Becoming the Bride of Christ - Part 5
When Esther was preparing to enter into an intimate relationship with her king, she committed herself to an intense and thorough purification regime. It took an entire year for her purification process to prepare her to meet her king. How much more is purification and preparation required for those of us who desire to meet the King of Kings and to be considered worthy to become His Bride?
“Then the king’s servants who ministered to him said, Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the capital in Shushan, to the harem under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their things for purification be given them. And let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. This pleased the king, and he did so… .
“So when the king’s command and his decree were proclaimed and when many maidens were gathered in Shushan the capital under the custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken to the king’s house into the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.
“And the maiden pleased [Hegai] and obtained his favor. And he speedily gave her the things for her purification and her portion of food and the seven chosen maids to be given her from the king’s palace; and he removed her and her maids to the best [apartment] in the harem… .
“Now when the turn of each maiden came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the regulations for the women had been carried out for twelve months—since this was the regular period for their beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with sweet spices and perfumes and the things for the purifying of the women—Then in this way the maiden came to the king: whatever she desired was given her to take with her from the harem into the king’s palace.”—Esther 2:2-13 (AMPC)
The word in this passage for “purification” could also translated as “cleansing.” It is defined as “a scouring, i.e. soap or perfumery for the bath; figuratively, a detergent.”
If Esther needed a thorough cleansing to prepare her to meet her earthly king, how much more do we need to be cleansed and purified in order to prepare us to meet our Heavenly King?
Washed in the Blood of the Lamb
Those who qualify to be included in the Bride of Christ will have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of Jesus Christ. We read this about the Overcomers in Revelation chapter 7:
“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’
**“**And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’
“So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and** washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.** Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”—Revelation 7:13-17 (NKJV)
We are cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith in His sacrifice for us on the cross.
“For you know that you were not redeemed from your useless [spiritually unproductive] way of life inherited [by tradition] from your forefathers with perishable things like silver and gold, but [you were actually purchased] with precious blood, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb unblemished and spotless, the priceless blood of Christ.”—1 Peter 1:18-19 (AMP)
Any sins of our past are cleansed when we place our faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross and the power of His blood to cleanse us from all sins and shortcomings.
“how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal [Holy] Spirit willingly offered Himself unblemished [that is, without moral or spiritual imperfection as a sacrifice] to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the ever living God?”—Hebrews 9:14 (AMP)
If we commit sins *after *our salvation experience, God is faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness when we sincerely repent, with sorrow for our sins, and ask God to forgive us.
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”—1 John 2:1-2 (NIV)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”—1 John 1:9 (KJV)
The Washing of the Word of God
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin, but we also need to be cleansed of the influences of the world, of false beliefs, and of demonic deceptions, as James exhorts us:
“Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”—James 4:8 (ISV)
To some extent, we have all been “brainwashed” by the culture we live in, the people around us, and by deceptions. These influences can easily have corrupting and polluting effects on our lives, staining our robes of righteousness when we—knowingly or unknowingly—accept them and adopt beliefs that are contrary to the Truth of God.
We need a new “brainwashing” to cleanse us from wrong philosophies and beliefs, and to transform our souls into the image of Christ. This is what the word of God does for us.
**“**Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”—Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJV)
Throughout His ministry on earth, Jesus used His time with His disciples to continually speak the Truth of the Word of God to them. The disciples didn’t realize this as it was happening, but Jesus’ words were continually cleansing them, washing their robes, purifying them, and removing every spot and stain.
Jesus explained this to His disciples in the upper room as He shared His last meal with them.
“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”—John 15:3 (NKJV)
It is vitally important that we replace the ideas and philosophies of man, the values of the world, and the subtle deceptions of wrong beliefs with the Truth of Scripture.
We must do what Paul exhorted us to do.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is—what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.”—Romans 12:2 (ISV)
To do this, we must continually keep the Word of God in our minds, guiding our thoughts, our words, and our actions with the Truth of Scripture.
To do this in a practical way, we must develop daily habits of Bible reading and meditation on Scripture. We must give ourselves to the meditation of Scripture.
This is the most important work of our lives. Through meditation on Scripture, day and night, we will continually be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. Old ways of thinking will be replaced by thinking in agreement with the mind of Christ.
In doing this, we will finally be cooperating with the will of God for our lives.
“For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers.”—Romans 8:29 (AMP)
In doing this, we will be accomplishing the second stage of salvation—the salvation of our souls.
Our spirits were transformed when we were born again, but salvation of our spirits did not transform our souls (our minds, our wills, and our emotions). We still had the same old ways of thinking, acting, and feeling. In order to transform our souls, we must give ourselves to the reading, memorizing, and meditating on God’s Word until it becomes part of us and we live our lives in complete agreement with it.
“So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”—James 1:21 (NLT)
We must value the World of God more necessary than our physical food, as Job did:
“I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”—Job 23:12 (AMPC)
We must develop habits of reading and meditating on God’s word day and night.
“Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long.”—Psalm 119:97 (NLT)
“My eyes anticipate the night watches, So that I may meditate on Your word.”—Psalm 119:148 (NASB)
There are fabulous rewards for mediating consistently in God’s Word. If we will make it a habit to meditate on Scripture, God promises that we will be successful and prosperous in everything we do!
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful.”—Joshua 1:8 (AMP)
“Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.
“But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.
“And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].”—Psalm 1:1-3 (AMPC)
A regular, consistent habit of Scripture meditation will make you wiser than your enemies and give you more understanding than your teachers!
“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For Your words are always with me. I have better understanding and deeper insight than all my teachers [because of Your word], For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged [who have not observed Your precepts], Because I have observed and kept Your precepts.” —Psalm 119:97-100 (AMP)
Over the life of his ministry, Bill Gothard has taught a wide range of life principles that are based on the Word of God. But in his later years, this man of great wisdom has narrowed his focus to emphasize the most important activity of life: meditation on Scripture in order to transform our souls into the image of Christ.
Dr. Gothard has produced many materials to explain the purpose and benefits of Scripture meditation, and he offers resources to facilitate this habit, including a Daily Rhema Journal that you can use to record your daily Scripture meditations.
One approach that I would recommend is this:
- Read your Bible each day in the early morning, asking God to speak to you.
- When you feel one verse “hit you” and seem to come alive with new meaning for you, make that your verse to memorize that day.
- Write it down in your daily meditation journal, returning to it in your thoughts throughout your day. The process of memorizing a verse, word for word, will help to implant it in your soul.
- Then, as you lay down for the night, quote it back to God as you fall asleep. When you fall asleep communing with God in this way, you connect your spirit to God, allowing Him to speak to you more easily as you sleep, guiding your dreams.
If you are not sure where to start in the Bible, I would suggest Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5 through 7 or the love chapter: 1 Corinthians 13. Also consider the books of Proverbs and Psalms.
Respond to Circumstances in Ways that Please the Lord
Sin will stain our spiritual garments. On the other hand, obedience to the commands of Christ will keep our garments clean and white, without spots or stains.
“But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing”—1 Timothy 6:11-14 (NKJV)
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”—1 John 1:7 (NKJV)
James teaches us that the trials and sufferings of life are not things to be cursed or resisted. When we accept difficult circumstances—and even learn to gratefully embrace them as friends—then we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in His efforts to bring us to perfect maturity.
“Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.”—James 1:2-4 (AMP)
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.” —Jude 24-25 (NKJV)
**Reference: **
Davis, P. K. Webinar 71 | Clothed with Christ. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UePVZT4a1xA
Back: Clothed in Pure White
