ROBERT@kontu.utu.fi (Robert W. Johnson) (04/17/91)
A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle of any such thing. Ephesians 5:27. Divine Grace has expressed the eternal purpose of God in the statement that Christ will one day present unto Himself a glorious Church. We not that the water of life and cleansing in the Word are needed to prepare her, marred as she is now by the Fall, to be presented to Him in glory. For today we stand within the history of fallen man's redemption, and there are defects yet to be remedied, wounds to be healed. Yet how gracious are the words used of her: "not having spot"--the scars of sin, whose very history is now forgotten; "or wrinkle"--the marks of age and of time lost, for all is now made up and all is new; and "without blemish"--so that Satan or demons or men can find no ground for blame in her. God has leaped in thought over the whole of that history to see His Church in glory, expressing nothing of man's fall, but only the image of His glorified Son. ----- Robert W. Johnson Computer center, The University of Turku, Turku Finland robert@kontu.utu.fi (InterNet) robert@firien.bitnet (BITNET) The preceeding is my opinion and may not express the opinion of my employer and furthermore has nothing to do with my employment.