Topical Bible: The Love of Christ: To his Church

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The love of Christ for His Church is a central theme in Christian theology, reflecting the profound and sacrificial relationship between Jesus Christ and His followers. This love is depicted as both intimate and covenantal, serving as a model for the relationship between believers and God, as well as among believers themselves.

Biblical Foundation

The love of Christ for His Church is most vividly illustrated in the New Testament. Ephesians 5:25-27 states, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless." This passage underscores the sacrificial nature of Christ's love, likening it to the selfless love a husband should have for his wife.

In John 15:13 , Jesus declares, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." This ultimate act of love is fulfilled in Christ's crucifixion, where He willingly sacrifices Himself for the redemption of humanity, demonstrating His profound love for the Church.

Characteristics of Christ's Love

1. Sacrificial: The love of Christ is inherently sacrificial. As seen in His willingness to endure suffering and death, Christ's love is not self-seeking but is focused on the well-being and salvation of His Church. This sacrificial love is a call for believers to emulate in their own lives.

2. Unconditional: Christ's love for His Church is unconditional, not based on the merit or worthiness of the recipients. Romans 5:8 affirms, "But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." This love is extended to all, regardless of their past, inviting them into a transformative relationship with Him.

3. Covenantal: The love of Christ is covenantal, reflecting the promises and commitments God has made to His people throughout biblical history. This covenant is eternal and unbreakable, assuring believers of Christ's continual presence and faithfulness.

4. Purifying: Christ's love is purifying, aimed at sanctifying the Church. As Ephesians 5:26-27 indicates, His love cleanses and prepares the Church to be holy and blameless. This purifying aspect of Christ's love calls believers to pursue holiness and righteousness in their lives.

5. Nurturing: Christ's love is nurturing, providing spiritual nourishment and growth for the Church. In John 10:11 , Jesus describes Himself as the "good shepherd," who lays down His life for the sheep, illustrating His care and guidance for His followers.

Implications for the Church

The love of Christ for His Church has profound implications for how believers live and interact with one another. It calls for a community marked by love, unity, and selflessness. In John 13:34-35 , Jesus commands, "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another."

This love serves as the foundation for Christian ethics and community life, encouraging believers to reflect Christ's love in their relationships, service, and witness to the world. The love of Christ for His Church is not only a theological concept but a lived reality that shapes the identity and mission of the Church in the world.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Songs 4:8,9
Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Songs 5:1
I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink abundantly, O beloved.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

John 15:9
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue you in my love.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ephesians 5:24
Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Love of Christ to the Church, in his Language to Her, and ...
... Hymns. Book 1. Hymn 1:77. The love of Christ to the church, in his language
to her, and provisions for her, Cant. 7. 5 6 9 12 13. ...
/.../watts/hymns and spiritual songs/hymn 0 095138889 the love of.htm

The Love of Christ to the Church, in his Language to Her, and ...
... HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS IN THREE BOOKS. HYMN 77 The love of Christ to the church,
in his language to her, and provisions for her. SS 7:5-13. LM ...
/.../watts/the psalms and hymns of isaac watts/hymn 77 the love of.htm

He is Lovely in his Relations.
... blood, and said unto us, "Live"; and that was the time of love, Ezek.16 ... 3. No husband
loves the wife of his bosom, as much as Christ loved his people, Eph ...
/.../flavel/christ altogether lovely/he is lovely in his 3.htm

"The Fruit of the Spirit is Love"
... That is literally true of Christ's Church, and if there is one ... of one heart and one
soul, do His blessed work ... Praise God, we can love each other in a divine ...
//christianbookshelf.org/murray/absolute surrender/the fruit of the spirit.htm

Introduction
... so in his calling he desired only to be a servant of Christ." The love of Christ
to his people, as developed in the past history of the church, was his most ...
/.../the epistle of paul to the philippians practically explained/introduction.htm

The Incomparable Bridegroom and his Bride
... Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes. So
Christ speaks of his Church, she has the soft, mild, tender eyes of a dove. ...
/.../spurgeons sermons volume 42 1896/the incomparable bridegroom and his.htm

Treatise i. On the Unity of the Church.
... humbled Himself upon earth, how can He love arrogance, who ... not the tongue which has
confessed Christ be evil ... conversation; if he shall have stained his life by ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise i on the unity.htm

"My Garden" --"His Garden"
... A man of faith and love in a church sweetens all his ... in the earth of the Church of
Christ is the ... the flowers which he has planted in the garden of his Church. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 42 1896/my gardenhis garden.htm

Address in Lambeth Chapel, at the First Session of the Lambeth ...
... It needs the spirit and the power of the love of Christ. It needs the voice, the
ear, the hand, and the heart of Christ seen in and working in His children ...
//christianbookshelf.org/whipple/five sermons/iv address in lambeth chapel.htm

Hymns and Spiritual Songs
... 6. 1 2 3 12. Hymn 1:77. The love of Christ to the church, in his language to
her, and provisions for her, Cant. 7. 5 6 9 12 13. Hymn 1:78. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watts/hymns and spiritual songs/