Clean fine linen

Clean fine linen

 

 

Having been justified by God,

we will participate in the wedding feast of the Lamb in the new heaven and new earth.

Revelation 19:7-8 says: "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear"

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints).

At this wedding feast, the groom is Jesus Christ, and the bride is us,

who believe in Jesus and have been justified.

The "fine linen" we will wear symbolizes justification,

which God has clothed us with

(Note: the verb in verse 8 is passive,

indicating that God has clothed us with the fine linen).

As the bride, which is the church, and those who have been justified by God,

we must prepare ourselves (Note: the verb in verse 7 is active,

 indicating that we, the bride, must prepare ourselves).

This preparation involves the righteous acts of the saints.

In other words, as those justified by God,

we must prepare ourselves with “righteous acts” or “righteous deeds” (v. 8).

From the perspective of 1 John, "righteous deeds"

refer to actions performed by a righteous person like Jesus (1 John 3:7),

doing righteousness as "Jesus Christ the Righteous One" (2:1) does (v. 6).

Specifically, these righteous deeds are encapsulated in Jesus' twofold commandment:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind"

and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37, 39).