We are looking at GOD's Love and the Church, Body, Family all being organisms of GODS creation hidden as a secret and mystery to the world of the rebellious and lost. For it comes after rebirth, with our being sealed by the Holy Spirit of GOD, this is also spoken of as the anointing. I want to look next at Christ being the Head of the Church before looking into the bridegroom, and the church as a bride all of which speaks of unity or union of relationship and identity. Do not forget that we are still in Ephesians 4:17-6:4 which speaks of these things as do other scriptures of Paul's writings.
Christ the Head of the Church,
Ephesians 1:22 of 15-23 "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which HE has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that HE worked in Christ when HE raised (this Spirit in) Him from the dead and seated Him (Jesus) at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And HE put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in All."
Ephesians 4:15 of 7-16 "But grace is given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says (by David in Psalm 68:18 and made known in Matthew 27:51-54), "When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men." (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He Who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him Who is the head, into Christ, from Whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
Ephesians 5:23 of 22-24 "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."
Colossians 1:18-19 of 15-20 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And HE is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And HE is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything HE might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of GOD was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross."
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