Jesus Calls the Church Beautiful

In a time when public scandals, internal divisions, and moral failures within churches are broadcast daily, it’s no wonder many have grown suspicious of the church. Some view her as a failed institution, riddled with hypocrisy and disillusionment. Others quietly withdraw, questioning if she’s worth their loyalty, love, or even their presence.

Yet, amid this cultural skepticism, one voice rises with a radically different perspective.

“You are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful.” (Song of Solomon 1:15)

This is not the voice of an idealistic believer or a blind loyalist. These are the words of Jesus the eternal Bridegroom spoken to His church. Interpreting the Song of Solomon as a poetic expression of Christ’s love for His bride, the church, John Gill, an eighteenth-century Baptist pastor, reminded his generation (and ours) that Christ’s affection is unshaken. He doesn’t scowl in disgust; He speaks with delight.

But how can He say that? How can Jesus look at a church filled with so many flaws and still call her beautiful?

The Beauty of His Father

The answer begins not with us, but with God Himself. The church’s beauty isn’t self-made it is a reflection of the infinite beauty of God.

Throughout Scripture, God's beauty is often associated with His glory. When Moses encountered God’s glory, he saw only the afterglow of divine perfection (Exodus 33:12–23). The temple was overwhelmed when God's glory descended (2 Chronicles 5:14). And the prophet Isaiah, undone by God’s holiness, fell prostrate before the throne (Isaiah 6:1–5).

As Jonathan Edwards put it, “God is God, and is distinguished from all other beings... by his divine beauty.” This beauty is not derived but emanates from His essence holy, righteous, loving.

And that beauty found its fullest earthly expression in Jesus Christ. “He is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), “the radiance of the glory of God” (Hebrews 1:3). Christ is the shining face of divine beauty and the church, chosen by the Father and united to the Son, reflects that same divine splendor.

Edwards once said that the church is “the great end of all the great things that have been done from the beginning of the world.” That means the church is not merely a human community it is the very reason creation exists. She is the Father's gift to His Son, that their joy may be made full in each other for all eternity.

The Sufficiency of His Cross

Jesus doesn’t admire the church because she is intrinsically flawless. Far from it. He loves her through the lens of His sacrifice.

On the cross, Jesus paid the full price for her purification. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). He washed her in blood so that she might one day be presented “without spot or wrinkle... holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). The cross is more than a display of divine justice it is a marriage vow sealed with blood.

Jonathan Edwards described this union so intimately that he said, “God looks upon [the elect] as it were as parts of Him.” The church is now bound to Christ so deeply that to love her is to love Him.

Seen through the cross, the church becomes the sole recipient of the love that flows eternally between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. She is not just forgiven; she is beloved. She is not merely accepted; she is cherished.

The Fulfillment of His Mission

Beyond beauty and forgiveness, the church is also the vessel of God’s redemptive mission.

From the moment Jesus declared, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), the church has carried the flame of the gospel across the earth. Despite persecution, failure, and sin, she has pressed on fueled by Christ’s authority and the Spirit’s power.

In the first century, the apostles turned the world upside down with the message of the risen Christ. Today, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, nearly 90,000 people become followers of Jesus every day. From underground churches in restricted nations to vibrant megachurches in global cities, the bride is still proclaiming her Groom.

Jesus sees this. He sees every baptism, every whispered prayer, every orphan cared for, every sinner brought home. He sees the hands and feet of His body in motion healing, helping, heralding. This is not an institution to Him; it’s a living, breathing bride, faithful in her mission.

She Is Still His Bride

Despite her flaws, Jesus has not distanced Himself from the church. He has not revoked His vows. He isn’t auditioning a replacement.

He still says, “You are beautiful, my love.”

His affection isn’t rooted in her performance, but in His promise. He sees not only what she is, but what she is becoming radiant, sanctified, glorified. And one day, she will stand before Him in splendor, and He will welcome her home.

“I will betroth you to me forever... in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.” (Hosea 2:19)

Until that day, Christ bids us to see the church as He does not with the scowl of cynicism, but with the gaze of grace. Not dismissing her imperfections, but trusting the perfection of His redeeming work.

Love the church. Speak well of her. Serve her. Pray for her. Because when you do, you love the bride Jesus came to rescue.

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