, doctrine, and the old man. Now we come to the fourth category of these negative things — the spots and wrinkles. Paul refers to this in 5:27, where he says that Christ will “present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things.”
In Ephesians Paul deals with the four categories of negative things in a very good sequence. Related to the creation of the new man, we have the ordinances. Related to the growth of the new man for function, we have doctrine. Furthermore, related to the daily living of the new man, we have the old man with his old way of life. For the creation of the new man, the ordinances must be abolished and slain. For the growth of the new man, doctrine must be depreciated. For the proper daily living of the new man, the old man must be put off. However, after these three categories of negative things have been dealt with, we must still face the problem of the spots and wrinkles.
Because they are so subjective, the spots and wrinkles are more difficult to deal with than the ordinances, the doctrines, and the old man. We cannot simply abolish the spots and wrinkles or put them off, for they are in our organic tissue and natural makeup. Spots are of the natural life, and wrinkles are a matter of oldness. Humanly speaking, there is no way for us to remove such things. However, God has a way. The water of life in the Word can metabolically wash away these defects by the transformation of life. The more Christ sanctifies the church and cleanses her through the washing of the water in the Word, the fewer spots and wrinkles there will be. Furthermore, as Christ nourishes and cherishes the church, the spots and wrinkles will be removed metabolically. Every flaw, defect, and imperfection will be removed by Christ’s transforming life.
Instead of trying to correct others or to adjust them outwardly, we need to minister to them the sanctifying, purifying, nourishing, and cherishing element of Christ. This element will produce an inward change that will take away the oldness and the defects. We should not rely on any method or way. If a particular way is prevailing, it is not because of the way itself, but because of the life contained in that way and released by it. What we should impart to others is not a method or way of doing things; we should impart the rich element of Christ that will sanctify, purify, nourish, and cherish them. If you contact Christians whose way of meeting is different from yours, do not try to change them. Instead, take the opportunity to minister the riches of Christ to them. We should not care for a way, a method, or a form. We should care only to release the riches of Christ and to impart them to others. It is Christ who sanctifies and cleanses. Through His transforming work, all the spots and wrinkles are removed and replaced by His living element.
We have pointed out that spots and wrinkles are more difficult to deal with than ordinances, doctrine, and the old man because these defects and imperfections are subjectively part of our natural being. They have been interwoven into our organic tissue. Therefore, only the inner supply of life can deal with them. If we want the spots and wrinkles to be removed, then we must rely only on the sanctifying, purifying, nourishing, and cherishing element of Christ. It is not as difficult to deal with ordinances as it is with doctrines; doctrine is not as difficult to deal with as the old man; and the old man is not as difficult to deal with as the spots and wrinkles. Even though we may have no problems with ordinances, doctrine, or the old man, we must still inquire whether or not we are troubled by spots and wrinkles.
The spots and wrinkles must be removed in order for the Bride to be prepared for Christ. To be sure, the Bride presented to Christ will not have any spots or wrinkles. Revelation 19:7 says, “Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Certainly the wife by this time will have been purified from all the spots and wrinkles.
We should not place our trust in mere outward change. Such change can take place suddenly without having any effect on the spots and wrinkles in our being. God’s concern is not that we simply change with respect to our outward appearance; His concern is that the spots and wrinkles be washed away by the sanctifying element of Christ. Only through such a process of sanctification can we become a beautiful and glorious Bride for Christ, a Bride without blemish or imperfection. We should forget about trying to improve ourselves and concentrate instead on experiencing the sanctifying riches of Christ. We all need more experience of the purifying element of Christ. The more we experience this element, the more our defects and shortcomings will be metabolically removed. As the result of this process, we shall become a beautiful Bride ready to be presented to Christ. Only by the supply of life from Christ can our natural defects and organic blemishes be removed.
If we are clear about this, we shall realize that mere teachings can do nothing to eliminate spots and wrinkles. To repeat, only the sanctifying element which comes through the nourishing and cherishing of Christ can deal with such things. Praise the Lord that the element of Christ is gradually eliminating our defects!
I believe that we are living in a day in which the Lord is preparing His Bride. Furthermore, I have the full assurance that we are presently undergoing this process of preparation. Otherwise, when, where, and with whom will Revelation 19 have its fulfillment? This chapter is in the process of being fulfilled among us in the Lord’s recovery.
