A Bird’s-Eye View of the Glorious Church of Ephesians 5:27
The Church Born at Pentecost
➤On the day of Pentecost, the Church was born in the power of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Acts 2, but she was only a babe, not the adult she was destined to become. She would still need to grow up, with many growing pains along the way.
Those first believers received the promise of the Father – the indwelling presence of God’s own Spirit – and the brand new body of Christ began its earthly life and ministry; and it was glorious! Yet as glorious as that moment was, no one had any idea that such a long, arduous journey of ups and downs through great spiritual warfare lay straight ahead.
The Apostles and the Mystery of the Church Age
Even the Apostles wondered whether the Promise of the Father at Pentecost would usher in the long-prophesied millennial-kingdom righteous reign of Jesus Christ on earth immediately (Isaiah 9:6-7; Habakkuk 2:14; Micah 4:3; Acts 1:5-6; Revelation 20). To Him, they asked:
“Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).
At that moment, the outworking of the Church Age was a complete mystery to them. Their assignment, like that of Adam and Eve, was to multiply! And they would do so by proclaiming Him with power to a lost world. The mystery of the Church and its completion would be revealed later.
They had no idea that 2,000 years was a part of God’s plan! And certainly, they had no idea what a rugged road it would be.
Paul’s Revelation of the Glorious Church
It was the Apostle Paul who received Holy Spirit revelation from our Lord Himself about the way to spiritual maturity for the Church until finally God’s Spirit would “present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27) (Galatians 1:12).
He describes a radiant, finished, mature body of believers who have been made pure by the washing of God’s Word, prepared for her heavenly Bridegroom!
Judicial and Practical Preparation of the Bride
The Church is prepared judicially once and for all time in right standing with God already by the washing of Jesus’ own blood; but she is progressively prepared (into His likeness) in practical sanctification like a bride is dressed for her groom, by His Spirit’s refining fire, and the washing of the water of His Word (Matthew 3:11; Ephesians 5:26).
All those who have died, and who will die in Christ, are fully accepted into eternal life with the Father and the Son, regardless of whether they “become glorious” in the sense that the “last Church” will become glorious.
The last Church is the finished work of the first Church born at Pentecost.
The Cleansing Work of the Word
The Word of God does a type of cleansing, too – not a cleansing from sins already committed. All sins committed are cleansed by His blood. The Word of God washes us by keeping us from sinning, thus making us fruitful.
By abiding in His Word and yielding to His Spirit, we are aided in rejecting temptation to sin in the first place, therefore, helping to keep us “clean” (John 8:31-32; Hebrews 4:12; Romans 8:13-14; Ephesians 5:27).
If we allow it to, His Word will lead us into a transformed life of holiness, righteousness, and fruitfulness – a practical work of sanctification for everyday life that reveals God to the world through us.
Of His disciples, Jesus said: “Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” They had not been cleansed from their sins committed, since He spoke this before He went to the cross, but they were cleansed from whatever things prevented them from bearing fruit (John 15:1-4).
That was a form of practical sanctification that produces the completeness Paul speaks of when He speaks of “the washing of the water of the word.”
In addition, the writer of Hebrews tells us that the Word of God will not allow us to hide things in our hearts that lead us to sin, but that it “divides” even “the thoughts and intents of the heart,” revealing those areas of temptation to sin to help us keep from sinning.
Here again is a kind of cleansing done by the Word of God.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Sanctification as Part of Christ’s Complete Work
Our ability to live a life of practical sanctification (holiness) was and continues to be part of the complete work that was accomplished through Jesus Christ to set us free from the bondage of sin in this life (Romans 6:6-7, 11-14; 18-19).
He is the Word made flesh – and Perfect. His Perfect Word, along with His Spirit in us, is like constant, 24/7 preventative medicine that helps keep us from sinning.
Again, this is the kind of washing the Apostle Paul is inspired by the Spirit to teach us about with regard to how we become glorious like “a bride without spot or wrinkle, or blemish, or any such thing” – and that we shall become glorious too! Hallelujah! I want that! Do you?
The Blessed Hope and the Final Presentation
This final glorious presentation of the bride (the Church) is the result of that finished work and is connected to the blessed hope of the Church that Paul described in his first letter to the Church at Thessalonica, when Paul says that “He will present her to Himself…” (Ephesians 5:27).
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).
It’s been a long journey. And most of us have endured pains along the way. But God’s not done yet!
