May 28

and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. — Eph 5:27 BSB

We do not yet fully see what the Church will one day be, nor what she has always been in the eyes of Jesus. He looks beyond the present time, past all the sins and sorrows of this earthly existence, and fixes His gaze on the glorious bridal day when, before all the assembled angels in heaven, He will present the Church to Himself—a glorious Church, without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish.

Oh, what a day that will be when the Son of God openly weds His bride, the Church! Heaven will echo with the sound of many voices, like the roar of rushing waters and the peal of mighty thunder, proclaiming, “Alleluia! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns! Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:6-7). How purified, how sanctified, how cleansed and clothed in righteousness must the Church be on that day! The very eyes of omniscience, which can detect the slightest imperfection, will find in her neither spot nor blemish. God Himself, in all the brilliance of His holiness, will declare, “I have looked upon every member of the mystical body of My Son. With My all-seeing eyes, I have examined each one, and there is no spot, no wrinkle, no blemish in any of them. All are complete in Him; all stand accepted in the Beloved.”

But you may wonder, and rightly so: “How can I know that I will stand on that day without spot or wrinkle?” The answer lies in this question: What do you know of the cleansing and sanctifying work of regenerating grace in your life? Have you experienced the word of truth laying hold of your conscience, or the power of God’s word entering your heart? Have you felt the blood of Christ applied to your conscience and the love of God shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit? If, by the grace of God, you have living faith in the Son of God, if His love and blood have been applied to your conscience, then when your time here ends, it will open for you into a glorious eternity. Delivered from all your sins and sorrows, fears and anxieties, you will be presented at that great day as part of the glorious Church, which has neither spot nor wrinkle.

But if you live and die without a saving interest in these heavenly blessings, would I be faithful to my calling, to my conscience, if I told you it will all be well with your soul? Could I tell you that simply calling for a minister on your deathbed, asking for prayers or sacraments, will make everything right? No, I dare not do that. I must lift my voice and say, “There is no salvation—past, present, or future—apart from the precious blood of the Lamb, and that salvation must be made experientially known to the soul by the power of the Holy Spirit.”