"THEY ARE VIRGINS"
"THEY ARE VIRGINS"
Revelation 14:4
By nature God's elect are as corrupt as any of Adam's
offspring. There is nothing good, noble, holy, or
virtuous in any believer by nature. And we, being
sinners, cannot do anything virtuous before God. Yet,
when viewed from heaven's vantage point, as God sees us
in Christ and as we shall be eternally, every believer
is a chaste virgin. Grace has made us chaste, pure,
holy and undefiled in the sight of God! Christ has
removed all our sins and all the consequences of sin
from us. This is what God says of all believers: "They
are virgins" (I Cor. 6:9-11; Hos. 2:18-20; Song 2:10;
5:1-2; 6:4,9; Ezek. 16:6-14). God's saints are compared
to virgins for many reasons.
- WE ARE BETROTHED TO CHRIST AS OUR HUSBAND BY OUR
VOLUNTARY PROFESSION OF FAITH IN HIM. Just as the Lord
Jesus willingly espoused himself to us in the covenant
of grace, we willingly gave, and continue to give, our
hearts to him in conversion. In our profession of faith
by baptism we publicly avowed that we belong to Christ.
- LIKE CHASTE VIRGINS, ALL BELIEVERS LOVE CHRIST AND
CLEAVE ONLY TO HIM. With singleness of heart we love
Christ, because he first loved us. And with the
devotion of sincere love we adhere to Christ alone,
because he holds our hearts by his grace.
- LIKE VIRGINS ADORNED FOR THEIR WEDDING, GOD'S SAINTS
ARE CLOTHED FROM HEAD TO FOOT WITH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF
CHRIST. Our beauty and comeliness is his beauty and
comeliness. Our happy attire is the garments of his
salvation, that fine linen, clean and white, which
Christ Jesus made for us by his life of obedience to
God as our Representative and put upon us by his grace.
- AND, LIKE VIRGINS, GOD'S ELECT ARE CHASTE AND PURE.
Grace has made us so. Grace has given believers a holy
heart and nature. Our doctrine is the pure doctrine of
Christ, our worship is the chaste worship of Christ,
our life is molded after the holy example of Christ.
This is what grace has done for us! Grace takes the
filthy and makes it pure. Grace takes the wretched and
makes it lovely. Grace takes the defiled and makes
chaste virgins.
Don Fortner is pastor of
Grace Baptist Church
Danville, KY