White Robes | AdventAI

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Sep 12, 1878

White Robes.

TEXT: “After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, saying, Amen. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said to him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Rev. 7:9-14.

It is said of the entire multitude of the redeemed, that they had come out of great tribulation. Not one of them had lived in the period of the thousand years after the world should be converted and all men become holy. It is also said that they had washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Notice the following points:—

1. They had washed. Washing is considered the hardest of all household work. This shows that God takes good works into account in Christian duty. Several years since, after we had been speaking of the importance of keeping all of God’s commandments, and filling our lives with good deeds which would bring a reward that would be enduring as eternity, an old schooled Baptist minister arose and begged leave to differ with the speaker. He commenced by saying that we could do nothing to merit salvation; that the apostle had said that all our righteousness was as filthy rags. He said that he trusted in being clothed in heaven with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We replied that the apostle had said nothing about our righteousness being as filthy rags; that the expression was found but once in the Bible, and that in Isaiah. The prophet there describes a people who are separated from God by iniquity, in the following words:—

“Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways; behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned; in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.” Isa. 64:5-7.

To apply these words to those whose only hope for eternal life is through Jesus Christ, is a terrible perversion. We do not teach that men are to be saved by good works alone, without faith; but we do teach in harmony with the apostle that our works are a measure of our faith. “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and hath not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works; show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:14-20.

Men show by their works all the faith they have. By faith Abraham redeemed the time past in which he wavered in reference to the promised heir. That faith was accounted to him for righteousness because that it led him to show his faith by his works in attempting to offer Isaac to the Lord as a burnt sacrifice. As the apostle says, “Know ye therefore, that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” Gal. 3:7.

At the coming of Christ, men will be rewarded according to their deeds: “And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:2.

Paul bases his hope of the crown of righteousness which he is to receive at the coming of Christ upon his life of labors in the gospel, and his faith in Christ. At the close of his ministry, as he is about to die a martyr, he looks back on his life of toil, suffering and faith, and says: “I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Tim. 4:6-8.

The apostle addresses the church at Rome in the following words: “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal life; but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath.” Rom. 2:5-8.

In the final summing up of the rewards of the righteous, and the punishment of the wicked, men will be judged by their deeds: “For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10.

We close this proposition by quoting the golden text in the last chapter of the Bible: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22:14.

Notice that it is said that the redeemed had washed their robes. These white robes are a figure of purity. These persons do not sit down and wait, in faith that the Lord had pure garments made for them which they would receive by and by to cover their lives of impurity. No, they had washed their robes by lives of right doing. They had wrought out righteous characters which would stand the test of the judgment. Those who wait for these garments to cover their lives of sin, as the snow covers the dung hill, will find themselves terribly disappointed when they appear before the scrutinizing eyes of the Judge of all the earth.

Had these trusted in their good works? had they attempted to make their robes white in the filthy pool of a life marked with imperfections? No; they had washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. Here, then, is the evidence that after we have given cheerful obedience to all the commandments of God, our robes of character cannot attain to that purity which will stand the test of the judgment without washing in the “fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins.”

J. W.