In Revelation 3:15 and 18 the Lord said to the church in Laodicea, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot....I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire that you may be rich, and white garments that you may be clothed and that the shame of your nakedness may not be manifested, and eyesalve to anoint your eyes that you may see.” Here the Lord mentions the phrase to buy. We all know that to buy something means to pay a price for it.
In the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25 we clearly see that we who are Christians should have the status of a pure and simple virgin. In our condition we should be holding forth our lamps, which shine in and illuminate the darkness. The way that we take should lead us out of the world, which does not want the Lord. And the purpose of our living should be to await and meet the Lord. Since our Lord is not in the world and the world does not want Him, we should not have a lingering love for the world. Our hearts should not be occupied with this world. We have to leave this world. We must come out of the world in order to receive our Lord, the unique Bridegroom.
What grieves our hearts today is that many Christians do not know what their status and condition should be. If we would consider our condition, we would realize that we not only are not up to where we should be but are far from it. We are not like virgins. In our condition we are not holding our lamps and shining forth. Neither are we leaving the world, which does not want the Lord, nor are we receiving and waiting for the Lord. In the Gospel of Matthew the Lord pointed out four aspects of the proper situation of a Christian—his status, condition, way, and living. However, these aspects are merely the beginning or starting point for the kind of living that a Christian must have.
If we do not have these four aspects, we should bow our heads, saying, “Lord, forgive me. I have not begun my Christian life. Although I have become a Christian, have the name of a Christian, and have been baptized to enter into the church, I am not like a virgin. I do not have the light of a lamp shining in me. My steps have not led me out of this world, and I have not been waiting for You and preparing myself to meet You.” Many of us must admit that we have not begun our Christian life. We are Christians in name but not in reality. We do not stand in our position as Christians. We do not have the proper condition of a Christian. We do not walk the way of a Christian, nor do we live the life of a Christian. However, even if we do have these four aspects, we should not assume that we are qualified and mature enough to see the Lord. Please remember that these aspects are only the starting point, not the end. We have only started to grow and have not yet reached maturity.
Every saved person should have these four aspects and should continue to grow in them. In the parable of the virgins the Lord deliberately said, “And five of them were foolish and five were prudent. For the foolish, when they took their lamps, did not take oil with them; but the prudent took oil in their vessels with their lamps” (Matt. 25:2-4). The Lord pointed out that these ten virgins were different and that the difference was not whether they were genuine or false but whether they were prudent or foolish. The Lord divided them into two groups—five were foolish and five were prudent. It was not that one group was genuinely saved while the other group was falsely saved, as some Bible expositors say. The ten virgins were all genuinely saved. The Lord pointed out that what He was concerned about was not the matter of genuineness versus falseness but prudence versus foolishness. His concern was whether they were foolish or prudent.
Whether the virgins were genuine or false is a matter related to their nature. Whether they were foolish or prudent is a matter related to their condition. In their nature they were genuine and proper because they were all virgins and were all saved. However, in their conditions they were different, not the same. One group was foolish and the other group was prudent. All saved ones are not necessarily the same. There may be a difference. You may be a saved person belonging to the Lord, but you may be either prudent or foolish. Therefore, we all have to see that it is not enough to be saved. We also have to consider whether we are foolish or prudent. This means that a person who is saved, a Christian, has to take a further step to determine what kind of Christian he will be. Will he be foolish or prudent? Here the Lord first mentioned the foolish, showing that He was primarily warning the foolish ones. Of course the prudent ones do not need this teaching. Only those who are foolish need this teaching. The Lord reminded the foolish ones so that they would be watchful and prepared.