Christ’s Ideal for His Church
Jesus Christ “gave Himself for” His church, “that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, 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.” As Christ “gave Himself” for the church, and as the church is constituted of individuals, so He “gave Himself” for each of us. Titus 2:14. What wonderful love! And as the above presents Christ’s possible, ultimate ideal for His church, so it ought to be the church’s highest ambition to meet the ideal of her covenant Lord. And further, as the church is constituted of individual members, so it ought to be the intense longing, the highest aspiration, the one object of each soul, to meet the possible wishes of his Lord. Fellow Christian, how is it with you? Ought not such wonderful love to call for equally wonderful devotion on the part of the recipients of His love?