Sanctify, purify, nourish, and care for

Church/Assembly

25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28So husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,

– Ephesians 5:25-29
(NASB® © 2020)

This passage presents us with four activities that the Lord Jesus is doing for His church in the present time. His motive behind everything is love. Christ has already fully demonstrated His love for His church by giving Himself up for her—He could not have given more! But His love has not changed since then. It is just as great today and is evident in the way He cares for His church: He sanctifies, cleanses, nourishes, and cares for it—until He will take it to Himself in heaven to present it to Himself glorified forever. Let us take a closer look at what the Lord Jesus is doing for His church now.

Sanctify

After accomplishing the work of redemption, the Lord Jesus left the earth and returned to heaven to be the great center of attraction for us (John 17:19). He draws the gaze and affection of our hearts upward in order to sanctify us for Himself and separate us from the world. Because we have found an incomparable, wonderful person in Him, it is not difficult for us to detach ourselves from earthly things. This is practical sanctification.

Purifying

The Lord Jesus not only sanctifies the church, He also purifies it through the Word of God. He sanctifies us by drawing our hearts upward, and He purifies us by freeing us from the dirt of the earth through the Word. This is not about a one-time washing at the beginning of our journey of faith, but about regular washing through the Word. The foot washing in John 13 makes it clear what is meant.

Nourishing

Just as man takes in food daily to live, so Christ nourishes His assembly. He gives it everything it needs on its journey. From heaven, the Lord tirelessly cares for His own and nourishes them through His Word. The Holy Spirit plays an important role in this. He applies the Word of God to our hearts and consciences, thus meeting all our needs.

Care

Christ not only nourishes his congregation, he also cares for it. He not only gives it what it absolutely needs, but also gives it much more. Let us think, for example, of all the heavenly blessings that God has given us in Christ! Do they not far exceed our needs? In what God has given us in the Lord Jesus, not only the riches of His grace but also the glory of His grace are made visible (Eph. 1:6-7; 1 Kings 10:13).

In these four ways, the Lord Jesus perfectly cares for His church until He brings her home to Himself.

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