Dr. Couch, most Bible teachers say that the church began at Pentecost,
but in Ephesians 5:25 Paul writes "Husbands love your wives as Christ
loved the church and gave Himself for it." Loved is in the past tense.
If the church did not start until after Christ ascended, it seems that
this must be talking about something else. What do you think?
ANSWER: Both the words "loved" and "gave" (Himself) are not in the past tense
but in the aorist tense. While there are certain similarities in the two
tenses (in some cases but not all), the point is simply that He "Did"
these two things—He loved and He gave!
There is no conflict in the passage. Christ loved the church that would
be forming by the work of the Holy Spirit shortly after His
resurrection, more specifically after His ascension. The apostle Paul is
simply applying the work of Christ to the soon-coming church. The
church was not around until Pentecost.
Thanks for asking!
Dr. Mal Couch
