I AM THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

In Genesis we are told  a story about  Adam  and  Eve. This story is both  literal and historical,  it actually happened and  yet it  is a  picture  and shadow of  the plan that God  had concerning His Son and the church. The story of Adam and Eve is the story of Christ and the believer.

Adam was a  type and  shadow of  Christ  who was  to come later.   “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over  those who had not sinned according  to  the likeness  of the  transgression of  Adam, who is a type of Him who was  to come.” Rom5:14

He was the first  man who testified of the second  man  Christ  who was to come after  him.  “The first man was of the  earth, made of dust;  the second Man is the Lord from heaven.” 1Cor15:47

He was the first  man who testified of the last man who was to come after  him.  “And so it  is written, "The first man Adam  became a living  being." The last  Adam  became a life-giving spirit.” 1Cor15:45

Genesis  1
11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the  fruit  tree that  yields  fruit according to its  kind, whose  seed is in itself, on the earth";  and it  was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass,  the herb  that yields seed  according  to  its kind, and the tree that  yields  fruit, whose seed is in itself  according  to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
20 Then God said, "Let  the waters abound with  an abundance of  living  creatures, and let  birds fly above the earth across the face of  the firmament of  the heavens."
21 So God created great  sea creatures and every  living thing  that  moves,  with which the waters abounded, according  to their  kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that  it was good.
22 And God  blessed  them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply,  and fill the  waters in  the seas, and let  birds  multiply on the  earth."
23 So the  evening and  the morning were the  fifth  day.
24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the  living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping  thing and beast of the  earth, each according to its kind"; and it  was so.
25 And God  made the beast of  the earth according to its kind,  cattle  according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

As we discussed previously, God created everything  with the capacity  to reproduce after  its own kind.  To  multiply  itself.  He placed unlimited potential  in whatever He created to multiply and reproduce itself.  And  He did this by giving plants  the ability to produce seeds which would give birth  to more  of the same kind. 

For animals, birds and fish he made them  in pairs  of male  and female  so that they would come into a union that would enable them to reproduce after their own kind. 

This was God’s desire for Adam  as well. However  Adam  was not able  to do this because he  was alone. He was the only one of his kind. He had no partner with  whom  to unite and  reproduce after  his own kind. For  a  short while  he could not multiply and bring forth  the increase  of his kind, he was unable to be fruitful, he could not fill the earth with his seed. 

Genesis  2
18 And the  LORD  God  said,  "It  is not good that  man  should be alone;  I  will  make him a helper comparable  to him."
19 Out of the ground the  LORD  God  formed every beast  of the field and every bird of  the air, and brought them to Adam to see what  he would  call  them. And whatever Adam  called each living creature, that was  its name.
20 So Adam  gave names to all  cattle, to the birds  of the air, and to every  beast  of  the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

So God showed him  a picture  of what he  desired. He brought to him  all  the animals  he had made in their  pairs  so that Adam  could give them  names. Through the process  Adam  surely realized that  whatever God had made He had  made in pairs and that this is how they were able  to multiply and  reproduce after their  own kind.  

Furthermore  it was obvious to Adam that  there  was none  in creation  to be a suitable  helper. None of the animals or  plants  could function as his mate. He was of  a different  kind.  He needed another solution. Eve was  the answer to this problem,  God’s  provision for his  increase and  kind. She was the same kind as him.  Such  a one could not come  from  creation, from  a plant, from  an animal  or anything else. She could only come from Adam. She was of his kind. So God created her out of him.

Why did God create  Eve?
Because He  desired  an increase of Adam.  He  wanted the seed  of Adam  to  fill the whole earth. Eve was the only one that could  enable  that. She  was the vehicle  through  which this  could be possible.  Without her it  was impossible for God to accomplish His purpose for Adam.  Without Eve it was impossible for Adam to fulfill His destiny.

How did God create Eve?

Genesis  2
21 And the  LORD  God  caused a deep sleep  to fall  on Adam, and he slept;  and He took one of  his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which  the LORD God had taken  from man He made into  a woman, and He brought her to the man.

God caused Adam  to fall  into a deep  sleep, pierced his  side,  took a rib from  his body and fashioned Eve from  it. She was  made  from  the very life of  Adam  and  when he awoke  out of his sleep she was given back to Him as His own. She was born of his bones and flesh of his flesh. 

23 And Adam  said: " This is  now bone of my bones  And flesh of my flesh; She  shall be called Woman, Because  she was taken out of Man."
24 Therefore  a man shall  leave his father  and mother and be  joined to his wife, and they shall become one  flesh.

God called both of them  by the  same name,  Adam,  because  they shared  one life.  
“Male and female created he them;  and blessed them, and called  their name Adam, in the  day when they were created.” Gen5:2

All of this was a picture  of what was to come.  In God’s  heart  it  was His Son Jesus who did not have a partner  of the same kind, He  was the one who did not  have the means to bring  forth an increase of His kind, to multiply Himself, to fill creation with His seed.

Jesus  is referred to as the true seed of God  “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And  to seeds, as  of many;  but  as of  one, And to thy seed, which is  Christ.” Gal3:16

He is the  incorruptible  seed of God who brings us  forth.  “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” 1Pet1:23

He is the seed that  fell into the ground, died and  brought  forth  much fruit.  “Verily, verily,  I say unto you, Except  a corn  of wheat  fall into the ground and die,  it  abideth alone: but if it  die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Jn12:24

It  was and still  is God’s  desire and intention to fill the earth with the increase of His seed. Just  as Adam  was  meant to multiply  and fill  the  earth with his kind, God intends now  for Christ to multiply and fill the new creation with His nature and image.  God wants  a harvest  of  His Son. Not a harvest  of many people like  Christ, not a  harvest of many Christs, but a harvest of Christ formed and magnified in many people.

When the  time had come for God to make  for His Son a wife, a partner,  He put Him  to sleep on the Cross, pierced His side, shed His  blood  and formed a new creature  out of Him.  That  new creation is the believer. The one who has been born again into new  life.  

When  He rose from  the  dead  (awoke  from  sleep)  God presented us to Him  as His bride without wrinkle or  spot.  “That he might  present it to himself a glorious church, not having  spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Eph5:27

We became  members  of His  body and of His flesh  “For we are  members  of his body,  of his flesh, and of his bones.” Eph5:30

Zechariah prophesied  that this would  happen.  “And many nations shall be joined  to the  LORD  in that  day, and shall be my people: and  I will dwell in the midst of  thee, and thou shalt  know that the LORD  of hosts hath sent me unto  thee.”  Zech2:11

We  are  joined to Him  and have become one  with Him  united  in spirit  “But he that is  joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” 1Cor6:17

We became  partakers of  His own nature.  “Whereby are  given  unto us  exceeding great  and precious promises: that by these  ye might  be partakers of  the divine  nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2Pet1:4

We became  the wife of the lamb  “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” Rev21:9

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and  mother and be joined to  his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."   This is a great mystery,  but I  speak  concerning Christ  and  the church. Eph5:31-32

The union (marriage) between Adam  and eve was a natural earthly union and covenant that testified and  foreshadowed the  ultimate  union of  Christ and His bride the  church. A union we have come to as believers. We are the bride of Christ.

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