The language of marriage is frequently used by the Bible to describe the relationship between God and His people, between Christ and the Church.
Sometimes this language is used of the corporate body of believers. The Church is the Bride of Christ. The New Jerusalem is the Bride of the Lamb. Israel is God's wife. Judah is God's wife.
We also have the language of marriage used to describe the particular individual relationship of the believer to God.
Israel is "married to God". The Ecclesia is "married" to Christ. Yet somehow, the individual Christian believer is also apparently "married" to Christ. The Bible uses this language, and it is "polygamous" in nature.
We see it in 1st Corinthians 11:3.
"But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ." (NASB)
What the husband is to the the wife (her head), Christ is to each individual man. That's "polygamy" because while there is but one Christ, but there are many individual men under His Headship.
We also see this in the parable of the "wedding feasts", or "weddings feast" of the Lamb" in Matthew 22, and parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25.
There is One Lord Jesus, but multiple individuals are individually united to Him. That sounds like polygamy.
I knew these things, but recently also noticed the same principle in Romans 7:4.
"Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God." (NASB)
Here, the apostle Paul is telling individual Christian believers that they are individually and personally united to Christ, and that they will bear fruit for God.
Yes, the whole church is united to Him, but each of us is also somehow personally united to Him.
There is One Lord, and there are many of us individually joined to Him.
It seems like God's Heart is polygamous.
Sometimes this language is used of the corporate body of believers. The Church is the Bride of Christ. The New Jerusalem is the Bride of the Lamb. Israel is God's wife. Judah is God's wife.
We also have the language of marriage used to describe the particular individual relationship of the believer to God.
Israel is "married to God". The Ecclesia is "married" to Christ. Yet somehow, the individual Christian believer is also apparently "married" to Christ. The Bible uses this language, and it is "polygamous" in nature.
We see it in 1st Corinthians 11:3.
"But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ." (NASB)
What the husband is to the the wife (her head), Christ is to each individual man. That's "polygamy" because while there is but one Christ, but there are many individual men under His Headship.
We also see this in the parable of the "wedding feasts", or "weddings feast" of the Lamb" in Matthew 22, and parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25.
There is One Lord Jesus, but multiple individuals are individually united to Him. That sounds like polygamy.
I knew these things, but recently also noticed the same principle in Romans 7:4.
"Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God." (NASB)
Here, the apostle Paul is telling individual Christian believers that they are individually and personally united to Christ, and that they will bear fruit for God.
Yes, the whole church is united to Him, but each of us is also somehow personally united to Him.
There is One Lord, and there are many of us individually joined to Him.
It seems like God's Heart is polygamous.
