b. A Portrait of the Love of Christ
in His Union
with His Individual Believers

Song of Songs is a portrait of the love of Christ in His union with His individual believers. The entire New Testament stresses the Body life, not the individual life (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:27). But Song of Songs stresses not the Body corporately but the believer individually. To have the Body life, we must have individual contact with the Lord. Without the individual fellowship with the Lord as a base, we cannot have the proper Body life.

1) God Loving His Elect Israel
as a Husband Loving His Wife

As the record of a divine romance, the Bible first shows us that God loves His elect Israel as a Husband who loves His wife (Isa. 54:5-7; Jer. 2:2; 3:1; Ezek. 16:8; Hosea 2:19-20). Israel was a bride and God Himself was the Bridegroom. Thus, there was a bridal love between God and Israel.

2) Christ Loving His Church
as a Husband Loving His Wife

Second, the Bible reveals that Christ loves His church as a Husband loves His wife (Eph. 5:25, 31-32; Rev. 19:7-9; 21:2, 9). In Revelation 19 we see that Christ will have His wedding feast with His overcomers as His bride, and His wedding day will be for a thousand years. Then in the new heaven and new earth, all of His believers as the New Jerusalem will be the wife of the Lamb. The New Jerusalem will be the corporate wife of Christ, the Lamb.

3) The Believers Having Been Betrothed
to Christ as Pure Virgins

According to Paul's word in 2 Corinthians 11:2, the believers have been betrothed to Christ as pure virgins. In this sense, all the believers of Christ are female. Spiritually, we all, brothers and sisters alike, are virgins betrothed to Christ.