Righteousness Granted
Revelation 19:6–8 (ESV) Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
Did you notice what happened in this verse? The voice commands rejoicing and glorification to the LORD for something the Bride did. Does that make sense?
Absolutely. Because we know apart from Him we can do nothing.
On the surface, it seems John is saying our righteous acts have made us worthy to partake in the new culminated life in Christ at the end of the age. But of course, he is not.
The Bride (the body of Christ) makes herself ready because it was granted her to do so. Our righteous acts are those fine, bright and pure clothes making us fit for the presence of God. Yet, those acts did not originate because of us. God willed it into our hearts. He gives us a new life and with that new life comes a new desire.
I lived a long time believing differently about this and never saw much spiritual fruit. The moment I gave up trying to make myself ready on merit and started to understand God was at work in me -making me ready, things dramatically changed.
One thing we often overlook in the relationship structure with Jesus and the Church is how often the Body of Christ is reminded that they are the "Bride". The Bride does not initiate the wedding plans, she responds to them. The Groom prepares a home. The bride, knowing what is awaiting, prepares accordingly.
Our calling to Jesus is that which brings about a radical change in our perspective. His initiation on our hearts is the change agent. This is the record of scripture: Abraham didn't start his calling, neither did Moses, he was hiding. David was tending sheep totally unaware God had His eyes on him. Jesus chose the disciples and the notorious sinners among the crowds.
I have seen many conversions in my life. I have witnessed dramatic change in people's hearts. There is nothing more wonderful to see than a person completely turn toward God when formerly they were totally uninterested. How could it possibly happen if God were not the originator?
When we realize how big a part God played in our calling and election, it is so much easier to let His fruit be born in our lives. We are no longer struggling for the motivation but allowing His will and purpose to manifest through us.
This is cause to rejoice and exult and give Him the glory!
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