In the New Testament, Jesus referred to Himself as the Bridegroom in response to the questions posed by the disciples of John the Baptist.
(Mat 9:15 NIV) Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
The Revelator John describes the church as a bride dressed beautifully for her Husband.
(Rev 21:2 NIV) I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
The theme of God being our Husband and Bridegroom is echoed throughout the Old Testament as well.
(Hosea 2:19 NIV) I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.
(Isa 54:5 NIV) For your Maker is your husband– the LORD Almighty is his name– the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.
(Jer 3:14 NIV) “Return, faithless people,” declares the LORD, “for I am your husband. I will choose you–one from a town and two from a clan–and bring you to Zion.
Are we expressing love to our Bridegroom?
(Eph 5:25 NIV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Christ’s love for His church is compared to a husband loving his wife. The relationship between us, the church, and Christ is a love relationship. It goes beyond a Master-servant relationship. God desires that we love Him.
(John 21:15 NIV) When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
(Mat 22:36-38 NIV) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” {37} Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ {38} This is the first and greatest commandment.
How do we view God? Only as Someone who is to be obeyed and feared or also Someone who is to be loved? We need to express our love towards God just like a wife would express her love towards her husband.
(Psa 18:1 NIV) For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
(Psa 116:1 NIV) I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
Are we faithful to our Bridegroom?
(John 3:29 NIV) The bride belongs to the bridegroom.
(2 Cor 11:2 NIV) I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
Our loyalty as a bride must be to our Groom only. Are there things we love more than our Groom? God is a jealous God. He will not allow anything to come between us and Him.
How do we know if we love something more than God? Read more.
Are we submitting to the Bridegroom?
(Eph 5:23-24 NIV) For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. {24} Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Our Husband, the Lord, is also our Master and we have to submit to Him.
1 John 5:3 (NIV) This is love for God: to obey his commands.
John 14:15 (NIV) “If you love me, you will obey what I command.
This is the ultimate test of love. We cannot claim to love God and carry on with our sin because sin grieves God.