GO BUY YOUR OWN OIL


By Akin Ojumu

Just because somebody wraps himself up in the Christian flag doesn’t mean he is on the narrow road that leads to eternal life. It’s foolish presumption to simply conclude that everyone who speaks Christianese with a Biblical accent or exhibits outward appearance of religiosity is destined for heaven.

MATTHEW 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Among the hoi polloi who lift up their hands in worship to sing praises to God at every Church service are many who will spend eternity weeping and gnashing their teeth. Self-titled apostles, self-named prophets, self-appointed pastors, and self-styled men and women of God of all sorts are going to be inmates doing time in the lake of fire.

If you dont believe me, just ask the five foolish virgins in the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

On the outside, the ten virgins are indistinguishable. What sets them apart was not their outward sign of purity. All of them were virgins. They all came to the wedding feast, all dressed up in their best wedding attire. All of them were exuberant and giggly; singing, dancing, and rejoicing, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the bridegroom. 

As identical as the ten virgins may appear, there’s one thing that sets them apart. Half were wise, half of them were foolish. Even though the ten virgins all came with their lamps, the wise virgins brought oil in their flasks while the foolish ones did not.

MATTHEW 25:2-4
“Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.”

Preparation was what distinguished the ten virgins in this parable. The wise five came to the wedding feast with oil in their flask prepared for the delay in the arrival of the bridegroom. The foolish ones also came, but they were unprepared, with no oil.

If by now you haven’t already figured out what this parable means, let me break it down for you.

The Lord Jesus gave the Parable of the Ten Virgins to His disciples during the Olivet Discourse. This was one of the last teachings in the final days leading up to His arrest and crucifixion. The disciples had come to Him in private to ask about the time and signs of His return.

MATTHEW 24:3
“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

After telling them about the devastating global upheaval and progressively increasing cataclysm that would precede His coming in Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus concluded his response, in Matthew 25, by giving them a pair of parables; the Parable of the Ten Virgins and the Parable of the Talents. These two parables speak of the coming separation that will be based on preparation. They portend the sifting of the wheat from the tares that will take place at the end of this age. We learn from these two parables of the impending final judgment.

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the ten virgins symbolize self-professed believers. They represent folks who claim to know Christ and think they belong to Him. The ten virgins speak of the crowd gathered together in the assembly of believers awaiting the return of the King of kings. 

The ten virgins are Pastors, Bishops and General Overseers who stand behind the Church pulpits claiming to be the bride of Christ. And the ten virgins are the laity seated in the Church pews professing to be looking forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb of God. All of them are waiting in anticipation, as it were, gaily dressed in their wedding garments, singing, clapping, dancing, and rejoicing as they hold up their lamps.

Their presence symbolizes their interest, and their lamp symbolizes their profession of faith in Christ. They show outward marks of watching for the coming of the bridegroom. They show outward marks of readiness. They show outward marks of commitment to Jesus Christ. They’re part of the believing community. They’re gathered as bridesmaids, as it were, ready to be received into this glorious marriage celebration. They profess to love Christ’s appearing. They profess to hear the gospel and believe. They profess to be disciples to wait for the Son, to desire the Kingdom (Source: John MacArthur).

They all look the part; singing the right songs and saying the right words. By all appearances, there’s no way to tell them apart. Every one of them is making a joyful melody to the Lord. And their Halleluiah is ever ringing louder and louder. When they pray, they groan until thick drops of sweat fall from their brow. They bring their offerings in large amounts, and they pay their tithes even to the smallest mint and anise and cummin.

Although they appear indistinguishable on the outside, nevertheless, He that searcheth the heart can tell them apart. Like the foolish virgins in the parable, many of them are unprepared, having no oil in their flask. On the outside they look alright. But on the inside, they are deficient in the weightier matters of the faith. They make a profession of faith, but they lack the genuine oil of preparedness which symbolizes the reality of the distinguishing saving grace.

The oil represents the necessary grace without which no man shall see the Lord. The oil is true salvation. It is imputed righteousness. It is genuine holiness granted by faith in Jesus Christ. It is a transformed inward life (Source: John MacArthur).

2 TIMOTHY 2:19
But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

Many self-professed Christians are like those of whom Paul describes in 2 Timothy 3:5 as having a form of godliness but without power. The Church is full of unredeemed people who are unprepared for the coming of the Lord. Im referring to religiously devoted, actively engaged, socially connected, and intellectually committed Church folks whose flasks of oil are empty. Self-deceived and lured into slumber with a false sense of eternal security, they are lightless and lifeless.

MATTHEW 25:8-9
“And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’”

Lastly, you must realize that salvation is neither bequeathable nor transferable. The saved cannot save the lost. Every person must have his own salvation. Everyone must make his own life right before God. You can’t grab my arm and get dragged into the Kingdom. You can’t share my oil to light your lamp. You’ve got to go get your own oil if you want to be admitted into the marriage supper of the Lamb.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:11
“Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.”

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