If I am delayed, you will know which Spouse?

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When reading through statements of Faith and other definitions of the Church/Spouse…I get a Charley horse between my ears. Paul says this in 1 Timothy 3:15…
if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
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I have taken the word Church and substituted Spouse and when you read the Westminster Confession of Faith with this word change…it will make your head spin…

reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/
Chapter XXV
Of the Church
I. The catholic or universal Spouse, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the Head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fulness of Him that fills all in all.[1]
II. The visible Spouse which is also catholic or universal under the Gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion;[2] and of their children:[3] and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ,[4] the house and family of God,[5] out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.[6]
III. Unto this catholic visible **Spouse **Christ has given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world: and does, by His own presence and Spirit, according to His promise, make them effectual thereunto.[7]
IV. This catholic **Spouse has been sometimes more, sometimes less visible.[8] And particular Spouses, which are members thereof, are more or less pure, according as the doctrine of the Gospel is taught and embraced, ordinances administered, and public worship performed more or less purely in them.[9]
V. The purest Spouses under heaven are subject both to mixture and error;[10] and some have so degenerated, as to become no Spouses of Christ, but synagogues of Satan.[11] Nevertheless, there shall be always a Spouse **on earth to worship God according to His will.[12]
VI. There is no other head of the Spouse but the Lord Jesus Christ.[13] Nor can the Pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself, in the Spouse against Christ and all that is called God.[14
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The Evangelical Free Church says there is more than one spouse…

efca.org/about-efca/statement-faith
The Spouse
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  1. We believe that the true** Spouse **comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true Spouse is manifest in local Spouses, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Lutherans say you cannot see the Spouse, say the Spouse is created and then designate what the Spouse is and say wherever there is the word of God there is a spouse, since there is no original Scripture and there are only translations then there can never be proof that there is the word of God then there must not be any Spouse

faithevlutheran.net/pdfs/BriefStatement1932.pdf
  1. Since it is by faith in the Gospel alone that men become members of the Christian Spouse,
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and since this faith cannot be seen by men, but is known to God alone, I Kings 8:39; Acts 1:24; II Timothy 2:19, therefore the Christian Spouse on earth is invisible till Judgment Day, Colossians 3:3‐4. In our day some Lutherans speak of two sides of the Spouse, taking the means of grace to be its “visible side.” It is true, the means of grace are necessarily related to the Spouse, seeing that the Spouse is created and preserved through them. But the means of grace are not for that reason a part of theSpouse; for the Spouse, in the proper sense of the word, consists only of believers, Ephesians 2:19‐20; Acts 5:14. Lest we abet the notion that the Christian Spousein the proper sense of the term is an external institution, we shall continue to call the means of grace the “marks” of the Spouse. Just as wheat is to be found only where it has been sown, so theSpouse can be found only where the Word of God is in use.

I find many statements of Faith that try to redefine Church to suit their particular belief fail when the word Spouse is substituted…and then you have to ask yourself…

Is this the pillar and foundation of Truth…?🤷

Thoughts?🙂
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kimg901 said:
My head hurts reading all those RED spouses 😃
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Kimg,

How does your head feel reading this…
We believe (I believe ) in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begottenSon of God, and born of the Father before all ages. (God of God ) light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for usmen and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man ; was crucified also for us underPontius Pilate, suffered and wasburied ; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And (I believe ) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son ), who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by theProphets. And **one **holy, catholic, and apostolic Spouse. We confess (I confess) one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for (I look for) theresurrection of the dead and thelife of the world to come. Amen."
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It doesnt seem right to me when the word Spouse is introduced in the Creed or any other Scripture they might want to change 😦
P.S The first link wont work for me.
 
kimg901 said:
It doesnt seem right to me when the word Spouse is introduced in the Creed or any other Scripture they might want to change 😦
P.S The first link wont work for me.
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Kimg,

Scroll down to #25 and open that…🙂
 
My head is throbbing now. Spouse this and spouse that. Im feeling like I want to vomit.
 
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