The Church is Not the Bride of Christ
There’s only one place in Scripture that names the "the bride, the Lamb’s wife", and that’s Revelation 21:
Rev 21:9-10
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God...
Bridal theology is pagan in its origin, and there are many ramifications to this false teaching, not the least of which is the perversion of Scripture.
Jude 1:3-4
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should
earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained
to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus often used the marriage paradigm to describe the kingdom of heaven. Not once did Christ ever refer to the church or His followers as a bride, but on the contrary:
Matt 9:14-15
14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees
fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber mourn,
as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the
bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. (compare with
Mark 2:19, Luke 5:34)
Bridal Theology is found nowhere is Scripture. It is a false teaching that has its roots in the Roman Church as far back as the third-century A.D.
The church is most often described as Christ's body, but
again, never as a "bride".
More on this later, but please feel free to e-mail any questions.