Scripture Reading: Rev. 3:18; 1 Pet. 1:7; 2 Pet. 1:4; Rev. 19:8; 1 John 2:27
Ⅰ
"I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire that you may be rich"—Rev. 3:18:
A
Gold here signifies Christ as our increasing faith to partake of His divine element— 2 Pet. 1:4; Luke 17:5; 18:8b.
B
In the Bible our operating, working faith is likened to gold, and the divine nature of God, which is the divinity of Christ, is typified by gold—Gal. 5:6; 1 Pet. 1:7; Exo. 25:11:
１
By faith we partake of the divine nature; we need the living faith to partake of the divine element of Christ—2 Pet. 1:1, 4.
２
We need to pay the price to gain the golden faith through the fiery trials so that we may participate in the real gold, which is Christ Himself as the life element to His Body; thus, we can become a pure golden lampstand for the building of the golden New Jerusalem—Rev. 1:20; 21:18.
３
In typology gold signifies both the divine nature and the living faith by which we appreciate and appropriate the divine nature:
ａ
The divine nature can become our experience and enjoyment only through our living faith—1 Pet. 1:7.
ｂ
Christ is both the embodiment of the divine nature and our living faith—Col. 2:9; Rom. 3:22, 26; Gal. 2:16.
ｃ
In order to have the faith to partake of the divine nature, we must have Christ— Heb. 12:2.
４
We cannot separate living faith from the divine nature; we know experientially that when we have living faith, we enjoy the divine nature—Gal. 5:6; 2 Pet. 1:4.
５
We need gold—the divine nature appropriated and applied by the living faith, which is Christ Himself—Rev. 3:18:
ａ
Faith is a wonderful person living and acting in us; this living faith, which is Christ Himself, is the gold that we need to buy.
ｂ
If we would gain this gold, we need to pay the price to buy gold from the Lord, dropping the things that hinder Christ from becoming our enjoyment—v. 18; Phil. 3:7-8.
Ⅱ
"I counsel you to buy from Me…white garments that you may be clothed"—Rev. 3:18:
A
We need to buy white garments that we may be clothed and that the shame of our nakedness may not be manifested—v. 18; 16:15. ? 2012 Living Stream Ministry
B
With regard to white garments, the color white denotes purity, and garments refer to our walk and conduct; hence, white garments signify a walk and conduct that express the purity of God—3:18.
C
In verse 18 white garments refers to conduct approvable to the Lord, which is the Lord Himself lived out of the church—v. 4; 19:8.
D
These white garments are Christ as our subjective righteousness, Christ lived out of our being, the expression of Christ, who as the Spirit is our life—Matt. 22:11-12; 2 Cor. 3:8-9:
１
The Christ who is lived out of us will be our second garment for us to be approved by the Lord.
２
This second garment is not for salvation but for being chosen—Luke 15:22; Matt. 22:11-12; Psa. 45:13-14.
E
When we have living faith and participate in the divine nature, this divine nature will eventually come out of us to be our living—Rev. 3:18:
１
This living is Christ lived out of our being, and this is the second garment, which gives us the standing and the qualification to be approved by Christ—Matt. 5:20.
２
If we love the Lord Jesus and are one with Him, we will have the living faith to participate in the rich divine nature, which will become the Christ lived out of our being as the second garment to cover our nakedness—Phil. 3:9.
３
We must pay the price for this second garment, the Christ lived out of our being; this is the subjective Christ, the Christ experienced by us in a subjective way—Col. 1:27; 3:4; Eph. 3:17a.
Ⅲ
"I counsel you to buy from Me…eyesalve to anoint your eyes that you may see"— Rev. 3:18:
A
Eyesalve is for anointing the eyes; when the eyes have an ailment and are unable to see, there is the need to buy eyesalve to cure the eyes and make them bright again.
B
The eyesalve needed to anoint our eyes refers to the anointing Spirit, who is also the Lord Himself as the life-giving Spirit—1 John 2:27; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17.
C
Spiritual insight is always related to the Spirit—1 John 5:6:
１
We need more Spirit to anoint our eyes and the depths of our inner being so that we may have insight to see things from within—Rev. 3:18; 1 John 2:27.
２
With the eyesalve, the anointing, we may have both the foresight and the deep insight to see the divine and spiritual things thoroughly—1 Cor. 2:10-12.
３
We need the eyesalve, the ointment, so that our eyes may be anointed to see the preciousness of Christ and be attracted to Him—Acts 22:14; Phil. 3:7-10.
D
The intention of the ministry in the Lord's recovery is to help the Lord's people to be enlightened so that they might see the value, worth, and preciousness of Christ, and by having this insight, they might be willing to pay any price to gain Him—Eph. 3:8-9:
１
Many Christians are unwilling to pay the price for Christ because they do not see what a treasure Christ is; they do not see the preciousness, the surpassing worth, and the value of Christ—Heb. 1:1-3; 2:9; 8:1-2; 12:1-2.
２
Once our eyes have been anointed by the divine, spiritual eyesalve, we will realize that it is worthwhile for us to pay any price for Christ—Phil. 3:7-8:
ａ
It is worthwhile for us to pay the cost of our future, our destiny, and our whole life for Christ—Matt. 26:6-13.
ｂ
Our self, our future, and our life are all worth nothing; we actually pay nothing to gain Christ, who is everything—Col. 1:18, 27; 3:4, 10-11.
３
The gold, the white garments, and the eyesalve are all Christ; we need Christ, and we need the willingness to pay the price to gain Him—Rev. 3:18.