28 years ago, when my husband and I decided to get married, we went together to buy the materials for my wedding dress: satins, lace, and decorations. My mother-in-law, a seamstress, handmade the dress but needed her son – my fiancé at the time – to help sew the hem by hand. However, he never saw the design of the dress. To keep the tradition of not letting the groom see the dress before the wedding, the dress was kept in a large black bag, and he only worked on the portion he was sewing. In this way, my husband not only paid for my dress but also played a part in making it.
The Bible says: "She [the wife of the Lamb] has been granted to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints" (Revelation 19:8 ESV).
Jesus chose His bride, the Church, made up of all believers, and prepared her wedding dress of fine linen. The Scriptures tell us that this fine linen represents the righteous deeds of the saints. At first glance, we might think that believers are responsible for sewing this dress with their own good works, but this ignores the sacrifice of Jesus. As Scripture says: "No one is righteous—not even one. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one" (Romans 3:10,12 NLT).
Yet, in His grace, God declares us righteous through Jesus Christ, who freed us from the penalty of our sins (Romans 3:24 NLT). People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood (Romans 3:25 NLT).
So, Jesus, the groom, chose and purified His bride to receive her as His wife. What good can we do without Him? What righteous deeds can we boast of? None. If our "wedding dress" is white and ready to marry Him, it’s only because we have allowed Him to cleanse us.
Jesus has already done everything, but the decision is ours: to accept the purification process and present ourselves before Him as a glorious bride, without stain, wrinkle, or any other blemish (Ephesians 5:27).
Written by Celia Guevara de Preza, based on the sermon of September 28, 2024.
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