We need to connect Revelation 19 with Ephesians 5. Apart from Ephesians 5, there is no way for the Bride to be prepared, and hence no way for Revelation 19 to be fulfilled. It is very significant that the Lord has spoken to us about ordinances, doctrines, the old man, and the spots and wrinkles. It is crucial that we experience the nourishing, cherishing, sanctifying, and purifying riches of Christ to remove our oldness and defects. When all such things have been removed, we shall become a church that is holy, glorious, and without blemish. Then we shall be the Bride in Revelation 19. When the Bride has been prepared, Christ will come as the Bridegroom. Praise the Lord that we are in the process of becoming a holy and glorious Bride for Christ! How we praise the Lord for showing us the way to be prepared as the Bride, made ready for His coming back! Christ will have a church without ordinances, doctrines, the old man, and the spots and wrinkles. Such a church will be the beautiful Bride to satisfy the desire of His heart.
In chapter one we have a general sketch of the church, and in chapter two, the creation, birth, and formation of the one new man. Then in chapter four we have the growth of this new man for functioning. Also in chapter four we see the daily life of the new man. Then in chapter five we come to the presentation of the church to Christ. At the time of this presentation, the church will be the Bride, not the new man. As the new man, the church needs the functions. But as the Bride, the church needs beauty. The growth in chapter four is for the function of the new man, whereas the beauty in chapter five is for the presentation of the Bride.
The spots and wrinkles do not affect the function of the church. However, they very much detract from the beauty of the church. What a man looks for in a bride is not firstly ability; it is beauty. The church as Christ’s Bride must also be beautiful. For this reason, Paul goes on from the function and daily living of the new man in chapter four to the presentation of the Bride without spot or wrinkle in chapter five. If we grow in the Lord, eventually our functions as members of the Body will come forth. However, we may function properly and have an excellent daily living according to the spirit of the mind, but still not be beautiful in the eyes of the Lord because of our spots and wrinkles. After saying so much about the church in chapters one through four, Paul goes on in chapter five to speak about the church as the Bride. In this chapter he says nothing concerning the creation of the church, the growth of the church, or the daily living of the church. Instead, he speaks of the beauty of the church. When Christ presents the church to Himself, the church will not be a strong man; she will be a beautiful Bride. Christ is the universal Man. As this universal Man, He needs the church to be His Bride to match Him. In order to be the Bride of Christ, the church must become beautiful and have all the spots and wrinkles removed.
We have seen that with respect to the creation of the new man, the function of the new man, and the daily living of the new man, we face problems with ordinances, doctrine, and the old way of life. But with respect to the presentation of the church as the Bride, we have the problem of the spots and wrinkles. The crucial question is how these blemishes can be removed. Any bride would want to have a healthy, radiant complexion on her wedding day. If she is concerned about blemishes, she should begin long beforehand to prepare herself for her wedding by eating nutritious foods that will give her a healthy complexion. In the same principle, today we must prepare ourselves to be the Bride by taking in the element of Christ’s riches as our nourishment. Christ is the food for the church. Therefore, as she prepares herself to be presented to Christ, the church must eat Christ. There is no other way to be prepared. Eating Jesus is the way. By eating Him we become a beautiful and even glorious Bride.
Christ is now preparing us to be His Bride. The time is coming when He will present the Bride to Himself. Surely at the time of her presentation to Christ, the Bride will not have any wrinkles or spots. In His Bride Christ will behold nothing but beauty. This beauty will be the reflection of what He is. Do you know where the beauty of the Bride comes from? It comes from the very Christ who is wrought into the church and who is then expressed through the church. Our beauty is not our behavior. Our only beauty is the reflection of Christ, the shining out of Christ from within us. What Christ appreciates in us is the expression of Himself in us. Nothing less than this will meet His standard or win His appreciation.
Firstly, Christ must come into us and then be assimilated by us. Then He will be able to shine out of us. This shining is the glory of the Bride, the manifestation of divinity through humanity. Real beauty is the expression of the divine attributes through humanity. Nothing in the universe is as beautiful as this expression. Therefore, the beauty of the Bride is Christ shining out of us. It is a matter of divinity expressed through humanity. Through our humanity there is an expression of the divine color, the divine appearance, the divine flavor, the divine nature, and the divine character. Hallelujah for such a beauty!
On the day of his wedding, a bridegroom cares much more for the beauty of his bride than for her ability. In like manner, in the church life our beauty will eventually be much more important to the Lord than our function. At the beginning of the church life, we may emphasize ability and function. But eventually we shall place more emphasis on beauty. The Lord Jesus cares much more for our beauty than for our function. Do not pay that much attention to becoming capable, qualified, and gifted in function. At first, this may count for something in the church life. But eventually the Lord will show us that what He cares for is not our ability; He cares for the beauty of Himself expressed through our humanity. Christ does not intend to present a capable church to Himself. The church that will be presented to Him will be glorious and beautiful, a church without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. If our blemishes and imperfections are to be removed, we need to take in more and more of Christ. He should not simply energize us for our function, but also beautify us that we may be His Bride.
