Christ’s return and our calling to readiness

The return of Christ does, in fact, call Christians to readiness in the midst of this present evil age. A lot of New Testament passages say this. Hebrews 4:3, for instance, says that there is no salvation apart from following Jesus Christ. When the Bible calls us to readiness, it is not something in addition to being a Christian. It is being a Christian—living in faith and following him. And only we who have believed, Hebrews says, will enter that rest. So by all means, there is never salvation apart from following Jesus Christ in a living faith. And that will be so on the last day. But you see, believers are tempted to despair, aren’t we? We are tempted by the pleasures of sin, while the siren songs of the culture are calling us. And we are aware that often we are not doing all that well. And Satan says to us, Give up. Give up. Look at you. You’re not ready. You’re not the five good brides—you are the five bad brides in the parable of the ten virgins. And he says, Forget about it. You have not done all that well. And the New Testament says, Trust in Jesus Christ. He is coming. He is going to save you. But by all means, commit yourself—knowing that he is coming—to him. The Bible says that the church on that day will be like a bride adorned for her husband. I have done a few weddings in my life, and I know that brides work hard to prepare themselves. That is what we are doing in this life. By all means, let us be preparing the beauty of our lives unto him—his beauty at work in us through the Holy Spirit as he is sanctifying us. Let us have a zeal to show our love for him when he appears on that day.¹

Richard D. Phillips