Fine garments
This week's study is on Revelation 19:6-8:
I was reading these verses from Revelation on the bus this morning and was struck by our righteous acts being described as fine garments or linen. The verses describe a vision of heaven that John of Patmos had about two thousand years ago. He describes the bride of Christ (The Church) being given fine linen (righteous acts) to wear. It really puts mankind's relationship with God into perspective.
Righteous acts are described as fine linen. They're something that makes us appear better, like a well tailored suit or nice shoes, rather than something that makes us better on some deeper level, like character or skill. Just like a man wouldn't typically choose a bride based on how nice her clothes look, God doesn't choose us for our actions. They are decoration. They make us look better. They don't add to our value. They're external in the way that clothes are external. They aren't "us" any more than a bride's dress is the bride.
The fascinating thing is that John says that the fine linen was given to the bride to wear. The bride didn't make the fine linen herself. Our righteous actions, while coming somewhat from our will, could also be seen as a gift from God. Psychology would seem to back that up. From what I've read about human behavior, psychologists can't always tell why in identical circumstances some people will do evil and others will be good. There's a fair amount of grace in what we are able to accomplish even when our free will is taken into account. Wanting and doing aren't always the same thing. There seems to be a sort of collaborative aspect to our righteous acts, where we can't do them on our own, but where God doesn't just do them for us either.
God clothes his bride in fine linen. We are clothed in righteous acts, not because of us, but because it pleases God. It makes him look good to have us look good. And we read that multitudes are praising God for making this whole thing happen. Nobody's talking about the bride and her makeup and her virtues. It's all about God. God is glorified by our righteous acts, not because we did them, but because we are his new creation.
We may look good because God chooses us, but God looks good because he was able to make us look good. He is both groom and the master of all makeovers. In the book of Zechariah 3:3-5, God performs a makeover and exchanges bad clothes for good. The best we can achieve on our own is filthy and worn out. But all of that is turned in, and exchanged for what God has for us. Even though people may praise us for our righteous acts, they are ultimately a thing of God's creation, not our own. We may have changed our clothes when asked, but we didn't necessarily pick them out.
In a way, it makes sense. If a guy saves a dog drowning in the river, did he somehow plan his life out to be able to help animals? Did he learn to swim in the hopes of being able to be useful to dogs someday? Did he show up on that day, at that time, in that place, just to help the dog? No, that situation was given to him, and even his choice to jump in may have been nudged a bit. He made the choice to put the hero suit on, but it was still handed to him.
So in the end, when the universe is celebrating, God's creation isn't going to be going off on how great these Christians are, and all of the good charitable things we've done. They're going to be saying "Hallelujah! God is in charge! Everything he planned happened as he planned it to be! Even the broken things have been fixed, and the dirty things have been made clean! All things have been made new again!"
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
I was reading these verses from Revelation on the bus this morning and was struck by our righteous acts being described as fine garments or linen. The verses describe a vision of heaven that John of Patmos had about two thousand years ago. He describes the bride of Christ (The Church) being given fine linen (righteous acts) to wear. It really puts mankind's relationship with God into perspective.
Righteous acts are described as fine linen. They're something that makes us appear better, like a well tailored suit or nice shoes, rather than something that makes us better on some deeper level, like character or skill. Just like a man wouldn't typically choose a bride based on how nice her clothes look, God doesn't choose us for our actions. They are decoration. They make us look better. They don't add to our value. They're external in the way that clothes are external. They aren't "us" any more than a bride's dress is the bride.
The fascinating thing is that John says that the fine linen was given to the bride to wear. The bride didn't make the fine linen herself. Our righteous actions, while coming somewhat from our will, could also be seen as a gift from God. Psychology would seem to back that up. From what I've read about human behavior, psychologists can't always tell why in identical circumstances some people will do evil and others will be good. There's a fair amount of grace in what we are able to accomplish even when our free will is taken into account. Wanting and doing aren't always the same thing. There seems to be a sort of collaborative aspect to our righteous acts, where we can't do them on our own, but where God doesn't just do them for us either.
God clothes his bride in fine linen. We are clothed in righteous acts, not because of us, but because it pleases God. It makes him look good to have us look good. And we read that multitudes are praising God for making this whole thing happen. Nobody's talking about the bride and her makeup and her virtues. It's all about God. God is glorified by our righteous acts, not because we did them, but because we are his new creation.
We may look good because God chooses us, but God looks good because he was able to make us look good. He is both groom and the master of all makeovers. In the book of Zechariah 3:3-5, God performs a makeover and exchanges bad clothes for good. The best we can achieve on our own is filthy and worn out. But all of that is turned in, and exchanged for what God has for us. Even though people may praise us for our righteous acts, they are ultimately a thing of God's creation, not our own. We may have changed our clothes when asked, but we didn't necessarily pick them out.
In a way, it makes sense. If a guy saves a dog drowning in the river, did he somehow plan his life out to be able to help animals? Did he learn to swim in the hopes of being able to be useful to dogs someday? Did he show up on that day, at that time, in that place, just to help the dog? No, that situation was given to him, and even his choice to jump in may have been nudged a bit. He made the choice to put the hero suit on, but it was still handed to him.
So in the end, when the universe is celebrating, God's creation isn't going to be going off on how great these Christians are, and all of the good charitable things we've done. They're going to be saying "Hallelujah! God is in charge! Everything he planned happened as he planned it to be! Even the broken things have been fixed, and the dirty things have been made clean! All things have been made new again!"
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