We need to go on from the function in Ephesians 4 to the beauty in Ephesians 5. In caring for their children, mothers may value strength in a boy, but they appreciate beauty in a girl. Likewise, in the church as the one new man there is strength and ability, but with the church as the Bride there is beauty and glory. We should learn somewhat to depreciate our ability and strength, for as part of the Bride, we shall be not male, but female. At the time of the wedding, what the church will need is beauty, not strength. Oh, the church is being beautified by partaking of Christ, by digesting Christ, and by assimilating Christ! The more we experience the indwelling Christ in this way, the more He will replace our spots and wrinkles with His element, and the more His riches with the divine attributes will become our beauty. Then we shall be prepared to be presented to Christ as His lovely Bride.
We have pointed out that the experience of Ephesians 5 is necessary for the fulfillment of Revelation 19. Ephesians shows how Christ prepares the Bride by sanctifying, cleansing, nourishing, and cherishing us with Himself. In this way we are metabolically transformed and we become beautiful and glorious, ready to be presented to Christ according to Revelation 19.
Speaking of the wife, the Bride of Christ, Revelation 19:8 says, “And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.” Because the Bride is clothed in this way, the declaration can be made that she “has made herself ready” (v. 7). This indicates that by the time of Revelation 19 the Bride will have been prepared. For the Bride to be prepared means that she has the “fine linen, bright and pure.” Pure refers to nature, whereas bright refers to expression. This fine linen is “the righteousness of the saints.” No doubt, these righteousnesses are related to the righteousness in Ephesians 4:24, where we are told that the new man was created in righteousness. The fact that the clothing of the Bride is pure means not only that it is without dirt, but also that it is without mixture. The fine linen which is the righteousness of the saints does not refer to the righteousness (which is Christ) for our salvation (Phil. 3:9; 1 Cor. 1:30). The righteousness we received for our salvation is objective, that we might meet the requirement of the righteous God. However, the righteousnesses of the Bride here denote the subjective righteousness, Christ as the righteousness which has been constituted into our being. The more this subjective righteousness is wrought into the church, the more she is prepared to become the Bride. Those who compose the Bride have been redeemed and regenerated. But they need to have the subjective righteousness interwoven into their very being in order to have the fine linen, bright and pure. Actually, it is this linen that is the beauty of the Bride.
There is no doubt that Revelation 19 will be completely fulfilled. Furthermore, we believe that the process of fulfillment is taking place today. Since Jerusalem has been restored to the nation of Israel, the coming back of the Lord Jesus should not be far off. The Bride, however, cannot be prepared quickly. This preparation is a gradual work that takes place over a period of time. Certainly the Lord must be doing a work on earth to prepare His Bride. Where is this work being carried out? With whom is it taking place? Some may say that the work of preparing the Bride is among the spiritual ones in Catholicism, the denominations, and the independent groups. According to this view, Christ will gather together all these spiritual ones and form them into His Bride at the time of His coming. However, this is not the Lord’s way. He is not coming to collect those who will constitute the Bride; He is coming to present to Himself the Bride who has already been prepared. This preparation, I believe, involves the work of building corporately. Those who make up the Bride must not only be mature in life; they must also be built together as the one Bride. Therefore, I firmly believe that the Lord is preparing His Bride among those in His recovery.
I am burdened that we would all realize that the Lord’s recovery is not another Christian movement or an ordinary Christian work. The work in the recovery is the Lord’s genuine work to prepare His Bride. I believe that in the years to come, more of those who seek the Lord faithfully will turn to the way of His recovery. They will realize that nowhere else do they have the inward confirmation. When we turned to the way of the Lord’s recovery, we had the sense deep within that the Lord had put His seal on the way we are taking. The primary work of the Lord in His recovery is not to preach the gospel throughout the earth; it is to prepare His Bride.
The Lord’s intention is not to revive Christianity as a whole. In His recovery, He is calling out a remnant of those who love Him and who are faithful to Him. He is sending out the call to overcome the degradation of Christianity so that a number of those who seek Him may be prepared as His Bride. In this matter, the Lord is moving on, and we are going on with Him. What a privilege to be alive in this age!
