The Church Established By Jesus

The life and teachings of Jesus established unity of belief and close fellowship in the apostolic church that He founded. Apostolic Christians knew who they were and lived out their faith confidently. They formed an intimate relationship with the risen Christ. Paul pictured that close bond as a marriage relationship:

“I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”
—2 Corinthians 11:2. (Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptural texts in the DISCOVER guides are from the New International Version of the Bible [NIV].)

According to Paul, the church is a pure woman, the bride of Christ. A woman in her freshness and purity as a bride is a fitting symbol of Christ’s beloved church.

In the Old Testament the same metaphor is used to describe Israel, God’s chosen people. God said to Israel: “as a bride you loved me” (Jeremiah 2:2), and “I am your husband” (Jeremiah 3:14). Though the term “church” is not used in the Old Testament of your Bible, the New Testament speaks of Israel as “the church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38, KJV).

In the book of Revelation, John also speaks of the church as a woman:

“A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.”
—Revelation 12:1.