Nevertheless, there is a problem. It is possible to have the lamp, but to lack the extra portion of oil. The lamp mentioned here was an oil lamp; therefore, there was the need of a vessel along with the lamp to contain an extra portion of oil. When the lamp begins to run out of oil, it can then be supplied again with an extra portion. Five wise virgins prepared the extra oil. This means that they had an extra portion of oil in the vessel. The foolish ones, however, did not carry any extra oil. Here is the difference between the wise and the foolish. It is not that the wise had lamps and the foolish had none. The distinction is that the wise had the extra oil in their vessels, whereas the foolish did not.
I would like to ask you, according to your own feeling, whether you are one of the wise virgins, or one of the foolish. I believe the Lord is speaking to many of us that we are still among the foolish. We are saved; there is no doubt about this because the lamp is in our hand. However, we do not have the extra portion of oil in our vessel. The five foolish ones had lamps, but their lamps were going out. This is the proper rendering according to the Greek text. It is not that their lamps had gone out, but that they were going out. They were still shining and burning, but there was very little oil left. Not only are the wise ones saved; the foolish ones are also saved, for they are virgins and have the lamps. Unbelievers are not virgins; they do not have lamps, and they are not going forth to meet Christ. Only the saved are the virgins going forth with lamps to meet Christ. The difference is that the foolish did not prepare the extra portion of oil. This was their problem.
What is the extra portion of oil in the vessel? We all know that oil typifies the Holy Spirit. We have all been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and therefore have the Holy Spirit within us. This means that we do have oil in our burning lamp. However, we need an extra portion of the Holy Spirit. I do believe that this refers to the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
The extra portion of oil in the vessel is the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit is an experience beyond regeneration. We may be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, yet come short of being full of the Holy Spirit. We may all have been regenerated of the Holy Spirit, but so many of us are not filled inwardly with the Holy Spirit. We have regeneration, but we do not have the infilling. Regeneration is sufficient to save us, but we need the infilling of the Holy Spirit to be ready to meet the Bridegroom.
The parable of the ten virgins is not a matter of salvation; it is a matter of being prepared for the wedding feast of Christ. To be saved is one thing, and to be ready for the wedding feast of Christ is another. To have your lamp burning is one thing, but to have an extra portion of oil in the vessel is another. It is possible to have a burning lamp, but to be short of the extra portion of oil. Such a person’s lamp, in a sense, is going out. That one needs an extra supply of oil.
Among Christians there are many different interpretations of this parable. The dispensationalists say that this parable is only for the Jews, not for the Christians. The fundamentalists say that it is indeed related to Christians, but that the wise virgins are the saved and the foolish virgins are the unsaved. However, we should forget all the different interpretations and simply come to the Word in the presence of the Lord. If we read this chapter in the Lord’s presence, we will know what it means. We should forget all the traditional teachings, the old teachings, and be the single virgins, holding the lamp, going forth to meet our Bridegroom with an extra portion of oil in our vessel.
We have been saved, and we have been regenerated, but we need the infilling of the Holy Spirit. In this parable, there is a key word concerning the matter of being full of the Spirit. When the foolish ones asked to borrow oil from the wise, the wise told them to go and buy for themselves. The word “buy” is a key word. We all know that to buy something, we must pay the price. The regeneration of the Holy Spirit is free; it costs us nothing. For the infilling of the Holy Spirit, however, we must pay a price. What is the price? Let me illustrate. Suppose you go to the department store and select an item for purchase, but the Spirit within tells you to drop it. You like it, but the Spirit says, “Drop it!” That is the time that you need to pay the price. If you go along with the inner regulating of the Spirit, you will buy some extra oil for your vessel. There are some things that we need to drop at a cost. We need to pay the price to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
We are children of God, we have been regenerated, but the problem is that we will not pay the price by dropping so many things. If we hold on to all these things, we miss the infilling of the Spirit. If we do not pay the price, then surely we cannot get the merchandise. If the Holy Spirit says to drop a certain item when we are shopping, we should say, “Amen, Lord, I will drop it.” When the Holy Spirit asks us to give up a certain thing, we should simply give it up. This is the price we need to pay. In return we will receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. In this case, we receive what we pay the price for. If we pay a great price, then we will receive that much. The amount we pay determines how much we receive.
Nevertheless, there is a warning that there is a time element. The foolish ones finally went to buy, but it was too late. The door was shut. One thing is certain: we need to buy the oil, we need to pay the price. However, if we do not buy before the Lord comes back, it will be too late. If we do not buy today, then some day we still must buy, but that will be too late. If we buy today, we will receive a prize, but if we buy later, we will lose the prize. This is the life we need to serve the Lord in the New Testament service.