What if…God really means what He says?

Just to be clear - I’m referring to what He has made known to us in His word. And to the best of my knowledge, nowhere in our Bible are we told in no uncertain terms that we simply need to ‘ask Jesus into our lives, join a local church and start going there on a weekly basis as we do our best to read His word regularly, give up the big sins in our lives and try hard to work on committing those smaller sins less and less…and then when we die we go to heaven and live happily ever after’.

But you can see why many people believe that… given the message we hear preached so often today. I will concede that one could extract a few verses from the scriptures and build a doctrine that supports such a ‘statement of faith’, but doing so at the expense of laying aside so many other things we read in the ‘good Book’ is a bit presumptuous, not to mention quite foolish and even dangerous.

Allow me to explain by once again…repeating the original question of: What if God really means what He says?

You know - things like how we are tonbe “casting off the works of darkness…and walking properly…making no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts…” (Rom. 13:12-14)

Or “…cleansing ourselves from ALL filthiness of the flesh and spirit…perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). And that part about “laying aside every weight and every sin which so easily ensnares us…” (Heb. 12:1).

When we are instructed to “put off ALL these things like anger and malice and filthy language, along with sexual immorality and coveting...” (Col. 3:5-8) because ‘these things should not even be named among us…(Eph. 5:3-5)…is it possible that God had those words put in there for us to do…or maybe just to think about and analyze?

And did Peter really mean to write that we are to “be holy as He is holy in ALL our conduct…” (1 Pet. 1:15)…suggesting that even when we are reviled and having bad days and people get on our nerves…we have to be ‘holy’ in those times as well? And could someone please tell us that when Jesus said we were to be ‘perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect’ (Matt. 5:48)…that He could not have possibly meant that!?

I do know from experience that when one is reading any book of interest or importance …that when fatigue or drowsiness sets in…how easy it is to ‘miss things’ or overlook certain details that pertain to the story you might be engaged in. Ever been studying a text book for a test the next morning and your brain is becoming ‘mush’ as you try to slap yourself awake and then go back to re-read that last paragraph a few more times? I know I have.

So consider this: Jesus told a story about these ten ‘virgins’ who were expecting a certain bridegroom to show up and they had been preparing for his return, until his return got delayed. Before you know it…they all got sleepy and dozed off. (Matt. 25:1-5). Who can’t relate to that? It is noted there how five of them were ‘wise’, and five were ‘foolish’, but… they ALL fell asleep.

Then, around midnight a cry of warning was heard and the bridegroom was indeed coming. All ten of the virgins awoke and began fumbling around to ‘trim’ (light) their lamps, given how dark it would be at midnight. We are informed that only half of those ten had enough oil to get those lamps burning, which sent the other five (foolish) virgins into a frenzy as they scrambled about trying to obtain oil for themselves. You can only imagine that scene of chaos and anxiety and maybe even fear.

But it is verse 10 that you need to underline and consider: “While they (foolish virgins) went to buy (oil for themselves)…the bridegroom came…and those who were ready…went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.”

Those. Who. Were. Ready.

What does it even mean…to ‘be ready’?

Please keep in mind that in scripture, this idea of a ‘virgin’ is easily understood to represent the ‘bride of Christ’ or the ‘church’. And having just spent an amazing weekend celebrating the marriage of my ‘middle child’…I can assure you she spent the entire day…in preparation, making herself ‘ready’. When I had my ‘first look’ with her …tears filled by eyes as she radiated with beauty…standing there in her wedding down. I even quipped that she 'should' have looked beautiful given she had spent all day ‘working’ to get there. (I’ve often been accused of using humor to defuse awkward or emotional moments with my girls.)

We know that Christ is coming back for a ‘bride’ who is ‘pure, holy, blameless…without spot, stain, or wrinkle’ (Eph. 5:26-27). And in Revelation 19, it is made known that when the ‘marriage of the Lamb has come….His wife has made herself ready” (7)

So once again, I ask: What does it mean to be, or to have ‘made’ oneself ready?

Did you know that John wrote in his first epistle that when ‘He (Jesus) is revealed, (or appears)…we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2). Please note - He did not say ‘after….He appears… He’s then going to wave His hand and then we shall be like Him’. Which probably explains that next verse: “And everyone who has this hope in Him …purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (3).

So what about that? Do you think God really means what He says?