How ridiculous to clothe ourselves with something clear, which could not prevent us from shame or embarrassment before others. Yet that is exactly what sinful people do before God who sees all things.
The root cause of this delusion is the blindness that comes from pride. “For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” Revelation 3:17. The lukewarm church is said to be naked. They are wretched but they do not know it, pitiable but are oblivious, poor and have no idea, blind and it follows they cannot see it. The nakedness of this church does not appear because they are blind, and they are blind because they think they are rich, affluent, and have need of nothing, which is pride.
The church is naked as are all creatures because God sees all things, “No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account” Hebrews 4:13. The remedy that God advises the church in Revelation 3 is to, “…buy from me gold refined by fire…”
That which is refined is pure, unmixed, uncompromised, and uncorrupted; the only place on earth where such purity reigns is the Word of God. The Christian must practice examination by God’s word, we do not judge it, but it judges us. “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern both intentions and thoughts of the heart” Hebrews 4:12.
An unbroken, proud, and self-reliant man, who is willing to take matters into his own hands for his own selfish purposes judges God, himself and others wrongfully through pride, however a man humbled and shattered by God’s truth sees himself, others, and most importantly God correctly, to the saving of his soul!
Comentários