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Referencing Eph. 5:27. How can a Christian know if they are without blemish, etc.?

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Were you asking about an individual or the Church? – Peter Turner Feb 3 '12 at 16:25
I second Peter's question. There isn't a single member of the Church (except Christ and His mother) who is without blemish. However, the Church itself, the Mystical Body of Christ, is without blemish. – Audio Sancto Feb 3 '12 at 18:09
The answer to the question you actually asked is something along the lines of "study hermeneutics", but I suspect you actually wanted what people do interpret it to mean rather than the 'how'. Could you clarify who you want to hear from? – Caleb♦ Feb 3 '12 at 19:13
The answer would take some application of hermeneutics, however, I am looking for how scripture defines a Christian without blemish, so that a Christian can work to become that.I personally would like to be the type of Christian Christ is looking for at His return. – Keith Groben Feb 3 '12 at 19:31

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3 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

The context of this verse is both immediate and a foreshadowing of the coming age.

Currently, Jesus washes us with the water of His word in order to purify us and sanctify us. Salvation is given to us once, and after that we are sanctified continually to be made like Jesus (Heb. 10:14). We are set apart and continually being likened to His image. Not that we become God, as some religions say. But His nature is more evident in our lives. His virtue permeates our being. His peace, love, joy, (etc) become our peace, love, joy (etc.).

This also refers to a time when Jesus presents the bride to Himself. In Revelation 19:6-9, we see a beautiful picture of the Bride of Christ. She is adorned in white and is pure and spotless. As the end continually draws near, great darkness will (and already has) cover the Earth. People will become progressively more and more evil. God counters this by raising up His people in true humility and righteousness. A people that are strong and deeply rooted in Him. A Bride equally yoked with Jesus. Doing His works, and preaching His Gospel. The Bride of Christ speaks to us both personally and as a whole, since the individuals make up the Bride.

Hope this made sense and helps :)

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up vote 3 down vote

Warning, extremely Catholic Answer

this answer contains mariology and a veiled reference to purgatory

It is the calling of the whole Church to be without stain or blemish, not just a personal thing. The Mystical Church is the spotless bride of Christ. We can't corrupt it by out faults.

In addition, it has gained a clearer awareness that, while it is by divine vocation holy and without blemish, it is defective in its members and in continuous need of conversion and renewal, a renewal which must be implemented not only interiorly and individually but also externally and socially.

PAUL VI - ON FAST AND ABSTINENCE

Furthermore, there is only one human, living in the time of Christ, who has ever been free from the stain of original sin, the Holy Mother of God. That is why Mary is the model of the Church and the model of sanctity.

In the Church this communion of men with God, in the "love [that] never ends," is the purpose which governs everything in her that is a sacramental means, tied to this passing world. "[The Church's] structure is totally ordered to the holiness of Christ's members. And holiness is measured according to the 'great mystery' in which the Bride responds with the gift of love to the gift of the Bridegroom. "Mary goes before us all in the holiness that is the Church's mystery as "the bride without spot or wrinkle." This is why the "Marian" dimension of the Church precedes the "Petrine."

CCC - 773

It's not without reason that Catholics place Mary a little higher than the Angels. She was created without blemish, having attained by God's singular grace salvation, through Christ, before her birth.

But while in the most holy Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she is without spot or wrinkle, the followers of Christ still strive to increase in holiness by conquering sin.

Lumen Gentium

But what we can tell, is that it's Christ's desire that His church be spotless

Christ, in fact, fully strives to "present to himself a glorious Church, holy and immaculate, without stain or wrinkle or anything of that sort" (Eph 5: 27). In saying this he tells us that the power with which he builds the Church with which he guides the Church, with which he also gives the Church the right direction is precisely his love.

Pope Benedict XVI - 1/14/2009

So, it's not so much that we can know that we are without blemish, or that for any amount of time after our baptism we will be without blemish, or even if we are without blemish that we will be free from the effects of sin. Until, of course, we are reunited with Christ in Heaven, in the Church Triumphant.

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+1 for giving the Catholic answer and fair warning. (I'm afraid that if I ever wrote "Why I am not a Catholic" a fair amount of this answer would be referenced. But I agree with "It is the calling of the whole Church to be without stain or blemish, not just a personal thing. The Mystical Church is the spotless bride of Christ.") – Jon Ericson Feb 3 '12 at 19:30
@Jon, truth be told, I just did this google search and pulled the first couple of references to Eph 5:27. There are many, many more reasons there for you to not want to be Catholic. – Peter Turner Feb 3 '12 at 19:39
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[Bounding way off topic here.] It's not that I don't want to be Catholic, it's that I can't, in good conscience, submit to what I'm convinced is false doctrine. My prayer and earnest hope is that we will all worship before the Lamb of God together as one church: the Bride of Christ. – Jon Ericson Feb 3 '12 at 19:59
up vote 1 down vote

(Warning: this is a rather Catholic answer as well)

St. Augustine and others explain that "without blemish" refers to the doctrine, sacraments, discipline, and practices approved by the Catholic Church. In the same way that the Jews were protected from teaching error before Christ, the Catholic Church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is protected from teaching error (even if a great many members of the Church fall into error personally).

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