From: Beverly French [frenchb@vcss.k12.ca.us]
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2004 6:33 AM
To: Heritage
Subject: May 2 Blessings

"But rather, you have come to...the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven..."  Hebrews 12:22-23

The church is the body of Christ and He is the head.  As to the church's relationship with Christ, Scripture speaks of another aspect; the marriage union.  The very introduction of this union was set forth in Genesis 2:24, "For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."  Scripture has much to say of the union of marriage and especially our marriage union with Christ as we see in the following:

The church as bride:
"For your husband is your Maker,
 Whose name is the Lord of hosts;
 And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
 Who is called the God of all the earth."  Isaiah 54:5

"...And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
 So your God will rejoice over you."  Isaiah 62:5

"And I will betroth you to Me forever..."  Hosea 2:9

"For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin." 2 Corinthians 11:2

"Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the Law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, even to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God."  Romans 7:4

"For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones." Ephesians 5:30  As the Genesis Scripture stated, '...they shall become one flesh.'

There is another aspect of the church's relationship to God and that is as a member of the family of God.  God, is our Father because of our relationship to God the Son. "But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."  John 1:12-13

"...You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'"  Romans 8:15

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the  image of His Son, that He (the Son) might be the firstborn among many brethren."  Romans 8:29

"'And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,' says the Lord Almighty."  2 Corinthians 6:18

"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'  Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through (the gracious act of) God." Galatians 4:6-7  ( ) Margin note.

What a glorious place God has purposed for His Church, that assembly made up of called out Believers!  We, the church, are the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, one in union with Christ and one family with Christ. With that inward joy that is beyond measure, let each glorify our Lord God "...with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."  Colossians 2:16 Amen!