The Daily Word of Righteousness

White Clothes To Wear, #9

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.<R> He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Revelation 3:4,5 NIV)

As we study the New Testament we find no passage that states the blood of the Lord covers our spiritual nakedness. Rather we discover the purpose of the blood is to wash our robe. But we are not told what our robe is.

It is obvious if the purpose of the blood is to wash our robe, then the blood itself is not our robe.

What then is our robe? Our robe is a house presently situated in Heaven that is being prepared as a result of our behavior on earth. Tribulations add a great weight of glory to our house in Heaven.

When we sin we are to confess our sin and turn away from it. As we do, the blood of the Lord washes our house in Heaven so it remains spotless.

If we continue to walk in our sinful nature, not confessing our sins or turning away from them, the filth accumulates in our heavenly house.

In the day of resurrection we will be clothed with our house from Heaven. If it is a radiantly white robe, sparkling with purity, we will be part of the royal priesthood. But if it is a filthy robe, then we may be turned away into the outer darkness.

We are being taught today that these things are not so. Rather we are saved and on our way to Heaven on the basis of an unconditional grace, a Divine forgiveness unrelated to our conduct.

One of these two understandings is incorrect. If it is not true that in the day of resurrection we will be clothed with our conduct, then the worst that will happen is we lived a godly life without it having any effect on our condition at the time of our resurrection from the dead.

But if it is a fact, as we are teaching, that we indeed will in the day of resurrection be clothed with our conduct, and we as a Christian have continued to live according to our sinful nature, then we are facing a truly horrible, frightening future.

I know the ministers today are assuring their congregations they need have no fear of the Judgment Seat of Christ. They are mistaken. They are leading their congregations astray. They are crying "Peace! peace!" when the Lord is saying "Turn from your evil ways before I bring calamity upon you."

I think the wise reader will weigh what we have presented in this essay and search the Scriptures. If he does I am confident that he will be as I absolutely appalled at how far Evangelical teaching has drifted from the New Testament.

When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice. (Ezra 9:3,4 NIV)

(from White Clothes To Wear)