Q4. Bridegroom and Husband

[Niyonka16]

Q4. (2 Corinthians 11:2) What does it take for us to be presented to Christ as a pure virgin bride?

ANSWER: One word: Pure Brides to Christ! … In 2 Corinthians 11:2 it shows that Paul loved the Corinthian believers very much. His love was not based on self-centered or worldly way, but on God’s love and godly jealousy. For this reason, he wanted them to be united to their true Husband, Jesus Christ. He wanted them to be like pure virgins who were fully devoted to Christ and Christ alone. Paul did not lead them to himself, but to Christ. May the Lord have mercy on us so that we may share such hearts over many weak and vulnerable believers today!

Also, in this passage, we learn that our enemy Satan is working diligently behind the scenes to make us go astray from Jesus. We must hold on to the gospel and the Jesus by asking the Spirit of the truth. When the gospel truth rules our hearts, we can grow like a mature servant, apostle Paul whose heart was led by the godly jealousy to rescue the gullible believers from the hands of Satan. Hopefully, we have God’s love and passion in this confusing generation so that we may present our children and young students as pure virgins to Christ only.

We need to keep in mind the eight aspects we have covered of a person who is living in the spirit, in the Holy of Holies: a captive, a letter, a mirror, a vessel, an ambassador, a co-worker, a temple, and a virgin.

1. As a captive you need to be captured,
2. As a letter you need to be written,
3. As a mirror you need to be unveiled,
4. As a vessel you need to be broken,
5. As an ambassador you need to be wholly for His interest and under His authority,
6. As a co-worker you need to be bound,
7. As a temple you need to be separated to perfect holiness in the fear of God, and
8. As a virgin you need to be so simple. Learn to be simple; then you will be kept in the spirit.

How faithful are we to Christ?

ANSWER: The Bible is full of accounts of God’s faithfulness to His people.

1. He saved the Israelites from the Egyptians.
2. He opened Sarah’s womb in her old age.
3. He delivered David in battle.
4. He delivered us from the very grips of sin and gave us a way to join Him in Heaven (God’s faithfulness was never more astounding than this).

We don’t have to produce this faithfulness alone! God promises to give us strength when we need it. God’s faithfulness to us gives us the strength to be faithful people. The Bible further states that we’re also supposed to be faithful to God. So what does it mean to be faithful to God. Faithfulness means steadfast loyalty that isn’t easily swayed.

Our faithfulness to God means trusting in Him and loving Him through all circumstances. It means following His commandments even when we’d rather choose a different path. When we’re faithful to God it means that we trust that He will care for us, we follow where He leads, and we love Him in return. Being faithful also means that there will be some evidence of our faith in God. A faithful Christian will often produce fruit. Faithfulness does not mean that we will be perfect. It does not mean that we won’t struggle or that we won’t make poor decisions. It does mean that we will continue to trust in Gods and try to follow His commandments even when life is difficult.

To what degree do we partake with the adulterous and sinful generation that Jesus decried (denounced)?

ANSWER: What Jesus meant by a wicked and adulterous generation  [spiritual unfaithfulness to God], is that in Jesus' day, the Jewish people, were generally moral and conservative people, but Jesus referred to many of them as "evil and adulterous" because despite outward behavior they were not faithful to God from the heart but demanded a sign from Jesus even though he had already performed many.

Today, in this age given to wickedness, particularly to adultery, some Christians do not have a problem accepting Jesus or going to church. However, they feel that the Bible and the teachings thereof are out of date and have no place in this scientific age. An example is that some professing Christians are ashamed to believe and or speak of the biblical creation story because evolution science makes a mockery of it as a myth.

What does the marriage relationship say about love, communication, and intimacy with Christ?

ANSWER: What the marriage relationship say about love, communication, and intimacy with Christ to me, is as follows:

1. We must learn His love language; those things He likes and those He doesn’t, and we choose to love Him His way while avoiding those things we know He hates.
2. We are to  trust Him and bring things to Him in faith, asking for His help and obeying Him with what He tells us to do.
3. We are to be spending time with Him daily, talking to Him like we would a trusted spouse, openly and vulnerably sharing our feelings and struggles. When we mess up and disappoint Christ, we are to be quick to apologize, repent, and change our ways. These kinds of things, when practiced daily, feed and foster intimacy, and draw us closer and closer to our Savior. 

Intimacy and relationship with our Lord and King is a sweet love affair, moving and dancing together through the seasons of life on this earth, and continuing forever in eternity. He doesn’t want to be far off from us, He wants to walk and talk with us daily. The same attitudes and behaviors that build a deep, intimate, and loving relationship with your earthly spouse can lead you into a closer, more fulfilling and vibrant love relationship with your Abba Father. We are the Bride of Christ, and we can have a great marriage!