6
The BRIDE and The BODY
Introduction
The called out company envisaged in the epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians is "The Church which is
His Body, the Fulness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22,23). The goal and standard of this church is "the
perfect Man" (Eph. 4:13) and the word here translated "man", the Greek word aner which occurs over 200 times in
the New Testament, can never mean a "woman". Here are some of its occurrences in the New Testament.
"Joseph the HUSBAND of Mary" (Matt. 1:16).
"MEN, beside women and children" (Matt. 14:21).
"John ... was a just MAN" (Mark 6:20).
"Is it lawful for a MAN to put away his wife?" (Mark 10:2).
"If a woman shall put away her HUSBAND" (Mark 10:12).
In Ephesians itself aner occurs seven times, twice translated "man" as we have seen, and five times "husband"
(Eph. 5:22,23,24,25,33). If the church of the Mystery is "The Bride", how does it happen that the apostle could use
as a descriptive title a word that stultifies his very object?
Before prosecuting this aspect of the subject further, we must take a wider view, and seek to place "The Bride"
in its Scriptural position, and by so "trying the things that differ" and by "rightly dividing the word of truth" attain
not only to a more complete understanding of this most important aspect of Dispensational Truth, but for our own
comfort and stability, arrive at a richer and deeper realization as to what is the hope of our own calling.
Just as we can establish by the use of the word "adoption" that there are three spheres of blessing (1) The earth,
Romans 9:3-5; (2) The New Jerusalem, Galatians 3:28;4:5,26; Hebrews 12:22,23; Revelation 21:9,10, and (3) Far
above all, Ephesians 1:4,5; 2:6,12,16, so we discover from Scripture that there are three companies of believers
denominated severally:
(1) The Wife. (2) The Bride. (3) The Body.
Each of these callings is distinct, and to confuse either with the other is fatal to all true exegesis. While we do not
believe that anyone who reads this booklet is likely to be a member of the company that comes under the figure of
"The Wife", we must acquaint ourselves with this calling in order the better to appreciate the distinction that must be
observed between either the Bride or the Body.
The Wife
Let us trace this calling, at least in outline, as it is depicted in the Old Testament. The redemption of Israel from
Egypt and the giving of the covenant from Mount Sinai are looked upon as a marriage contract between Jehovah and
the people of Israel, and when Ezekiel would call Israel to repentance, he runs over their history, in Ezekiel 16; one
of the most terrible chapters in the whole of the sacred volume:
"Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations" (Ezek. 16:2).
In verses 3 to 6 the prophet depicts Israel as a new born child, neither "washed", "salted", nor "swaddled at all",
and unpitied, and this child was cast out into the open field, "to the lothing of thy person". The Lord is said to have
passed by and seen this babe "polluted" in its own blood, and twice over it is recorded that the Lord said "When
thou wast in thy blood, LIVE". This call to "live" is indeed an act of grace, and had the record stayed there, Israel as
a redeemed nation unlovely and unloved yet given the boon of life, would be for ever indebted to Divine mercy.
This however is but the beginning of the Lord's favour. In verses 7-14 this unwanted and unlovely babe is shown as
growing up under Divine favour, "I caused thee to multiply", attaining to womanhood, reaching "the time of love"
and becoming espoused to the Lord. "I remember ... the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the
wilderness" (Jer. 2:2), these espousals being indicated in Ezekiel 16:8 by the symbolic act "I spread My skirt over
thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I swear unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD,
and thou becamest Mine". In verses 9 to 14 this intended wife of Jehovah is anointed, girded with fine linen,
covered with silk, decked with ornaments, so that it could be said: