And when the king came in to see the guests, He saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment, M't 22:11.

In order to rightly understand this most important message from our Saviour, our first question must be, what is this wedding garment? I find scripture clearly teaches that this garment is twofold! Firstly, we find it to mean the righteousness of Christ imputed unto His church, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Ro 4:6; 2 Co 5:21. Secondly, the imparted righteousness of Christ unto good works, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them," Eph 2:10.

Firstly, this wedding garment is clearly described as the imputed righteousness of Christ in Isa 61:10, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."

Secondly, we find this wedding garment is clearly described as the righteous acts of the saints through the imparted righteousness of Christ in Rev 19:7, in the same context of the bride and the bridegroom. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready. To her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." This righteousness is the obedience, or conformity of life to the divine law, "of [the] saints."

When Jesus Christ paid the penalty of sin for His church, He did so as an act of obedience. Jesus said, "I lay down my life, that I might take it again . . . this commandment have I received of my Father," Joh 10:17-18. Jesus, "humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name . . .," because God the Father was so glorified with such obedience, Ph'p 2:8-11. That which God the Father looked after and accepted was the eminent obedience of Christ in our nature; so His holy and righteous life, His painful and cursed death, make but one entire piece of obedience which is imputed to His church as that robe of Christ's righteousness, Ro 5:19.

The parable of the man without a wedding garment warns against a legal repentance. We may become alarmed on account of the consequences of sin and join the local assembly of God's true believers, but on the judgment day there will be a final sifting between those who have on the wedding garment, and those who do not. There will be a separation between those who truly fear the Lord, and those who do not. "Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not," Mal 3:16-18.

God's Word tells us that, "whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son," Ro 8:29. It is so beautiful how Jesus describes this conforming unto Himself. In Joh 14 and 15, Jesus tells us how that love is the fruit which He and His holy Father are seeking from their vineyard. Then He goes on to show how the Father is so glorified by those wedding garments, which are the righteous acts of the saints.