He Presents
the Holy and Glorious Bride

The Bride of Christ

(Ephesians 5:26-27)

The Lord desires to present the Church as His bride. Our sins have been washed away through baptism. By obeying the word of salvation, we have come to rely on the Lord’s power to cleanse us. This cleansing, which began at that moment, must continue until the glorious day when we are presented to the Lord as His bride.

1. A Holy Bride
The perfectly adorned bride through this process is marked by holiness. What is holiness? Is it being zealous in religious duties? Belonging to a non-material world? Immersing oneself in religious knowledge? No. As the concept of “washing” implies, it is the removal of what is filthy. And what is filth? As it is written, “who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ephesians 4:19), it is the condition of being morally desensitized—continuing in evil deeds driven by greed.

2. A Glorious Bride
Just as a king clothes his bride in splendid garments and jewels to present her before him, so the Lord desires to make His Church glorious and present her before Himself. The majestic beauty of the bride reveals the King’s glory to the world. Once an abandoned newborn covered in blood, the bride now prepares herself with elegance and beauty to testify to the love and power of the King who saved and exalted her. She does not simply remain content with having become the King’s bride, but each day she purifies and adorns herself so that she may be worthy to stand at His side.

3. On the Glorious Day
Even now, the Lord is granting the Church glory and holiness. Though we continue to discover our filth and weakness each day, we praise the Lord with joy and thanksgiving. This is because we know that His heart is set on forgiveness, not punishment. The Lord, who receives our daily repentance and leads us by His Word, earnestly desires that we be presented with Him on the day of glory.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim