Pure and Spotless

Revelation 19:9, “Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb…”

Perhaps if you have grown up outside the evangelical, full gospel, charismatic churches you may not be familiar with a saying that says Jesus is coming back for a pure and spotless bride. And it is said in reference to the church collective. But for whatever reason the thought I had driving home from Iwo Jima the other day was that if we are the bride that Jesus is coming back for, and we are supposed to in any way be pure (in action) or spotless in terms of sin, then we are all screwed. Who can in any way say that they can go through an entire day without sin? Oh it’s easy not to steal, murder, commit adultery, but what about lies, pride, greed, and lust. Just being alive and those are a daily possibility. And so because we are sinners… past, present, and future, we are incredibly reliant on God grace, His unmerited favor, and not just favor but mercy. His compassion and forgiveness even in the face of indisputable evidence or our continued guilt.

All of which led me to question the thought of pure and spotless bride. Where does it say Jesus is coming back for a pure and spotless bride? The answer is nowhere. I guess the “doctrine” originates in Ephesian 5 where the church is compared to the wife, and Jesus is compared to the husband. There the church is sanctified and cleanse by Christ so that there is no spot or wrinkle, but this is cleaning is accomplished by a washing. The washing is the blood of Christ shed on the cross, not our own efforts of abilities. 

And where did this whole idea come from that says the church is the bride to begin with? I guess that if the church is the bride then as she “has made herself ready” according to Revelation 19:7 then perhaps somehow our efforts and abilities do factor into our spotlessness. But I don’t really see where scripture says we the church collective is the bride of Christ.

We know with spiritual certainty that Jesus is the bridegroom, but us as the bride is unclear, or worse untrue. After all John the Baptist called himself a “friend of the Bridegroom.” (John 3:29). In the parable of the wedding feast those of us who are saved are the guest to the wedding, not the bride. (Matt 22). In the parable of the virgins, we are the virgins, not the bride. And even in Revelation 19, we are the multitude and not the bride. And we are the blessed ones “invited to the marriage.”

So what is the point of all this other than to question doctrines of men?

The point is that if you are trying, waiting, wanting to be pure and spotless; if you think God is waiting for you to become pure and spotless then you are deceived. It is not possible while your soul is wrapped in an earth suit called a body. But what is possible is to live full out, in constant relationship to Him. Focus on Christ.

My friend Jim Spivey has used this analogy several times in the last week. He says a good lawn does not come from pulling the weeds. A good lawn comes from fertilizing the grass. Pulling weeks only damages the surrounding soil and spreads the weeds. He wrote on Wednesday, “when you are spending a lot of time and energy pointing at others' unsightly weeds on their lawns, demanding that they pick them and right quick, you are only exposing the degree to which you don't understand or accept your own and His nature.  He is really not asking you to "present perfection," which requires that you HIDE your nature.  He is asking you to know and accept your nature, while learning to take care of your own garden and lawn the way He takes care of you – to choose your thoughts, feelings, and actions based on your alignment with and commitment to His Way, as often as you can – to choose life instead of death, blessing instead of curse.  Before over-extending yourself trying to get others to STOP their behaviors that don't work for you, you must be sure to look at the extent to which you are STARTING and CONTINUING in the ways that do work for you and yours, according to His (not your) design.  You can focus on bringing life and spreading God's love wherever you go, instead of wasting your and others' precious time spreading things you think you know.”

Have a pure heart, and having a pure heart is admitting you are full of crap. Having a pure heart is knowing that aside from Christ you will never be pure or spotless.