BELIEVERS ARE THE SONS OF GOD
(NOT THE BRIDE OF CHRIST)
by W. G. Guy
John 1:12 – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Romans 8:14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Romans 8:16-17 – The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
Romans 8:19 – For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Galatians 3:26 – For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 4:6-7 – And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Philippians 2:15 – that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Many preachers refer to the church as being “The Bride of Christ”, However this reference is actually a metaphor, an allegory for illustrative purposes for the church as a whole. Believers are actually God’s own children, His adopted sons and daughters through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Nowhere in the Bible is the church, or believers, called the “Bride of Christ”; this is a false doctrine that is rooted in the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. True believers in Jesus Christ have been “adopted” into the family of God as His divine children. We are blood bought by the blood of Jesus, and joined with Him as sons of God, and joint heirs with Him.
Romans 8:15 – or ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
God is our Heavenly Father as we are born-again into His family through the blood of Jesus. We are truly “blood relatives” in Christ Jesus. God is not our “Father in Law”, as would be the case if we were a bride. Preachers who reference the church, or believers, as being the “bride of Christ” fail to realize that they are miss-speaking of an event that is in the future when a marriage union occurs. But true believers are joined with Christ NOW as sons, and the children of God.
We believers are His living, functioning Body here on earth. He is the Head of that body, and we are His functioning parts to carry on the work He initiated.
Romans 12: 4-5 – For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
1 Corinthians 12:27 – Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular, (having a particular or specific function).
The next passage is the one so many preachers take out of context to allude that the church is the bride of Christ. However, this is an illustration showing the headship of Jesus in directing His Body of believers as an example of how husbands should love their wives. This does not call the church the bride, or the wife of Christ; it is an allegory.
Ephesians 5:23-25 – For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Colossians 1:18 – And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Colossians 1:24 – who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
There are only two places in the Bible that identify the “Bride”; and both are found in only one chapter, and identify the bride as the Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem. This is where Christ and His Body, (we believers), will abide after the thousand year reign on earth, (which is the seventh or Sabbath millennium), and the final judgment of Satan and the wicked.
Revelation 21:2 – And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Jesus).
Jesus is the one who is preparing this holy dwelling place for us:
John 14:2 – …..I go to prepare a place for you.
Revelation 21:9-10 – And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Preachers try to say that the Holy City is the Church because it is “adorned with the righteousness of the saints”; thus the church is the bride. They fail to understand that Jesus and His Body who will abide within it in the future is the adorning of the Holy City that is mentioned in Revelation 19:7-8.
The anticipated marriage that the Bible refers to is when Christ, and His Body of believers, enters into the “bride”, the Holy City; which is what John saw in the future as our eternal abode with Him. Then the marriage is consummated! This future marriage is when Jesus, and His Body, are joined to our eternal dwelling place – the Holy City of God to be forever in His presence. God wants His children with Him!
For the time being, we who are believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, are the SONS OF GOD; and we are His dear children who acknowledge God as our Heavenly Father here on earth!
1 John 3:1-2 – Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, NOW are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
NOW are we God’s sons, not Christ’s bride, and not sometime in the future. Should we not be living like we are what He says we are?
2 Peter 3:11-12 – what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,
(NOT THE BRIDE OF CHRIST)
by W. G. Guy
John 1:12 – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Romans 8:14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Romans 8:16-17 – The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
Romans 8:19 – For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Galatians 3:26 – For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 4:6-7 – And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Philippians 2:15 – that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Many preachers refer to the church as being “The Bride of Christ”, However this reference is actually a metaphor, an allegory for illustrative purposes for the church as a whole. Believers are actually God’s own children, His adopted sons and daughters through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Nowhere in the Bible is the church, or believers, called the “Bride of Christ”; this is a false doctrine that is rooted in the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. True believers in Jesus Christ have been “adopted” into the family of God as His divine children. We are blood bought by the blood of Jesus, and joined with Him as sons of God, and joint heirs with Him.
Romans 8:15 – or ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
God is our Heavenly Father as we are born-again into His family through the blood of Jesus. We are truly “blood relatives” in Christ Jesus. God is not our “Father in Law”, as would be the case if we were a bride. Preachers who reference the church, or believers, as being the “bride of Christ” fail to realize that they are miss-speaking of an event that is in the future when a marriage union occurs. But true believers are joined with Christ NOW as sons, and the children of God.
We believers are His living, functioning Body here on earth. He is the Head of that body, and we are His functioning parts to carry on the work He initiated.
Romans 12: 4-5 – For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
1 Corinthians 12:27 – Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular, (having a particular or specific function).
The next passage is the one so many preachers take out of context to allude that the church is the bride of Christ. However, this is an illustration showing the headship of Jesus in directing His Body of believers as an example of how husbands should love their wives. This does not call the church the bride, or the wife of Christ; it is an allegory.
Ephesians 5:23-25 – For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Colossians 1:18 – And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Colossians 1:24 – who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
There are only two places in the Bible that identify the “Bride”; and both are found in only one chapter, and identify the bride as the Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem. This is where Christ and His Body, (we believers), will abide after the thousand year reign on earth, (which is the seventh or Sabbath millennium), and the final judgment of Satan and the wicked.
Revelation 21:2 – And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Jesus).
Jesus is the one who is preparing this holy dwelling place for us:
John 14:2 – …..I go to prepare a place for you.
Revelation 21:9-10 – And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Preachers try to say that the Holy City is the Church because it is “adorned with the righteousness of the saints”; thus the church is the bride. They fail to understand that Jesus and His Body who will abide within it in the future is the adorning of the Holy City that is mentioned in Revelation 19:7-8.
The anticipated marriage that the Bible refers to is when Christ, and His Body of believers, enters into the “bride”, the Holy City; which is what John saw in the future as our eternal abode with Him. Then the marriage is consummated! This future marriage is when Jesus, and His Body, are joined to our eternal dwelling place – the Holy City of God to be forever in His presence. God wants His children with Him!
For the time being, we who are believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, are the SONS OF GOD; and we are His dear children who acknowledge God as our Heavenly Father here on earth!
1 John 3:1-2 – Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, NOW are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
NOW are we God’s sons, not Christ’s bride, and not sometime in the future. Should we not be living like we are what He says we are?
2 Peter 3:11-12 – what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,
