Dear Anurekha,

The relationship we have with our Lord is many faceted, it has different dimensions to it - just like many of our other relationships. A husband can be your husband, he can be your leader, in some ways he will cover you as your father once did. He will instruct as a teacher, and he will also learn from you as a student. It is no mystery that God can be our Father, in that from Him our life comes and through Him all blessings flow. He is our Husband in that He covers us and protects us as we follow him. He is our Lord as we submit ourselves to his righteous and just commands.

Ephesians 5 shows how our relationships as husbands and wives are a clear physical representation of the spiritual reality of our relationship with God. "The husband is the head of the body, even as Christ is the head of the church." In context, husbands are told to take the literal example of Christ in laying down his life for the church, and we are to apply it in our physical marriages.

"The Church", as your note alludes, is a spiritual organism, not a physical organization. God is spirit and he desires those who worship him to worship in spirit and in truth. The Church consists of true believers who may happen to fellowship in different organizations and denominations. God looks at the heart and knows who are his own.

There will always be more questions than answers in this life, because we see through a glass dimly. The New Jerusalem comes down and has specific measurements and dimensions - this is not simply the church. There is more to it than that.

Blessings and Peace,