The Human Illusion of the Spotless Bride

The Human Illusion of the Spotless Bride

6/18/13

This concept has been painted throughout Christian and Church history as the ultimate possession of God.  This concept is very accurate and it is a topic that one should consider before trying to apply it to our modern day and humanistic standards.  The world sees beauty as the “in thing” and it demands for its inhabitants to conform to this idea of certain looks and are the world’ conditions being placed upon the true Bride of Christ?  And would Jesus even recognize this bride that the Church has tried to incorporate through worldly artists, I think not. 

This article if not read in the true manner might seem a little harsh on one area of the physical realm and that would be the beauty salon area.  Please be aware that I am not talking about the physical beauty salon industry at all; however, I will use their presence as an example of how the Church has focused herself using these types of spiritual accolades.  I support the beauty industry completely and wish to see that everyone involved in this line of work succeeds to their utmost.  This article is entirely about the spiritual nature and not the physical.

If you are new to my articles you will find that I have a tendency to stretch some of the traditional ideologies that we have been taught for so many years.  These do not come from my head but they are placed in my heart from God; desiring that His people wake up and realize the truth of what surrounds them and to restore their faith and trust in God and not through the false ideas that man present on a daily basis.  The topic of this article will stretch some minds but if you stop and think about the words that you are about to read, know that they are the truth and that God is opening our spiritual eyes so that His Kingdom may be advanced.

All my life I have been taught that the Bride of Christ is the Church that Jesus will return for someday.  This concept is true and an accurate statement; and unless you are an Atheist not many people would argue against this proclamation.  We have also been taught that the Bride of Christ will be spotless and perfect in the eyes of Christ; this too is an accurate and correct statement.  I want you to keep in mind of something as you read the words in this article and it is this concept.  “Do not be unequally yoked.”  I am not dwelling on this subject but just keep it in mind and it will help you to understand a few things as you continue reading.

Ministers all over the world have portrayed the spotless Bride of Christ as just that, spotless and perfect.  But what comes to mind when we think of this type of condition?  We think mainly of the outer beauty of the Church and how she is adorned in white clothes and everything about her appearance is perfect.  She is viewed as the prettiest ornament that can be hung, set up on a pedestal, coveted by all, etc, etc.  But it is this picture that I wish for us to see more clearly and for us to understand that this picture does not truly reflect what Jesus sees as His bride.

If you read passages throughout the Bible that deal with brides, you will find that the subject of marriage and the processes that were included in the marriage rituals were complex.  Sometimes the conditions and situations had to be met before the groom was allowed to marry and then other times there were social issues that had to be overcome before the marriage was to take place.  The groom was not just allowed to walk in and say “I am marrying your daughter two weeks from now” even though I know that many wished to say this to the fathers.  The groom was responsible to provide a certain amount of provisions not only for the bride but for the bride’s family as well.  The bride was expected to uphold the honor of her family name and to present herself as a worthy woman in order to be accepted into his family.  In other words, both parties had to be willing to make sacrifices in order to stay spotless in each other’s eyes.

Of course the woman wished to be clean and beautiful for her man, after all the people that the Bible talks about were humans and acted just like us; without all of the modern day accessories.  You know that the women talked about guys and that guys talked about women, this is a given.  But each side of the wedding party each had their own individual responsibilities to live up to and was expected to be adhered to at all times. 

It is well known that there were beauty parlors and other salons that were present during Biblical times.  We know that many women and men spent countless hours in these salons in order to try and make themselves perfect for their respective societies.  But is this picture that is being painted really what Jesus wants in a bride?  So far all that I have discussed is physical beauty and the processes and procedures that people have followed.  I honestly believe that Jesus’ love for His bride goes far deeper than the superficial makeovers that they deemed important each day.  What about today?  Do we look at ourselves in this manner also?

Today we have many beauty contests that bring in millions of dollars to the world’s economy each year.  Many more millions are spent to enter, participate and promote these contests, all to be crowned the prettiest woman, man, child or even dog.  This setting all coincides with the world’s view of beauty and how much it takes a person to cover up their infirmities enough to qualify for “pretty” status.  I revert back to my original question of, why would Jesus want this type of bride which begs the answer of He would not.

These contestants spend countless hours in front of mirrors, in salons, in spas and workout areas trying to make themselves worthy of their appearance in front of the world begging for their approval as the next queen.  This type of beauty is not recognized by the heart as true in nature but a cover-up of the natural beauty that lies within the woman’s heart.  Even though there are those who protest these contests and stylish conditions that these women are subjected to, the contests, attitude and beliefs that the world stage sets before us demand that women of western society, along with other cultures as well, submit to this standard of beauty before they can be considered acceptable to their peers.

Oh, boy, has the Church fallen into this category.  True beauty believes in what has been accomplished within and then strives to do what is necessary to complete the inner mission that has been ordained.  Given this definition look at the secular beauty realms and then turn and look at what the world is dressing herself as.  If one takes an honest look at the Church they will find that the Church looks exactly like a beauty contestant waiting to be judged by the specific group that she is walking before.  The Church has spent centuries trying to perfect herself for the eyes of the world.  The Church knows that she cannot stand with the world because it is not her mission to do as such, yet she continues to ignore her calling and subject herself to the desires and wishes of the world.

