The Mystery Concerning Christ and his Church

Lesson Content

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be j oined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Eph.5:31,32).

The mystery of Christ and His Church has three aspects:

1. Man leaving his father and mother.

2. Joined unto his wife

3. The two shall be one flesh

1. Man leaving his father and mother: As a man loves his wife and leaves his father and mother and cleaves unto his wife (Gen.2:24), so also Jesus left His Father’s bosom, the throne and all the glory and honour in Heaven and came to the earth in the likeness of man because He loved the Church. He then gave Himself for it that He might present it to Himself “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph.5:25-27).

2. Joined unto his wife: As a man and his wife are joined to each other by means of love and obedience, so are Christ and the Church joined to each other. By this life of abiding in Christ, the Church is able to bring forth much fruit like the branch that abides in the vine (Jn.15:5,7). He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (I Cor.6:17), married to Him to bring forth fruit unto God (Rom.7:4).

3. The two shall be one flesh: Adam looking at Eve said, “This is now bone of my bo nes, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Gen.2:23). A man loves his wife and nourishes and cherishes her (Eph.5:25,29). He is the head of his wife and the wife is subject to her husband in everything (Eph.5: 23,24). Therefore they are one flesh. Such a fellowship is found between Christ and His Church.

Moral

As Christ left all the heavenly glories and gave Himself for the Church, we too should sacrifice all our pleasures to love Him and to be found worthy of His great love.