Washed in the Blood!

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city."

Revelation 22:14

One of the blessings that God has given to those of us who live in the affluent western world is the ability and opportunity to wash our clothes frequently. I am expected to wear clean clothes to work every day. If I come to work in soiled and fragrant apparel the offense could grow into some kind of action by the company for which I work.

If I have a job, some of my income will be spent on keeping my clothes clean.

But what about my spiritual clothing? How do I wash the robe of my life and stand pure and holy before Jesus? Unless I do wash my robe I will not have the right to eat of the Tree of Life and go through the gates into Heaven.

There are many jokes about someone standing at the gate of Heaven wanting to enter, but this reference in Revelation 22 is not a joke. Unless your robe is washed and clean you will not go in to the Holy City!

When a little child is pretending to wash his clothes, they may get wet and soapy, but the clothes will not be clean in the end. If you are pretending to wash your robe by doing good things, being nice, or just by being an honest person you will not be able to eat of the Tree and enter the City. There is only one way to wash the robe of your life and that is to wash it in the Blood of the Lamb. Only the Blood of Jesus can make your robe clean enough for you to eat of the Tree of Life and enter Heaven!

Remember the standard for a Christian is not: Are your robes as clean as or even a little cleaner than everyone else around you? Having the cleanest robe of anyone who is refused entry into Heaven is no honor. Compare your life not to those around you, but compare your life to Jesus Christ Himself. It is only when you are clothed with His sparkling clean righteousness that you are acceptable to God Almighty.

On the night before He was crucified Jesus told Peter, “If I don’t wash you, you don’t really belong to Me.” (John 13:8b)