Her hands and feet are soft from the constant care they receive in the spiritual beauty salons and the makeup and hair that she adorns is of a magnificent stature.  The Church has set herself up against the finest that the world has to offer in order to be accepted which means that she spends just as much time in the spiritual beauty salons as the women, men, and children do in the physical world.  The Church has forgotten that we are in a war and that our groom is waiting for a perfect and spotless bride in His eyes and not from our eyes.  The spiritual beauty parlors that I have mentioned here are direct descendants of the pews that grace the insides of the church buildings and we have done a fantastic job of placing our spiritual backsides on these pews while waiting for our nails to dry and the only time we get out of these pews is to go powder our spiritual noses in order to keep our appearance up just in case Christ returns today.

I have news for you, this salon lifestyle type of bride is NOT what Jesus is looking for and this type of spotless condition is also NOT what He meant.  Read what Jesus did while He was alive on earth and then stop and think about all of His activities.  We humans have created this false illusion that Jesus’ bride is to look like a prized beauty queen and this is so not the case.  Yes, the bride of Christ is going to be spotless in His eyes and she will be perfect in every way.  But Jesus did not spend time in these beauty parlor sessions so why would He expect anything different from His bride?

Jesus was out with the people and getting to know them and most importantly teaching people about God’s Kingdom and how precious they were to God.  The Bible mentioned that Jesus was a carpenter which meant He worked with His hands, so that means they were dirty and beat up a bit after jobs were completed.  This was the condition of His spiritual hands and feet as well.  He set in motion the goal of advancement of God’s Kingdom with no hesitations or reservations and I guarantee that He expects His bride to do the same.

A true bride fights for her husband and stands up for him in all circumstances that arise concerning his character.  A bride protects her husband when he is ill or injured and on the mend.  She works in the fields when the husband is out doing other family business or is ill and cannot tend the fields that day; the provisions of the family still have to be met when he is away.  Jesus did exactly these activities every day while He was on earth and He expects His bride to follow in His suite.  This is the type of bride that Jesus is waiting on to stand up and to take her rightful presence at His side.  It is a bride that her hands are cut and bruised spiritually which means she has come in contact with the enemy while advancing God’s Kingdom.  It means that her feet are dirty from working in the spiritual fields that are ripe for harvest.  It is these conditions that make Jesus’ bride spotless and pure in His eyes.  And it is these activities that actually place us into a spiritual beauty queen status in which no other bride can be compared.

It is time that we completely drop the western style of beauty of the Church and to restore our spiritual beauty within the fields.  We have become a Church of daintiness and pedigree-like beliefs in order to fulfill our instincts as a spotless bride.  The disciples had this attitude and when it flared Jesus’ response was to shake His head and walk away from them which they ignored Jesus’ actions and continued their bickering about who was best.  This is not the kind of bride Jesus wants and is coming back for one day.  It is time for us to restore the spiritual spotlessness that Jesus desires for His bride. 

This salon type beauty has nothing to do with the outside appearance of the Church and it strictly reflects upon the need to cover up ones blemishes.  God ahs only us to work through in order to push His Kingdom forward, we are messes, train wrecks and dirty every time we take a breath, but we have an option to choose Him over the world which places us into a spiritual beauty contest against the world.  We have allowed our enemy to gift us with the belief that salon beauty is what is needed for the Church and our choice to accept this concept is a deadly belief that will totally destroy the Church instead of improving her spiritual life.  Look at Church History and one will know that this is lifestyle is a fact and that it has caused the Church to become weak and self centered in its mission.

Look at yourself and be honest when you answer the question of spiritual purity arises.  Lose the prettiness of your appearance and the maintenance procedures that it takes to try and keep up your spiritual standards.  I have more news for you, if you try and do this it will not work you will find yourself standing in front of the demons at the spiritual parlor as you allow them to try and change your spiritual complexion.  Jesus never visited these places so it is a guarantee that you will not do yourself any good there either.

Once you find yourself in the same fields that Jesus walked in you will find the true spiritual beauty that He is looking for in a bride.  It is not a condition in which you can deliberately improve on your own so stop trying.  The only way that your spiritual beauty can be improved is by going out and doing what Jesus commanded us to do and that is to advance the Kingdom of God.  This action also signifies your willingness to get bruised and scarred since you are attacking the home field crew.  It is through this purity and love that Jesus sees His spotless bride. 

It is not too late for the Church to turn her heart around and once again follow the command of Christ.  The command of Christ has nothing to do with physical land, politics or any other earthly establishment but it does deal strictly with the heart and spirit.  It is time to refocus on what God means by a spotless bride and to once again restore His presence within our lives and re-establish the spiritual holiness that Jesus commanded us to live within.

Here is a little tidbit that we need to keep in mind while we are working in the fields.  If we work in these fields with a clean heart our spiritual condition will automatically enhance and strengthen our physical appearance as well.  It is a process that we do not even have to work on ourselves, the spiritual aspects of our life changes our physical from the inside out which is a pure modification of our lives in the manner in which God intended in the first place.  Then, with this purity we are the apple of God’s eyes and represent the true bride of Christ.

DLB