in order that he might sanctify it, purifying [it] by the washing of water by [the] word,
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
that *he* might present the assembly to himself glorious, having no spot, or wrinkle, or any of such things; but that it might be holy and blameless.
Paul is teaching husbands how to love their wives. To do it, he points them to the end of Christ's love for the church: a presentation day still ahead. The verse raises three questions. Who receives the church? What do "spot" and "wrinkle" mean? And what is Christ doing about them now?
Who receives the church on that day? The answer shapes everything else in the verse.
But what is the object of Christ's love in the future? "That He might present it to Himself" — not to another. Not, here, to display it to the world, but "TO HIMSELF," "a glorious church." Yes, not a church in shame, but glorious, "not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing," but "holy and blameless" (Eph. 1:4; 5:27).
God formed the woman and brought her to Adam. That first scene shows why the church cannot come to Christ as she is now.
In paradise, when God built the woman, He presented her to Adam: this is what will happen concerning the church; Eph. 5:27. He has given His life for her. He washes her by His word. He will present her to Himself glorious, with the same glory He Himself has as risen and glorified. This will be the marriage supper of the Lamb. The church is the bride united to Jesus in glory. She is justified, purified, and glorified. A bride in a lowly body is not fit for a Bridegroom in a glorious body.
Christ's love moves in stages: He gave Himself, He cleanses now, He will present at the end. Only the last stage is final.
This is the complete account of what Christ does: He cleanses the Church as well as sanctifies it. All defilement has to go, and in both cases God uses the washing of water by the word. But there is a third and future fruit of His love — "that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing." There we have the complete blessing of the Church. Cleansing will no longer be in question. All the love of Christ will have its perfect effect, and the Church will be glorious according to His own likeness.
The two words are not repetition. They name two different ways beauty is lost.
There are two things by which beauty is marred: spots and wrinkles. The first show defilement. The second come from passion, or from worry and age. Both are the effects of sin — the first directly, the second indirectly. If there were no sin in the world, there would be no spots and no wrinkles. Everyone dislikes wrinkles, clean or not. But only a clean person avoids spots. Someone with dirty habits does not mind them.
Count the two positive words too, and the verse gives four marks. They land at the rapture, when Christ comes and takes His people to Himself.
So at the rapture we shall all be without spot for ever. Second, we shall be without wrinkle, without any marks of decay. Third, we shall be fully holy in nature. Fourth, without blemish… These four marks mean we shall be stainless, ageless, sinless and blameless in the day that is coming when He presents us collectively to Himself. Nothing less than His own standard will do…
The sweep of the wording rules out a partial gathering.
It will have no spot, that is, no defect of any sort. No wrinkle, that is, no sign of age or decay, "nor any such thing," that is, no other defect of any imaginable kind. Could language be stronger or more sweeping? How could that fit the idea that the Lord will catch up only some of the many who make up the church when He comes? In that case He would indeed present to Himself mutilated fragments rather than a church without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.
What about the church as it looks now? An ordinary gathering can look like anything but glorious.
Yet they do give us a very different idea of the reality of things from what we often think when we come together, twenty or more of us, let us say, to break bread. All of us are very weak, all failing, all apt to make mistakes. Not one of us is anything to be proud of. We think, "What a poor lot we are!" And it is true. But when we read verses like these, we see that a work of the Lord is in progress upon us.
- Given — Love began with a gift of Himself. Everything in this verse grows out of that one act.
- Cleansed — He washes His people by the word now. One day that cleansing is finished and never needed again.
- Presented — He hands the church to no one else. God brought the woman to Adam; Christ brings the bride to Himself, glorious with His own glory.
- Flawless — Spot means defilement, wrinkle means decay. Add holy and without blemish, and the four marks read: stainless, ageless, sinless, blameless.
- Whole — No fragment, no select few. The sweeping language leaves no one out. So the weakest gathering today can still say: a work of the Lord is in progress upon us.