In Ephesians 5:25-27, Paul declared, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” In this thoughtful text, Paul references the “glorious church,” and we ought to remember that it indeed is glorious! If we are not careful, we may look at all of the negative things that we are facing today, bemoan such with an attitude of “Woe is me!” and fail to remember that despite all of the evil and suffering ongoing in this world, we are still blessed to be a part of the glorious church! Why is the church so glorious?
The church is glorious because we have a glorious Father. The psalmist praised God when he exalted, “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things, and blessed be his glorious name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen” (Psa. 72:18-19). Stephen preached that “the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham” (Acts 7:2). As members of the church of our Lord, all that we do should give the proper glory to our Heavenly Father (cf. John 15:8; Rom. 15:6)! In the superb Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that disciples are to display their distinctive lives in such a way that God would receive glory (Matt. 5:16).
The church is glorious because it presents a glorious faith. Hebrews 11 paints such a vivid portrait of the great men and women of faith, and we may meditate and dream upon such for long periods of time. To consider the great faith that they displayed, we realize that they serve as wonderful examples for us, even today. Remember the great statement that Jesus told doubting Thomas: “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Many of us may know wonderful seasoned saints who truly are the “salt-of-the-earth” people—those whose faith we not only admire, but we also emulate! The church is glorious because as members of the church, we are able to present a glorious faith!
The church is glorious because we are a part of a glorious family. Indeed, the church is described as a wonderful family—“the house of God” (1 Tim. 3:15). As brethren—sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father (cf. 2 Cor. 6:18)—we shower one another with love and compassion. We provide special attention to those who are “of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). Where would we be without our church family? For this reason, is not the church glorious?
The church is glorious because we have a glorious future. The hope of the resurrection inspires us, as well as comforts us (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13-18). Thus, we set our aims, affections and aspirations to the skies above (Col. 3:1-2; Heb. 12:1-2), waiting for heaven to be a reality. Then, we may be able to dream of our future:
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. [Rev. 21:23-26]
Therefore, when times may get tough, we are able to set such aside and realize the glorious future for the church (1 Cor. 15:22-26, 51-58).
The church is glorious because we are marrying a glorious husband. The context of our beginning text of this article shows the relationship of the church with Jesus providing lessons for the relationship between husbands and wives. As we view the church as the bride of Christ, we see the beautiful imagery of a wedding taking place, emphasized also in Revelation 21:2-9. When we consider the glory of Jesus Christ, it literally may take our breath away and bring tears to our eyes (cf. Rev. 5:4-5). The apostle John declared of Jesus, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (1:14). Let those words sink in—“we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” He prayed for glory from His Father (John 17:5), and one day, He will be returning in His glory—the same glory of His Father (Luke 9:26; cf. Matt. 16:27; Mark 8:38). The church is glorious because Jesus Christ, the head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23), is glorious!
Therefore, we ought never to lose sight of the fact that no matter how gloomy our future may perceive, we may look through the dark clouds that hover about us to see the many manifestations of the glory associated with the church! This sparks hope—hope that those who are hopeless in the world need to know and hear from us! May we ever be optimistic carriers of good news—we serve a glorious God who rules over a glorious church!