What Makes A Glorious Church?

Ephesians 5:25-27

Christ Presents the Church to Himself in Splendor

When we travel around Europe and ask for direction, people often point us to landmarks where church buildings are located. The local will tell you, “When you see the cross on top of a high tower from afar, just walk straight, or turn left or right from there, and you shall reach your destination.”

Now these church buildings may be vacant because worshippers are scarce, but they can still serve as landmarks and hence retain some values in them.

Christianity became a state religion in the Medieval Europe, and Christians were spared from persecution. Since then, church buildings mushroomed everywhere.

Even a small town would have a big church built there. Towns and cities might strive to have their own cathedrals built and people saw these as something radiant. It was very common in those days.

Building churches involve money and man-power. The economic condition in Europe by then was unfavorable, but people were very generous in giving to the building of churches. Their generosity overwhelms our hearts.

It would be very sad for one to think that the glorious church here in the sermon title refers to a magnificent church building.

There was a time when Jesus left the temple with His disciples. Disciples who came from small villages were captivated by the glamour of Herod’s Temple. With admiration, they said, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” (Mark 13:1-4)

Jesus had to disappoint them by declaring that all these beautiful stones would be thrown down. In fact, Jesus had made a declaration in his first cleansing of the temple, and he said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 2:19-21)

Jesus was actually predicting His crucifixion on the cross and His resurrection on the third day.

Jesus’ declaration indicated a paradigm shift of the worship theology, that the resurrected Christ shall be the center of worship. The Church is the temple of God. The two scriptures expressed the theological meaning as mentioned above. Ephesians 2:13,19-22 says,

“but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ….Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

Now let’s see what makes a truly glorious church. The description of a glorious church in Ephesians 5:25-27 is as such:

 “Husband, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself a glorious church, without strain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

Firstly, Christ loves the Church and He Gave Himself Up for Her (v.25)

The nature of true love is a sacrificial giving of self in order to make complete the other. Because Christ loved the Church, He died on the cross and shed His blood to redeem the Church. Christ does not love a building for His inheritance are the sinners who are saved by His grace, and they shall form the Church, which is the Bride of Christ.

The true Church is not an office of God on earth, where people can find God there. It is not a mailing box of God for us to write letters or send our messages to Him. It is a people who are redeemed by His blood and who belong to Him. The Lord dwells among His people, and that is the Church.

We are the Church, and Christ has bought us with a heavy price. Christ is with us and His love shall manifest among us.

Secondly, He makes the Church holy, cleanses her by the washing with water through the Word (v 26)

Those who belong to the Lord do not merely enter a religion, but they enter into a redemptive relationship with Christ. Those who are saved by grace in this relationship will naturally obey the instructions of the Lord Jesus Christ out of their gratitude and love for Christ.

In the first place, they will go through the water baptism as Christ commanded, which is an outward ceremony declaring that they are joining the Body of Christ, and signifying the transformation of their inner lives.

In Jewish wedding rituals those day, a bride had to go through a cleansing ceremony before her wedding ceremony. She had to wash herself clean with water, an act which signifies that she would offer and give her new heart to her bridegroom.

“Water” can be a metaphor for the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39). Usually Paul would link the concept of “cleansing/holiness” to the work of purification/sanctification of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11).

After that, those who belong to Christ shall use the Word of God as their guidelines and standards in their walk of life, so that though they live in the world, they do not belong to the world. They are separated and belong solely to Christ. This is what holiness means.

Therefore, the Church is not merely the called out, or those who have passed through the water and became the people who crossed the Red Sea. The Lord will also enable them to understand the Word of God and to observe it with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to wipe away all their defilement and to get rid of all their insensible behaviors.

“Understanding and obeying the Word of God” has nothing to do with an abstract relationship, but it has everything to do with Christian ethical behaviours and commitment that submit under the Truth of God by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

The expression of this objective and practical ethics and commitment is not putting up some acts like the Pharisees and the Scribes. It is not knowledge or achievement to be boast about, but it is basically the outward sign of a new creation.

The children of God who have the blessed hope of resurrection shall “purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:3).

Thirdly, Present Her to Himself a Glorious Church, Without Strain or Wrinkle or Any Other Blemish, but Holy and Blameless.” (v 27)

A “glorious church” is a church that sets herself apart unto the Lord—holy.

Those who live in this world belong to it and nothing is radiant in it. A church will only be radiant when she presents herself to the Lord, when she belongs to Him, and when she has God’s presence with her.

We remember that the glory of God left when the Israelites sinned against Him. It was only until they had repented and returned from the exile of Babylon, that Jerusalem became once again “the dwelling place of the Lord”.

Setting apart and presenting herself to the Lord makes her holy. It means to offer ourselves and to belong to God solely. And this is the foundation that makes her glorious!

Like the steadfastness of a bride towards her bridegroom, she belongs wholly and solely to him. She has to abstain herself from being possessed by other people, or being used for other purposes.

This concept is very important. Holiness does not come from one’s position, or quality, or performance, not even the outward decoration, but from whom he/she belongs to and his/her purpose of existence.

So, as a church, let us make “living for Christ” our purpose of life, or in another way, let us make Christ the center of our lives. A glorious church is a Christ-centered church. Her vision and ministries are focused on knowing Christ, imitating Christ and proclaiming Christ!

And this glorious church is also without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Some might doubt it. “There are many problems in churches on earth, and churches are far from being perfect!”

What you say is correct, that was exactly what Paul had said before when he rebuked the Corinthian church, that they were in many ways behaving like the world, and the standard of their morality was worse than the pagans (1 Corinthians 3:4; 5:1-5).

Paul reproached the Corinthian church sternly because he perceived that the Church should have a perfect standard, i.e., to be “without stain or wrinkles or any other blemish but holy and blameless.”

This standard comes from Christ. Christ is perfect and His perfection becomes ours. Hence, we are not allowed to be defiled.

Barak, King of Moab, hired Balam, a sorcerer, to curse the Israelites before they entered the land of Canaan. However, God turned his curses into blessings, and God said, “No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel.” (Numbers 23:21)

Of course, it was not some flattery words pronounced out of politeness. It was not a cover up. It was the awareness of the high priest of Israel towards their sins, his and the people of Israelites’, that he offered a sin offering, and the blood of animals was brought into the Holy of the holies to cover their sins before the mercy seat of God.

The redeemed and glorious Church is justified before God as her sin is washed away by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. And she shall be the bride of Christ who is holy, without blemish and blameless through the sanctification works of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion:

Christ loves His Church and He sacrificed His blood as a redemption for our sin, in order that we can become holy unto Him. Christ cleanses the Church, making her without stains and wrinkles or any other blemish, but holy and blameless through the Holy Spirit and the Word. This is the glorious Church, the steadfast Bride of Christ.

The book of Revelation predicts that Christ shall return at the end of times. Babylon, the harlot, who persecuted the Church and who enticed saints to fall away from God shall be burnt, and the evil forces shall be destroyed.

A new heaven and a new earth shall appear, and the Lord Christ, the Almighty shall rule and reign, and He shall take His Bride, the Church that is glorious and holy with him. Christ shall reign with the Church!

Revelation 19:6-8:

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of might peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

What we discussed above— “what makes a glorious church” spells out the identity and nature of our Church today. Are you thrilled for being a bride, loved by Christ, purchased by Christ’s blood?

Not only that, Christ is living in us through the Holy Spirit, doing the works of sanctification, so that we would become the bride who is without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, and who might be holy and without blemish like Christ himself.

May our understanding of such identity and nature of the Church inspires us today, to obey the Word of God as we rely on the Holy Spirit, and we will keep ourselves pure, be Christ’s witness to outsiders, bringing Him glory and waiting eagerly for the time of our union with Him. Amen!