"These robes are symbolical of their characters once defiled, now made pure by virtue of the faith which they have exercised in him who died on Calvary that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify us unto himself a peculiar people.
Observe here that their agency is spoken of. It was, indeed, the blood of the Lamb that purged away the stains; but they had something to do; they saw and loathed the impurity of their garments, they approached the fountain, and washed them white. Christ gave them the heart to do it."
— George Bowen (1816–1888) · The White Sadhu of Bombay"Christ gave them the heart to do it."
— George Bowen · The gift enables the agency. The heart that turns was given by the One it turns toward."Christ gave me the heart to be devoted to Him. 'We love because He first loved us.'"
✦ The Gift That Enables
1 John 4:19 — we love because He first loved us. The heart that is devoted did not manufacture its own devotion. It was given. Yesterday Bowen said: be filled with the knowledge of Christ's love to you, and love will follow without difficulty. Today he shows the mechanism: Christ gave them the heart.
And the agency is real. They saw the impurity. They approached the fountain. They washed. But the heart that moved them to see, to approach, to wash — that heart was given. The gift and the agency are not in conflict. The gift enables the agency. The soul that was raised knowing nothing of God — God gave that soul the heart to turn. And then the soul turned.
"The saints in light have something to distinguish them from all angels, all other holy beings. They are not pure, but purified. They were once impure, once steeped in sin and meet only for the inheritance of the devil and his angels.
That they have become the companions of those who are before the throne, will be a wonder ceaseless through all eternity. The distinction is of course not honorable to them; but it is eminently honorable to Christ; and they seek no honor but his.
By reason of their intimate alliance with him, they feel at home in heaven as though they had never dwelt elsewhere."
— George Bowen (1816–1888)"They are not pure, but purified."
— George Bowen · The distinction is not honorable to them. It is eminently honorable to Christ.✦ A Wonder Ceaseless Through All Eternity
Not pure — never claiming native holiness. Purified — made clean by something outside themselves. The 500 denari soul does not stand before the throne because she achieved purity. She stands there because the Lamb's blood did what her hands could not. And the honor belongs not to the one who was washed but to the One who provided the fountain.
Mamãe Consuelo's letter: a recompensa de Deus é o próprio Deus, e somente Ele. The purified ones seek no honor but His. The reward is not the throne. The reward is the One who sits upon it. And by reason of their intimate alliance with Him, they feel at home — as though they had never dwelt elsewhere.
"They wash their robes on earth that they may stand before the throne of God. Do you belong to their number? Have you knowledge of the blood of Christ? Such knowledge as tends to the purification of your character, to your emancipation from sin? Not without your agency will this spiritual transformation take place."
— George Bowen (1816–1888)The washing happens on earth. Not in heaven. Not at the end of the journey. Now — in the mornings before dawn, in the furnace of packing and transition, in the ordinary hours. The robes are washed daily. The purification is ongoing. And the agency is real — because Christ gave the heart to do it.
He Gave the Heart
The devotion did not manufacture itself. Christ gave the heart. We love because He first loved us. The gift enables the agency. The turning was given by the One we turn toward.
Not Pure, but Purified
Once steeped in sin. Now companions before the throne. A wonder ceaseless through eternity. The honor belongs not to the washed but to the fountain.
At Home in Heaven
By intimate alliance with Christ, they feel at home as though they had never dwelt elsewhere. The alliance from Psalm 27:14 — signed, sealed, ratified. The 500 denari soul, at home.