"This mystery is great. But I myself am speaking unto Christ and unto the assembly.’
-Paul acknowledges that the way in which Christ and the body of believers become one flesh is difficult to understand, much less explain - a great mystery. That the union between a man and a woman is magical, more than merely a temporary physical act is intuitively obvious, but how are we to understand the nature of this mystical union between Christ and the church? Well, since it is a great mystery, that clearly presents some difficulty. But a few thoughts for your consideration...
-This union is certainly eternal. The convenant of human marriage is in force only while the couple lives, death being one thing (the only thing?) which for all intensive purposes would appear to potentially nullify the marital union (cf Matthew 22.30, Romans 7.3). Indeed, it is the only divinely-appointed out. But in Christ, death has been defeated. To be absent from the body is truly to be present with the Lord. Death does nothing to do away with the new covenant, thus there is nothing which can nullify the union. There is no out, nothing - not even death - can ever separate us from Christ and His love (Romans 8.38-39)!
-There is also divine communion, a glorious intimacy to be found in a relationship with Christ, something which truly suprasses knowledge (Ephesians 3.19) and which surely transcends (and sadly eludes) the experience of your average pew-sitter. Go to a meeting, sit, stand, hear a message, hear a prayer, put a little money in a plate, sing a song, shake a hand, go home, do it again a week later. Lather, rinse, repeat. A little dab’ll do ya. Out of sight, out of mind, ad nauseum, a lukewarm devotion which actually is nauseating (Revelation 3.16). But no, Christ is better. He is so much better than this! Paul knew this very well (Philippians 1.23, 3.8), as did the other heroes of the faith who now cheer us on to glory (Hebrews 12.1-2). There is joy unspeakable, glories divine, pleasures forever to be found in Him (1Peter 3.18, Psalm 16.11). Yet for too many, we neither know this to be true (not in our experience at least), nor do we even know how to find it were we to even be aware of its existence. And so much of the miss here is rather unintended. We are blissfully content making mudpies in the slum because we have no notion that there is a beach, much less how to find it. Fixing our eyes on Jesus! In the words of Count Zinzendorf, it is He, it is He, it is He...!
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